Come alongside as we interview Salesforce Account Strategist and former Gross sales Apprentice, Daniel Ward, on his journey into tech gross sales.
In your individual phrases, describe what tech gross sales is?
Gross sales within the tech & SaaS sector is a posh course of that includes guiding clients by way of a journey of evaluating completely different choices and distributors to seek out the perfect resolution for his or her wants. Our function is to assist clients establish and perceive the issues they’re dealing with, showcase the worth of fixing them, and current our options as one of the simplest ways ahead.
“The apprenticeship has acted as an accelerator right into a profession in tech gross sales for me.”
Daniel Ward
Inform us about your journey to Salesforce and why you determined to do an apprenticeship.
My journey to Salesforce started once I found the Future Pathways Apprenticeship program. Regardless of not being aware of tech gross sales or B2B software program firms, I assumed why not come alongside to an Perception Day occasion to see what it was all about! That was in all probability the perfect resolution I ever made. I utilized and after a few rounds was instructed I used to be accepted onto the apprenticeship program!
How would you describe your apprenticeship expertise?
The apprenticeship gave me an awesome platform for fulfillment — it offered me with an total, holistic view of Salesforce, the varied departments and the way all of them tie collectively to make the corporate run on a day-to-day.
In 12 months 1, I bought to expertise completely different components of the enterprise and developed product data to turn into aware of Salesforce, the merchandise we offer, and the issues we resolve for firms – Huge & Small! Then, in 12 months 2, I grew to become rather more sales-oriented. The main focus shifted from understanding our options and the issues we resolve, to talking the language of the client and what’s essential to them.
Are you able to describe your function now? What do you do and what are your favourite components?
I’m an Account Strategist for the Retail & Client Items sector. My function is to establish new enterprise alternatives, prospect potential clients and to uncover the place we will additional develop our Salesforce footprint into our current buyer base.
I assist companies unify all of their knowledge into one single platform and permit them to turn into extra streamlined and function extra effectively. Often, these companies have a number of completely different methods dealing with a number of completely different departments – throughout Gross sales, Service, Advertising and marketing, E-Commerce, Order Administration, and Information Analytics. These methods are normally siloed, which means that leaders inside the enterprise are having to leap from one system to the subsequent to know enterprise efficiency and staff want a number of completely different instruments simply to have updated info and visibility into their clients & purchasers. Offering an answer like Salesforce means we might help consolidate all of this in a single single platform, to offer them an entire view of their clients and their enterprise.
I actually get pleasure from assembly leaders in these companies, chatting by way of their pains and struggles, and attempting to know, first, whether or not we might help resolve this and, second, the place and the way!
Over the previous few years, I’ve labored with some attention-grabbing clients on some spectacular offers (together with one I sourced for $36K!).
I feel that the apprenticeship has acted as an accelerator right into a profession in tech gross sales for me. As an apprentice, you get a lot extra time to study and develop with out the strain of attaining targets and quotas, and it lets you construct the basics for having a profitable profession – product data, constructing a community, and growing gross sales expertise.
With out the apprenticeship, there is no such thing as a means I might be within the present function that I’m in now. It has damaged down the barrier in some ways of needing a level or grasp’s to start a job within the tech sector, and I’ll all the time be pleased about the chance the apprenticeship has given me to get began on this planet of tech.
Why ought to somebody apply for a Future Pathways apprenticeship and what recommendation would you give to somebody fascinated by making use of for a Gross sales function?
I’d advocate a gross sales apprenticeship at Salesforce to anybody with an curiosity in gross sales or enterprise normally. The teaching, educating, and expertise will carry you nicely into the longer term and positively assist you in your long-term profession.
The three most important items of recommendation I might give to an apprentice beginning out are:
- Be coachable and prepared to study. As an organization that’s all the time innovating and altering (take into consideration AI, for instance), having a development mindset is an actual plus.
- Be organized. Balancing faculty with work could be difficult. Have a plan that you simply stick with day-after-day to just remember to can handle your workload and full assignments on time. Salesforce may be very thoughtful and can assist you in the case of your faculty commitments.
- Enthusiasm and positivity! In Salesforce, particularly throughout your apprenticeship you’re provided so many issues outdoors your everyday function. Whether or not it’s a presentation, becoming a member of and shadowing a crew assembly, and even getting concerned in charitable initiatives, there’s a lot to become involved in. Trying again I’m glad I took on a few of these alternatives and remorse those I declined.
Able to launch your profession in tech gross sales on the #1 AI CRM?
Try our Future Pathway packages and be a part of the expertise group. Take step one in direction of a profitable profession at Salesforce at the moment.
