Of course the IT sales job position is just one of the many information technology jobs and roles within an IT organization. This means that the success of any person holding a IT sales jobs position is contingent on support from other functions including IT positions like the systems administrator, technical support staff as well as non-IT departments such as finance, procurement and customer service.
The sales person must constantly liaise with the technical staff so as to keep tabs on any potential changes and upgrades to the existing product including timelines of next expected releases and patches. This information can prove to be very important in when developing a sales strategy as it helps the IT sales person plan for future sales campaigns. On the other hand, they must also keep in touch with the finance department to ensure any payments from clients are effected as soon as possible and any issues with the transaction are speedily resolved.
Even though the IT sales job is a position normally domiciled within an IT company, there are certain attributes expected of anyone holding the position very similar to just about any sales job: especially the ability to sell. The IT sales position requires someone that is innovative, knowledgeable in the product and does their best to understand the unique needs of each client. They must strive to win the trust and confidence of each person they meet as closing a sale will often depend not only the technical capability of the product which in many instances is not very different between products, but the ability of the IT sales person to persuade a client on the suitability of their product.
IT sales is also one of the information technology jobs that is expected to serve as a key client touch point that must feed into the organizations product development processes. This means that the sales person must have a keen ear to catch what clients might express as a feature or solution they would have wished to see in the product or the kind of features that a competing product has. The IT sales position in effect serves as a key point of market intelligence for the organization.
As far as academic qualification goes, a degree in sales or marketing coupled with a certificate level qualification in IT is likely to place one in good stead to secure an IT sales position. However, there are IT sales jobs that require a more technical academic background meaning a degree in an IT related field will receive a lot of weight. Either way, positioning oneself education-wise for the type of information technology employment role that one is interested is key to not only securing the job but also in executing in well.
