IT is a huge growth area in the sales jobs market. We take a look at why this is the case and what these businesses look for when hiring.
Growth in last five years
Over the last five years, the UK has quickly become a key focal point for social media, technology, cloud computing and games platforms. Google, for example, has recognised this with the launch of Google Campus to support the SME market.
As both new and large technology businesses have sought aggressive growth, sales and business development professionals have become more and more in demand. While these jobs can be difficult to secure due to the technical expertise required, they represent great opportunities.
Why work in technology?
There are a number of reasons why people want to work in technology sales jobs. Firstly, it’s a hugely topical and relevant sector at the moment and is benefiting from significant investment. It’s also extremely forward-thinking due to the benefits on offer to the businesses purchasing the technology solutions offered (e.g. cloud services).
Over the last five years, the UK has quickly become a key focal point for social media, technology, cloud computing and games platforms.
Where are these jobs?
While London and the Thames Valley is a natural stepping point for roles in the sector, there have been serious developments in other parts of the country too. In particular, technology sales job levels in the North West are high.
How easy is it to get into technology sales?
While it’s very hard to generalise, most employers do look for relevant sector experience and favour experience with a big technology brand. The exception to this is at the entry level, where you’ll be trained up and be taught all the processes you’ll need to know. For roles requiring more experience, they’re looking for ownership. They want to know what product you’ve sold, who you’ve sold it to and how you exceed targets. Most of all they are looking for achievements so your CV will need to clearly articulate the success you have had.
If you’re a consistently high achiever, however, a technology business may take a chance on you. But you’ll need to demonstrate exactly why you should be considered. While targets are very important, you’ll also need to articulate your interest in the technology sector. You may also need to be prepared to take a sideways or backward step in terms of status and/or salary.
Who are the main stakeholders?
The stakeholders you’ll be dealing with will often be C-level. If you’re in software sales, for example, you need to talk to CIOs because it’s more than likely the solutions you’ll be offering will offer a cost reduction or efficiency.
But at the same time, the products you’ll be selling may well be very technical and the people you’ll be selling to may not be. You’ll therefore need to be able to explain them in a way that people who are not from this background will be able to understand them.
Overall, these jobs represent a great opportunity to learn about new and interesting product lines and really carve a niche for yourself.
