Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re up to now
My background is in sales - I hold just over 3 years of work experience in the field. I completed my undergraduate degree from Christ University, an esteemed commerce university located in Bangalore, India. The degree I pursued was a bachelor of commerce (BCom) Honours - with a specialisation in banking and insurance. Started my career in insurance sales, pivoted to product design and SaaS sales and now I’m back in Fintech. I think of myself as an ambitious and curious individual, who is always looking to improve and grow my skill set.
I love football. I am an absolute fanatic of the sport. From spending my weekends watching games across leagues like the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga, I also play actively. I have played for my school, university and now I try and play week in-week out for the love of the sport. I also love gaming and cooking. Discovering and trying new recipes every week is somewhat of a habit now, more than a hobby. Also love exploring new places when I can.
I’m currently working as an SDR at Money20/20 - a brand under Ascential. Money20/20 is the world’s biggest fintech event that brings together the whole global money ecosystem. Decision makers from the most recognised financial services names to the most promising start-ups attend the show, and my role is to research, identify and qualify interested companies and set up meetings for the new business team.
What was your journey into a career in Tech Sales?
I started my career in tech sales (insurtech) back in 2018 with one of the most promising startups based in Bangalore, India. After working there for 1.5 years I moved to sales in product design. Unfortunately, Covid struck bad and I had to part ways with them as they were a really small studio and couldn't afford to continue paying me a salary. That prompted me to pursue a masters from Warwick Business School, here in the UK and gain some international experience. Following the successful completion of my masters in marketing, I decided to continue my career in tech sales and the rest is history (or in the works I’d like to believe).
Just my curiosity, preparation and hunger. I also believe that actively monitoring the success of certain individuals like Florin Tatulea, Josh Brawn, Brian LaManna, and Belal Batrawy to name a few really inspired me to pursue a career in tech sales
What would you say are the best things about working in Tech Sales?
Objection handling, spending hours on the phone learning to navigate conversations and most importantly building discipline. They have really helped me become headstrong, and persistent. I also think it has helped build immense character and confidence. The knowledge of the product and industry has been immense as well.
With the long, hard hours of cold-calling and learning to deal with objections comes the enormous pay. Base salary isnt always the best, but OTE and commissions are very lucrative, and being in control of your own pay in a way makes it very very interesting as a career to pursue.
I’m still an SDR, but I’m confident of being promoted to BD Manager by mid-2024. Tech sales allows one to decide what pace they can grow in, and that’s one of the best things about it.
I very much see myself working in tech sales for the foreseeable future. In the next 5 years, I want to hone my skillset and be recognised as a reliable leader, and someone who has unmatched industry knowledge.
What advice would you give to someone who is just about to start their career in sales?
Don’t be disheartened by the grunt work and hardships that face you initially. It’s always a bad time to call a prospect, and you cant be sorry about doing your job. You have to learn how to deal with no’s, and people who are rude. You need to learn how to not let it get to you, and the most important thing is to build a routine that works for you. Set aside time for prospecting everyday, grow your network and try to learn from everybody around you. See what sticks and works for you. There are no shortcuts to learning the art of cold calling and objection handling. It comes with practice and over time. And its really really important to have a good and capable mentor at the beginning of your career. Something I didnt have - and which is probably why I struggled for the initial few months. But leverage Linkedin, and try to learn from the best.
Why did you decide to join Tangent as a Mentor and why should others join as Mentors too?
A lot of graduates look down upon a career in sales, and are even afraid of it (one of them being me). I would like to educate and enlighten people who have this notion and help them achieve their financial and professional goals
Being a Mentor is a great way for me to continue to grow my network and also learn from my peers. Being a Mentor doesn't just mean that information flows one way - it can flow both ways and it’s a great way for me to continue to grow my skillset
Ready to make a difference?
Tangent connects you with aspiring Business Development Reps from socially diverse backgrounds for short-term mentoring and an employee referral.
Sign up to be a Tangent Mentor today 👇
