Ratidzo started at HPE in 2019 with no IT background, shortly after finishing her Master’s degree in International Business and Marketing. Admitting that she didn’t even know what a server was or what it did before she joined HPE, Ratidzo was eager to learn, and still recognises that she learns something new every day. Here’s a day in her life at HPE, to give a little insight into what goes on in an early career presales role.
First, a little explanation of Presales vs Sales…
Presales is the first stage in the sales cycle, determining exactly what the customer needs and explaining to them how a product or service may solve their problem. This is different to Sales, where they will present the solution and ‘close the deal’! Presales is all about becoming a trusted advisor, ensuring the solution matches the customer’s requirements.
A day in the life of presales
Monday morning brings our weekly team round-up, we discuss the previous week and our expectations for the new week.
Customer calls come next with a variety of topics from server, storage, networking, backup, or a bit of everything combined! Every customer is different, with wide-ranging needs, so the initial call is to discover the opportunity, get to know their estate, the challenges they are facing and what they might want their future environment to look like. After the call, I deploy an infrastructure assessment on the customer’s environment to get accurate information on the systems they are running. With that data collected, another call is scheduled to discuss the results, potential build solutions and the next step.
Emails, emails, emails! Which may sound boring, but emails are an essential tool to maintain contact. They provide a lot of value, especially working from home. Whether they’re from a customer, or an internal or channel partner, they all need to be answered. They are usually technical questions or sometimes requests for a Bill of Materials (BOM) to be created. My team members are happy to answer any questions I have, and everyone throughout the business is always willing to help me, it’s so reassuring to know I have someone to reach out to when I have a question.
‘Lunch and Learn’ sessions equip Inside Sales Representatives (ISRs) for initial conversations with customers, without presales being present. The enablement sessions are usually followed by ‘boiler room’ sessions; a question and answer forum with my aligned commercial team.
Personal development is an important aspect of my job, so during my day I make sure I listen to Tech Talks to stay on top of the latest technology updates, read technology blogs and attend team training sessions as well as my own self-paced training. At the beginning of my career I focused on technology basics, which equipped me to lead different discussions with customers. This proves you don’t need a technical degree to work in the tech industry, as long as you’re willing to learn! I now focus on technical deep dives and improving my soft skills. I also attend early career sessions during the week, which are very interesting. A recent ‘Excel Enablement’ session was very insightful and really useful, helping build skills that I may not have had, entering a technical role.
HPE has introduced ‘My Time’ as part of the UK Sales Wellness Plan. This is time carved out in everyone’s diary at the same time every day to take a break from work. I take time out to make some lunch if I don’t have any leftovers from the night before! Salmon is a favourite, I could eat it every day!
Extra team and company events are scheduled throughout the year, and at our Presales Kickoff we were encouraged to get away from our desks and go for a walk, as the sessions were a podcast format. We also had a Presales bakeoff, where we were sent the ingredients to bake red velvet cookies! This extra support, encouragement and fun really helps to create a team spirit and build camaraderie.
I attend catch up meetings with the HPE DiverseinIT group, which is a group for women in tech to unite and share the different challenges we face in a male-dominated industry. We discuss how we can best bridge that gap and organise events for Channel Partner presales and HPE Presales women to come together. Although a new group, we’ve already had some very interesting discussions and we are looking forward to connecting with like-minded people in the future.
Working remotely, it’s important to still catch up with the team, so I make sure that I speak to someone each day to check up on how they are doing. It can be tough working from home, so chatting like we would in the office is essential.
At the end of the day, as part of the Wellness Plan, we are given Reflection Time, to take a look back at our day, plan the next day and wind down. This replaces any commute we may have had, and gives a chance to take a breath before ‘leaving’ work!
Every day is an opportunity to improve, and I go into each day willing to learn. I sleep better at night reassured that I will never know everything – because who does?! But I love my job, and knowing that my team, and the wider business, are always there to help me, makes HPE a great place to work.
If this article has interested you, my advice would be, don’t be afraid to go after what you want, no matter how hard it might seem. It’s important to be challenged, because no one grows within their comfort zone. So go for it!
Maninder Randhawa
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
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Hewlett Packard Enterprise Early Careers Lead - UKIMESA
