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 (bbratt@vbschools.net).
Connect with Brent on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/brenthendricks) or e-mail (brent.hendricks@monorailyellow.com).
