A former sales manager at Best Buy, Andrew McGrath coached sales teams, working closely with Best Buy’s Geek Squad–a team of agents who provide in-store and onsite technical support for consumer electronics. Andrew had always been fascinated by the psychology of sales. However, selling hardware is a different ballgame from software sales. Andrew was intrigued by the challenge of B2B sales, which requires sales reps to work closely with marketing teams, educate the customer, and serve a consultative role to help customers find the best solutions and achieve success while using the product.
As one of the first members of Springboard’s newly launched Tech Sales Career Track, Andrew is excited to graduate and start a new role where he can use his prior sales skillset as well as the new tools and strategies he learned at Springboard.
“I would love to be able to focus on one specific product, unlike when I was at Best Buy, connect with different business leaders, and find out which solution is best for them,” said Andrew.
I was a sales manager at Best Buy for just over 10 years. I taught sales and tech-based sales. I did a lot of work with our Geek Squad [a team of agents who provide in-store and onsite technical support for consumer electronics]. When I left Best Buy, I was looking to get back into the tech world and join an expanding demographic. Springboard was great for it.
I’ve always been in that space as a consumer. Then I saw how it was expanding on the B2B side. The tech sales industry is huge right now, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to switch gears.
Sales is an interesting psychological animal all to itself, so it’s something I've always enjoyed–being able to figure out the right solution and fit a square peg into a round hole. I've always found sales to be a fantastic field to work in.
Retail sales is a little different from software sales. In retail, you’re focused on consumer wants and needs, whereas software sales is about selling to businesses. At the end of the day, communication skills and the psychological aspect of sales are all the same whether you’re selling hardware or software.
I have too many! I love what companies like Salesforce and Calm are doing. I have a special fondness for productivity apps and CRM software because I’m used to this type of software.
I looked at a lot of different tech sales bootcamps. A family member recommended Springboard and encouraged me to pull the trigger on it. All of the reviews were very positive. The program seems very hands-on, and I like having an open line of communication with my advisors and instructors. If I have a question, I know it will be addressed quickly.
So far so good. I have weekly classes where we do hands-on exercises and roleplaying. Now, towards the end of it, we’re focusing more on mock interviews and mock sales calls so we can put into practice what we’ve been learning for the past 10 weeks.
If anything, I think the fact that the program is completely remote has opened up a lot of doors for me to be able to talk to a lot of different people. If I have a question, I can message one of the teaching assistants on Slack.
If anything, I think the fact that the program is completely remote has opened up a lot of doors for me to be able to talk to a lot of different people. If I have a question, I can message one of the teaching assistants on Slack.
The career coaches have been great. I like being able to get a second set of eyes on my resume and LinkedIn profile and ask them questions about what recruiters look for.
Keep an open mind. Be willing to talk to people and make a fool of yourself. As long as you know your values, you will do fine. Springboard staff offers a lot of support to help you course-correct and guide you. So far it has been awesome.
