The SDR DiscoCall Podcast: For Brand New Sales Development Reps
#071 The SDR DiscoCall Show – Ben Read
April 18, 2023
Neil Bhuiyan's interview with Ben Read, founder of Redeployable, a company that helps military personnel transition to civilian careers. Read shares his journey from being an aircraft engineer to sales at Ricoh and SupplyCompass before eventually starting his own company. He emphasizes the importance of networking, and self-promotion, and encourages military personnel to join the tech industry. Ben also highlights the skills he acquired in the military that helped him succeed in tech sales, such as work ethic, taking responsibility and cross-functional teamwork. He believes that these skills are transferable to the SaaS industry where people from different teams work together to deliver value to the customer. Ben followed in the footsteps of his older siblings and joined the British Army in 2005. He left in 2017 after a friend recommended that he'd do well in tech, and he quickly realised that the skills developed in the military were a springboard to success. Fast forward four promotions and five years, and Ben founded Redeployable to help service leavers realise their potential in the most exciting industry in the world.
The Redeployable platform helps organisations close the digital skill gap and increase capability by matching them with skilled veterans who know how to get the job done.


Timestamps

00:00 - Intro
01:15 -  About Redeployable and Ben
06:28 - Ben’s Military Career and Transition to Tech Sales
12:10 - Transitioning from teaching to sales
14:24 - Skills learned in the military that translate to sales
18:42 - Learning the ropes in SaaS and the importance of asking questions
24:17 - Sales Experience Journey
27:19 - Small to Enterprise Sales Difference
32:29 - Startup vs. Established Company Experience
36:39 - Ben’s journey to Redeployable
38:57 - The opportunity in tech sales for veterans
43:00 - How Redeployable helps veterans transition to tech sales
48:10 - The Challenges and Rewards of Being a Founder
52:03 - The Importance of Self-learning and Personal Development
57:31 - Shoutouts and Acknowledgements