Five harsh life lessons I learned after five years in tech sales. Sales and Selling |
- Five harsh life lessons I learned after five years in tech sales.
- Lateral move with greater upside? Change is scary
- Considering switch from banking to insurance.
- Is there such a thing as freelance SDRs?
- What is taxed more Sales Incentive, or Commission?
- Thinking of implementing a draw system for team I’m building
- Job Offer - Medical Supply Sales $42k salary. That’s almost half previous positions I’ve held. Good commission structure though. Negotiate, walk away, or take out?
- Am I losing out on key skills on selling if I go straight to strategic accounts out of college?
- How to know if I am built for a sales role?
- High School Senior looking for the best path to Tech Sales
- I want to become a freelance sales person selling a portfolio of front and back office SaaS. Need Advice.
- Real Estate vs. Technology Career
- How to connect to trade schools decision maker?
- Could anyone provide some feedback on my online course's offer {Nearly live}
- Move from DevOps Engineer to Sales
- Tips - Ideas -Knowledge for my field!
- If you have sales experience. What are some good entry level sales positions out there?
- A laundromat’s email sales pitch for local small businesses, looking for feedbacks
- Do I give a handshake during my interview?
- Snr BDM roles at AWS - what's your experiences
- How would you generate your own leads for vehicle service contracts?
| Five harsh life lessons I learned after five years in tech sales. Posted: 27 Sep 2020 09:58 AM PDT I have seen a lot of posts from guys on here asking how to get into tech sales and work for their dream SaaS company. A lot of you are probably in it for the money which should be the case in sales or at least a key driver. You see your friends, coworkers, or some dude you read about on the internet making his first six figures at 25 and now you want to make yours. After all, the barrier to entry is much lower than McKinsey or Goldman Sachs where you are SOL without a prestigious degree from a top school. I mean it seems like just the perfect career, no drawback right? You make good money, talk to people, and don't need an Ivy League degree to work a semi-respectable job (I mean it has some prestige to it too). When I was coming out of school without a clear path, I found a position in tech sales and here I am. I do not regret it because I had a largely unemployable major but thanks to luck and to some resourcefulness, I was able to get my opportunity. Well, after five years in tech sales, here are five harsh life lessons I have learned. Managers will rationalize both your success and failure, so will just about everyone else in the organization. Rep A has an easy territory to where even half of his stuff comes inbound, Rep B does not have that. Rep A has a better performance than Rep B, therefore, Rep A is a better Rep than Rep B. Even if Rep B has a poor territory with burned out accounts and many bad fit opportunities, it means jack shit. Managers and leadership do not care. In a past role I was in, our "best" rep worked a vertical that was tailor made for our product. The role was all outbound but he would blow his quota out of the water by having almost 70% of his opportunities come inbound requesting a demo. According to our manager? He was the best rep and everyone needed to learn from him. Rarely did he make more than 10 cold calls but that is because he was "strategic". Now a couple quarters later, they took away his vertical and his numbers went down, way down. Our VP asks him in a team meeting when the team is struggling "you are usually our best rep and more than hitting your number, what is different this time?". Call it being out of touch, call it a Just World Mentality, but I call it reality. Now if you are lucky, this works in your favor too because if you hit quota or exceed yet barely put in the work, you are a hero. Your territory or vertical determines a significant portion of your success. Your territory will in many cases determine a lot of your results in sales. Sure, you get reps who manage to do well in bad territories but I found that many of them were lucky because past opportunities that never closed are still available. In an SDR role though, this is much harder. Now a good organization will find ways to even the playing field but most are churn and burn shops that will throw you into the grinder and spit you out. You can make a lot more calls and have a better pitch but if people in a given territory don't buy, then it is because they do not want to buy. Now you are caught in a pickle, you don't want to force people to buy and burn future bridges but you have a number to hit, then quality of opps matters too. Most "experts" and "influencers" on LinkedIn have no fucking idea of what they are talking about, there is a lot of bad advice out there. Even if it comes from a good place, a lot of them sold different kinds of products and in different circumstances than you did. Some sold at the most ideal time and a product that the market was desperate for. Some of them did not even sell SaaS itself. The vast majority of influencers are just itching for their 15 minutes of fame, they do not care to genuinely help anyone. They want their platform, validation, likes, and could really care less about what happens to most people. When you get to know them too, as I have a few, many of them are somewhat bad people who gossip about others a lot and sound quite condescending. I've known a few who put on the self-righteous and caring persona on LinkedIn and then you meet them in person, that all goes away. In the end, it is all for the likes and nothing else. If you ever find a good manager or boss, stick to them like glue, even if it means you take a paycut at some point. Good leaders are very tough to come across, most sales managers are sadistic, narcissistic, and fake people on a power trip. I have been fortunate in that I have had two good leaders in my sales career, it made all the difference. I've also had bad leaders in my career who made reps suffer and laughed about it. Sales is riddled with managers who are not just bad managers but also bad people in general. There are plenty of sales managers who love to make employees cry, make their lives miserable, and have a laugh about it. It is not that uncommon for managers to harass employees too, please beware if you are a good looking woman in sales. Most sales managers are miserable people that want to make others around them miserable. The kinds of reps that can do well are reps who are just as shitty as they are and can crack a black joke, make fun of women, and bully their coworkers. If you find a good manager who genuinely cares and is honest enough, you stick to them and work the extra hours. You work hard for them and you do everything possible to make them look good, everything. Good managers in sales are a rare commodity. It is getting harder and harder to get into a decent SaaS role, especially entry level. The competition has picked up and it is no longer a rare commodity. Let's see. 1 - Great paycheck 2 - Potential to make a lot of money 3 - Top notch grades from top school not required 4 - Reasonable work hours compared to IB Who would not want that? While it used to be a hidden gem, SaaS sales is now a very popular spot for college grads who do not want to go to grad school and cannot make it to high finance. Some companies will even have classes of college kids they will only hire from and others even have GPA requirements, preferring people from top schools. Slowly and surely, the space is becoming over-saturated with talent compared to where it was. My next post, if any of you want one, is going to talk about how to deal with the harsh realities of being in tech sales and make it into a hell of a career. [link] [comments]  |
| Lateral move with greater upside? Change is scary Posted: 27 Sep 2020 07:55 AM PDT I've been working in the managed print business (copiers, printers, etc.) as a territory sales manager for 5 years so far. It was my first job out of college and Ive been fairly successful so far. I rank within the top 3 in sales, behind our VP of sales and two other sales managers that have a territory still. I've recently been approached about a new opportunity that would pay me roughly the same amount but comes with a higher base salary. Its a territory sales job that provides a 3D engineering software called SolidWorks to manufacturers/engineers. The company also provides additional services on top of the software to those customers. The current job I'm in has a 42k base and I made just near $100k last year after all commissions/bonuses. I am on target to fall right around that this year as well. The new job opp is offering 60k base with OTE of around $110k. The appeal of moving to more of a software sales role is tempting, but I am unsure of making a change and starting all over again as I've built up my territory and have made more money each year. Any thoughts from those who have been in similar situations in their careers? Thanks in advance! [link] [comments]  |
| Considering switch from banking to insurance. Posted: 27 Sep 2020 10:43 AM PDT Currently making 60k per year including bonus in banking. 15 years in industry as teller, banker, mortgage loan officer, and branch manager. Considering move to a 48k base plus commission role with a local insurance company. I don't have a lot of understanding regarding the day to day but people in my community know me well since I've been very involved with community groups and charity work. What does it take to be successful in these types of sales roles? What are some drawbacks of insurance as an industry? [link] [comments]  |
| Is there such a thing as freelance SDRs? Posted: 27 Sep 2020 10:15 AM PDT Hi all, I hope this post is allowed here - I guess I'll find out if it isn't :) I'm employed in a tech company and have a bit of a start up idea - it's in marketing services so nothing groundbreaking but for the industry it is still a novel approach. I've cold emailed a few decision makers but haven't been able to set up even a meeting. And for the record, the initial "offer" is juicy enough as we're promising to send a certain amount of super qualified leads for free, just to prove the model for them. Is freelancing as an SDR a thing? If so where is the better place to find someone? I'd pay a very high $$$ for setting up a phone meeting with a prospect. If anyone here has bandwidth feel free to PM and if not can you guide me to the best marketplace for something like this? [link] [comments]  |
| What is taxed more Sales Incentive, or Commission? Posted: 27 Sep 2020 09:15 AM PDT I am paid as Sales incentives while my fiance is paid as commission so i was curious on what is taxed more. we live in IL if that makes a huge differnce [link] [comments]  |
| Thinking of implementing a draw system for team I’m building Posted: 27 Sep 2020 08:39 AM PDT What're some pros and cons and what should I keep in mind? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 27 Sep 2020 08:34 AM PDT I have 3+ years experience in medical sales, plus a very large network/book of business I can sell to. This is for a distributor that sells PPE (was selling before pandemic), amongst some other product lines. Similar to a Cardinal health if that's helpful for reference. Obviously, job opportunities are tough right now and I've been selling/consulting independently, but it would be nice to have security of a salary and benefits. I was expecting about 20k higher for base, plus a ramp up. Have times changed or am I correct in thinking this is a bad offer? Counter, accept, or walk away...? [link] [comments]  |
| Am I losing out on key skills on selling if I go straight to strategic accounts out of college? Posted: 27 Sep 2020 08:24 AM PDT I'm fortunate to have landed a gig selling cloud to strategic level accounts straight out of college at one of the big 3 CSPs in an AE role. It pays well, I'm getting a ton of exposure, and it's been a headache and a half. But I'm worried that as a seller that I'm not gaining key experiences that someone would have in the BDR/SDR grind. Am I missing out? [link] [comments]  |
| How to know if I am built for a sales role? Posted: 27 Sep 2020 07:28 AM PDT At 19, I got a job selling jewelry at a big retail chain. At my previous job before joining the jewelry store, , I was always 'up selling' products at a fast food place I worked and I was always facing the client on a first hand basis. I was at the jewelry store for a total of 3 years. In the beginning of the sales gig, I was nervous, anxious and wondering if I had made the correct choice. I became very close with management and they ultimately were able to get me to gain more confidence. I attended sales conferences, always volunteered to perform sales presentations, and learned as much about sales and the jewelry as possible. This led to me having insane amounts of success in the middle of my sales career. I was putting up great numbers, being in the top 3 for part time sales people in the district for a long time. I was selling more in our store than the big time sales people who had been there for years. This got me noticed. I started facing some insanely frustrating family issues, was homeless and got kicked out of my business program at college which led to my confidence being completely shattered. On top of that, I became a tenured salesman which made my store goals higher than the managers at times. I wasn't able to properly manage it. I left the sales industry to start a reselling business which I was insanely successful at. I reached a 250k revenue mark the first 8 months. But that had its ups and downs too due to my rollercoaster confidence and covid. I am now looking for a job, and I truly hate all the 9-5 office jobs but keep thinking about a sales gig. I've trained myself to get to know people and listen to their needs. I've trained myself to be positive and remember details about people to make them feel important and show them that I truly care. I want to work in a sales environment that has me doing something good and not shoving diamonds or rings down a persons throat for commission purposes. Please help [link] [comments]  |
| High School Senior looking for the best path to Tech Sales Posted: 26 Sep 2020 06:02 PM PDT What's up r/sales, I'm a high school senior, likely attending a UC next year. I hope to eventually get a job in tech sales, as it seems to have the highest growth and salary potential over the next few decades. I plan on majoring in CS with a minor in Marketing. Any advice for me? Should I go for tech sales or maybe a different part of the market? Do my college intentions make sense? Go for a different major? Should I start looking for a B2B near my college during the summer? Is it reasonable to work a sales job during college? Thanks and any input is highly appreciated. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 27 Sep 2020 02:39 AM PDT Background: I've been selling SaaS in the UAE/Bahrain/Saudi since 2012. I have subject matter expertise and a good network of existing customers in the front office (CX) Lost my job due to the pandemic. Everyone interviewing me has been offering peanuts. I feel that I'm better off on my own as an independent sales person. Now, the stack/portfolio i have in mind is: Target market: SME Stack: ERP, CRM, Marketing Automation, Customer Service, maybe a CDP platform too. The cost the freelancer license is 4000 USD. which i can afford. All the top SaaS vendors have reseller programmes, such as hootsuite, hubspot, zoho, webengage, insider etc. I'll sign up. I will only sell, all else will be done my the vendor. now my question is: 1- have any of you done this? 2- what was the outcome? [link] [comments]  |
| Real Estate vs. Technology Career Posted: 26 Sep 2020 10:18 PM PDT Hi - I was working in an entry level sales position for a SaaS company. I liked it and was good at sales, but got laid off because the company ran out of funding and we all got laid off. I got real estate schooling for free, so I decided to do it just to see if it was interesting to me and maybe pursue it down the line. Well, it turns out that I am very interested in real estate! But I am trying to decide where to take my career from here. So, if you could choose between a career as a RE agent >> Broker >>investor, and beyond or a career in tech sales, which would you say is a better career? How do these compare in lifestyle, earning potential, day-to-day, etc. No wrong answer just curious for opinions, thank so much. [link] [comments]  |
| How to connect to trade schools decision maker? Posted: 26 Sep 2020 07:07 PM PDT We have product we sell directly to tradesman , but most benefit they can get from it when they are fresh out of school or at the school. We want to start selling it using school to offer to their students, and the school will get a cut from the sell. How would you will start building relationship with trade school decision makers to sell them solution where both parties can benefit? [link] [comments]  |
| Could anyone provide some feedback on my online course's offer {Nearly live} Posted: 27 Sep 2020 03:12 AM PDT Okay, so my target market is amatuer photographers who want to improve their photos. I have 2 offers, one for the course, one for the lead magnet. If you have any ideas about order bumps that would be useful too! Here is my first offer: · The 90-page E-BOOK, compiled with all the notes and resources required ($29.99 of value) · 12 modules of HD video ($397 of value) · Access to the "Retouch Masters" private Facebook group ($200 of value) · Dedicated email support (Priceless) · The command cheat sheet ($9.99) · The resources folder (compiled with all of the pictures needed to complete the course) ($15 of value) Value: $651.98 Price: $129.99 So that was the offer for the course and this the lead magnet: Lead Magnet offer Toolkit to perfection: 3 ways to improve your pictures with photoshop Order bump- The retouch master course $129.99 Down sell- {Affiliate offer 60-90%} Course on taking awesome photos (not confirmed) Other revenue sources People downloading photoshop using my affiliate link @ 75% of $19.99 recurring So you've read this far, can you provide some feedback on my offer. [link] [comments]  |
| Move from DevOps Engineer to Sales Posted: 26 Sep 2020 09:29 PM PDT I'm a "devops" engineer. Basically a glorified sys admin that works almost exclusively with software developers. I am curious about sales and always have been. I'm 26. Want to be able to control how much I make by how much I put into my work. I want to maybe move into sales engineering if sales doesn't work out. Or a more strategic business role in tech. I've had interviews for SE roles and they said comeback when you have more customer facing experience. Is the move to sales worth it, if any of you were in a similar situation? Ps: I got my current role by cold emailing the CEO. [link] [comments]  |
| Tips - Ideas -Knowledge for my field! Posted: 26 Sep 2020 05:23 PM PDT I am young guy in his mid twenties - I work for a small custom clothier company. We do custom suits. Men's and women's. I have done most of my leg work on LinkedIn ei - building the connections and profile to a tee. However due to COVID19 it has been very difficult for me to go out and actually do the work in person. In person is when I am at my best and I recognize that. I know there are a lot of great sales people with great ideas in this thread. Any and all advice is appreciated. [link] [comments]  |
| If you have sales experience. What are some good entry level sales positions out there? Posted: 26 Sep 2020 03:37 PM PDT Currently working in retail sales for Verizon. Looking to move to a better sales position, even if its entry level I dont mind. Whats out there that thats a good entry level sales job I might not know about? Thank you! [link] [comments]  |
| A laundromat’s email sales pitch for local small businesses, looking for feedbacks Posted: 26 Sep 2020 03:01 PM PDT Hi everyone, I am looking to expand my laundromat's service to local small businesses. So, I have created a sales template for cold emailing, I would really hope to get some feedbacks on how to make it better. ——— Hello owner of <small business name>, I am the owner of <laundromat name> and we are currently expanding our laundry services to small businesses such as<small business name>. With over <years of operation> years of partnership experiences in <city name> with local restaurants, medical clinics, daycares, senior centres, manufacturers and etc., we understand your needs for fast, reliable, and professional laundry services. Our team have large industrial washers and dryers that can process laundries faster and more efficiently Same-day pickup and delivery service tailored to your business needs Large discounts and promotions for high volume and frequent customers To learn more about how we can help your business save money and run more efficiently on laundries, please don't hesitate to reach me through this email or my cell at <my number>. You can also leave your number and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Best, <my name> <my website> [link] [comments]  |
| Do I give a handshake during my interview? Posted: 26 Sep 2020 01:35 PM PDT Hi there! I know this is a bit of a strange question, but I have to ask as this is my first interview since I lost my job to COVID. I am interviewing for a sales position, and it seems like I will be taking my mask off for part of the interview (is this normal right now?). Do I give a handshake too? I really do not want to because I am in a state with a large amount of cases and I have other reasons to not want to catch this virus. I appreciate any insight to this. Thank you in advance :) [link] [comments]  |
| Snr BDM roles at AWS - what's your experiences Posted: 26 Sep 2020 05:16 PM PDT Any European based Senior AE/BDMs who can share what it's like (incl pre-Covid) to work for AWS? What are the targets and comp mechanisms like? I keep hearing about the sign-on bonus, is that only for year 1 or does something similar exist for year 2 and 3? What are the perks (free office lunches? Discount on Amazon? Etc) you enjoy the most - outside of working for the most impressive public cloud firm? [link] [comments]  |
| How would you generate your own leads for vehicle service contracts? Posted: 26 Sep 2020 04:56 PM PDT I am looking to work from home on the weekends so I would have to generate my own leads, I work selling vehicle service contracts. What would be the most efficient approach to generating leads? I may also just buy the leads if someone can help me out with some good data. [link] [comments]  |
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