Elite Tech Sales

Check out Elite OS, the first solution to help sellers land competitive roles and get promoted quickly.

Sharing lessons on X: @_JayJohnston_

Founder

Dell Technologies

Worked with fast-growing startups and established companies to integrate Dell's data center portfolio. Responsible for closing $7M new revenue annually.

Data Center Account Executive, Field Sales

Managed and developed cross-functional teams of account executives, engineers, and product specialists across North America, with an emphasis on analytics and operational efficiency throughout a 55+ person ecosystem.

AE Manager, South Central Region

Spearheaded relationships with C-suites, system integrators, and value-added resellers to grow business into both net-new and install accounts. Top account executive achieving 300% of quota within 6 months of starting.

Account Executive

Recipient of Dell EMC’s two most prestigious sales development awards. Accelerated growth with mid-market, commercial and enterprise account teams. Worked with directors to develop and implement business development campaigns for the North American sales organization. Regularly hit 211% - 235% of quota.

Sales Development Representative

Ex-Dell | Be Better Than 99% of Candidates ⚡️

I started Elite Tech Sales to help the market of people who can "land jobs".  

It makes sense why this market is underserved. 

Turns out there’s a BIG difference between landing “a job” or working with an industry leader.  

One will accelerate your career while the other leaves you in a perpetual state of not attaining your potential.

Our offer is for ambitious college students to young professionals 1-4 years into their careers who want to transition to tech sales, de-risk the odds of working at a bad company, and get promoted quickly. We’re lucky to work with professionals from Deloitte, EY, Red Bull, Merryl Lynch, Lawyers, Accountants, Commercial Real Estate Agents, driven college grads, and many more.    

The common thread with ETS students is they are too smart for bootcamps. They'd never sign a predatory income share agreement or get training from someone who hasn't had the success they want themselves.   

As the creator economy continues, it’s great to disrupt the market with the first premium solution available for people who are never given attention.

For 6 weeks, I have been doing sprints with athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs.  
 
The result =  a FUN community to KICK OFF Thursday morning.  
 
What's your favorite way to unplug from work?

Jay Johnston

I help sellers land jobs ⚡️ elitetechsales.com

Sprint club keeps growing 🚀  
 
#athletes #artists #entreprenuers

Want to laugh?

Check out my first time hosting a Podcast (with Chris Bussing) and learn about the secret project he's been spending 18+ months building. 

Link in comments. 

Life update: I’ve been busy since August building Elite Tech Sales.

There have been a lot of wins along the way, and I’m excited to share what I’m most excited about.

New Community

Let’s be real, job searching sucks, and it sucks to do it alone. That is why I have curated over 6+ hours of content, 100+ resources, and hold weekly office hours to give back my time to people who need help landing their next sales role.

The reason for this?

Getting a job shouldn’t be rocket science, although it may feel like that nowadays.

I want to put every bootcamp out of business that charges $20,000+ just to get access to content and low-tier companies that typically have you looking for a new job a few months into placement.

Leaving a recent leadership seminar, I feel fueled when I can help the most amount of people and creating a free community to help job seekers get roles (especially given most job seekers don’t have extra disposable income) feels the best for me.

If you are looking for a new job in tech sales, whether it’s entry-level, AE, or Management, check out our new free community.

It’s in Beta, and we will cap it once it gets filled.

Use the code: EOS100 at checkout and get access for 100% free.

P.S. I just revamped new content that will be released soon. Everyone in the community will get access for free, so join to work with others to land your next job in sales.

My least favorite part of writing on LinkedIn over the last 6 months has been feeling the need to write like everyone else on LinkedIn. 

And so the flip side is my biggest blessing. 

Being myself. 

I’m committed to showing up daily bringing my authentic voice to the table and giving job seekers the most ammo to be successful.

 So join my free community where I host weekly office hours and enroll yourself in a better sales career just like I did. 

Free value is THE BEST value

I have a feeling Chris Bussing and I will be doing more soon!

Link in comments below👇🏼

At the end of each interview, ask for any hesitations or feedback the hiring manager has. Write it down with pen and paper (don’t take notes on your laptop if possible) and apply the feedback they gave you in the next round of the interview.

Ex: Hey Jay, my only feedback is you were a little long-winded. Other than that I love your energy and think you would be a great fit!

*Me in next interview

Hey Hiring Manager, I enjoyed our last call, I noticed you said I was a little long-winded, which happens when I’m excited. So I watched a YouTube video and practiced with a friend to stay concise. I love feedback and am happy to show you I’m open to applying it as I know you are the expert and know exactly what it takes to be successful in this role.

Remember, “your actions are so loud people can’t hear you!”

The more you SHOW a hiring manager, the better they’ll believe your claims.

Interview Hack: You will ALWAYS be delegated down to the person you sound like.

Example:
- Present yourself as an amateur, you will be seen as one.
- Present yourself as a subject matter expert, and be treated like one.

Proceed accordingly.

The recruiting space has it backwards. Everything is gated and not enough free value.

This week I’m building $5k worth of lead magnets and giving them out for free.

My goal is for people to get jobs without dropping a $.

Naturally, people will need help and a certain % will inquire about coaching.

I love this because it allows me to:
- Help more people
- Create more awareness
- Have fewer hard closes and more helping inbound interest

I’m blessed to give out free knowledge to change the trajectory of someone’s career and willing to tear down every wall (even payment) to make that happen.

Mile PRs at Sprint Club Today

Anthony Esperance - 5:35/mile
Me - 5:41/mile

P.S. Honorable mention to Chris Bussing for moving his 8a to train insane this morning

The road to the 5-minute mile continues...

I stopped a member in their mock interview when they asked what % of reps are currently hitting their metrics.

It’s not a bad question but I told him to tweak his answer.

Instead, ask:

What % of reps are overachieving their quota?

It’s a subtle tweak but communicates you're not just interested in average, % hitting, but % overachieving.

Adjustment of frame puts you in a different category.

Don’t go for average.

Be above average.

The best marketers are able to use the exact words their target audience cares about… the more you can relate, the better you will be able to articulate your value.

No matter what role you go for, reverse engineer the evergreen characteristics needed to be successful.

Management role? Research the top 5 characteristics needed to be successful in that role.

Engineering role later in your career? Network with others and research the top 5 characteristics to be successful in that role.

Finance? Network with others and research the top 5 characteristics to be successful in that role.

Having the characteristics to be successful in the role (from that company or hiring manager's perspective) will give you a competitive advantage to align your stories when we build your database to exemplify the characteristics they care about.


A sales manager doesn’t want to bring on a high-ego, “know it all” who isn’t willing to apply feedback and learn. 

This is a big advantage for young candidates as they typically haven’t established “bad habits” and can be receptive to learning the ropes from a manager and peers.

I’ve never met a manager who likes someone with high ego so it’s safe to say being coachable is an amazing characteristic in almost ANY role.

Comment below if you disagree!

Most people suck at marketing themselves, which is counterintuitive as a salesperson. 

I hear all the time: “Jay, you got lucky, you worked for a big company.”

 My response: “Good sellers sell themselves into good opportunities.” 

If you are not working the sales job you want, go sell yourself into a better opportunity. 

Selling your value is not JUST verbal. Value is demonstrated throughout the entire interview process with how well you prepare, how professional you show up, and how great of an experience you give the interviewer.

Regardless of the job, you must learn to sell yourself, and most people NEVER do so they will always believe a hiring manager when they say “you don’t have enough experience.”

P.S. Editing new content to help you market yourself into your dream role. 

Join the newsletter in the comments to stay up to date with the release.

Interview Hack: You will ALWAYS be delegated down to the person you sound like.

Example:
1. Present yourself as an amateur, you will be seen as one.
2. Present yourself as a subject matter expert, be treated like one.

Proceed accordingly.

A hiring manager is JUST another employee. And like any other employee, they are metriced by a boss and want to make sure they are bringing in the best people in to make themselves look good.

When you internalize this perspective, it becomes simple that you always want to come from a place of maximizing upside and minimizing risk with their  decision.

Ex: If you are going for a competitive sales role, your goal is to convince them that you will make the highest revenue impact, with the least amount of training.
By making a high revenue impact, you are going to make your manager look good (that’s what they get metriced on).

So by telling stories of how smart and self-sufficient you are, you are showcasing that they can get THE BEST results without them having to spend 4+ hours daily with you to make this happen.

A member gave me a list of interview questions they were asking in an interview, and they went like this:

- What mentorship do you have?
- How do you ensure reps are successful?
- Has anyone been put on a performance improvement plan recently? If so, why?

The reason these are not the best is this may communicate neediness and that you may NEED a ton of help. And while you might need help, like most people when they start a new role, you can’t sell yourself as a liability in a competitive job market.

P.S. I’m not saying not to ask these but these might be better to talk with an employee about, not the hiring manager directly.

My copywriting has been down but productivity is at an all-time high. 

Very excited to offer sellers the best platform and resources to land their next job in tech sales. 

For SDR's, AEs, Managers.. everyone 💭 

Stay tuned

Taplio

Jay Johnston's Linkedin Analytics

Jay Johnston

What is Jay talking about?

Who is engaging with Jay

Jay Johnston's Best Posts (last 30 days)

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Taplio

.css-1jgreyo{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39,43,72,1) 0%, rgba(33,47,183,1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}Jay Johnston's Linkedin Analytics

Jay Johnston

What is Jay talking about?

Who is engaging with Jay

Jay Johnston's Best Posts .css-qqfgvy{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);}(last 30 days)

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Jay Johnston's Linkedin Analytics

Jay Johnston's Best Posts (last 30 days)