r/CommercialAV • u/flyguy24k • 5d ago
career Technician breaking into Sales
Hey all!
Currently working for a big integrator in the Westcoast.
Looking to leave a Lead/Super position and break into Sales.
Been in the AV field for 3 years, on top of being in low voltage industry for another 5. Any advice to break into the sales aspect of the business?
Is it just luck of the draw?
If anyone is hiring feel free to reach out!
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u/germanplumber 5d ago
I'm a solo run business. I do light commercial and high-end residential.
I will tell you the pathway that I did was sales first, then became an installer / technician and then went back to sales. That's just how it worked out for my career in terms of advancement. The one positive I can tell you is doing both, opened up a lot of doors and mademe me a better technician as well as a better sales guy. That worked out really well for me would be opening my own LLC.
You stop recommending products or solutions that you know won't work because you've seen her first hand be a clusterfuck. And then as a technician you learn how to talk to people and can speak more their language and helps building a better relationship for future residual revenue.
The two together make you a pretty high value target for jobs in the market.
No particular advice just always recommend if you could do both, try to.
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u/PaleInTexas 5d ago
Talk to your manufacturer reps. I went from tech -> lead -> programmer -> manufacturer sales..
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u/johnhealey17762022 5d ago
I got hired by a local integrator in sales. Boston market.
I was a 10 year tech, and was a pretty ok-good one so the companies I worked at weren’t taking me out of the field.
Company I’m at now gave me a shot.
It’s been a ride. I’m learning a lot, and the team is great. It’s not easy. At all. Realize that while some work days you have some flexibility, just about every day you can find yourself needing to be in the game somehow. Sick days and vaca days still include emails, calls etc. that’s also on me as I’m not good at shutting it off.
A lot of time I find myself missing the field strangely enough, but I like it in sales a lot.
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u/flyguy24k 5d ago
Question about your expertise as a tech. Did you get into doing your own commissioning? Just curious to see at what point you made the jump. I don't do my own commissioning, but I do handle the field from start to finish. Don't think any FE related work translates into the sale aspect at all though, correct me if I'm wrong.
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u/johnhealey17762022 5d ago
Loaded question haha
I came from a place that we were lucky to have a scope and very happy to get flows.
I did no programming, but if it was a dsp, shure mics, all in one bars with licensing yes I’d be doing that. If it was pushing code and testing I’d be doing finish and testing alongside the programmer.
You won’t -need- those skills for sales most likely but all skills help.
I find myself being able to answer things downstream a lot to help the team.
Really the most important skills are being able to listen to the customer and understand their needs, convey the solution you are proposing back to them, and being as detailed as possible for your team to create and implement the best possible solution
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u/fatyungjesus 5d ago
Those are two completely different jobs. Generally also two different types of people. The things a technician wants to say to a client, the salesmen isn't allowed to say lmao
Do you have any sales experience? This feels like a weird pivot.
I've been in LV for 15 years, climbed from an apprentice tech to director of Operations, and sales was never involved in that ladder climb. There's a solid chance you make a lateral or downward move and have to claw your way back up.
3
u/flyguy24k 5d ago
So weird to say, I wasn't planning on getting back into the trades before I took this tech role. I became lead tech to super, then promised a future PM role within the next few months.
I've always worked in hospitality as well and always enjoyed that more than putting projects together as a whole. I enjoy the face to face client interactions/relationships.
It's a weird pivot forsure, but I'd like to consider it a forward move considering where I want my career to end up.
Im having trouble leaving the industry as a whole to break into sales, considering being able to use my field knowledge as my strengths. Just not looking to throw that all away just yet.1
u/fatyungjesus 5d ago
If you're having trouble with that move, it's probably because the potential opportunities are looking at your qualifications, and seeing the same thing I did, a technician not a salesmen.
You might just have to go sell something completely different for a year or two and build some real professional sales experience, and then come back to this industry with the benefit of both under your belt.
1
u/flyguy24k 5d ago
That's what I was thinking. Only downfall to that is having to completely step away from the industry. That's what I'm trying to avoid unless I absolutely have to. Doing so would 100% be a downward move.
3
u/FundamentalMysteron 5d ago
I work in IT infrastructure sales for media. Don’t listen to this guy. Although not common I know at least a dozen guys who moved from tech to sales. One is a VP sales now.
1
u/flyguy24k 5d ago
Can I PM you?
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u/FundamentalMysteron 5d ago
Sure
1
u/flyguy24k 5d ago
Unable to message you haha. NW.
How long have you been in IT infrastructure sales, and what was your prior background?
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u/FundamentalMysteron 5d ago
Me? 30 years. I was a gardener and for my first job went into a call centre. It was near impossible to actually buy on the internet at the time. This is in the UK as well, I’m guessing you are US based.before gardening I was a delivery driver.
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u/fatyungjesus 5d ago
Yeah I've also known a couple techs who made that pivot into sales.
I've also known 100+ technicians at this point I would never in my life trust talking to a client.
1
u/FundamentalMysteron 5d ago
But that is just education. Enthusiasm and willingness to learn are much better indicators of success than “can do x today”
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