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I did this. All about who you know. Any friends or family in a desired industry that would give you a shot? Don’t ask them directly, moreso ask them to lunch/coffee/drinks or dinner for career advice. Appeal to their ego and these people would love to talk about their experience in their field. Talk to anyone, even when socializing on the weekends. Impress everyone you sell a car to…take note of their profession, and if it’s a desirable one to you, then knock their socks off with your professionalism, then wait till after the sale to mention the same tactic I suggested above. Like anything, it’s all about your strategy and your tactics to carry out said strategy. The key is to find a person that will give you a shot…may take over a year, but it will happen. It won’t happen by applying blindly online, because someone has to vouch for your character / lack of degree.
My story- graduated with a degree, bro in law got me a finance mgr gig at a dealership cause it’s all I could find in a down economy. Did that for a year, then saw an old friend of mine at the gym and he referred me to work at his recruiting firm, Robert Half (they are nationwide and notorious for giving people a shot at entry level corp sales). Did that for 2 years, then another friend, female bartender, was asked by one of her patrons (a VP of Sales in Tech) if she knew of anyone that sells to HR…and she referred me (because I spent the time telling her what I did and how much I liked it before). That guy hired me, and I’ve spent the last 14 years with several startups, went public IPO with 2 of them, rang the stock market bell and lived in Manhattan for 6 years, and now just moved back to my hometown working remotely and rekindling all that’s really important to me.
I’ve met killer salespeople along the way that didn’t have degrees. It’s all about relationships, building rapport, impressing people with your character, and striking when the iron is hot. And a little luck. You got this. Good luck!
@OP, Chicago is the perfect city to network! You got this
Yes, I spent 18 years in the car biz. Never on the floor though, walked in as a finance manger under a mentor program Sonic had with zero car experience. Made it to a FI director in a couple years. I trained green peas and if you want to get into finance, you should ask the finance guys if you can just type their paper for them especially closing time.. Ask the guys if you can package their deals or submit to banks. Ask your GM to invest in you and train you as a back up Fi. Go through Fi training school by investing in yourself.
Or go to an independent store and ask to do sales and get trained because there you have to do everything from lead generation to sales to closing to finance.
Over the tears, I got tired of the pay plan changes, working late, giving up every weekend and all the holidays, as you know.
Yes, now I’m in software sales at a tech company/remote. If you want to increase your skills, you will look into learning basic softwares such as salesforce CRM, Sales, navigator, sales loft, how to use all the Google suite in Microsoft products, Zoom meeting etc- so you can add those to your resume. I still work way over 40 hrs week in tech sales though. I was hoping to cut back but sales is sales in any field with performance goals to hit and like you, I like to be in the top performers.
Big to to break in: if you’re top and sales then you probably have the money to invest in yourself by enrolling a certification program from revered schools like Berkeley, MIT, Stanford, etc and learn about AI , Machine Learning. This will get you a cutting edge into tech. You don’t have to academically qualify to get in those programs but you do need to be able to do the work.
Best regards,
Mercedes
That's honestly a great idea for getting into finance, really appreciate that input! I'll also look into the certification programs.
I don't mind working long hours as I've made it a routine for myself. I always come in on my off days and I'm usually the first one in and last one out of the store. I'm just coming to that point of seeing if there might be a better and stable option, and tech sales might be it
Difficult to move from car sales to direct sales , totally different sale.
Car sales…potential customer walks in !
Direct sales …salesperson walks in !
Difficult transition
The lead generation piece may vary but sales is sales. The sales skills and processes of questioning, presenting a tailored solution, advancing the sale, managing objections, closing are the same. Your style may work best in a particular company or industry. For example you may be more motivated by a short sales cycle in pharma vs the multi year sales cycle of capital medical equipment.
https://realrocketramp.com/sales
^^Good group of tech sales experts behind this. Would quickly get you integrated into the tech sales scene.
Yes. Its not an easy transition. Potential employers often consider you an inside sales person. Outside sales you need to hunt for prospects and sales.
Which is a lot less boring than waiting for an up to walk in.
Your best shot is to apply for outside sales jobs that are commission only. Then move to a salary + commission position.