making a transition from Techie to pre sales tech consultant

jon1981 · 03-01-2008 10:26am #1

hi,

Being a pure techie (software developer) and it being the new year i decided to look about at the job market. I noticed a position as a pre sales tech consultant dealing with a technology in which i always wanted to work with. Its a very generic skill and technology which is very marketable to have on your CV only is not a developer role. Currently i work in a very niche area and to be honest there aren't alot of jobs in Ireland that use these applications i work on.

The other side of it is I enjoy being a techie and im not sure how less technical the role is or if it mainly is around delivering and pitching high level solutions. Has anyone made the jump to pre sales tech consultant? it would be great to hear some experiences be it good or bad

AARRRGH · 03-01-2008 10:40am

I know School of Sales (SOS?) have had positions advertised like this before. A couple of lads I used to work with did their sales courses and got good sales jobs out of it. This could be a route you could take.

As part of an old support job I used to do, I used to do pre sales when they were busy. Gotta say, it was easy...

jon1981 · 03-01-2008 11:06am

hi,

yeah from reading the job spec it does look easy, basically being the knowledge base for the sales team on the suite of products, presenting solutions to the client, Q&A ... etc

would i be written off as a techie? I know the position is in the sales HQ but in the job spec I couldn't really identify the specific sales elements of the job. As regards money, is it lucritive? where can you move later down the road, further into sales, project management? im not sure what the career paths are from here

ntlbell · 03-01-2008 11:10am

I've had to do it in previous job's you should find it very easy
as a techie

If you're in the right company selling the right products you can make a lot of money, personally I found dumbing myself down every day tiresome and boring.

Really the company and the products and/or solutions will make it or break it.

jon1981 · 03-01-2008 11:32am

ntlbell wrote: »

personally I found dumbing myself down every day tiresome and boring.

yeah I would feel that way too but it frustrates that these positions tend to pay better even though in my mind the techie end is more challenging and interesting.

AARRRGH · 03-01-2008 11:38am

I think it's a good route into product management.

The place where I work, the product managers are pretty much a mix between technical skills and sales. They meet customers, talk about their requirements, and also go to trade shows showing off our product.

You can earn a lot of money in sales. I know, for example, recruitment sales can offer up to 100k per year.

ntlbell · 03-01-2008 11:54am

I suppose if it's money you're after go for it.

Personally I prefer a bit of job satisfaction and doing work I actually enjoy.

ntlbell · 03-01-2008 11:56am

dublindude wrote: »

You can earn a lot of money in sales. I know, for example, recruitment sales can offer up to 100k per year.

Friend of mine left IT 18 months ago to work for a recruitment agency and hasn't looked back doubled his wage in the first year and climbing.

jon1981 · 03-01-2008 12:07pm

ntlbell wrote: »

I suppose if it's money you're after go for it.

Personally I prefer a bit of job satisfaction and doing work I actually enjoy.

job satisfaction is always top of my list when it comes to job hunting but trying to buy a house is forcing me to look more into income

careeradvise · 03-01-2008 10:58pm

I am in the same position although i was a software engineer. I would love to move into a pre-sales position as i know my strengths are geared towards that type of role.

I have done a Diploma in sales from DBS. Didn't get that much from it. To be honest you need the real world experience. I also worked in recruitment for a bit, wasn't really for me. But i did enjoy some aspects of it. Just would of preferred a bit more of a blend between the technical and sales side of things, not just all sales.

Problem with IT I have found is in general it's extremely difficult to move from one specific area into another. Once you are in IT, moving into a more customer focused area of IT if you have been a 'techie' is difficult. I think a number of companies would benefit if they allowed IT people to cross train a little more.

I am doing a postgrad next year on the business side of IT just to add a little to my CV. I may look into doing something from SOS as well but don't know much about them. Plus starting from the bottom of again is always hard, not in terms of working my way up but being able to afford it, as your wage goes up, your bills go up even faster. That has been my main problem in trying to find my way to where i want to be.

Sorry for the big post ...

BEST of luck ...

jon1981 · 03-01-2008 11:04pm

I suppose i am lucky in so far that i work closely with clients in the high/low level design phase. I'm not the developer hidden that magically produces solutions. So i at least have that experience.
Maybe i'm wrong but i thought as a pre sales tech consultant, your role is not about bagging the sale or is it? I'm trying to get more of an insight into the role.

maybe its time i start looking at some postgrad courses also!

making a transition from Techie to pre sales tech consultant

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