Can you feel it in the rose-scented air? The Bachelor's 20th season is upon us, premiering on Monday night. Software salesman and Bachelor Ben Higgins will be handing out the roses and looking for love, but could he find it with fellow software salesperson Cailia Quinn? And, more importantly, what does a software salesperson do exactly? Well, the first question is to be determined, but the second question has a more certain answer — and it's not selling Microsoft Word at Best Buy. According to several career websites, software salespeople sell niche software to companies that can use it.
Since September 2015, Ben has worked as an account manager at Talisys, a financial services software company based in Denver, Colorado, according to his LinkedIn profile. Cailia has a bachelor's degree in marketing and also works as a software sales representative. But, it takes more than having a job in common to fall in love on The Bachelor. Last year on The Bachelorette, Ben's heart was broken by Kaitlyn Bristowe, but he told People that he's ready to find love now. "Ideally, I would love to walk away from this with a fiancée," the 26-year-old Bachelor told the publication. "I'm excited about that next step of seeing her walk down the aisle towards me."
So, maybe Caila is that person. But, first things first — what does it take to be a software salesperson?
A Business Degree
According to Monster, a college degree with a major in marketing or information technology could help you land this position. Cailia has a degree in marketing and Ben has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Indiana University.
People Skills
In this position, you'll be working with clients a lot. Ben's job description on his LinkedIn profile says, "I work with our clients to determine the clients' needs; then I report back to Talisys to make sure we develop products or services to meet those needs."
"Demonstrated Aggressiveness"
If you've ever shopped for a car, you know sales people can be a bit aggressive, but it's a trait that Monster highly recommends a software salesperson to have. The job hunting website even suggests having played a varsity sport to show that you're highly competitive.
Technical Knowledge
Considering you'd be making sure clients were satisfied with the product, I'm sure you'll have to be familiar with it.
Multi-Tasking
According to Ben's LinkedIn, he doesn't just deal with clients — that's merely one part of his day. He also does budgets, finds new clients, and has many meetings.
Accepting Rejection & Moving On
Working in software sales requires having a thick skin and accepting rejection when it comes along, according to Experience.com. Not everyone is going to want to buy what you're selling, but that's OK, because there's someone else out there who will.
And, as cheesy as the show's cliches always are, the same could be said about love on The Bachelor.
For everything Bachelor Nation, check out Bustle's podcast, Will You Accept This Podcast? and follow our Bachelor fan page on Facebook.
Image: Rick Rowell/ABC; Giphy (6)
