Tech Sales - High Paying Entry Level Jobs

Did you know that you could earn over $100k+ a year in an entry level tech sales job (sometimes without a degree)?

Tech Sales is one of the highest paying entry level jobs that not that many people talk about, yet a lot of people make their careers on it. In addition to being high paying, usually these jobs are remote these days!

Defining Tech Sales

Let’s begin with a clear-cut tech sales definition. Tech sales is the process of selling technology as software, hardware, technology services, or having to do with online (like online ad sales). Something technology oriented.

That’s a pretty broad definition. As a tech sales rep, you might be selling only one kind of tech product, such as Salesforce (a customer relationship management software system - CRM). Or, you might sell a product that combines different components, like a networking piece of hardware with a software license associated with it such as HP.

Here’s a breakdown of some different products you might sell as a tech sales rep:

1. Software products. Software solutions can be sold as on-premise programs that are directly installed onto the customer’s computer or as SaaS (software as a service), which runs on the vendor’s servers and operates through an Internet browser. These kinds of products include CRM software, accounting and document-signing programs, email automation apps, marketing platforms, HR platforms and many others. The bulk of tech sales is moving towards SaaS and this tends to be very lucrative.
2. Hardware products. Tech hardware is the physical product used to run the software. This includes laptops, desktop computers, servers, tech accessories, phones, and other physical devices. Big names in this space would be HP, Dell, Apple, etc.
3. Tech and IT services. For IT tech sales rep might sell consulting and troubleshooting services to companies that don’t have a dedicated IT staff. Whether these IT shops have a single specialty (internet networking) or a wide range of IT skills (software, support services, and networking hardware specialties), it’s the salesperson’s job to land clients who need that knowledge and are willing to pay for it.
4. Online Advertising Services. Every time you search something on Google you'll see paid advertising search results and much of the internet is funded by companies buying advertising spots. Tech sales reps in this department help companies optimize their advertising spend to get the highest ROI per dollar spent in online advertising.

The bulk of tech sales is working with customers to find exactly what challenges they’re facing and what technology exists that will help them out. Some companies may just need a new line of laptops. But with higher-value accounts, they could need many different technologies such as IT hardware with numerous different software products to help protect their network from bad actors... and then every other SaaS platform to help run their business better.

Entry Level Position (Compensation: $50k - $100k+)

Day to Day

The two common names for entry level sales reps are "Business Development Representative" (BDR) or "Sales Development Representative" (SDR). Most people in this position are just starting out in their sales career or maybe have a year or two of experience. In this role you will be learning how to talk to people over the phone or in person and understand their challenges in order to try and see if what you are selling might be a good fit. Once you do find a "qualified lead" or someone who has a need that your product might fit, you pass that conversation on to an Account Executive who will learn more and hopefully close the sale with the customer. Compensation tends to be based on the amount of "qualified leads" that the rep is able to convert on a monthly or quarterly basis and send to the Account Executive team to close the sale.

Career Advancement

After spending a year or two in the entry level role of Sales Development Rep you'll eventually graduate into an Account Executive role:

Mid Level (Compensation: $120k - $300k OTE)

"Account Executive" or "Account Manager" are the typical titles you will see in this role. You may see other variables of this like "Inside Sales Rep" or "Mid Market Account Executive" as well. Most people in this position have at least 1 year of sales experience and typically come from a BDR position when they get promoted. In this role individuals are usually doing outreach to companies, educating these companies on the product, matching customer needs to the product, and ultimately closing the sale. Compensation is usually structured 50/50 base salary to variable compensation i.e if you have an OTE of $150k then you'll make $75k of base salary and $75k of variable compensation if you hit all your sales numbers. Where reps can really make a lot of money is when they overachieve on their sales numbers and accelerators kick in so that they start earning even more money than their OTE.

Enterprise Level (Compensation: $250k+ OTE)

Usually these are listed as "Enterprise Account Executives" or "Outside Sales Rep" where reps have 10+ years of sales experience and have been working in a particular sector for a long time. Day to day is similar to the mid level account executives but you tend to only have a handful of larger "enterprise" accounts that are buying from you. The difference at this level is it is typically less but bigger transactions when you make a sale and it is usually a long relationship history with that customer.

How to get into Tech Sales

They best way to get into tech sales is to search for those entry level positions. When applying you'll need to be able to tell a story as to why you would be good at tech sales. Typically we see that people who can pull from some sort of "sales" background fare better here. An example would be if you have done fundraising for a fraternity or started a lemonade stand when you were a kid. Lot's of stories can demonstrate your ability to talk to people, understand their challenges, and help them understand that what you are offering is a solution to their pain point.

Smaller companies tend to have a harder time filling their roles just due to the fact they don't have the brand recognition of a Salesforce. Due to this we recommend an easier way in is a startup that might be having a harder time hiring for these roles. Ideally the product that they make is something that resonates with you or you could be passionate about. (it doesn't have to be but in sales it greatly helps!)

Final Thoughts

If you can demonstrate a few things in the interview: drive, coachability, ability to build relationships, adaptability, and organization then you have what it takes to make a good salesperson. Getting your foot in the door with a resume that stands out is crucial in order for you to get to the interview stage. Check out our job postings and start applying - it's a numbers game. Good luck!