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A great sales job can offer flexibility and high earning potential. But a mediocre sales job can be emotionally taxing, while offering unpredictable paychecks. If you’re stuck in a sales job and you’re looking for alternatives, you’ve got options. Business intelligence analytics (BIA) requires some up front training, but can be a great career path for someone with a background in sales. In this article, we go over what BIA is, explain which skills transfer well from sales to BIA, and show you how one TripleTen bootcamp grad did it.

What’s wrong with commission pay?

Absolutely nothing… unless you’re craving a predictable schedule and paycheck. Commission-based pay may also work for someone at the beginning of their career, when they can take more risks or spend time traveling, but be less attractive as they get older and gain new obligations. Worst of all, working at an unscrupulous company can take an emotional toll,  whether it’s pressure to achieve numbers using unethical tactics, or the stress of a fluctuating paycheck. If you’re looking for predictable hours, a steady salary, and the option to work remotely, BIA could be your answerI Work In Sales - Is It Possible for Me to Break Into Tech?.

What is business intelligence analytics (BIA)?

All businesses use data. But raw data is useless: it needs to be analyzed and translated into something business leaders can use to make decisions.

A business intelligence (BI) analyst uncovers hidden trends in data and translates them into dashboards, charts, and other data-based visuals.

These data presentations help stakeholders assess the company’s performance and make informed decisions about what’s next.

To succeed as a BI analyst, you need to learn technical toolsThe Skills You Need to Work in Business Intelligence Analytics (like SQL and Postgres to spreadsheets, Tableau, and Power BI). But there’s no coding involved, so BI is one of the more accessible tech roles. You can learn the technical skills you need through a reputable bootcamp5 Ways to Find the Best Coding Bootcamps of 2024. But your soft skillsThe Soft Skills Software Engineers Need and Why from sales will be invaluable in making you a well-rounded candidate for BI roles.

Keep in mind that your day as a BI analyst can look quite different from your day in sales. BI analysts may spend only 30% of their time in meetings, and the rest doing data analysis on their own. If you don’t like working solo at a computer, and your favorite part of sales is talking to people or going out into the field, BI may not be the perfect fit.

Skills that transfer from sales to BIA 

The soft skills you learn in sales will make you a competitive candidate for a BI role. These skills include:

  • Communication skills: Clear communication is crucial in sales for connecting with customers and conveying your product’s value based on their needs. In a BI role, this translates to presenting data insights and analytical findings to stakeholders, ensuring they understand the implications for decision-making. Without good communication skills backing up this explanation, even the most beautiful dashboards can fall flat.
  • Problem-solving: Sales roles require analytical thinking and negotiation to overcome objections and close deals. In BI, this skill helps in diagnosing business issues, designing analytical approaches, and proposing solutions based on data insights. Just like in sales, you must know the business goals and have them inform your work in order to succeed.
  • Customer focus: A strong understanding of customer needs and behaviors in sales can be helpful in a BI role. Having insights about customer behavior can help you ask better data questions and more effectively interpret results. BI is about informing real-life decisions, so your sales experience can help you connect data and business strategy.
  • Time management: Sales professionals frequently manage multiple accounts and projects simultaneously. In BI, this skill is valuable for managing multiple analytics projects, ensuring timely delivery of insights, and coordinating with different departments to make sure you’re prioritizing your work correctly.
  • Data interpretation and technical tools: Sales is not just about cold calling! You may already have used technical tools (like CRMs and sales software) and interpreted data on customer trends and behaviors. Building on your technical expertise will be less daunting if you have some familiarity with tech.

What salary can I expect as a BI analyst?

The median salary for TripleTen BIA grads is $75,000 a year (for entry level roles). That’s just for your first role in the field. But following that, a career in business intelligence offers many pathways across multiple industries. Some common BI roles include:

  • BI Analyst: Responsible for analyzing data, creating reports and dashboards, and providing valuable insights to support decision-making. Average salary: $65,000 to $95,000 per year.
  • Data Analyst: Focused on data exploration, validation, and interpretation to facilitate business understanding and drive improvements. Average salary: $60,000 to $90,000 per year.
  • Business Intelligence Developer: Involved in designing and developing BI solutions, creating data models, and maintaining data warehouses. Average salary: $70,000 to $110,000 per year.

You can make the switch by enrolling in a bootcamp

If you’re intimidated by the thought of switching into a technical field, you should know that 87% of TripleTen’s bootcamp students come from a non-STEM background. In fact, 15% of grads came from a background in sales!

As for your odds of getting a job as a bootcamp grad: our recent Employer Report found that nearly 80% of decision makers are already hiring candidates with non-traditional backgrounds, and 86% were confident or very confident in hiring bootcamp grads for entry-level roles.

TripleTen’s BI bootcamp takes four months (part time and fully online). And our career coachesCareer Coaching at TripleTen: What It Is and How It Helps You Land a Job will help you with concrete strategies and advice to land a job: 87% percent of our students get a job in tech within six months of graduation. 

Sheldon’s story: from sales to tech

Sheldon started his career in sales, but always felt his personality wasn’t suited to it. And the inconsistent paycheck was particularly frustrating: “Sales is 100% commission-based. So some months are really great. Some months, you really wonder if you have a job,” he reflected. 

Sheldon was already using technical tools to track sales data, and figured that the people building these solutions could make a big impact. After chatting with his cousin, a software developer, Sheldon became convinced that tech was for him. Because of his sales background and interest in the business side of things, he chose the BIA bootcamp. It wasn’t easy, but it was deeply satisfying. Best of all, Sheldon found a job in his new field before he even finished the bootcamp!

Now, he’s a Business Data Analyst at an insurance brokerage company. He works remotely most of the time, his paycheck has doubled, and he’s found his community: “I get to celebrate all the wins with my team.”

See if a bootcamp is right for you

Take the bootcamp quiz to see if this is the career pivot you’ve been looking for.

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I Work In Sales - Is It Possible for Me to Break Into Tech?
Career Coaching at TripleTen: What It Is and How It Helps You Land a Job
The Soft Skills Software Engineers Need and Why
5 Ways to Find the Best Coding Bootcamps of 2024
The Skills You Need to Work in Business Intelligence Analytics
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