Switching to a Tech Sales Career? Here’s How to Succeed with Vendition

Mention “tech careers” and people will immediately think of software engineering, web development, and anything coding-related. But there’s another route to the tech industry that doesn’t require coding. It may not be as well-known, but it’s fast emerging: tech sales.

There are numerous reasons why you should pivot to tech sales. There’s the high pay, where Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) in the United States earn an average annual salary of $45,676, at the time of writing. And then there’s the low barrier to entry, which means you don’t need sales experience to start a career in the field. You’ll only need proper training.

And that’s exactly what Vendition’s Sales Apprenticeship offers.

To date, Vendition reports that nine out of 10 of their Sales Apprentices move on to full-time sales development representative (SDR) roles, with salaries averaging $78,570—that’s nearly double the national average salary!

Get Paid While You Train in Sales with Vendition

Vendition, a paid Sales Apprenticeship program, is disrupting the tech sales industry with its innovative approach to preparing you for the job search from the start. From Day 1, you’re assigned a career advisor who helps you map your career plan by identifying your goals, interests, and core skills. Knowing these helps you determine which competencies to highlight in your resume and cover letter and narrow down the job opportunities that are right for you. After curating a pipeline of fit job opportunities, Vendition matches you with these companies to interview with.

You also receive personalized coaching to boost your chances of acing job interviews. Finally, a seasoned expert mentors you in sales fundamentals and the latest sales tools so you can step into your apprenticeship with confidence.

If hired, your three-month sales apprenticeship begins. But, don’t worry, you won’t be left to sink or swim. In addition to monitoring your weekly progress, you can count on your Vendition Coach to provide insights on issues you’re experiencing on the job and give the emotional boost you need to keep going.

And to sweeten the pot, Vendition will pay you $3,000 each month while you train. No income share agreement or monthly tuition fees to worry about. All you’ll need is to commit your time to the program as you master the ropes of tech sales.

So who can join Vendition, you ask? At Vendition, everyone is welcome. It champions inclusivity, giving people from various backgrounds a better chance in pursuing fulfilling tech sales careers.

In summary, Vendition offers the following:

• Job interview training and support
• A three-month apprenticeship that pays $3,000 per month, and
• Ongoing sales training even after you’ve landed a job

If you’re still on the fence, take your cue from these Vendition alumni who found success in tech sales after holding jobs in other fields.

Vendition Reviews: The Real Stories

Switch Careers to a More Resilient Field

With a prestigious education in ballet and modern dance from The Juilliard School, working in tech sales was not on Victoria Grempel’s career plan. In fact, she worked at The Juilliard School for over four years in public affairs and thought that her career would be devoted to the school.

But the onslaught of COVID-19 affected her trajectory. With no career growth in sight, she needed a career change. Victoria explains, “I did not have the luxury to go back to school and get a master’s degree. Considering my skills in marketing communications and experience in fundraising events, my next best option was to break into tech sales.”

And that’s when Vendition came into the picture.

Working one-on-one with her assigned Relationship Manager, Victoria received a curated list of job opportunities that match her interests and career goals. She describes her experience as highly personalized, allowing her time to focus on her technical training in sales and prepare for interviews. At the same time, Vendition’s team connected her with the job opportunities she wanted.

“While the lessons were online, we constantly had people from Vendition whom we could talk to,” she adds, “There’s always somebody there to answer if you have questions or need support on your journey and education process.”

She eventually interviewed with Sama, a company that provides high-quality data training for ethical AI technology. To help ace her job interview, Victoria’s Coach provided tips and held mock interviews to refine her skills.

The result? She was hired as an SDR. In less than a year, Victoria moved up the ladder as an Account Executive and now gets to work with leading automotive manufacturers in North America.

Victoria considers her training at Vendition a huge boost in her career development. Before entering the program, she felt that the tech industry was well beyond her reach due to her lack of related experience or education.

Victoria shares, “I think there is a barrier for people of different non-tech backgrounds to get into the [tech] industry…But, there is a place for you in the tech world, and Vendition can help you find it. Your experiences are valued by companies looking for people who can think out of the box and bring in new perspectives.”

Find a New Purpose as an SDR Team Lead

Leonard Matlock was one of the many workers laid off from their jobs during the pandemic. Not wanting to waste time, he took an acquaintance’s advice to apply for Vendition’s three-month Sales Apprenticeship program.

Leonard says, “I did a bit of research about Vendition, and I thought it was a great way to learn more about tech sales and figure out if it’s for me. After meeting with my Relationship Manager, I felt confident in what Vendition had to offer.”

Vendition found six companies he could apply for. Leonard describes, “I think all the companies they presented were interesting…Vendition knows the companies inside and out. They know what type of people you’ll work with. They have great relationships with the company managers, and they can identify if you fit what the company is looking for.”

Leonard matched with Limble CMMS, a Utah-based company that caters to businesses worldwide seeking CMMS software. It was the company’s start-up environment that attracted Leonard. He says that the idea of growing with the company as it upscales was exciting.

“Once I started working at Limble CMMS, my Vendition Coach was with me every step of the way. We worked on cold calls and creating emails, and talked about how to surpass my struggles on the job,” says Leonard, “For instance, we needed to make a hundred calls a day. My Coach helped me create a schedule so I can finish all my assigned tasks and deliver results. The three-month Apprenticeship was amazing.”

Vendition’s commitment to his career success pushed Leonard to keep going. Since completing his training, Leonard has been promoted three times and is now Limble CMMS’ SDR Manager.

He shares, “The tech space is not going anywhere. It’s an ever-growing but very competitive industry. So having Vendition guide me along the way to make sure that I’m successful is something I will be forever grateful for.”

Future-Proof Your Career in Tech Sales

Marco Orlandi just landed his first auditing job out of college. But the tedious job of working with spreadsheets all day was not what he envisioned doing in the long run.

So he left his job and applied for Vendition.

“A friend who graduated from Vendition referred me to the program. I got accepted within a week…and met with [Vendition’s core team], who provided everything I needed and motivated me as I transitioned into a sales career,” says Marco.

He adds, “I came from a background of hard labor—as a firefighter and a commercial farmer—before landing my auditing job. I was used to labor-intensive jobs where the harder you work does not mean you get more rewards…The idea of working in sales where I can earn more as I work harder definitely appealed to me.”

Like many beginners, he had doubts about his chances of landing a tech sales job. “If you asked me what SaaS [Software as a Service] sales was, I would have told you it is sales with a little bit of sass. My lack of knowledge in sales was a major concern [for someone who wants to enter the industry],” he says.

But Vendition’s experiential training helped him gain a strong sales foundation. Vendition also created a pipeline of viable companies he could work with. After learning about what each company provided—the job requirements and the current state of their sales team—Marco shared who he was interested in interviewing with so the Vendition team could connect him with his dream company.

“I ended up choosing NexHealth because their mission of accelerating healthcare through tech resonated with me. I also liked the people I met through my interview process and their company culture,” says Marco.

Thanks to the training they received through Vendition’s three-month Apprenticeship, Marco and four other Vendition alums received offers for full-time SDR roles at NexHealth. After joining the company, Marco consistently exceeded his quota, prompting his promotion to Account Executive after only eight months as an SDR. And he continues to deliver outstanding results. Within his first three months as an AE, Marco hit beyond his set sales target, reporting a 239% quota.

He adds, “Vendition prepared me pretty well in understanding how to foster a relationship with my clients and sell, instead of just cold calling and hoping for the best.”

Marco has one piece of advice for those interested in joining Vendition: “Vendition does a great job setting you for interviews with companies, so make sure you do your share of preparing for them and completing the training provided by Vendition.”

From a Non-Sales Professional to an Expert SDR

Treading an unfamiliar field is not always easy, more so when you are restarting your career from scratch. But with proper training and guidance from Vendition, you will soon learn how to identify your transferable skills and leverage them in tech sales. By the end of the program, you will be on your way to a tech sales career, just like Victoria, Leonard, and Marco.

And if there’s one thing you can take away from their experience, it is to trust the process and stay committed to the program.

Have more questions? Consult with Vendition’s admissions team and start your journey to tech sales today.