When Doris’s son was just a toddler, she made the decision to leave her successful pharmaceutical sales career to be a full time stay-at-home mom. Fifteen years later her little boy was headed off to college and she was ready to reenter the workforce.
I was equal parts excited and intimidated about restarting my career. I knew I had a lot of great skills and qualities to put to use, but the professional world had changed significantly over the past fifteen years! I was terrified by the tech and worried I wouldn’t be able to pick it up fast enough, but I was determined.
Doris started applying for jobs. She worked in the corporate office of a major retailer for a few months before being laid off. After that she took a project management role with an electrical staffing company. The position required some customer service, support, and sales adjacent tasks. While she loved the people she worked with, the culture and leadership were lacking.
I didn’t mind the type of work I was doing and I had fantastic coworkers, but overall it was a very toxic culture with subpar leadership. I wasn’t advancing professionally and there was little to no room for income growth. I spent a lot of time feeling like a nervous wreck and after more than two years, I knew I had to make a change.
A friend of Doris’s suggested that she consider software sales. Doris was unsure about this idea due to her lack of confidence with technology, but she was intrigued and, as always, determined. She started applying for tech sales positions and that’s when she came across Satellite.
The Satellite admissions interview was my first Zoom meeting ever! I was way outside my comfort zone, but I just had a good feeling about the program. It was all the things I needed to break into tech sales — training, prep, and placement. The timeline was reasonable. The hours were doable and the price was unbeatable — it’s free! I interviewed on a Friday and started the program on a Monday.
After starting the fully online Satellite Career Accelerator, Doris immediately noticed she wasn’t the only one in the program with a non-traditional background.
Sales is known for being a ‘25-year-old-white-male’ space and I was fully expecting to stick out like a sore thumb on my first day of training. Fortunately, that didn’t end up being the case. Satellite’s model creates opportunities for professionals from diverse backgrounds, which meant I got to learn alongside people from all walks of life. I felt motivated and inspired in ways I hadn’t for a long time.
After completing the sales training portion of the Satellite Career Accelerator, Doris began her interview prep and was ready to be introduced to Satellite hiring partners. The edtech startup, EdSights, reviewed her profile and was interested in meeting with her.
One of the benefits of the Satellite program is being able to interview with companies that have been vetted for quality, integrity, and resources. Satellite doesn’t just let anyone become a hiring partner. I had interview offers with companies who were not Satellite hiring partners, but declined them. I knew all too well what it’s like to be in a toxic work environment and it was worth it to have the peace of mind that that history would not repeat itself.
EdSights offered Doris a BDR position with the title of partnerships outreach. In this role she has quotas for calls made and demos booked on a monthly basis. Doris’s training allowed her to ramp quickly and produce results early. Within months of starting she’s already become the top performing BDR and is on trajectory for a promotion.
The Satellite sales training program provided me with the contemporary sales skills I needed to move quickly, it gave me confidence, and it also taught me how to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. The first two months in my BDR role were challenging, but I was ready and fully trusted that while I don’t know everything, I can learn anything.
SDR and BDR positions continue to be some of the highest demand roles. They are difficult to fill and the churn is high. At just nine months into her role, Doris is consistently being recruited for other sales positions.
I hear from recruiters all the time now, which is great for my ego, but I’m not going anywhere. Another significant benefit of the Satellite program is the work they do to connect companies with talent. It’s not just about the find, it’s about the fit. I’ve found more than a job — I’ve found a mission and company that I really love. EdSights is phenomenal. I love the product, I love the people, I love the industry. I passionately believe in what they are doing and think every college and university should have our tech. If you’re in higher ed and reading this, be sure to reach out to me!
Doris’s story is an example of Satellite’s ability to recruit, train, and prepare professionals who can create results in the nearterm and have potential for long-lasting and successful sales careers regardless of their background and experience.
You can’t possibly complete the Satellite program without having a deep understanding of what it takes to be a successful BDR. I can’t imagine a better way to preview and prepare for a job without actually holding the role. When you hire Satellite Certified Talent you’re not just getting someone who can do sales, you’re getting someone who really wants to do sales. If anyone is on the fence about going through this program or hiring through this program all I can say is do it, you won’t regret it!
