I have discovered a passion for working with small to mid-size business owners to help them solve challenges or take advantage of opportunities. As a result, I am looking at transitioning my career to an inside B2B account management type role.
While I have a solid background that includes corporate communications and customer service, I have found that I am not a competitive candidate for my ideal jobs due to a lack of proven sales or account management experience.
What are the best ways to gain experience in the short-term to begin a successful, long-term career in B2B account management at a growing organization?
I've been selling to businesses my entire career. Getting into B2B sales is easy.
Find a company that you like who sells to small business and find out who the sales leader is.
Connect with them and ask for an appointment. Explain your desire to get into B2B sales.
Explain that you'd like the opportunity to learn and demonstrate your value.
Then let them know that you'd like to join their team and you'd be happy to work on a commission-only basis.
If you can cut it in commission sales, you'll have a world of opportunity available to you.
Good luck. Arrange a call if you'd like to discuss your specific details.
Dave
This is a great question. A transition I myself had to make several years back from having a background in civil engineering, into becoming the CEO of the UK division of a Canadian Software company.
There's no real one answer, but remember when its comes to sales/accounts you've got to make sure your voice is heard the loudest. If you're going to email people saying "I would like to change my career", I'd imagine most would pass as it sounds like more effort on the employer than the potential employee.
A good way to start would be to think of creative and different way to reach the 'decision maker', thus demonstrating your acumen.
I'd recommend teasing out the typical characteristics expected of an Account Manager from your current role and apply them. Oh, and be super knowledgable on the product. We used to get 'experienced' accounts managers apply, but hadn't bothered to work out what we do.
Best of luck. Happy to share with you my experiences.
Hi there,
I have worked at growing tech organizations + a Fortune 500 company in a B2B account executive role. In every organization, I have worked closely with account managers and understand their day-to-day responsibilities to a certain degree. I see two paths forward for you to begin a long-term career in B2B account management:
1. Start off in a Sales Development Role (SDR) and gain experience in prospecting, qualifying, and lead generation. I have several colleagues that have started as SDRs and then transitioned over to SMB account management, then subsequently made the move into mid-market/enterprise level account management positions.
2. Obtain a part-time or full-time internship in sales or account management. This path is more difficult because there are not that many companies hiring for sales or account management internships.
Happy to jump on a call to answer your specific questions and ideal job. Please see the VIP link here if you are interested: https://clarity.fm/kevinyang/earth482
Evaluate your current job satisfaction. While you are doing this, there are some things you can do at your current job to help you prepare to move on when it is time for a change. Assess your interests, values, and skills. Review past successful roles, volunteer work, projects, and jobs to identify preferred activities and skills.
Determine whether your core values and skills are addressed through your current career. There are free online tools you can use to help assess career alternatives. If you are having difficulty coming up with ideas, consider meeting with a career counsellor for professional advice. You can find a wealth of information online simply by Googling the jobs that interest you.
A good source of contacts for informational interviewers is your college alumni career network. LinkedIn is another great resource for finding contacts in specific career fields of interest. Consider taking an evening course at a local college or an online course. Upgrade your skills.
Look for ways to develop new skills in your current job which would pave the way for a change e. There are ways you can position yourself for a career change without having to go back to school. Consider a new job in the same industry. Consider alternative roles within your current industry which would utilize the industry knowledge you already have.
If you are a store manager for a large retail chain and have grown tired of the evening and weekend hours, consider a move to corporate recruiting within the retail industry.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
