Reflecting back on 17+ years in the technical sales role and things I wish I knew then

I have been in the technical sales role for 17+ years.

I assembled my own computer when I was six. At 14, I learned how to write C/C++. And when I was 17, I knew everything about internet and network engineering. I got my first engineering job before I could even legally drink. So it’s fair to say I started my career as a technical person. When I was 23, I decided that I want to be closer to sales than to engineering. Or at least somewhere in the middle. And I have not looked back ever since.

It’s actually fascinating to look back and see how much my view regarding what I enjoy doing has changed. Up until recently, I was closer to tech than sales. But it all switched. I’m still very much into writing code or read some detailed technical spec. But I’m spending more time understanding the science behind sales, marketing, and product.

But if I were to do it all over again, I would probably do the same but pay more attention to:

Spend equal amount of time leaning sales, marketing, product, and tech

If I were to do it again, I would spend more time learning sales, marketing and product instead of just focusing on tech. It’s amazing to me how they are all very closely related. In order to understand your customer, you need to understand their business which means you need to understand how they sell and what they sell (product). Learn as much as you can about all of those topics.

Learn to understand what your customer “wants”

Not a day goes by that I’m reminded how many of us in the technical sales role, simply cannot tell you what our customers want. The answer to a simple question of “what’s your customer use-case?” or “what are they trying to achieve?” is a spider web of technical jargons and almost nothing about customer’s business outcome, objectives, risks, etc.

The best way to understand what your customer wants is to think in terms of product and not technical implementation. Ask them about their products, how their users use their products. Ask them about their sales strategy. Once you start there, it’s easy to understand their objectives.

Learn to write

I’m still not that good at it. But trying to be. I can tell you that the majority of people I work with either do not like to write or don’t know how. Being able to communicate your thoughts, your opinion, or what you like to achieve in clear terms is the most critical aha moment for me. When I think i know what im talking about, writing about it reminds me that I almost know nothing. Try it. You’ll be surprised.

That’s it for now!

Read this post and more on my Typeshare Social Blog