Interview with Niek Remkes about how he became a successful BDR (without any prior sales experience)

“Sales teaches you to become a problem solver and advisor and not be scared to just strike up a one-on-one conversation with a stranger and build valuable business relationships. Being good at selling is such a valuable asset to have for the rest of your career.” – Niek Remkes

Last week, we sat down with Niek Remkes to have a chat about his journey from being a university graduate who had no sales experience to becoming a successful Business Development Representative (BDR). We also talked about what to expect from the sales hiring process, the misconceptions many people have about sales, and his experience with our BDR Outsourcing Services.

Niek was the first BDR we ever hired, trained, and outsourced. He started a position as a BDR at an IT consultancy company, and now, a year after he has finished the program, we wanted to catch up with him and see what he has been up to.

We invited Niek to The Linq Group office, so he could sit down with Carmen, our Content Marketer, and chat about his journey from his first failed sales call to successfully stepping into his new role.

Let’s dive in!

How Niek started his sales career

Carmen

Hey Niek, so nice to sit down with you and have a chat. You finished your BDR outsourcing program at The Linq Group over a year ago, so I think we got some catching up to do. But first, how are you doing?

Niek

Hey, yes, thanks for having me! It’s always nice to visit The Linq Group office and see so many familiar faces again. I’m doing great, how about you?

Carmen

I am great as well, thank you. I’m really excited to hear from you and your journey.

So, let’s get started! Can you give us a short backstory about who you are, how you got started in your sales career, and how you found The Linq Group?

Niek

Sure! So, I studied PPE, politics, philosophy, and economics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam), which had nothing to do with where I eventually ended up. Except maybe the economics part. After I finished my studies, I started searching for a new position. I mainly looked for jobs in business IT consultancy. And then, the HR Manager at The Linq Group reached out tome me on LinkedIn.

After a short conversation, it went super quick. We had a phone call, I visited the office the next day, and three weeks later, I was already working at The Linq Group. At first, I really had no idea what I was getting into. From what I heard during my interview rounds, I thought it sounded really interesting, and I was curious about what my responsibilities will be.

But also, my preconceptions about sales were quite off. Back then, when I thought of sales, I imagined door-to-door salespeople and just doing sales pitches all day long. I thought you always have the same problems and you offer the same solutions, but that is really far from reality. Every organization you talk to is completely different, so that’s what I found interesting about it, too. Like, for every situation you come across, you really have to listen well. And every second, you have to be able to jump in on something that someone says, and this way, you can completely alter your conversation.

The misconseptions people have about working in sales, and what it’s actually like

Carmen

Interesting, so your perception of what a sales job looks like compared to how it actually is was very different.

Niek

Yes, it was quite different! Of course, a big part of sales remains cold calling, but even the cold calls weren’t the calls that I expected. I expected them to be a bit more stale, and I thought I would be done with the job in a few months because I didn’t think that I would be very challenged by a sales job. But it really depends on the product or services that you’re selling, and ultimately, it’s not just what you’re selling, but it’s more about the problem that your counterpart in the conversation has.

I think, in general, sales can be quite different from the perception that people have of it. Because it just comes down to – Is there a problem? What is the problem? Can we offer prospects a solution? Or how can we be part of that solution?

Carmen

Absolutely agreed. Also for me, this is the first I am working for a sales company, and though I was quite interested in sales, my perceptions were still quite off. Sales really has such a strong focus on establishing relationships with buyers and understanding their challenges and needs.

So, apart from being good at solving problems, what other skills helped you when you got started as a BDR?

“It’s really about the art of having a good conversation. It cannot just be one-sided where I am trying to sell you something without listening to you first.”

Niek Remkes

The skills that make a good BDR

Niek

I think, to really thrive in this position, you need to be social and able to talk with strangers and be good at listening to them. Because I can call you up and just start with, “Hey, I am Niek from The Linq Group we are good at this and that,…” and not care about the person at the end of the line. But it’s really about the art of having a good conversation. It cannot just be one-sided where I am trying to sell you something without listening to you first. But also, before you even start talking about any product or service, you have to build a connection.

And that’s also a fun part of sales! You know, you have to find every small thing you can use to establish a small connection with someone. For example, if you see a picture on someone’s profile where they are playing football, then you can mention during your conversation that you really like playing as well. It’s about these small, teeny tiny things that you can use to get someone to open up. And from then on, you can have the talk.

So, in summary, if you are social and like to discover problems and talk with people, then a sales job can definitely be a good fit for you.

Carmen

Circling back to what you said earlier. It’s interesting that when you started looking for a job, you didn’t specifically look for a sales position, yet you really enjoy it. And I can see you are passionate about it. How do you think a sales job can influence someone’s career path?

Niek

Being good at selling is such a valuable asset to have for the rest of your career. What sales teaches you is to just walk up to somebody, start talking to them, find some similarities to build a connection, find out what their problems are, and see if you can offer them a solution.

And in most positions, you are a problem-solver somehow. For example, if you are a consultant at a company, having knowledge in sales allows you to more easily step towards a decision-maker and say, “Hey, can we sit down and have a chat?” and then have an actual good conversation that helps you create new opportunities.

Sales teaches you to become a problem solver and advisor and not be scared to just strike up a one-on-one conversation with a stranger and build valuable business relationships.

What to expect from the early stages of a sales career

Carmen

Walking up to someone and starting a conversation can be really scary, especially when you are just starting out in your career. I feel like a position in sales can be a really good teacher to help you get out of your comfort zone and be more adaptable. Especially with cold calls, you hear “no” all the time, so you start to learn how to be able to deal with rejections.

Niek

Oh, yes! Get ready to be rejected. You can put that in bold and highlight it.

Carmen

Haha, I will make sure to do that! Besides that, what would you say recent graduates or people with no sales experience have to expect when they apply for sales positions? How are interviews structured, and what do employers look for in entry-level sales candidates?

“No, it’s not door-to-door sales and just cold-calling people without caring about what they want or need. It’s about having real conversations and establishing connections.”

Niek Remkes

Niek

When you’re applying for a sales job, you have to understand that it’s not door-to-door sales. You are not jumping on calls and going right into a sales pitch, thinking you know all the answers to your prospect’s problems. As I said, it’s all about having a real human conversation with someone and establishing a connection.

The reason, why I’m saying this again is because before even starting a position in sales, you are going to do mock sales calls. During my first interview at The Linq Group, we played out a prospect conversation because they wanted to see how I would approach a call with someone I know nothing about. And I started the conversation way too strong because I talked about the product immediately, and that was too quick. So, Jesse, the CEO, said, “Ok, let’s postpone this conversation and schedule another interview for next week and try this again.”

After I left that first interview, I knew what went wrong, and when we scheduled another meeting, I was prepared to have an hour-long job interview. So, the next week came around, and we did another mock sales call, and already after 6 minutes, Jesse said, “Ok, great! I just wanted to see if it is a real conversation that you are having with someone and if you are asking them questions.”

So, no, it’s not door-to-door sales and just cold-calling people without caring about what they want and need. It’s about having real conversations and establishing connections.

How Niek became a successful sales professional through The Linq Group’s BDR Outsouring Program

Carmen

Now, when you look back at your time at the BDR outsourcing program, what were some points that you really enjoyed during the training?

Niek

It really gave me a good understanding of what sales actually is, and what I can expect before going into this new position.

Also, in terms of learning sales techniques, the program really covered everything I needed to go into this new role with confidence. But what I liked the most was that it was specifically tailored to the partner I was going to work for. So for me, it meant learning more about Mendix and low code in general. I also started learning about industry-specific cases and talking through them with Jesse. So, the partner focus part of the program is really great.

Another thing I want to mention so you are prepared. Once you will finally have your first real-life conversations, they won’t be great. These are not going to be the best talks you’re ever going to have because even with the training, having a successful sales conversation is really an art form. You are probably going to be really nervous, and that’s ok. What’s really nice about this is that the experts at The Linq Group really guide you through these conversations and give you feedback to help you improve.

You will also sit in on sales calls of the experts and see how the pros do it, which was so helpful as well.

Oh, and I really just loved the vibe of the learning environment! For example, I had this one call that went really horribly, and after I hung up, I just got a high five, and they were like, “You fell flat on your face, everyone does that, and that’s great because that’s how you learn.”

Carmen

Yes, that’s something I really appreciate about The Linq Group as well. They know that failing is part of the process, and as long as you really use these failures as opportunities to learn, it’s good to make mistakes. And being thrown into the cold water like that really gets you out of your comfort zone.

Niek

Absolutely, because you can read books on books on books about sales, but the most important part is really getting started and experiencing real-life situations.

Carmen

Now that we covered all the good parts, what was something that you missed while going through the BDR program? What was something that could have been improved?

Niek

What could have been better? I actually don’t know. To be honest, I learned so much in such a short amount of time, and I really felt prepared for my specific role as a BDR at an IT consultancy company.

Benefits of joining a sales team after going through a comprehensive learning program

Carmen

Well, that’s always great to hear that you got so much out of it.

All right, so after going through the program, being trained on all the most important sales techniques, and also learning about industry-specific cases, how was your experience of joining a sales team and having that prior knowledge and exposure?

“I really just loved the vibe of the learning environment! For example, I had this one call that went really horribly, and after I hung up, I just got a high five, and they were like, “You fell flat on your face, everyone does that, and that’s great because that’s how you learn.”

Niek Remkes

Niek

This aspect of having these specific modules was super helpful. In my case, the company I was going to work for was a Mendix partner, so I learned about low code, went through some Mendix courses, and looked at specific case studies. So before I even really started in my position, my knowledge and experience were really tailored to the company I was going to work for.

This was such a great experience and preparation because otherwise, without having that, then, sure, you learn about sales, but you have no knowledge about the industry, the companies within that market, or the product you are selling. So, a training like this just gives you a head start.

Carmen

Alright, you started working at an IT consultancy company as a Business Development Representative. Are there any specific projects that you still remember that you really enjoyed working on?

Niek

I remember this one project; my colleague and I thought it would be really helpful for the company to get a specific software that would allow us to automate certain processes. So I wrote up a document explaining why it would be good to integrate it into our workflow and how exactly it would help us work more efficiently. My team read it through, and they said, “That sounds great, let’s integrate it.” So, seeing that my input was actually considered and put to use was so nice.

Where Niek is now in his sales career and the steps he is taking toward his future goals

Carmen

That sounds really great, being in an entry-level position and actually being able to implement your ideas must be so gratifying.

I saw on your LinkedIn profile that you recently changed positions and are now working for a different company. Do you want to share what you are up to now and what your future plans are?

Niek

Yes, so even though I really liked working at my previous company, I also started working on a startup idea. At some point, I had to make a decision; am I going to stay in my current position, or should I take the leap and work full-time on my startup? Though it was scary, I made the leap, and now I am working as a BDR at my own company.

Carmen

Oh, I would love to hear more about that!

Niek

So, five friends and I started working on our startup idea called INIT. It’s a social app for travelers staying in hostels in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. We want to provide them with a way to connect with like-minded people and share experiences with them. That’s also why we teamed up with hostels that share our values and care about their guests’ travel experiences.

Carmen

Thank you so much, Niek! It was really nice listening to your story about how you went from being a PPE graduate to becoming a successful BDR and now working full-time for your own company.

I hope we will see you soon at the office for another chat and some Friday drinks! 🥂

Thanks again, and all the best for your future plans!

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