Tech Sales is for Hustlers

If you’re serious about prepping college students for the professional world, why not put them in the position to manage right away?

The most powerful lessons Greg Accardo, the first Director of the LSU Professional Sales Institute at the LSU College of Business, teaches his students is about the daunting transition from college to a career. Greg’s unique approach to education helps them prepare for the professional sales world. 

One of his most unique methods? Creating a “work-like” hierarchy, having his students self-appoint managers and SDRs who eventually grade their team on their work in order to prepare them for the obstacles of sales leadership and real world accountability. 

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers: Campus Series, Greg recounts his unique path to sales and reminds students that there is no professional success without patience and dedication. Listen in as Kristen and Libby dig into Greg’s sales advice through an educator's perspective including how he teaches his classes that reading, mentorship, and asking questions are the pillars to success in any sales industry.

What defines a successful salesperson? Is it an innate talent or raw skill development? Dr. Terry Loe believes the key is even more fundamental - harnessing a competitive nature.

Dr. Loe is the Director of Development and External Relationships at the Center of Professional Selling at the Kennesaw State University. And he will tell you the best salespeople are those who desire to win, hate to lose, and have the ability and drive to beat all the obstacles that stand in their way.

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers: Campus Series, Kristen and Libby uncover a gold mine of wisdom from the sales professor that helped found the NCSC (National Collegiate Sales Competition ), one of the largest national sales competitions in the country. He has been involved in collegiate sales education from the start, and he has witnessed the sales evolution in both the academic institutions and professional industries.

Listen in to hear Dr. Loe explain how fulfilling a career in sales can be, how he coaches his students to set up a vision for their future, and the techniques he trains them in to keep motivated on days when they struggle. Hit the link in the comments section to hear the full episode, see show highlights and read the transcripts.

If you get the right educator, college sales classes can offer you real-world skills that will help you thrive regardless of your future industry. Andrew Loring is the right educator.

Andrew is changing students’ lives as the Associate Director of the Reynolds and Reynolds Sales Leadership Institute and he is a Senior Lecturer at Texas A&M University. In his universe, it doesn’t matter who you are or how old you are, communication, perseverance, and storytelling are key to not just professional sales, but to most career paths. And he teaches his students how a strong sales education can be that unique difference between you and every other candidate when applying for that first job.

In the latest Campus Series episode of Tech Sales Is For Hustlers, Kristen Wisdorf and Libby Galatis chat with Andrew Loring as he explains why his program, deep in the heart of Texas, helps aspiring salespeople find their strengths, properly recognize their skills, and find the best way to maximize their abilities to create a bright future career path.

If you're going to play sports, you must put in the work and overcome many challenges to be at the top of your game. Even at the top of your game, you will still sometimes fail, but that didn't stop Anton Cardenas. His sports background taught him to have grit and overcome challenges which propelled him to become the rockstar salesperson he is today. 

Anton details his professional journey and how going to community college and sports, including ice hockey and rugby, heavily influenced his personality and work ethic. He knows that he has to step out of his comfort zone in order to improve his game, both on the field and on the phones. 

Anton’s advice to new SDRs, instead of chasing instant success, enjoy the process of learning and don't be afraid of experiencing failure. Taking the time to slow down and understand the importance of really listening to your customer will set you apart from the others. 

Listen in to this week's episode of Tech Sales Is For Hustlers, while Marc and Chris reconnect with former memoryBlue SDR Anton Cardenas and learn first hand the two ways to face defeat and how to smoothly make the transition from SDR to AE!

Don’t tell Kurtis Michela the age-old adage, “You can never go home again.” His successful career proves precisely the opposite, in fact.

Despite the possibility of joining the family office furniture business early on, Kurtis forged his own path when he launched a sales career with memoryBlue. That journey took him from coast to coast and exposed him to a wide variety of companies, products, and, in the end, a rock-solid professional footing.

And those important experiences uniquely prepared him to ultimately take on the challenge of that family business and help lift it to new levels of success.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, you’ll hear Kurtis explain the important message he would tell himself as he started at memoryBlue, how a snack company transformed his sales abilities, and why playing the long game and betting on yourself is always the right move. 

If you want adventure in your professional life, it doesn’t get more daring than traveling halfway across the country to open the first remote office in company history. Because Nimit Bhatt embraced that challenge, memoryBlue was forever changed for the better.

Nimit’s career journey mirrors the growth and evolution of our company. He started as an SDR in the HQ office – the only office at the time he joined in 2012 – and has gone on to elevate into multiple leadership positions during his tenure. Client Delivery Manager, pioneering Managing Director of memoryBlue Austin, the company’s first dual office Managing Director (Austin and Silicon Valley), and, most recently, Head of Sales. He is a key member of the company’s Leadership team and his work has helped define who memoryBlue is and what it has become.

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, you’ll get a ringside seat to Chris and Marc’s first-ever session with a current employee. Nimit’s willingness to explore new professional territory leaves valuable lessons in its wake for our listeners. A natural storyteller, Nimit shares his triumphs, tribulations and, ultimately, his successes with a certain flare that keeps everyone in the room rolling in laughter.

In this episode of Campus Series, you will meet Richard Tate, a professor at James Madison University. He talks about his unique and exciting period in the Navy and sales and how it has influenced his teaching.

As a professor in the marketing department, Richard Tate encourages students to seize career opportunities and overcome obstacles during the process. It is important to overcome the fear of rejection, he claims. According to Richard, that's the only way to become a successful salesperson.

Richard also explains the importance of finding the purpose of what you are doing, whether you are a student or a sales professional. He focuses on challenges students face once their expectations aren't fulfilled after graduation. What is the key to becoming the best salesperson the world has ever seen? Do the colleges and courses have an impact on our future as salespeople? Listen to our latest episode to find out what Richard Tate has to say about that.

Do you have to be an extrovert to become a successful salesperson? How do you prepare for your first job interview? And how to pick a good company for your first job in sales? April Schofield is here to answer these questions for us. 

April teaches sales courses at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she’s also the Director of Center for Professional Selling. After being a salesperson herself for several years, she decided to pursue her career as a sales educator, and it’s safe to say she found her calling. According to April, it takes a lot of practice to thrive in sales, that’s why her goal as a senior lecturer is to help her students overcome all obstacles and land their dream jobs. 

In this episode of the Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Campus Series podcast, April gives first-hand tips on how to jump-start a career in sales, learn the vital industry skills and plan an effective career trajectory.

Tiffany Dunn used sales as a tool to carve out her own unique career path, and that’s only scratching the surface of the matter.   

A self-admitted introvert, Tiffany wasn’t shy about leaving her mark on memoryBlue. She succeeded in multiple roles at the firm before ultimately creating her own dream job right within our walls as the first Salesforce administrator in company history. 

Today Tiffany is a successful 3X Salesforce Certified consultant for Publicis Sapient. And you better believe she didn’t get there by accident or through luck. 

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, you’ll hear how Tiffany convinced memoryBlue ownership to invest in her and her vision for a more robust sales operations unit at the firm, how she relies on her own rabid curiosity to build expertise, and why breaking out of her comfort zone was crucial to future success.

Hockey and sales parallel nicely. 

Tim Fabian, a former college hockey player and hockey coach, will tell you getting knocked down and popping back up is integral to both crafts. Tim grew up in upstate New York where he studied political science, initially considered law school and dreamed of a career on skates. But life had other plans for him. 

 He eventually found an interest in sales and he started by selling Toshiba copiers door-to-door. But thanks to an assist from an old hockey friend, he found memoryBlue and his professional career took flight. Today he uses his extensive sales experience and training within the vast field of medical device technology as a Senior Mako Product Specialist at Stryker.

 In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Tim shares how everything about professional sales is vital in his role with medical technology, why his sales experience with the C-Suite helps him build relationships with doctors today, and how lessons he learned on the ice serve him well professionally.