So often we talk about the role timing plays when making the break into tech sales.  For some folks, they were in the right place at the right time knowing the right people. For others, they knew they needed to gain valuable sales experience in other industries to switch to sales in tech. 

For this week’s Apprentice of the Week, Jack Barmasse, time was the key factor to finding the perfect fit at HR for Health.  He had thought about making his break into tech sales in 2019, but he had committed to a two year HR rotation program and knew it was better to complete his program first.  Due to COVID, his program was cut short in April and though the sudden change was overwhelming, it turned out to be a good thing. “Originally I was planning to wait until the program ended, but with COVID my timeline moved up. There are a lot of parallels between sales and recruiting. You’re on the phone talking to people, selling them on an opportunity as opposed to selling a specific product, but I think that’s what appealed to me. I liked being on the phone, but I wanted to do more product-based selling rather than selling a company to a candidate.”

Getting connected to Vendition couldn’t have happened at a better time because it allowed Jack to consider joining the HR for Health team right away.  “Even though I didn’t have a direct sales background, I knew I could apply what I gained from my prior jobs and my HR degree to sales.” In addition to what Jack knew of the space, the fast paced high growth potential startup dynamic of the company was aligned with what he was looking for. 

Naturally as time passed, Jack shares that his comfort level with being on the phone grew with each day of his Apprenticeship. “It’s more of a comfortability factor knowing that I had my manager Greg, the AEs, my SDR teammate, and I have my Vendition coach to provide support and answers to any questions I have. There was a stretch where I experienced some challenges in cold booking demos. After I talked it through with my manager and changed the framing of the questions I was asking in my script, I started booking demos at a much faster pace. Over the next three days, I booked five demos!”

Working with his Vendition coach, Jack says the most valuable lessons learned came from breaking down calls and listening back to them. Going over what worked and what didn’t, comparing the good calls versus the bad calls and how the conversation could go better made all the difference. Over time you learn what pieces worked better in what instances and what to incorporate. But it takes time to review and understand what made the calls go better. 

Today, he still relishes in the wins that come from every small tweak or adjustment to his process. “My first close was really motivating because it really helped me realize how good it felt to be the first person who actually initiated the sale.  But I think whenever I can get a demo booked in a day, that’s my usual goal, it feels good.”  

For Jack Vendition was a great starting point for someone who wanted to get their foot in the door.  “You get coaching, training, everything you could ask for to get your sales career kicked off.”

Jack’s advice for SDRs starting out:

  1. Don’t be afraid to try. “Switch up your script every so often and do something you’ve never done before.  If it doesn’t work the way you want it to, at least you’ll know!”
  2. Be open minded and be coachable. “Everyone has their own unique style so don’t try to just copy someone else’s, but take bits and pieces from everyone around you.  Straight up copying won’t work, it might not fit your tone, but there are phrases from every source that could work with your own style.”