Tech-Is-The-New-Black
Kayla Burks, a senior-level enterprise tech saleswoman, shares her successful journey in the tech industry and provides tips on how to navigate the industry as a woman of color. She emphasizes the importance of networking, trying out different roles, and finding the right fit in the tech company. Moreover, Kayla emphasizes the importance of teamwork, active listening, and building connections with customers in tech sales. She also talks about the benefits of working for startups versus established companies and how it is essential to identify your purpose and prioritize your goals in both your day job and side hustles.
into college, I was torn between pursuing Communications or a career in Tech. Kayla Burks eventually graduated with a degree in information communication and Technology from Florida State. Prior to her Tech career, she was always active online with content and considered herself well-versed in communication. But her relationship with technology started when she was a kid, coding her own Myspace layouts. Eventually, she got her start in Tech through the IBM Summit Program where she initially worked as a sales engineer. Now, eight years later, Kayla Burks has scaled up to being a senior level Enterprise in Tech Sales and shares her tips on navigating the industry as a woman of color.
In this section, the speaker discusses how she became interested in tech sales, which she found out was one of the highest-paid industries after a Google search. She started out as a business analyst but did not enjoy the role and wanted to find a way to get into sales. Through networking, she was introduced to IBM and was eventually hired, going through eight interviews over seven months. She also talks about IBM's history of innovation and the importance of testing out different roles to find the right fit. Additionally, she emphasizes the value of networking in finding opportunities and learning about new industries.
In this section, the speaker discusses her journey into tech sales, starting from her first job as a data analyst at IBM and moving into technical sales roles. She explains that at IBM, she was given the option of choosing technical, digital, or client executive roles, and due to her technical background, she was placed in the technical side. While working in technical sales, she went through six months of intensive training that helped her gain a deep foundation in the sales process. Later, she pivoted to enterprise sales and then to sales engineering, realizing that being in front of customers and being the main relationship holder is where she really belonged. She also realized that in a tech company, it is possible to pivot internally as long as one is a good performer and has a sponsor to back the move.
In this section, the speaker talks about her background as a first-generation college student and her career in tech sales. She discusses how she started in enterprise sales and eventually became a top performer in IBM's digital sales and later moved to a BDR position in a smaller company, One Trust. Despite being a top performer, she decided to leave IBM to join a smaller company where she could gain more experience. The speaker also compares working in a startup to a bigger tech company and highlights how being a performer will stand out in any organization. Lastly, she emphasizes the importance of having a good manager and how it can impact one's career growth.
In this section, a woman discusses her experience working at One Trust versus Microsoft. She loved working at One Trust and praises the accelerators and commission structure that startups offer. She also notes that startups have a greater ability to scale, which provides valuable learning experiences. However, she decided to go to Microsoft after they reached out to her, citing the uncertainty of startups. She also mentions that while working at Microsoft, she has noticed that they provide incentives to achieve quotas in the form of stock, whereas startups offer more immediate cash opportunities. She encourages people to consider the benefits of working for a startup, and not just focus on bigger tech companies.
In this section, the speaker talks about the different tech companies and options available for those who want to work in the tech industry, highlighting the benefits of working at a startup versus a well-established company like Microsoft. She mentions the stability and benefits offered by the latter, such as free health insurance and a good stock package, as well as the potential to grow within the organization. On the other hand, she notes that startups offer more opportunities for making money as there are fewer people vying for commissions. She also emphasizes the importance of finding the right fit, whether that be as a technical seller or a business-focused quarterback.
In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of teamwork and synergy in tech sales. The speaker explains that understanding how individuals work and developing emotional intelligence is a crucial part of becoming a successful salesperson. The speaker also shares an example of how she and her team achieved success by playing to each other’s strengths and selling the whole solution, rather than individual products. The speaker suggests that being a great team player is an essential characteristic to have in tech sales, which is a highly competitive field. Finally, the speaker gives tips on how to become a top performer, including studying sales, understanding customer personas, and being highly accountable.
In this section, a tech saleswoman discusses her approach to becoming the number one performer in her organization, with a "Mamba mentality" and a competitive mindset from her athletic background. She emphasizes the importance of believing in herself and being professional in her work as a reflection of herself. Being an African-American woman in a male-dominated industry, she recognizes her unique advantage as a female in sales and encourages other women to pursue it. Despite facing some initial pushback and skepticism from her male peers, she has proven herself to outperform even white men and has been selected for additional leadership opportunities.
In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of active listening and using personal connections to succeed in sales. She emphasizes the need for salespeople to be experts in their field and take notes during calls to strategize for future interactions with the customer. The speaker also stresses the importance of treating customers like people, rather than CEOs or CSOs, in order to build personal connections and become their advisor, rather than just a seller. She encourages people to work hard and make tweaks to improve their skills, while also using their individual strengths to their advantage.
In this section of the video, a tech saleswoman reveals her various side hustles including investing in stock portfolios, life insurance, and 401k, and monetizing her social media following where she uses her love for helping people to attract a following. She also reveals her other business ventures such as an Airbnb rental and a hookah business which grew to be more profitable than her tech job. She explains how she discovered the opportunity to make money from the hookah market and found a way to cut out the middleman to increase her profitability.
In this section, Kayla Burks discusses her transition from running a successful hookah business to her current role in tech sales. She talks about how she evaluated her priorities and realized that her side hustle was not fulfilling a purposeful role in her life. Kayla stresses the importance of identifying your purpose and ensuring that any side hustle is in line with your day job. She also gives insight into her routine in tech sales and her goal to move into program management and eventually, an executive track. Overall, Kayla encourages collaboration among tech professionals, recognizing that working together can benefit everyone in the industry.
In this section, the interviewee talks about the benefits of working for a tech unicorn as a sales development representative (SDR). She believes startups provide a great opportunity to learn the ins and outs of tech sales by shadowing salespeople. The goal of an SDR is to learn and develop the essential skill of prospecting, which is critical in sales. The interviewee also highlights the importance of networking and maintaining an updated LinkedIn profile to keep abreast of opportunities. While there's no guarantee of job stability in a startup, if an SDR can perform well and have a robust network in place, bigger companies will hire them based on their metrics, rather than where they worked before.
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