Ep. 55 - Technology Sales - Brent Hendricks, Aptos Retail

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast! This episode features a conversation with Brent Hendricks, a 2000 Van Buren High School graduate who has held many positions within the technology sales arena and is current the Director of Pre-Sales Consulting for Aptos Retail. Brent shares about life in technology sales, the impact internships with Disney and NCR had on his career path, how certifications could be a path to a career, the positive and negative aspects of sales, and much more.  Anyone interested in pursuing a sales career will find information related to starting down that path in this episode.  Enjoy the show!   1:50 - A typical day for Brent in sales  3:35 - Helped build the technology infrastructure of VB when he was still in high school  3:56 - Knew he wanted to something in technology as a career  5:20 - Helping people was a big part of starting Brent down his career path  5:56 - Internship with NCR Corporation led to an extended internship and ultimately a full-time job  6:46 - An interesting interaction with someone in HR 7:41 - Working for Disney as an intern opened other doors  9:30 - Application process for the Disney internship  12:25 - Some spend entire careers in one place; others move from one opportunity to another.  13:07 - Working with different companies has led to working with many different types of customers.  13:52 - The economy often influences sales opportunities - ebb and flow  15:18 - Guidance regarding education when it comes to sales  16:03 - College is about how to think and reason, and some of the education can become obsolete, especially in a field like technology.  16:42 - Using certifications to continue adding knowledge and value  17:26 - It is possible for someone to turn certifications (Cisco, Amazon, Microsoft, etc.) into a career for a low cost.  19:43 - The best part of Brent’s career?  Working with customers to solve their problems  22:32 - Dealing with difficult customers and competition are some negative aspects of Brent’s career.  23:35 - Continuing to work toward success even when the sale appears to be hopeless  24:12 - Compensation comes from how well the business does  24:54 - Having self-confidence is important   Questions?  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail ([email protected]).   Connect with Brent on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/brenthendricks) or e-mail ([email protected]).