Want to break into the tech industry but don’t have technical experience, sales experience or know how to code? No worries!

A career in tech sales could be exactly what you're looking for. I’ve worked in sales my whole career—starting in an entry-level sales job making less than $30K a year. In under five years, I moved into enterprise software sales, and let me tell you—it’s one of the most rewarding career paths out there.

If you’re wondering, “is tech sales a good career?” the short answer is: yes! With low barriers to entry, high salaries, upward career mobility, career growth, and remote work opportunities, a career in tech sales is one of the most lucrative and dynamic fields in today’s job market.

Tech sales is all about selling technology solutions like software, hardware, cloud services, cybersecurity tools, and AI platforms to businesses and consumers. Unlike traditional sales, tech sales is more than just selling—it’s about helping customers solve problems with technology, making it both a rewarding and exciting career.

New to sales? No problem! There are plenty of entry-level tech sales jobs that don’t require experience and can help you get started in tech sales. Tech Sales reps carry different job titles that all sound similar, so here are some of the most common ones:

• Sales Development Representative (SDR): Focus: Inbound sales. Role: Handle and qualify inbound & outbound leads generated by marketing efforts, setting up meetings or demos for Account Executives (AEs).

• Business Development Representative (BDR): Focus: Outbound sales. Role: Proactively reach out to potential customers, generating new business opportunities through cold calling, emailing, and networking.

• Lead Development Representative (LDR): Focus: Lead nurturing and qualification. Role: Convert marketing-generated leads (MQLs) into sales-qualified leads (SQLs) by engaging and educating them, preparing them for sales engagement.

• Account Development Representative (ADR): Focus: Account-based sales development. Role: Develop and expand existing accounts or high-value targets by building relationships with key stakeholders and identifying upsell or cross-sell opportunities.

• Account Executive (AE) or Sales Executive – Manages relationships with clients - both current and potential clients, conduct first-call presentation, build business plans, engage executives, decision makers and the c-suite and move prospects from initial interest to deal closed. Account executives are the revenue growth drivers, will own the quota and are focused on client relationships, sales management, building their sales pipeline and moving prospecting through the sales funnel.

• Sales Engineer - Responsible for doing discovery calls and preparing software demonstrations for prospects and customers.

• Customer Success Managers - Customer success management is all about making sure your current customers are happy and getting the most value out of your product. It’s about building strong relationships with them, helping them use the software effectively, and improving things like customer satisfaction scores and renewal rates.

Pro Tip: There are tech sales training programs designed to help you learn the key skills you need to succeed. These programs teach you about the tech sales industry, how to position and sell tech products, and how to master sales strategies. They’re perfect for beginners, giving you the skills and knowledge to break into the field and do well!

One of the biggest perks of a tech sales career is the high earning potential. Average Salaries vary based on experience, company, and sales performance. Below we've broken down the average base salary for the most common tech sales job titles in the industry.

(Average base Salaries are approximate and depend on location, experience, and company size.)

There’s been a lot of talk online about whether a career in tech sales is still a good choice. I get it—big companies like Salesforce and Facebook have cut jobs, but that’s mostly because they over-hired during the pandemic. Since these companies are huge, their layoffs make headlines, making it seem like the tech sales industry is dying—but that’s not true!

New tech startups are launching all the time, especially with the rise of AI, AgenticAI, and other cutting-edge technologies. The demand for tech sales professionals isn’t going anywhere! It's simply shifting to new technology to fill demand.

The tech industry is only growing, and as more businesses start using cloud computing, AI, and cybersecurity, the need for tech sales professionals keeps rising. Companies need experts to explain these technologies and help customers make smart choices.

Plus, tech sales offers remote work and flexible schedules, making it one of the best work-from-home careers available today!

A lot of people are worried that AI will take over everyone’s jobs, and some even wonder if it will replace salespeople. As someone who works at an AI company, I can tell you we’re nowhere close to that happening.

Right now, AI would have a hard time building long-term relationships with customers, adjusting its sales pitch to different people, or working well as part of a team.

The truth is, jobs will likely change to work with AI instead of being replaced by it. So don’t stress! A career in tech sales is a great choice—it’s profitable, exciting, and here to stay, even in the age of AI.

A question I hear all the time is, "Do you need sales experience to launch a career in tech sales?" The quick answer is no!

Tech companies often hire people with little or no sales experience, making it a great career to break into. That said, having some basic knowledge—like understanding sales cycles, how to engage buyers, and how to have a sales conversation—can give you an edge and help you find success in tech sales early in your career. But don’t worry, it’s not required!

The best tech sales representatives who build long, successful careers have a mix of soft skills and industry knowledge.

Here’s what you need:

✅ Communication & Persuasion – Strong communication skills are one of the most important skills in general, but especially in tech sales. Being able to explain complex solutions in a simple way helps you find new opportunities, build strong relationships, and earn trust with potential customers. Strong communication makes you a go-to expert in the field!

✅ Interpersonal Skills - The ability to interact and work well with both your team, prospects and customers.

✅ Resilience & Adaptability – Handling rejection and learning from failures.

✅ Customer Relationship Management (CRM) – Using platforms like Salesforce or HubSpot to track leads and deals.

✅ Sales Process & Sales Presentations – Understanding how to move a customer from interest to purchase.

✅ Product Demonstration – Clearly understanding prospects' business issues and then showcasing software and solutions in a way that highlights their value.

✅ Data-Driven Selling – Using analytics to improve performance and decision-making.

✅ Technical knowledge - Having some basic technical knowledge can help you learn faster, but it’s not required. Many people, including myself, started in tech sales without a strong tech background!

No! Tech sales is more about problem-solving than coding. While understanding the product is essential, most companies provide onboarding and training programs to help you learn the technical side.

That said, having some experience in sales, a basic understanding of software sales techniques, cloud computing, technical knowledge can give you an edge, but don't worry - you can learn these skills quickly by learning on the job or a online course or program.

Having worked in both traditional and tech sales, I can tell you the differences are significant:

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you enjoy learning?

2. Are you comfortable with ongoing learning and self-development?

3. Are you a self-starter and a motivated individual?

4. Can you handle rejection well?

5. Do you like solving complex problems?

6. Are you good at building relationships?

7. Do you enjoy working with others and do you see yourself working well with your sales team?

If you answered yes to most of these, tech sales might be right for you!

Ready to jump into the tech industry and land a job in tech sales? One of the best parts of this career is the professional growth you’ll experience—from your first day all the way to retirement!

Here's your roadmap:

One of the best parts about a tech sales career is how quickly you can grow. Once you land your first entry-level sales role, you’ll learn the entire sales process - taking potential customer from the first conversation all the way to closing the deal.

As you learn the sales process and achieve success, more opportunities will start to open up for you. The tech sales job market is always changing, but it’s full of amazing chances to succeed.

Not many careers let you earn $65,000 to over $100,000 in your first year, with the potential to move into even higher-paying roles so quickly. The secret to building a great career in sales is gaining experience, keeping track of your successes, and updating your resume and LinkedIn with those achievements.

This way, you can use your progress to move into better-paying roles at companies with great cultures and work-life balance.

Here are the different paths in tech sales and how you can climb the ladder:

The tech industry and industry trends are always changing so like any career, tech sales has its challenges:

• Rejection is common – top sales people look at rejection differently. Instead of taking it personally, they look at it as learning and information gathering. Rejection is normal and is a part of the job.
• High-pressure environment – Having a sales quota can be stressful, but with the right skills, drive and pipeline, top sales people turn this stress into motivation to put in place the right strategies to hit quota year over year.
• Continuous learning – Keeping up with technology trends is essential. Especially today with emerging technologies like Generative AI, Agentic AI, LLM, Zero-copy data and more.

However, high salaries, bonuses, and career growth make these challenges worthwhile.

So, is tech sales a good career? The answer is a YES! With low barriers of entry, high salaries, growth potential, career progression, remote work opportunities, job stability and more it’s one of the best career paths for anyone looking to break into tech without a technical degree or knowing how to code.

If you’re ready to land your first entry-level tech sales job without spending a fortune learning how backed by a community of like minded individuals with real-world exercises so you can practice your sales skills and then apply to companies that match your interests, check our the NextGen SDR Accelerator program today!

Your next big career move is just a click away!