Describe your role and what it entails.
As an apprentice with Softcat, my role involves learning and training for my level 3 IT Technical Salesperson apprenticeship, shadowing experienced Sales staff, using platforms like Sales Logix and Fuse, following the sales life cycle, managing client accounts, and collaborating with the Softcat team to meet sales and performance targets.
What have your highlights been so far?
One of the biggest highlights was going to the head office in Marlow to meet all the new apprentices from across Softcat’s UK offices. This was a great opportunity to not only become more familiar with Softcat and my role, but also my future colleagues.
What are some challenges you’ve faced?
Arguably the biggest challenge was learning about my role and applying it practically. It can be hard to learn a new role and the skills applicable to that role, especially without any prior knowledge or experience. It’s natural to pressure ourselves with the weight of our own expectations, and I am very much guilty of this. However with time, patience, dedication, as well as the support from your team, this challenge becomes a minor inconvenience.
What have you learnt from your experience in the role so far?
Throughout my time at Softcat I have learnt many skills, such as how to effectively build a relationship with customers, whether that be through a cold call or a meeting, different types of IT and the role they play within the broader context of a business strategy, also how to use different problem-solving tools like LinkedIn and Companies House for research. This knowledge will be applicable in future roles and the rest of my career.
What advice would you give to a student following in your footsteps?
It may feel overwhelming starting a new role, learning new skills, sitting next to experienced professionals, and hearing about others’ successes, but it’s important to not let it slow you down. The sooner you put in the work the sooner it will pay off, and that is key in Sales and within an organisation like Softcat - you have the autonomy, but how you utilise it is down to you.
Why did you choose to do an apprenticeship?
I was unsure of what I wanted to do with my career. I didn’t know which path to go down or subject to focus on - this is why I didn’t go down the traditional university route as I didn’t want to be stuck doing something for four years that I may regret. All that I knew was that I wanted to learn useful skills whilst having positive future career prospects. Overall I didn’t want to waste my time and that is why I went down the apprenticeship route, as it would provide me with a network, knowledge, experience while earning a salary which I could use to support myself and gain independence.
A day in the life…
As a Softcat employee within corporate sales my days are always different to one another. Often, I find myself calling a variety of different businesses, whether that be because of size or the market they operate in. My role within these calls is to build a relationship with prospective customers, book meetings and support them with their IT priorities. Big opportunities can occur at anytime and when you least expect it, which is why we persist with our calls and emails, as they can also lead to recognition which is then rewarded.
Tips and advice
Sooner or later we all have to start our careers. It may be difficult when you do, however Softcat will help to support you and make the transition to a new organisation and role easier. At the end of the day what you do with your time and how you choose to use it is down to you, and I assure you that if you work hard and show your commitment, you will find success within Softcat and be rewarded.