Is there anyone who has moved from another discipline into sales and is willing to talk about it?

margaretcarey·Jun 27, 2023

Is there anyone who has moved from another discipline into sales and is willing to talk about it? It would be helpful to hear how you did it.

My background is accounting at tech startups. Moving from accounting to sales is not an uncommon switch. Thanks Margaret

Iynna·Jun 27, 2023

Hi Margaret! Congrats on the leap :)Here are a few elphas I can think of @jdyerfox has been in sales for many years and while she did not pivot, she mentions she'd be happy to help/coach anyone in sales @soumyastar pivoted from agency to sales, @lucierammaert @karquines @alisonarnoff Hope this serves as a good start! Best of luck!

margaretcarey·Jun 27, 2023

Thanks Iynna. I will contact all those separately. Margaret

Naomi·Jun 29, 2023

Hi Margaret! I second Iynna's congratulations! I pivoted to sales after doing business operations. What kind of role are you thinking about? How long have you been at tech start ups?

margaretcarey·Jun 29, 2023

@Naomi thanks. I've really just started the process so am not 100% sure. Sales Operations which I see is your role maybe a good start even just for a short time. I learn faster by doing. I had a really good call with @Soumyastar yesterday which gave me some guidelines and sparked a few ideas from myself. One such idea@Naomi thanks. I've really just started the process so am not 100% sure. Sales Operations which I see is your role maybe a good start even just for a short time. I learn faster by doing. I had a really good call with @Soumyastar yesterday which gave me some guidelines and sparked a few ideas from myself. One such idea is to contact my Linkedin contacts with sales backgrounds.Approx 4 years in total at tech startups (Health, HR, Climate, Media) plus my early career was spent working for telecom companies. My first job was with Intel. And, over the years I've attended lots of technology meetups, particularly those around AI. It would be great to chat if you think you have useful tips to share!

Naomi·Jul 13, 2023

One thing I think makes the transition easier is knowing who you're selling to -- so for example, if you know telecom really well, find a company whose main customers/targets are telecom companies. You could also consider a company that sells to accountants (think of a software you used) and be a sales enablement person for that company since you know accounting :) knowing the customer/target goes very far in my experience.Salesops is interesting to me because I'm at a Series A company -- at a larger company it might not be as creative (lots of focus on comp rules and data pipelines) but if you have the brain for data and numbers it could be perfect and enjoyable. It doesn't involve selling, usually, though.Sales enablement/account management for a company that works with accountants could be a great fit, or you could go the traditional BDR -> AE route (business development to account executive). Salesops would be a trickier transition because in almost all companies you aren't actually learning sales skills -- moreso data skills.

Naomi·Jul 13, 2023

Sales Engineer and Sales Enablement are two titles that might fit (for companies that sell to accountants)

margaretcarey·Jul 13, 2023

Thanks Naomi. They are good points. I agree Sales Ops requires more analytical data skills that I'm looking to move away from. I've had good conversations with @polinanorina @Soumyastar and @alisonarnoff and have changed focus to customer success which will be a good entry point and/or where I may stay. I'm reading a few books that are giving me all the relevant jargon and ideas on how to position myself. There are also a lot of Linkedin customer success which I've joined.

Naomi·Jul 19, 2023

Oh heck yes! Thanks for keeping us posted with your search! It's so funny but the jargon definitely matters.

Alicia·Jun 29, 2023

Hey Margaret - I was previously in startup sales and happy to help with any questions that you have!

margaretcarey·Jun 30, 2023

@aliciawong thanks for offering to help 🙏.. Much appreciated.. I've just sent you a message.

polinanorina·Jul 11, 2023

Hi Margaret, I moved into sales 18 months ago from creative project management. Happy to talk! Feel free to message me :)

margaretcarey·Jul 11, 2023

Hi Polina, Thanks for this kind offer. I've just sent you a message. Best, Margaret