How to Get Into Tech Sales With No Experience

If you have never sold before, SDR and BDR jobs are common places to look. If you have closed deals, kept clients, helped customers use a product, or led a team, you may have other options. You still need to meet the needs of each job. No course, referral, or program can promise an offer.

There is a difference between no tech sales experience and no sales experience. A person who has sold services for years may have strong sales proof, even if they have never sold software. Someone from customer support may have no sales quota but know how to ask good questions and help people solve problems. A new graduate may need to build proof from projects, part-time work, or practice.

That difference matters when you choose a job. An SDR or BDR finds possible buyers, learns what they need, and sets up a sales talk. An account executive, or AE, often works on deals through a sale. An account manager works with current clients. A customer success manager helps clients use a product and get value from it. The names change by company, so read the job post. See our guide to SDR, BDR, and AE roles for a closer look.

Salesforce describes SDR work as finding and speaking with possible buyers, checking fit, and booking meetings. It also notes that SDR jobs can be an entry point, but they still call for skill and practice. Read Salesforce's SDR guide.

Use this table to start your search. These are possible matches, not a hiring rule. Read the duties and requirements for each opening.

Do not choose the role with the highest target pay before you check whether you can make a strong case for it. A senior AE or manager job may ask for direct software, large deal, or team sales experience. Our career guide compares the wider set of roles, and our U.S. salary guide explains base pay and target pay.

Open five job posts for one role you would take. Mark the tasks that come up more than once. Then write down work you have done that is close to each task. Use only results you can explain and back up.

For each story, answer three questions: What was the problem? What did you do? What changed? If you have numbers you can check, add them. If you do not, explain the work clearly without inventing a result.

For example, a support worker might truthfully write, “Asked customers about the problem, explained the next step, and kept a clear record for the team.” That tells a hiring manager more than “good people skills.” A seller from another field could describe how they found a buyer's need, handled concerns, and closed a deal. Use these as writing patterns only; your resume must describe your own work.

Your LinkedIn page and resume should tell the same story. Put the most relevant proof near the top. Keep the title of your old job accurate. You can explain how its tasks relate to the new one without pretending you held a tech sales role.

You do not need to learn every sales tool before you apply. Learn what the company sells, who buys it, and why the buyer might care. Then practice one task the job asks you to do.

For an SDR job, choose a real company and write a short note on one buyer. Say what you learned and draft a brief email that asks a useful question. For an AE job, write questions you would ask in a first sales meeting. For an account role, sketch how you would learn why a client may leave. Label the work as a practice sample and never claim it was done for a real client.

Salesforce says skills from customer facing work can carry into sales, but a hiring team still needs to see how you would use them. Its tech sales career guide explains common roles and entry paths.

Start with jobs where you meet the core duties, even if your last title is different. Read the must-have requirements. Send a resume that matches the work, and ask people for a referral only when you can explain why you fit. Track where you applied and what happened. If you get no interviews, review your role choice and resume before sending more of the same.

Prepare three true stories from your past: a person you helped, a hard problem you worked through, and a result you can explain. Practice saying each one out loud. Some SDR interviews include a call exercise, while others do not. Ask the recruiter what to expect. Our SDR interview guide gives you questions and practice tasks.

If you reach interviews but get stuck at one stage, focus your practice there. Feedback from someone who has done the role can help you see what you missed.

You may be able to do this on your own. Free lessons, direct applications, and referrals can work when you have a clear target, strong proof, and the time to run the search. Our comparison of seven routes helps you weigh those choices.

If you work full time and need help with several parts at once, Tech Sales House can help you choose a role, show your past work, practice interviews, and keep the search moving. Recruiter and agency partner support is included in the program. Its exact scope depends on your background and target role and is explained before you join. It does not promise suitable openings, replies, interviews, or a job.

Rafey Aamir worked through sales development and account executive roles at Salesforce. He was named one of its top three SDRs across the Americas and later AE of the Year in his region. See Rafey's background. The program is paid, and the hiring decision remains with each employer.

Requirements vary by employer. Some entry roles focus on skills and proof from work, school, or projects. Read the posting and show how you meet its duties.

No. If you have closed deals or owned client accounts, check roles that use that work. A more senior title still requires proof that matches its scope.

There is no reliable timeline for every person. It depends on your background, the roles you target, your interview work, available jobs, and the employer's process. Work on the part of the search you can control.

The team helps you prepare and apply. Employers decide who gets an interview and an offer. Ask what support and terms apply to you before joining.