Embarking on a tech sales education can open rewarding career doors, with ample opportunities for high earnings and advancement in a thriving industry. The role of a Technology Sales Representative is diverse and dynamic, making connections globally and helping businesses solve problems with tailored technology solutions.
Why Learn Tech Sales?
Technology Sales Reps work for technology companies selling their products and services. This is a great career for someone who is fascinated and excited by technology but is not interested in learning to create products. There are many job opportunities in tech sales, and the pay is rewarding. Here, you’ll learn more about tech sales careers and how you can prepare to make a change. Regardless of your overall goals, tech sales skills are a valuable and impressive addition to your resume.
What is Tech Sales?
Tech sales is exactly that: selling technology. Technology Sales Representatives work for companies that make hardware, software, or provide services like cyber security or financial services, but tech sales is focused more on solving a problem than on selling a product. Building a relationship with customers based on meeting their needs is the foundation of tech sales.
Tech sales is a business-to-business sales model, also known as “B2B.” Sales Reps spend a lot of time reaching out to potential clients through cold calling or emails. Once they’ve made a connection, Tech Sales Reps often pass the clients on to an Account Executive to complete the sale, but the Rep usually stays in contact with clients after the sale to make sure they are satisfied.
Because businesses continue to embrace technological solutions, the field of tech sales is easy to get into. There are many opportunities available, and the pay is very good. As long as technology is booming, tech sales will be a solid career.
Read more about what tech sales is and why you should learn it.
What Can You Do with Tech Sales?
Do you have a passion for technology? Are you always reading about new devices and what they can do, but you don’t know how to code and aren’t really interested in learning? You can turn that passion into a new career in tech sales. Selling software as a product relies less on the development of the software and more on what problems it can solve. If you are outgoing and enjoy talking about what software products can do for people, you can use those skills in tech sales. This is a rapidly growing field that offers numerous opportunities for advancement and lucrative pay.
When you work in tech sales, you can find a job in different kinds of companies. Some sales reps work for firms that sell hardware products, others develop and sell software, and others sell services. If you want to change to a different type of product down the road, that won’t be a problem in the high-demand field of tech sales. It is easy to get into and jobs are plentiful. Most businesses use some type of technology product, so tech sales is likely to remain strong far into the future.
Common Professional Uses for Tech Sales
A career in tech sales can take you in several different directions, depending on your interests. You might decide to work for a large company with many departments and numerous other salespeople. Or you might prefer to sign on with a smaller firm where you will perform a wider range of tasks and have more responsibility. There are some self-employed tech consultants out there, but the bulk of the workforce is employed full-time by companies. Here are some possible jobs in tech sales. Keep in mind that salaries differ depending on region and industry.
Sales Representative
Technology Sales Representative, Software Sales Representative, or Business Development Representative are common titles for entry-level tech sales jobs. Tech Sales Reps at this level identify new clients and sales opportunities through cold calling, networking, contacting past customers, and sending emails. When Sales Reps make a connection, they set up a meeting with an Account Executive. Sales Reps also spend time nurturing current clients by keeping in touch to see if they are satisfied or have any further needs. Tech Sales Reps also use tools to set quotas and measure sales performance. According to Indeed.com, the reported average annual salary for a Technology Sales Representative is $39,000.
Account Executive
Once the Tech Sales Rep sets up a meeting, it is up to the Account Executive to make the deal with the customer. After that, the Account Executive manages the customer’s account in order to support and grow the account. Most companies employ Junior and Senior Account Executives, according to their level of experience. The duties of a Junior Account Executive are similar to those of a Technology Sales Representative. A Senior Account Executive oversees sales strategy, makes sure accounts are profitable, and sales goals are met. Indeed lists an average yearly salary for Account Executives as $45,000.
Sales or Account Manager
Account and Sales Managers help existing customers with products and try to sell them more.
Sales Managers set quotas and train new employees, while Sales Directors oversee Managers, analyze data, report to the team, and help create plans and strategies. Managers earn around $70,000 a year.
Vice President of Sales
The Vice President of Sales for a company oversees the entire sales department. They make budget decisions and presentations to key stakeholders. Tech executives at this level make $100,000 or more a year.
Love of Technology
One good reason to get into tech sales is the opportunity to make money doing something you love. If you are the kind of person who stays on top of the tech market anyway, you can leverage those interests into a rewarding career. It’s much easier to sell something if you are excited about it. The ability to converse comfortably about technology is a must for this field.
Booming Job Market
Another reason to get into tech sales is a very healthy job market. Businesses recognize the important role of technology in improving their bottom lines, so technology sales are booming. That means that there are a lot of jobs for people who want to sell that technology. It also means that it is easier to find a job in your preferred region and that you can expect a good salary.
Good Pay
Actual salaries differ depending on where you live and what industry you work in, but tech sales jobs generally pay very well. Respondents to Indeed.com’s survey reported salaries in a range from $35,000-$60,000 for Technology Sales Representatives. Executives and Managers earn between $70,000-$100,000 a year.
Low Barrier to Entry
One of the best things about pursuing a career in tech sales is that it is pretty easy to get into. While some companies prefer to hire college graduates, many are more interested in your ability to connect with potential customers and build a relationship than whether you have a degree. You can learn valuable skills to help you switch to a career in tech sales by taking some business and marketing courses. A course in project management or a digital marketing certificate can give you a head start, too.
How to Start Learning Tech Sales
Besides good communication and listening skills, Tech Sales Reps need to have business knowledge, and one way to get those skills is by taking classes. Some companies prefer to hire people who have degrees in business or marketing. It is possible to get into tech sales without a degree, although some business skills are always helpful.
You can sign up for various business and marketing classes to build your tech sales skills. One option is a live in-person class in a classroom setting. The advantage here is that class sizes are small and you can get individual attention from the instructor. This is also an opportunity to meet other students and do some networking. But what if there aren’t any in-person classes near you? Another option is a live online class. This is a hybrid of a video session and an in-person class, where there is a real-time remote instructor who can answer questions, but you log onto a video conferencing platform to attend class. No need to commute!
On-demand classes are also a possibility for learning business and marketing skills. This type of class tends to be less expensive than in-person or live online sessions, and on-demand videos are convenient. You can watch the videos from your home or office whenever you want. The downside is that you don’t have an instructor available to answer questions or give advice.
You can also find free resources to help you gain the skills you need to get a job in tech sales. Noble Desktop has several free seminars that could help you in a business setting. Top 10 Beginner Excel Tricks You Need to Know can save you time at work, and PowerPoint Presentation Design can teach you what you need to know to put together sales presentations. Videos like Intro to Google Analytics can get you up to speed on collecting and using data. There are also blogs to teach you business and marketing skills.
Read the full guide on how to learn tech sales.
Learn Business & Marketing Skills with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop
You can learn project management and digital marketing through Noble Desktop. Noble’s Project Management Bootcamp covers methods for running projects effectively and managing scope, time, and resources. Noble’s Digital Marketing Certificate covers creating internet marketing campaigns, including SEO, social media marketing, paid and unpaid search, and analytics. Noble also offers classes in Excel, Python, and SQL if you want to take your business practices further.
Classes are taught by industry professionals who have real-world experience in their subjects. Class sizes are small, and you can choose between in-person training and live online sessions. Each class offers a free retake option within a year, and upon completion, you will receive a digital certificate that you can attach to your resume or LinkedIn profile.
Key Takeaways
- Tech sales is a good career for someone who loves technology but isn’t interested in learning to code.
- It’s a great way to make a good living doing something you love.
- Some good reasons to learn about tech sales are:
- Love of technology
- Booming job market
- Good pay
- Low barrier to entry
- You can receive comprehensive tech sales training through an in-person or live online course with Noble Desktop.