[Zeroblack]

hey Aviel, you helped me a lot a few months back so I'm happy to do the same now.

I don't have any advice for your career or office politics but I can help with reaching out to higher ups to hit quota or job searching.

If you decide to move to another company or to an AE position and you don't wanna get there through a recruiter, I know a few tricks that might help.

I'm surprised that AE isn't in hot water yet, shouldn't his quota be based 100% on closed leads?

[Aviel]

Hey man,

I honestly don’t think I’m qualified to move on to an AE position now. I’m thinking of moving to another SDR position and getting promoted to AE in 6 months. Why not through recruiter?

He’s part owner so a he can do wtvr he wants.

[Zeroblack]

If your job history is good then that's an option. If it's not, there are ways to get around that.

The only thing I would keep in mind is staying in SDR for 2 years and not moving to AE, recruiters have said they see that as a red light. If anything, I'd try AE right now because chances are they will train you when you get in or not train you at all and you'll still have to learn on your own. Other members can correct me on that.

I don't have any particular reason not to go through a recruiter, but if your options are limited or there's a company you really want to get into then there are ways.

Sounds shitty.

[Aviel]

Why is staying as an SDR for 2 years a red flag? I’ve been an SDR for only 12 months, my previous work experience is irrelevant.

I don’t think my options are limited, I have recruiters hitting me up daily with other offers.

[tonysoprano]

(05-16-2019 11:40 PM)Graft Wrote:  

If I had to do my career all over again I would major in Comp Sci/MIS, (not giving a fuck about GPA), and take the sales engineering route. Sales engineers have a higher base but lower upside than a non technical rep, but it's very easy for a good SE to transfer to an AE role where technical expertise is important.

Hey Graft, great thread. I have an MIS degree and two years of experience as a "Support Engineer". Basically half support rep half consultant for the technical side of the product.

Do you have any advice for transitioning to a sales engineer role without any sales experience? Should I try to transition at my current company or look for a new one?

I am constantly one-upping the sales engineers at my company when it comes to technical matters, but I'm afraid my reputation isn't the best and I may not be the first person considered when an opening frees up for a sales role. Could just be all in my head though.

[Zeroblack]

(05-18-2019 02:20 PM)Aviel Wrote:  

Why is staying as an SDR for 2 years a red flag? I’ve been an SDR for only 12 months, my previous work experience is irrelevant.

I don’t think my options are limited, I have recruiters hitting me up daily with other offers.

Their reasoning is the average length as an SDR is 6 months - 2 years. If you're at 2 years and you haven't moved up then something's wrong. I'm just pointing out what they think.

[Klan Killer]

I've been an SDR for two years and my company isn't showing signs of giving people actual promotions. What should I do?

[redbeard]

From the Wall Street Playboys post, most companies promote to AE within 6-12 months. That's if you are beating target every month, which you should.

If I'm beating target every month and not promoted by month 12, I'm out.

[Aviel]

I’ve decided that I’ll be leaving end of August. I’ll apply as an SDR to a fast growing startup with a better base and commission.

I have one in mind and they are offering 10-15k more on the base alone and they said in 6 months if all goes well I can become an AE.

I’m not worried about finding another gig and staying there, I know I’m gona kill the quota if I put a little effort with a decent product.

[ChicagoFire]

This thread has made me change my approach to job hunting for the best. I used to think get a job and even if it sucks accept it. Get mad about getting rejected from an employer.

Now unless I own the place I would never do anything that involved B2C. B2B all the way unless it's a shit job like selling ads on Yelp. Everytime I walk by McDonalds, etc I smile and would never fill out an app there.

[Virtual]

(05-18-2019 02:39 PM)tonysoprano Wrote:  

(05-16-2019 11:40 PM)Graft Wrote:  

If I had to do my career all over again I would major in Comp Sci/MIS, (not giving a fuck about GPA), and take the sales engineering route. Sales engineers have a higher base but lower upside than a non technical rep, but it's very easy for a good SE to transfer to an AE role where technical expertise is important.

Hey Graft, great thread. I have an MIS degree and two years of experience as a "Support Engineer". Basically half support rep half consultant for the technical side of the product.

Do you have any advice for transitioning to a sales engineer role without any sales experience? Should I try to transition at my current company or look for a new one?

I am constantly one-upping the sales engineers at my company when it comes to technical matters, but I'm afraid my reputation isn't the best and I may not be the first person considered when an opening frees up for a sales role. Could just be all in my head though.

One way would be to move into a customer centric support engineer/escalation engineer role which would give you direct customer facing experience. This way you would gain experience working with the sales teams and have leveraged relationships when the roles open. I've seen guys do this time and time again. For you to explore SE jobs directly now would be kind of an uphill battle. Doable for sure but more uphill than the aforementioned route.

[Virtual]

(05-18-2019 09:04 PM)Aviel Wrote:  

I’ve decided that I’ll be leaving end of August. I’ll apply as an SDR to a fast growing startup with a better base and commission.

I have one in mind and they are offering 10-15k more on the base alone and they said in 6 months if all goes well I can become an AE.

I’m not worried about finding another gig and staying there, I know I’m gona kill the quota if I put a little effort with a decent product.

Sounds like a good move. First off, I somewhat disagree with the previous advice given. Seen too many ISR/SDR's rush through the process on some artificial time constraint only to get their ass handed to them in the field and end of losing their job. As long as you can justify time spent inside, with quantifiable results, there should be no red flag under a few years. In fact, mgr's would rather see someone develop at a quality pace (ie where they are learning), working with productive teams and showing maturity compared to the other mostly 'kids' who are on the inside. Hiring managers look for low risk individuals because hiring/firing is a PIA. From what I've seen on the ISR's who hit their first field role; about 50% don't make it. That's much worse IMO than staying in a SDR role for a year or two longer than you think you should. My two cents...

[Zeroblack]

(05-20-2019 10:09 PM)Virtual Wrote:  

(05-18-2019 09:04 PM)Aviel Wrote:  

I’ve decided that I’ll be leaving end of August. I’ll apply as an SDR to a fast growing startup with a better base and commission.

I have one in mind and they are offering 10-15k more on the base alone and they said in 6 months if all goes well I can become an AE.

I’m not worried about finding another gig and staying there, I know I’m gona kill the quota if I put a little effort with a decent product.

Sounds like a good move. First off, I somewhat disagree with the previous advice given. Seen too many ISR/SDR's rush through the process on some artificial time constraint only to get their ass handed to them in the field and end of losing their job. As long as you can justify time spent inside, with quantifiable results, there should be no red flag under a few years. In fact, mgr's would rather see someone develop at a quality pace (ie where they are learning), working with productive teams and showing maturity compared to the other mostly 'kids' who are on the inside. Hiring managers look for low risk individuals because hiring/firing is a PIA. From what I've seen on the ISR's who hit their first field role; about 50% don't make it. That's much worse IMO than staying in a SDR role for a year or two longer than you think you should. My two cents...

Good point. Now that you mention it, I've also heard recruiters say they've stopped advancing SDRs to AE after 6 or 9 months. They didn't see results that were as good as SDRs who stayed for 1 year or more.

At the time I thought it was fluff, but it's probably because of what you stated.

[redbeard]

I’ll play devil’s advocate - if you can develop the necessary skills to become an AE in six months...it’s probably worthwhile making the jump. It’s up to you to decide if you’re ready.

[Graft]

(05-19-2019 02:50 PM)ChicagoFire Wrote:  

This thread has made me change my approach to job hunting for the best. I used to think get a job and even if it sucks accept it. Get mad about getting rejected from an employer.

Now unless I own the place I would never do anything that involved B2C. B2B all the way unless it's a shit job like selling ads on Yelp. Everytime I walk by McDonalds, etc I smile and would never fill out an app there.

Summary:

Choose a company which has an incredible track record of promoting SDRs to a six figure position within 12-18 months.

Choose the biggest and best company that you can.

Choose a technology which can give you transferrable knowledge for exit options.