Is entry level d2d sales always this difficult? Sales and Selling |
- Is entry level d2d sales always this difficult?
- 2 years successful - 1 year disaster - really need some inputs please.
- Best type of Cold call for B2B Chemical sales
- Emails like this keep me going!
- Negotiating compensation
- AutoNation sales pay plan questions
- Bluetooth Headsets
- The new commission program created by my employer (software sales) charges account managers a penalty of -1% if they do not increase the bag of money being charged to the customer upon renewal, and a -5% charge to the account manager if the account fails to renew. Thoughts?
- Salesman of Reddit. Are you all 6’5” alpha white super attractive males ? Is there diversity in this field? How common is racism? Any chance for a tall Asian ? Indian guy?
- I’m at a loss. When is it time to throw in the towel with sales and move on?
- Want to make the move from accounting to sales - what can I bring to the team?
- 26 (M) promoted to Head of sales for a small company. How to learn and grow?
- Is the 1-one pager still a thing?
- What should an 18 years old expat do to settle permanently in North America?
- Sales Bootcamp that commits you to reject any other job offer that doesn’t come from their partners
- Is the mortgage industry still viable?
- Best way to present my experience to a tech : luxury high ticket employer?
- Finding a recruiter for B2B placement?
- Getting existing customers on the phone
- Are there any managers here? Have you ever had to create a compensation system for junior sales people from scratch ? And how were you compensated for being a manager ? Just salary or a % of what your sales force makes ?
- Service vs Sales
- Career Advice for a BDR
| Is entry level d2d sales always this difficult? Posted: 04 Feb 2019 04:38 AM PST |
| 2 years successful - 1 year disaster - really need some inputs please. Posted: 04 Feb 2019 08:21 AM PST Hi guys, I've looked through many threads but nothing specific to my situation. I work for a multinational and I am the only rep in the country plus 4 neighboring countries, if opportunity arises. We have a unique approach to the industry, and our products are incredibly good. Since I began, exactly three years ago, sales turnover has grown by a multiple of 10 (by end of year 2). I am the first person in the company to acquire certain key account types in such a short time. We have a great global team which offers a lot of support. I pretty much have free reign as I am building the market and not trying to reach quotas etc. and have an unlimited marketing and traveling budget. I've lost motivation completely, basically because my boss won't give me a raise, and wont give me an opportunity to 'earn' a raise. This has totally nailed my self-worth somehow. I don't link self-worth to compliments, I link it to earnings and growth. This year-end (3) we are 33% above budget. I was riding on year 1 and 2's deals and didn't make many more new ones. My annual set bonus, which is written into my contract was paid, but only 50% of it. His argument is that my comm has grown which also means I don't get any bonus in future, (there is no sales bonus structure either). My comm is 2.5% of net with a large base. He also presses me to focus on these key accounts, which smothers my work ethic completely by not allowing me to seek/build new business. This is risky to me, and 'the hunt' is off. I now just follow what he says, plan budgets, feel boxed in and don't take initiative any more. On top of it all, I am being/feel criticized that my technical knowledge is not strong enough. I'm bad with CRM tools, but my ability to connect with customers, understand their needs and be on point is good. I do make use of constructive 'bullshitting' to charm people a bit. I've gained weight big time and become depressed. I guess it's because my self worth is being affected, and wow do customers pick up on this. Lastly, there is a local family owned company who own the sole rights/agency to import the products I sell. I don't work for them, my costs are covered out of the US. This family co. handle the logistics and admin for a % of net. They do not like the concept of marketing and having a rep which costs money, so they undermine certain efforts of mine within the market to try gain sales without my inputs to prove that I am not necessary, regardless of the past 3 years' sales history. They are literally sabotaging their own company and product to prove a point. Their customers hate them, but they have products which everyone needs. They don't have authority over me but we have come a long way in agreeing on certain things. We've split the market in two, I run one and they run the other, while I provide tech/sales support to them. This year they put up all product prices by 20-50% without my knowledge or any warning to customers. Their sales dropped by 60%, but mine stayed steady as I determine my prices to my segment. Their response to the decline is that I spend too much time on my accounts and don't give enough support to them. So what they do is drive from customer to customer, forcing them to buy product, which has damaged all the relationships I have begun with these customers eventually leading to regular sales. I've included as many relevant details as possible, and there's no 'other side of the story' which I'm not sharing. Any advice as to how I can move forward, and past this rut/mindset would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much. [link] [comments]  |
| Best type of Cold call for B2B Chemical sales Posted: 04 Feb 2019 07:55 AM PST Thanks for reading this post. I am currently in outside chemical sales, my company is extremely old fashioned, like they still use paper for everything and don't believe in appointments. Even for pre-existing customers they don't email or call but it's mostly new prospects I'm worried about. When I watch my elderly sales manager walk in with a bag of chemicals and 2 novel sized books filled with product I know there's ways to make a sales call more efficient and more appealing to the cold call customer. How would you guys recommend cleaning this process up? Should I send emails to all prospects first and try and get an appt? P.s. I know my question isn't explained too great, please ask me to explain on any specific points and Thankyou for your time [link] [comments]  |
| Emails like this keep me going! Posted: 03 Feb 2019 04:15 PM PST Survey Verbatim: My Salesman was the most helpful salesman ive even spoken to. Answered all my questions promptly. He told me everything about the phone & helped me pick out the perfect phone to take video pictures of my daughter's upcoming wedding. Explained how to use it as well as features i have on my new phone & set & transferred everything from my old phone. Extremely polite, respectful & most helpful. I had Verizon almost 20 years but He helped me more than any representatives from Verizon ever had. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 04 Feb 2019 09:11 AM PST Hi folks, I'm currently interviewing with offers from a few places. For some reason, negotiating comp/benefits seems different from negotiating one of my own deals. What's the best way to approach this? [link] [comments]  |
| AutoNation sales pay plan questions Posted: 04 Feb 2019 12:30 PM PST For the past 2 years AutoNation has had the Pay Plan Plus comp plan which gave us minimum wage plus flat rate for our units sold/Traded in. Friday we were informed that all of AutoNation is going back to commission and that it is mandatory. However the pay plan hasn't been presented to us yet aside from 25% front and 0.25% back at 9 cars. After doing the math that would be a severe pay cut for me as I'm in the internet department and typically the internet prices are around -$2000 gross for us. Anyone else on here with AutoNation able to shed some light on the new plan? Our entire sales staff is about to quit because of it. Most already have other sales jobs lined up. I'm in the Phoenix area in case that helps. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 04 Feb 2019 08:32 AM PST Hi all! I work from home and spend my days on the phone. I'm looking for a good wireless headset with a great mic that isn't going to break the bank... My budget is up to $100. Here's a few I'm looking at. I'm weary about the microphone being built into the ear portion vs one on a boom. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DW39N4T/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance, all. This sub rocks. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 04 Feb 2019 11:44 AM PST I'm new to sales, hopefully, this is an okay place to post this. It's worth noting that the rest of the program is very favorable. Have any of you seen this or heard about this? Is charging your own employees even allowed? My colleague just got docked $1,000 because a client left our platform. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 04 Feb 2019 11:25 AM PST What is your height? Where are you from? How attractive would you consider yourself? [link] [comments]  |
| I’m at a loss. When is it time to throw in the towel with sales and move on? Posted: 03 Feb 2019 08:45 PM PST I've been in B2B Mid-Market sales with a large tech company for almost three years. I've been contemplating a career change for almost six months now, and I'm turning to this subreddit for some candid feedback. I'm calling out to you fellow sales people. How do I know this isn't for me, and I should move on to another career? Details: I graduated with a BBA in Marketing from a decent state school. I worked three years in a supply chain management role in Oil & Gas, and then I moved into tech sales. I was attracted to tech sales due to the amount of money you can make. I had friends making >$100K right out of college, which led me to read about the average salaries on Glassdoor anywhere from low-, mid-, to high six-figure salaries at various companies like Cisco, Dell, SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, and others. It's all I could think about. I had to get out of my job and into tech sales. Luckily, I had a family member high enough up in HR to help me land an interview at one of these companies, which eventually got me the job I'm in. My OTE more than doubled my salary. I've been contemplating a career change for six months now. This is the most stressful environment I've ever been in. We're required to do a weekly, monthly, quarterly commit every week - not just verbally, but updated through a shared document every week, multiple times per week (updates every morning, Wed-Fri, for our weekly committed forecast, Tues-Sat at EOQ). I'm responsible for the full sales-cycle from prospecting to close. We don't have a LDR or inside team qualifying leads for us, or setting appointments. I've got 70 named accounts and that's where I live, through thick and thin. Some business is expanded upon existing install base, other times it's net-new. We are expected to drive new pipeline every week and call out our 90-day pipeline number every Monday morning in front of the team (we're expected to be at 3x linearity, or, 3x our goal). Pile a complex sales model on top of that, with a channel go-to market (resellers and distributors) vs. selling direct. I go to sleep and wake up every morning with a pit in my stomach about this job. I've been performing terribly for the past six months, and even when my numbers were there at the beginning of my career here, it's due to business that was developed before I took the seat. Waking up every day with a positive attitude and willingness to make cold calls, ask for favors from customers, and create arbitrary and false deadlines so that customers buy on my timeline...it's getting less appealing to me by the day. My poor performance is starting to damage my self-esteem and confidence, which is bleeding over to my personal life and relationships. Being stressed out all the time is also not helping me with a normal and healthy routine (running consistently, eating somewhat healthy, and getting an ample amount of sleep). Part of me thinks I'm not cut out for sales, and perhaps it's just this role and company in particular. I don't have a technical background for tech sales, so it's hard to have discovery conversations with customers because I'm afraid of having them ask me questions about the product(s) I'm supposed to pitch and be familiar with. This is the most daunting part - how am I supposed to prospect and cold call if I can't hold the conversation. Self development of industry and product knowledge almost seems useless, and adds more stress and weight on my shoulders, because I exert so much time and energy on trying to hit my weekly and monthly numbers. Watching corporate branded sales training videos about one of our 1,000 products (very broad portfolio) is the last thing I want to do. I'm quite an introvert, and I find myself inclined to be more of an analytical person. However, I know successful sales people that fit that profile, some that work at my company. The part that scares me of a career change is the opportunity loss of the money. I've always thought I was money driven. Even spending six months not at quota, my AGI in 2018 was $195K. The previous year was quite similar. I could try to remain in sales at a different company, even though I know (or, I think) it makes me miserable. This is my first sales job, maybe not all sales jobs are this demanding? If that's a constant fixed variable, is the money even worth it if I'm miserable all the time? It's not even that much money, I know plenty of people at my company making $300-500K per year, but we both commit the same amount of time and energy into the job. Then that begs the decision - pivot back into procurement or supply chain or go back to school, but both sacrifices a lot of cash. Maybe sales isn't the only way to make >$150K per year? Your thoughts are much appreciated if you made it through this post! [link] [comments]  |
| Want to make the move from accounting to sales - what can I bring to the team? Posted: 04 Feb 2019 09:58 AM PST So I've got an interview next week for a sales job, well actually a MDR/SDR Job. The product is accounting software, and I have a 10 year background in finance. I've got to do a presentation on their product to them and the benefits of it which I'm completely fine with. The question I know (from someone who works there) ill be asked is "what can you bring to the team"? I don't really have a good answer for this yet, I don't have any sales experience at all. I'm thinking of talking about my background, process knowledge, having used their software as what I can bring. Would you say that's sufficient or are they looking for more sales lingo type knowledge? [link] [comments]  |
| 26 (M) promoted to Head of sales for a small company. How to learn and grow? Posted: 04 Feb 2019 09:47 AM PST We are a small family company that sells ready to eat food products. I have been in sales (among other things) for 4 years and now am head of sales. There are 2 salespeople besides me. We do not do commissions or perks but we all believe in the products and business. None of us come from sales backgrounds in any way. I am interested in a seminar or some short term training that could help all of us sell better. I dont feel like we are doing things correctly right now and we have not grown as a company in 7 years. We are just maintaining. What training should the 3 of us be doing? [link] [comments]  |
| Is the 1-one pager still a thing? Posted: 04 Feb 2019 09:21 AM PST I'm working with a couple potential clients, and they've asked for more materials on my product "to send around". Normally, I'd put together a one-page PDF that outlines the product, company, etc - but logically this info should be on our web site anyways, and I could just point them there. Do people still create PDF 1-pagers? The friction seems just as little: click on a PDF, or click on a link. The industry is non-tech (architecture). [link] [comments]  |
| What should an 18 years old expat do to settle permanently in North America? Posted: 04 Feb 2019 08:19 AM PST Hello everyone, Background: I am 18 M from India and will be going to Uni of Calgary this fall. My preferred major right now is Business with concentration in Finance. The total expenditure will be around 85k usd but of course I'll try to earn part time and full time in summers as much as I can. I have an uncle living with his family there, so there's some support. So, after coming there, I want to get into sales. I have been reading a lot about it on this subreddit and the whole career path of /u/FutureMillionaire_ has been so good which motivates me even more. I am willing to work hard because this is what I want to do. But I have a lot of concerns too, since to pay the fees, my parents will take a loan of around 45k usd which i will start repaying when I get a job after 4 years. And the concern here is that I have to have to settle here. I can't pay all that earning in Indian currency. I plan on learning French too to get some more points in the pr process(to settle in Quebec). If I get a job in sales I will get a work permit for three more years during which I can apply for pr. This is how I hope everything goes. So my questions are, Will it be difficult to find sales jobs with bachelors in finance? Should I do computer science because it is has "more" jobs and I would have something to fall back on? Okay, so I can code a bit but cs is so much more than that and I think it would add extra pressure on me where I need to do some part time job to fund myself and also read books on sales. And, ( just hear me out on this please! ) since sales is mostly a job where people have to interact so much and I like that, but Would being an outsider have any detrimental effects on my career? I have a mixed British American Indian accent, which would obviously change during the next 4 years. Have you seen non white males at top positions? I don't know this but my uncle says , that you would always be looked down upon and you would have to live in fear until you have your pr so should do your bachelors and then come to Canada when you get a job. But all the visa processes are getting tougher and I don't want to wait so many years (at least 6) because then I am afraid, I would never really be able to become a Canadian :) So guys, it would be great if you could give me some advice. Thanks a lot. ( USA is more expensive and there are already so many Indians on h1b and I read somewhere average time for Indians to get pr is like 80 years lol) [link] [comments]  |
| Sales Bootcamp that commits you to reject any other job offer that doesn’t come from their partners Posted: 03 Feb 2019 07:37 PM PST I'm almost done with college, living in the bay area, interested in saas sales I'm in contact with a sales 'bootcamp' that is partnered with many credible saas companies and they provide sdr/bdr training followed by employment replacement. Everything about them seems pretty legit. This program does not cost anything, and they don't take a percentage from your paycheck like many 'coding bootcamps' in my area. The catch is, by participating in the bootcamp you commit to work with their recruiting team to get matched with an employer, and you agree to not to seek any employment on your own. After learning about this, I wanted to get some opinions from others. [link] [comments]  |
| Is the mortgage industry still viable? Posted: 03 Feb 2019 05:49 PM PST Thinking about getting nmls certified and doing mortgages. Is anyone in that industry now? Would you recommend it? Any advice would be appreciated. [link] [comments]  |
| Best way to present my experience to a tech : luxury high ticket employer? Posted: 03 Feb 2019 05:33 PM PST Currently (21) and going to school, finishing up last year. I have about a year experience as a sales manager for a tech startup. I did about tens of thousands of dollars and landed meetings with decision makers at the largest residential builder companies. Where I really excelled though, was I took a semester off and I sold very high ticket items. I essentially sold investments all over the phone. I did about 1 million dollars in 4 months. I worked from 6am until 8pm daily, including Saturday's and Sunday's and made about 70-80,000 calls. I've done victor Antonio's course, certified in Cardone U and have cold called thousands of prospects I want opportunities where it's possible to hit 6 figures a month eventually. Or more. I'd love to get into luxury goods such as yachts, or go back to my tech roots. What are some things you would recommend to do? I do go to school full time, so while I can work full time sales schedule as well, it would have to be flexible on the 9-5 hours. [link] [comments]  |
| Finding a recruiter for B2B placement? Posted: 04 Feb 2019 04:04 AM PST I'm looking to move into a B2B role but have a few hurdles, namely my network is weak and my sales experience has generally been on the B2C side of things. Tldr: How to connect with a recruiter for B2B placement with a poor network and limited experience? [link] [comments]  |
| Getting existing customers on the phone Posted: 03 Feb 2019 01:43 PM PST So I'm fairly new in sales, working as an AE for B2B in manufacturing. The territory I took over has been pretty well maintained by the last guy who covered my area; he's still with the company, just a different product line now. I'm having a hard time getting some of these customers on the phone or through email though. I've tried calling at different times of the day, leaving voicemails, and emailing multiple contacts at the account with no response. How do you get in front of a customer when you can't get a hold of them in the first place? My manager isn't a big fan of drop in meetings, and it seems like a poor way to make a first introduction. I've already been reading fanatical prospecting and trying to fill my pipeline with new contacts but it still seems important to get in front of existing customers. Any advice on getting into unreachable accounts is appreciated! [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 03 Feb 2019 08:29 PM PST |
| Posted: 03 Feb 2019 04:40 PM PST I've been selling insurance over the phone for about a year, however, in the last month or so, they utilised the sales agents (which they argued are 'profit only') to man the Customer Service lines to account for a big increase in customer base over the last year and slowing down new business (by upping rates). This 'move' in general isn't so bad as I still have the same commission available (we were bringing in business and now are currently to upsell on current policies) but I notice the tone that Customer Service agents are asked to take on calls in extremely counter-productive to a sales dialogue (and also to keeping customers in line which is related but a slightly different issue). Did some overtime for renewal retention recently and noticed that in the first couple of calls I didn't have as much control and the customers were less likely to settle on my premium. Left it an hour or two before switching back to my general sales framing which strips away the supplication and asking every twenty seconds if the next decision I was going to make or suggest was 'okay' with them and noticed immediately that customers were leaving accepting of the price they'd already been offered and were much less likely to kick off. In the event that they did, it was more like they were pleading rather than threatening, and I still had control over the situation. Going back to Customer Services for a little while, having the same people come through with the same default or rise in premium issues as before, and holding the same assertive and leading attitude I would have done in sales, I found customers easier to deal with, the assumptive nature of whether they were going to accept what I offer as a resolution leaving them only with the option to go with it without a protest. In the cases that I couldn't do anything, I'd taken ownership and explained the process without asking them for their opinion on the process that is ideal for me, and so they didn't feel as though it was appropriate to then challenge it. "Look, this is how it works. What we're going to do is this. That comes to this amount and it means you don't have to cancel." Being professional and polite is always in my repertoire, whether selling or assisting, but I find the attitude that's expected (and scored on in auditing, affecting commission) in this new department is counter productive both in profit-driven metrics and in customer satisfaction (which can be quantified by the number of feedback forms I've had using both the preferred style and what I think is more effective). Our sales departments are going the same way, "Sales as Service," and are equally seeing lower numbers. Sometimes I think these institutions have good intentions but shoot themselves in the foot by not realising that a good customer experience doesn't mean an apologetic attitude and undermining their confidence in you and the process by seeming indecisive with weak questions about how they feel at every step. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 03 Feb 2019 09:17 PM PST Hello everyone! I stumbled across this page a few weeks ago, and I already have taken advice that has helped me set a few more meetings. It has also been cool to see me doing different sales techniques naturally that people are advising on this page without ever learning it from a class or a mentor. However, I want to get a perspective on where to move on from my current role. I am working with a top three ERP company out of Minnesota, focused on Healthcare. I have been doing really well with my role, hitting 116% of my quota with three months left in the fiscal year. That puts me in the top 3% of all of the BDR's in the company. I will most likely promoted to an inside sales position within the next 6 months. My question is if I should stay with my current company or move on with my next role? I have had several messages from requiters on LinkedIn about inside and outside sales positions. I would most likely make 65-90k with an inside sales position with my current company, but looking on glassdoor, it looks like if I do well at an outside sales role that recruiters are messaging me about, there is the potential to make 120k+. Do I immediately move on from my current company to an outside sales position to make more money, or do I stay with a company whose products I have 9 months of experience with? It seems like people jump around with sales positions every few years, but I don't want to make a mistake and do it early. Any advice would be appreciated. [link] [comments]  |
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