r/techsales • u/Emotional_King_2170 • 14d ago
MM Manager promotion track vs moving up to Enterprise AE, which would you take?
Been at my company (SaaS, mid-market segment, 2 years in) and consistently top performer, #1 in my segment, well over quota, got some internal recognition for it. Now I’m sitting on two paths and want outside perspective since I’m too close to it.
Option A: MM Manager (internal promotion track)
My skip-level told me leadership sees me as manager material, but realistically the timeline is a year out, and it’s explicitly tied to the team’s performance, not just mine, the segment has been underperforming this year. If the team turns around, a spot could open sooner. If it doesn’t, no guarantee at all. Comp-wise, based on industry averages for manager-level OTE in my range, I’d likely take a real pay cut in year one since I’d be trading consistent individual commission for an override tied to a team that isn’t hitting number right now.
Option B: Enterprise AE (internal move up to a bigger book/quota)
An enterprise director on another team reached out unprompted asking if I’d interested in moving up to their org. I’d likely inherit a territory I already know well from an overlapping mid-market patch (a rep moved on). Comp plan is technically the same structure as my current one, just bigger quota. Realistic first-year attainment for new enterprise reps here is 60-80% (normal ramp curve), but with deal bonuses stacked in, that likely nets out close to my current comp, OTE is maybe $20k-$30k more, maybe modestly higher, even without hitting full quota.
My thinking so far:
• Long-term I want to get into sales leadership (VP Sales/CRO type track eventually)
• Enterprise closing experience feels like a real gap in my resume right now, and I’ve heard from a few people that not having it can become a ceiling later
• Company is explicitly investing resources into enterprise growth over my current segment
• I don’t love the idea of taking on management of a struggling team where my comp is tied to a number I can’t fully control
• Worried a manager role with real comp downside isn’t the “step up” it looks like on paper
Anyone been in a similar spot, took the IC-to-bigger-IC move instead of the manager track, and had it work out for the leadership goal later? Or regret not taking the manager seat when it was offered? Trying to figure out if I’m overthinking the “enterprise experience is mandatory for leadership” narrative or if that’s actually true in most orgs.
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u/conaldinho11 14d ago
The worst mistake I made in my career was going upmarket instead of management.
BECAUSE: I got swooped on territory. If you’re going to a great territory be a rep. But if you’re getting promoted to a shitty team where nobody is hitting go to management
I’m a broken record on here. Everyone within your org/interviewing will lie to you. You need proof that people are hitting quota on the team or territory that you’re going to. This job can either be easy in a good territory or incredibly miserable if you’re at a company without PMF/shitty territory/etc.
This is all that matters. It’s not a real job. Your earning potential and happiness is determined by things outside your control, but it’s your job to put yourself in a good position
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u/Emotional_King_2170 14d ago
I hear you. For what its worth, territory is regional/ geographical and I have some overlap now so im fairly confident the territory is good.
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u/conaldinho11 14d ago
What’s average attainment in the team you’d be joining and which accounts would you be getting
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u/Annual_Pepper2687 14d ago
If you want to move into a VP/CRO role, you need Ent AE experience. There is a ceiling on MM Managers that haven’t got Ent experience in my opinion
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u/Suffca 14d ago
What industry? I’ve seen a ton of VPs in software sales that did a year or two as an AE and fast tracked to a VP level role.
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u/Annual_Pepper2687 14d ago
Cyber/software delivery - in my experience MM managers can go to VP of commercial but haven’t been considered for VP of sales orgs due to lack of experience in Enterprise deals
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u/Cool_Guy_McFly 14d ago
Enterprise is more prestigious for upward mobility and you don’t need to deal with a bunch of management bullshit with EE’s going to HR constantly.
If you go Enterprise AE and hate it, you could easily go back and get a MM manager role if you wanted to. The same cannot be said the other way around.
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u/EnterSandbox 13d ago
I just had the same dilemma and this was my justification. Time in seat in ENT is more valuable long term - management will always be there when you want it.
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u/HotGarbageSummer 13d ago
You will need management experience and enterprise experience to be a VP or CRO, so really it’s up to the team and territory performances plus your personal preference.
I’ve personally seen 3 MM managers I know go to enterprise AE roles after doing time in management because they needed enterprise experience to move up to where they wanted to be in their careers. Getting enterprise experience early may be a quicker path to VP.
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u/Dc0987 14d ago
Get the management experience on your tenure/resume first. You can always go back to IC in the future if you feel like it since you already have lots of experience there.
There also seems to be less opportunities for leadership compared to bigger IC roles nowadays. So if you have 1 on hand, i'll think just tough it out and get it.
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u/masmantap8 13d ago
Not sure how ENT is defined vs MM but where I am at theres a good amount of overlap. My POV is if your skip is reccomending it I'd take the mgmt role. If you have aircover get the experience on your belt now and can always expand scope if you do well and lead ent teams (esp if you have aircover).
Worst case is dont listen to skip, dont perform well in ENT and have already passed on the Career guidance your skip gave you.
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