From SOTA to exploring all facets of the marketing industry and finally TikTok and LinkedIn, Nicolette's career trajectory might not be the most easily understood—until you hear her explain it.
In this episode, Nicolette walks us through her journey of unexpected pivots: starting from the arts, detouring into comms and advertising, then diving headfirst into TikTok’s e-commerce grad programme before switching to LinkedIn as a Sales Development Rep. She tells us what “tech sales” actually is (and why your auntie will never understand it at CNY), what it’s like to live quarter-to-quarter on quotas, and why resilience matters more than having a tech background.
We break down:
💼 Tech Sales 101: What the job actually is, without the LinkedIn fluff
📱 Why she left TikTok early and made the switch to LinkedIn
🎯 The highs and lows of chasing quarterly targets
🚩 Who should (and definitely shouldn’t) pursue a sales career
⚡ Her most unhinged career advice for 2025
And yes, we dance in this episode too. So you're probably gonna want to switch to video mode for this.
———
🚨 Key Takeaways
“Sales isn’t for people chasing stability. It’s for people who can handle the reset every quarter.”
“The art of yapping is equal parts about listening.”
———
Thinking of breaking into sales?
Tag a friend who keeps saying “tech sales looks kinda fun” but can’t negotiate their Grab order. Or send this to someone who wants to pivot into tech but has no idea where to start.
———
CHAPTERS
00:14 Opening
00:46 Rapid Fire Questions
03:01 The Start of Her Career Journey
04:07 Exploring Career Options in Uni
04:21 Internships in Comms
07:08 First Full Time Role: TikTok Grad Programme
09:30 Leaving the Programme for LinkedIn
10:16 Tech Sales 101: What is it exactly?
11:30 Day in a Life at Tech Sales
14:14 Hours in Tech Sales: Is it up to you?
15:13 What is Inbound and Outbound Sales?
15:42 Is Inbound easier than Outbound?
17:14 "Eat What You Kill" Model
17:39 Progression in Tech Sales
18:43 Is Tech Sales a Stable Job?
19:56 Who is suitable for Tech Sales?
20:50 The Art of Yapping & Sales
21:28 Are Technicals important in Tech Sales?
22:32 Who is Tech Sales NOT for?
23:30 Advice for anyone interested in Tech Sales
24:23 How can someone best prep for Sales Interviews?
25:32 Most Unhinged Career Advice
27:02 Outlook on the Industry
27:59 Mini Segment: Random Facts
29:32 As a Content Creator, how do you think of New Content?
30:51 Nicolette Teaches us a Dance
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not represent the views of any company, employer, or organization. This discussion is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional or financial advice.
This is (probably) one of the realest, most unhinged, sometimes funny, most times educational podcasts about all things career. With no fluff, no bs, only facts and lots of laughs, join us as we chat with people across different industries and share some unsolicited advice on how you can break into them.
We believe that you don't know what you don't know, so there's no harm in tuning in once in awhile.Let us know if you enjoyed this episode and if any of the tips helped you. We want to hear what you think, and what you'd like to hear more about next!
NEW PODCASTS ON EVERY 3RD (or not) TUESDAY OF THE MONTH
Follow Sumo Cum Laude
https://instagram.com/sumocumlaude3.8
https://www.tiktok.com/@sumocumlaude
https://www.youtube.com/@SumoCumLaude