Tech Sales is for Hustlers

With great risk comes great reward. This is especially true in sales. While it can be a challenging, unpredictable, and strenuous career path, Matt Glennon speaks of the immense payoff that can come to those who rise to the occasion and put in the hard work.  

In this episode of the Campus Series Podcast, Matt, a senior lecturer and educational consultant at UMass Amherst, discusses his transition into sales since working on Capitol Hill, unpacks his GSD approach for preparing for sales calls, and discusses the natural synergies between sales and marketing. 

Nailing a cold call comes down to perfecting your performance. You might not think of sales as having a creative outlet, but Brooklynn, a professional dancer, has found a lot of success by preparing for a cold call in the same way she’d prep for a recital. From creating a script much like choreographing a dance to rehearsing and perfecting her creative style, Brooklynn’s experiences as a dancer have helped her in sales more than she ever could have imagined.  

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Brooklynn encourages creativity in sales, emphasizes the importance of performing cold calls, and explains why she favors an in-person work environment.  

While getting thrown in the deep end is scary, it can often be the fastest way to learn how to swim. Learning the art of sales is no different. Sage Fleischmann, a business development representative at Qlik, found that simply learning as he went and utilizing every up and down as an opportunity for growth was the best way to develop within his role.  

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Sage describes his many experiences with trial and error, reflects on how his hard work in the sales industry has paid off, and discusses how he has learned to embrace his mistakes.  

Humans are storytellers. We share stories, we’re moved by stories, and we cling to stories. This insight is what helped Ethan Chase, a memoryBlue Account Executive, have impactful cold-call conversations and achieve success in sales. While storytelling and conversing came naturally to him, he also credits Academy for helping him learn how to better structure his calls and effectively direct them.  

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Ethan discusses the experience he gained through internships prior to memoryBlue, his time as an SDR, and the power of storytelling in sales.  

Success doesn’t come in an instant. While we all would probably like to benefit from natural talent, Bruce Horner stresses that consistent hard work can be just as important for achieving your goals.  

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Bruce discusses the strategies that helped him work his way up to the role of Senior Enterprise Sales Manager at Kronologic. From utilizing everyday experiences as sales practice to learning how to effectively manage his time, Bruce has proven the payoff that comes from true dedication and devotion to your role.   

The SDR role is an amazing way to work on commitment, responsibility, and build a strong foundation for a successful business career. Taylor Ritchie can especially attest to this since being exposed to the sales business at a young age and now working as the account manager for MoxiWorks.  

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Taylor discusses the significance of continually learning and improving in a sales role, draws parallels between competitive sports and sales, and emphasizes the importance of working in person as an SDR.  

The idea of being a stiff salesperson and working countless hours in isolation most likely doesn’t appeal to anyone. Luckily, Christian Chanter discovered that a career in sales doesn’t have to be that way at all. Instead, sales can be a relational and fulfilling position where you serve as an ally for prospects and showcase the kind of company that potential clients will want to be a part of.  

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers. Christian, now a partnership development representative at Lyra Health, explains how he managed to deeply connect with prospects, the power he found in learning from colleagues, and his main strategies for success.  

The ever-normalized remote nature of work nowadays may not be the most beneficial environment for SDRs just entering the sales world. Matt Gloger highlights the ways in which he greatly benefited from starting out in person and being fully immersed in the team-centered approach at memoryBlue. 

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Matt Gloger, SW Enterprise AE at QTS Data Centers, discusses different sales roles, the benefit of the SDR role for a sales career, and the drawbacks of remote work.  

The term sales can oversimplify the SDRs role into one singular action: selling. However, Luke Ward points out that it’s a true challenge of learning how to change people’s minds and communicate ideas in a simple, but meaningful way. 

 As an SDR, Luke challenged himself to learn essential communication skills while making sure that he knew his product backward and forwards. This dedication allowed him to excel in sales and eventually land his current leadership role as sales development manager at Rubrik.  

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Luke reflects on his sales journey through various companies and different roles, while breaking down the essential qualities and conversational skills to ensure a sale.  

“I’ve never been hung up on,” said no sales rep ever. Cold calling can be a discouraging and repetitive cycle, full of missed calls and hang-ups. However, Shea Gordon points out that the SDR role, while challenging, is the best way to break into the world of tech sales.  

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Shea Gordon, Global Account Manager at SonarSource, discusses the value in learning tech sales through the SDR role, getting into the hustle mentality, and the importance of self-reflection and accepting feedback.