About Me — Harris Rehman
Isn’t It Time You Know Me?
Prologue
Is life really certain?
I’ve been planning to become a writer on Medium for quite a while. To share what I learn along my journey of working in tech sales.
I never started. I just planned, and planned. I thought I need to get to a level where my point of view is deemed credible by default, instead of earning credibility.
But then, the uncertainty! My father passed away last week — after his kidney cancer symptoms severed. He was diagnosed last year and got his kidney removed in January.
He was an authoritative friend more than a father. He taught me countless things. He made me the man I am today — from a shy, cornered kid. And then he left…
We were aware of the situation, but we never expected it too soon and sudden. The treatment was ongoing, but the disease ate him from inside physically and mentally. I’m just glad he stayed strong spiritually till his last breath.
His death pulled me deep into existential questions… The thoughts captured things beyond human death.
Ever happened? That you’re in a meshwork of thoughts for days or weeks. The meshwork itself originated from a single event in your life but the thoughts go beyond the event — to all corners of the world.
Life isn’t certain. I can leave as soon as nobody knows. Why a delay? Why not now? Where’s the urgency?
I decided to appear here. To share all the incomplete yet valuable knowledge I learn. To act before it’s too late in life and I mean not just death.
Me
I was born and raised in a remote village in a 3rd world country (Pakistan). Aged 12, I convinced my father to let me join an elite military school that we could never afford. The monthly fees added up to half of my father’s salary — the sole earner. He managed!
By graduation, I had decided against continuing into the military and found a new interest in higher education. I secured admission in the top private university of the country. This time, my father was quick enough to approve and support my admission — thanks to the university’s national and international reputation.
Initially enrolled in Economics, I quickly transferred my degree to Anthropology & Sociology. I found Economics too dry and boring. Sociology, on the other hand, instilled in me a reading and writing ability — and I found it more interesting.
After graduation, I struggled with job placement in the R&D sector. Feeling lost, some hard months shifted my focus to tech sales for its lucrative nature, clear growth roadmap, and continued learning opportunities.
I started applying. A month of effort got into an SDR (Sales Development Rep.) role at a fastest growing Inc. 5000 software development services provider.
Soon enough, I was earning more than what my father did after working 3+ decades with the government. I could see the pinnacle of gratitude in my father’s eyes!
Why Tech Sales
It’s been a year and I can’t be more satisfied with my decision. I am grateful financially and love the kind of work I do — dealing with unique challenges every day. To keep it simple for you to understand:
Money
Tech sales is a brilliant money-making opportunity. Base salaries are satisfying. The commissions on top are usually a direct result of the hard work you do.
The rewards are motivating. You learn that even if you’re not naturally smart, you can work more to earn more.
The more activities you perform a day, the more touchpoints you get with the prospects. Hence, you get higher conversion.
Skill Development
Starting at the SDR role can help develop entrepreneurial skills (entry-level 😉) — a multipurpose skillset of soft and analytical skills that you can use in sales of any industry.
You learn to communicate verbally and through writing to understand client needs and get them to explore your solutions. You gain sales skills like scheduled cadences, calendar management, pipeline management, objection handling, etc.
Tech is in demand. It may increase as we move ahead. You get to translate tech every day to business language. Imagine the value of your verbal/written copy after working in the field for 5+ years.
Besides, you use tech day in day out to understand your own and team’s performance. You get to learn technical skills — prospecting tools, CRMs, performance analytics, and more.
Such skills are valuable gems to keep in your bags.
Learning & Development
It’s an opportunity for continued learning. Companies are investing in their workforce as sales teams have a direct impact on revenue.
I work for a services outsourcing company. We have weekly L&D sessions where we learn textbook sales for tech services/products. We have demo calls and rehearsals among the team as well as with AI personas through tools like Hyperbound (Ever tried? You’ll love it).
Every situation requires its unique solution. You keep getting wiser and wiser as you overcome each challenge.
You can work for a digital product or platform company. Or any company that deals with software. And you’ll see they really invest in your development.
Growth
There’s a clear career growth path — or you can make one of your own if you’re a consistently high performer.
As a general next step, you can become an Account Executive (AE) — a shift from appointment setting to closing deals. Your commission is now a percentage of the deal amount closed.
Ticket sizes are usually high in tech. So, great AEs may earn amounts close to business leaders.
On the other hand, you can take the managerial route and transition to the Sales Manager role. Longterm, irrespective of your career path, you should end up in sales/business leadership roles.
These are some aspects from my viewpoint. I’ll share all the million more reasons why tech sales is a great career in my upcoming stories.
All things considered, the field can help you develop an open and quick learning mindset. If you stick to it with honesty, you can get to business leadership roles faster. On top, you will have developed expansive sales and business acumen. Long term, you may go anywhere and be deemed valuable.
What Next
Personally, tech sales has given me a trajectory in life where — thinking long term — I can slingshot my career in multiple directions.
The Medium blog is also a part of this journey. I’ll share all the intriguing things I learn along the way.
I’ll appear here every now and then to share more stories about my life, sales career, tech, money-making, and much more.
My goal is achieved even if one of you all brings improvements to their life because of something I write here.
My value prop is my story. Stick around to find out.
P.S. Hoping for an honest feedback and suggestions!
