Thinking about going into sales? Listen to this podcast!

In this episode of The Education Road, we sit down with Michael Shulman, whose career path is rooted in sales!

Michael’s academic road began at York University, where he completed an Honours BA in Business Economics with a specialization in finance. Along the way, he discovered a strong aptitude for accounting and economics, skills that would later prove invaluable.

Although he originally envisioned a future in investment banking, his career took a different turn. After starting in corporate finance at Bombardier, a moment reviewing sales commission structures sparked a realization: he wanted to be on the revenue-generating side of the business. That decision launched him into tech sales, first through finance roles in major organizations like Sun Microsystems, then progressively closer to end-user enterprise sales.

Throughout the conversation, Michael breaks down what sales really looks like at the enterprise level. It’s not quick transactions or movie-style theatrics. It’s long sales cycles, strategic account planning, navigating budget cycles, building C-level relationships, and sometimes waiting years to close a deal. He shares how understanding accounting, balance sheets, international economics, and stakeholder dynamics allows him to have meaningful conversations with CFOs, CIOs, and CISOs.

The episode also pulls back the curtain on compensation structures (base + commission, quotas, accelerators), the realities of prospecting, and the discipline required to consistently perform. One lesson that stuck with Michael from his mentor: “Always be prospecting.” In enterprise sales, if you’re not planting seeds today, you won’t be harvesting deals tomorrow.

For students curious about sales, Michael offers candid advice: there’s no single required degree, but understanding business fundamentals helps. And if you want to get into sales, there is a more conventional path than the one he took, starting as an SDR and building from there.

At its core, this episode explores how an education in finance and global affairs can translate into a high-impact career in enterprise technology sales and why the ability to understand systems, incentives, and people is what ultimately drives success.