Is the hustle and grind of tech sales becoming overwhelming? You’re doing great work to meet your quota but life has shifted for you and suddenly other aspects of your life are more important like family, mental health, and PEACE.
Does this sound like you?
Yes!
Not quite
I know this feeling all too well because this is how I felt after giving birth in 2020 and returning to work after maternity leave. Just one year earlier this highly visible role that allowed me to travel all over the Northeast was a dream that so many of my peers were working toward. I was grateful but life shifted and my career needed to shift as well.
Is an internal move in the cards for you?
My first step, which I’ll advise you to take as well, was to seek internal opportunities to pivot into. The drawback here is there may not be an opening or you may have to navigate layers of red tape that can delay the process. This was my situation.
And because I had determined this was urgent for me, I had to make the executive decision to start pursuing external opportunities and make a career pivot from tech sales. This is where the magic began.
The Power of Personal Vision
First, I got clear on my personal vision. Back then, I didn’t go into much depth in this process. I just knew I needed something permanently remote (because I wanted to keep my baby at home with me), flexible, and in marketing (my passion). Though this was a vague vision, it helped me get into action which is the next step.
You likely have a more detailed vision that you can lean into. Maybe you’ve been fearful of fully stepping into it but you realize it’s time.
Six-Figure Transferrable Skills
From here, I took stock of my highest-value transferable skills to determine how they aligned with my vision. I had gained expertise in consultative selling, prospecting, and essentially running my own business within the corporation. Product marketing, email marketing, and advertising were some of the first areas I explored.
My resume was perfectly tailored with stellar results that I contributed to the organization over the years. Remember that as a seller, you are a part of so many parts of the business. Don’t leave your tech sales career path behind. Extract the pieces that you can use to get to your next level and share those skills proudly.
Be So Good That They Feel Stupid Saying No
Finally, it was time to apply and interview. Since I did this initial work, I narrowed my focus to align with my vision. No mass applying and hoping I would get a response. Then one day during my search, I found it. The dream job I would soon be stepping into. It combined both my sales experience and marketing aspirations. But still, I wasn’t over-the-top excited about when I applied. In fact, I had forgotten about it when I got an email to interview. Who would’ve known this was the start of making my powerful pivot….
Continue to Part 2, where I share the details of the interview process and what helped me ultimately land the role.
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