In a recent LinkedIn post, John Barrows humorously highlights a common misconception faced by professionals in tech sales: the assumption that they are also highly skilled engineers. Barrows, a prominent figure in sales training, shared his personal experiences with friends and family who, despite his career in sales, believe he possesses advanced technical capabilities.
The “Tech Genius” Assumption
Barrows points out the persistent belief among his non-tech-savvy acquaintances that anyone working in the tech industry must be an engineer capable of developing software or fixing complex technical problems. He writes:
If you’re in Sales in Tech, do all of your non-tech friends and family think that you’re an engineer and can fix any tech issue or build an app or whatever?
This assumption, as Barrows illustrates, often leads to unsolicited requests and ideas being pitched to him, under the impression that he has the technical prowess to bring them to life. The disconnect between selling technology and building it forms the core of his observation.
“Great App Ideas” and Development Expectations
A significant part of the humor and the underlying point in Barrows’s post comes from the nature of the requests he receives. He describes how individuals approach him with what they consider groundbreaking app concepts, expecting him to readily take on the development work.
According to Barrows, these ideas are often presented with the expectation that he will simply develop them himself. He elaborates on this common scenario:
The amount of people who come to me with “great app ideas” that they just want to “give me” and have me develop it myself is laughable.
Barrows emphasizes the significant difference between understanding the sales process for technology and possessing the engineering skills required for development. His own background, as he humorously notes, is rooted in sales, not coding.
The Reality of a Sales Career
John Barrows uses his relatable anecdote to underscore a broader point about the perception of tech sales roles. While sales professionals in the tech industry certainly need a strong understanding of the products they sell, this expertise does not automatically translate into software engineering or development skills.
Barrows concludes with a lighthearted yet clear statement about his own background, reinforcing the distinction between his role and that of a developer:
I drank my way through college people. I sell this stuff…..
Through this post, Barrows effectively uses humor to educate his audience about the specific skill sets involved in tech sales and to dispel the common myth that all tech professionals are also software engineers. His insights highlight the importance of understanding different roles within the technology sector.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by John Barrows on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on January 21, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →