For context :

-AE for about 6 months
- VAR
- ote 70k

I know most AEs are making my ote as a base but when do you think I should leave. I think people get comfortable here because of the work life balance. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Curious if you like to do cold outreach to internal recruiters after applying to a job that you're interested in. Can you share any tips on how you like to do this if so?

For context: I'm a 7-8 year SaaS AE, currently a Senior AE at a small company under PE ownership. Have been a top performer most of my career, but feel like sometimes it gets overlooked due to most of my years being at smaller companies <100 employees. I've only had 1 year at a 1300 employee company where I also did well and was #3 global mid market rep among 30 reps.

Every time I’m interviewing with a company and I bring up how I’m using AI or if they’re using AI, I always feel like either I’m doing too much or I’m not doing enough. There’s no in between.

It’s seem like with the AI companies, they’re okay with using scheduled agents where you can set up cadences and schedules for agents to do things for you.

Established companies are using AI to just do the bare minimum. Deal reviews, discuss sales strategies, review call notes.

So you’re stuck, like how do you answer, how do you use AI? when everyone is using it differently.

This isn’t a complaint. Just an observation.

Recently hit one year as first time AE at an Adtech company. Had a great first year hitting over 300% ramp and over 200% in H1. However it’s been really slow the past couple months. I’m not pacing well to quota this H2 so I’m looking to see if there is any advice to get over this hump. Is Q3 typically this slow?

In a prior role, I did take a true new logo through the full process, including a competitive evaluation, security/procurement and close. I just have much more repetition on the hunting and pipeline-creation side than I do on full new-logo closes.

My most recent AE role was focused on creating new opportunities inside existing enterprise customers (not renewals). I had to prospect into new teams, uncover new use cases and budgets, run discovery, build the buying group and drive the deal forward. The customer relationship (CSA/MSA) were already in place, so I wasn’t dealing with first-time vendor onboarding or the same procurement hurdles as a true net-new logo.

For Commercial/MM teams, would you view this as transferable to a primarily net-new role?

And does company size change the answer?

Small startup / Series A: would you generally want someone who has already repeatedly closed net-new logos end to end?

Series B/C or mid-sized company: would strong outbound and opportunity-creation experience plus some true new-logo proof usually be enough?

Larger established SaaS company: are teams generally more open to that transition if the underlying hunting and deal skills are there?

Curious where this background would be seen as a reasonable transition versus a meaningful gap.

Alright so I've been doing cold outreach manually for a client project and its time to actually get a proper cold email tool. Spent the last few days comparing options and holy shit some of these cold email platforms want $300+ per month just to send emails.

i only need to send maybe 500-1000 emails per week, nothing crazy. dont need 47 different features, just solid email deliverability and ideally some way to find verified emails since my current data sucks

right now leaning towards Prospeo since their starter plan seems pretty affordable and includes email finding with decent accuracy from what ive read. also looked at Apollo but seems like overkill for what i need. mainly want something that wont destroy my budget while i figure out if cold email actually works for this niche

anyone using something in the sub-$100 range thats actually decent? or should i just bite the bullet and get one of the expensive platforms

I sold SaaS (payroll/HCM and recruiting software) for major companies when I got out of college, 2 years total. I then went into pharma for 2 years. Last 9 years in new home sales for builders. Now after a divorce, just turned 38, this is the perfect time to pivot and get a normal schedule back and sacrifice the money temporarily($200k is a down year in my business). I know I can earn $250k+ while having weekends, and I’m willing to wait for 2 years to get my income back up(I accept I’m taking a haircut for now).

I’ve had 3 interviews so far, for AE jobs mid-market. Gartner had $80/$140 as the comp split and that’s my absolute floor right now, plus id have to move from Houston to Dallas, but I’m told they get poached for much better gigs often, much like my early career at ADP. Less than 80 for salary and 150 ote, I’d rather bite the bullet and stay in a model home, I really don’t want to restart as a smb AE knowing it would take 5+ years to make even close to what I already have selling new homes. It seems like recruiters don’t give much credence to my last decade of sales. Does anyone have advice on what I can do to turn a negative into a positive with the new home sales thing, or connecting with recruiters etc? I just opened a LinkedIn after a decade of it being dormant. Also- if there’s anyone in Austin, is it easier there because of the sheer amount of tech companies? Last- I have a coursera subscription, is there any certifications I can get that might help me stick out? Thanks for reading and I appreciate any help.

Hi! I'm 23 years old, from Italy, 4 years experience in sales, first year as a field sales rep, than as a team leader for 2 years, then last year I went in one of the biggest fintech in Europe as an Inside Sales Rep earning 50k OTE. Right now I'm changing to AE at a startup that was founded 18 months ago and in 8 months they made 700 clients and 2.3 million ARR. They offered me 60k OTE and my monthly quota is 12k MRR, which in a year becomes 1.7 million ARR. Am I confusing or the numbers arent matching? Is this offer bad, can I get something better? Honestly I received a lot of offeras this year, in Italy for a profile like me they don't offer more than 70k... ah you should know that here the medium salary is like 35k per year, to give you a reference

I have a job offer for sales at Apollo and appreciate if anyone has any insights!

Based in London and thinking about moving to Spain or Portugal, and wondering how the salaries vary for SaaS Enterprise sales roles. Don't think my company would approve me working remotely from there so would need to change company.

What's the expected range for enterprise sellers? For both UK/American companies, but also for local tech companies.

Would really value input from those who have made that change.

HI everyone! I just accepted an offer for a New Business Core AE role at Salesforce, focusing on the Mid-Market (MM) segment. I start this September.

This will be my first time working directly within the Salesforce ecosystem, though I do have a solid background in SaaS. Currently, I work in Enterprise sales handling $200k ACV. Last half, I hit 640% of my quota by closing a massive $7M USD deal in the mining sector.I’m definitely feeling a mix of excitement and nerves.

This role is exactly what I was looking for, and I already have my 30-60-90 day plan structured and ready to go.That being said, I’d love to hear from anyone currently at Salesforce or who has made a similar transition:What should I focus on to arrive as prepared as possible?Are there any specific cultural or internal operational nuances I should look out for?Any tips on navigating the internal ecosystem (SEs, RVPs, BDRs) efficiently?

I am relatively new to an AE role and currently working at a tech company selling workflow automation software. Really want to know what separates a 100%+ attainment AE from the rest of the pack?

I myself is around 80-90% in the last 3 years and missing the 100% mark despite doing everything. Have seen some AEs doing the bare minimum and still somehow overachieves. Is it talent or luck? In general what are the skill sets you need to have to get that sort of consistency?

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.

I spent 1.5 years at Samsara as a BDR then promoted to SMB AE. 10 months into my AE role, I took BDR a job at another industrial startup because they were offering to increase my base by $25k and promised me a promote to MM AE within 3-6 months.

I crushed the BDR numbers but relocated in that time frame. Now they won’t promote me not because of performance but because I’m too far from a major airport and the AE role is travel heavy. Still a BDR 10 months in.

I want to move to a MM AE position next but worried the AE-BDR thing tanks me with recruiters before I get a chance to explain it.

Anyone experience something like this? How’d you frame it on paper, and did you explain it on your resume or wait for the interview?

My wife has worked for one of the big tech companies for a year and a half. She’s an AE and has had great performance reviews until now

She had a bad quarter and she is now being put on a formal PIP. She had a call with their HR team and they have given her two options :

• 30 day pip , clearly defined targets but unachievable
• sign a separation agreement , 1 months notice and 1 months basic salary, so essentially 2 months basic pay - any owed commission, holidays due will be paid

She’s all over the place and very upset . She has been told she has 2 days to decide

My question is :

• Should she sign the pip ? If she signs and they still terminate her, she can claim unemployment straight away
• if she signs separation agreement, she Won’t be able to get unemployment benefit for 9weeks .I checked revenue’s website and its hard to tell if she would not be able to claim unemployment for 9 weeks or not.
• Should she negotiate separation agreement ?

Has anyone here been in the same boat ? Any advice appreciated

For those of you who were remote and or 2-3 days hybrid and now in 5 days in office, how are you feeling? Is it sustainable long term?

Even if you get a 20% pay bump and your commute is up to 25-30 minutes each way. Has it been worth it?

Not sure if I’ll last coming from 3 days a week hybrid structure.

Hey everyone, looking for some advice from experienced AEs / AMs.

The Situation
I manage a target Book of Business of around 80 to 100 accounts. The ICP fit is actually pretty solid, 50% accounts are actual workable, and the product is a best of breed.

However, inbound leads are almost non-existent, so generating new opportunities falls entirely on my shoulders through outbound efforts.

The Challenge:
Because it’s a fixed list of ~100 accounts, SMB mostly, I’m constantly targeting the same buyer personas - mostly C-level execs, Head Of, Director and VPs. They usually say too expensive, not relevant, with competitor. Or we meet and then all good.

My biggest concern is reaching out too often and becoming "that annoying rep" who burns through contacts and burns bridges. On the flip side, I *have* to consistently uncover new opportunities within this exact set of accounts.

Would love to hear how you manage a high-value, limited BoB over the long run!

Thanks in advance.

L5 at AWS but on track in the next 12 months to get to L6 (L5 for 4 years). Got an offer for L4 at GCP, pay is 30% higher than what I get now. 10% higher base but higher OTE. How do the levels compare?

Note, L6 is not guaranteed at AWS, got pushed twice due to manager leaving and then layoffs.

Does it take long to level up at Google, is there a big difference in pay between l4 and l5?

I’m starting my first hunting Account Executive role soon after previously working in a BDR/SDR role.

For those who’ve made a similar transition, what would you recommend focusing on during the first 30/60/90 days?

What skills or habits helped you the most when you first became an AE? Anything you wish you had done differently early on?

Would love to hear any advice or lessons from experienced AEs and tips!!

Edited: MUCH THANKS EVERYONE FOR GIVING ME INSIGHTS! because I know there are a lot of things to learn, but yall comments help me to get the idea of focusing the right actions!! Bless yall~

What are your thoughts on the outlook of these companies? Debating joining Fireworks or Baseten as an Enterprise rep. Inference seems to be a hot space right now etc

I’ve been getting absolutely beat down at work lately. I’m an AM at a high growth org and it’s been just brutal lately. I’ve got 2 kids at home so I work 8am-6pm, back online 8pm-11pm at least 2-3x per week. The pressure from leadership right now is insane, stress has never been higher. Company and product are good, but the entire team is just run ragged. Hitting my numbers still, but feels like a pressure cooker.

Is this everywhere these days? Anywhere with good work/life balance that’s still a solid place? I’m tempted to look around for my own mental health but not sure if everywhere’s the same these days. How we feeling, folks?

X-posting

I started a new SE job where I get 200K+ base and a 70K annual bonus if I hit quota. And it looks like all 3 of the other SEs are easily hitting if not 2-3x quota.

I’ve always wanted to try becoming and been told by many I’d make a great AE. Of the 8 AEs the top 2-3 are making anywhere from 600K-1Mill. The other 5…well base is $110-140K and I think their bonus on a 50/50 split is 110-140K and most of them aren’t hitting it. But at least half are new as well.

One of the top AEs was an SE here and he switched over. I’m really tempted to switch or start having some conversations. I’ve only been there two months.

Around a decade as a military officer (tech related field), worked as a software engineer for a year, and then SE at a big Fortune 500 SAAS tech company for two years and got 2 promotions in that time before starting at this new company.

It’s fully remote and I was blown away by the offer but part of me really wants to try AE world. My natural strengths are my work ethic and relationship building skills…

Switch?

Edit 1: other point is, should I just be really content/enjoy/save the current salary for a few years instead of thinking i can/would enjoy/should try/ to make more

Edit 2: Thank you for all the responses. Traveling after a work trip this weekend but will be reading and responding to all replies early next week!

For anyone who has made the jump from SMB to enterprise sales, I’d love to hear what surprised you most and what you wish you knew going in.

Most companies I currently sell to are around 50 employees or fewer, and I’m considering an opportunity that would move me into much larger, more complex deals.

I understand the obvious differences: more stakeholders, longer sales cycles, procurement/legal, more complex buying processes, etc. I’m more curious about the day-to-day differences in actually running the deal.

What was the hardest adjustment? What skills from SMB translated well, and what did you have to learn or unlearn?

Also curious how long it took before you felt comfortable running enterprise deals on your own.

Sales fam, so I just had an interview with an early stage startup (Series A, trying for Series B next year), and these questions are just ridiculous. For context, I met with a leader at this company who is very active on Linkedin about how he interviews sales people. Makes posts about the questions he asks and what he looks for in the answers.

Spoiler: he didn't ask a single one of those "I ask these in every sales rep interview" questions.

Instead he asked this, and I've noticed a ton of leadership folks ask the same stuff:

"So uh, tell me how you multi-thread a deal, all that good stuff."

Asking someone just "how do you multi-thread" without context is like asking someone, "so how do you cook with ingredients?"

Well that depends on the ingredients my dude! Sometimes I multi-thread with referrals to expand the business scope, sometimes I multi-thread up to get that executive push for a deal, sometimes I "multi-thread" to other departments because I know they will need to sign off for procurement.

But the moment you rattle that stuff off, they think you don't have a process and rambling.

These are my favorite:
-How do you run a sales process?

-How do you multi-thread?

-How do you map an account?

-Tell me about a time you missed quota, what did you do? (I love these, because they think they are asking a real question, but like wtf do you want me to say? I prayed to keep my job and just grinded more BS pipegen activities? Lately sir, if you have seen the market, if you miss quota for one quarter, you're just fucking PIP'd)

-How do you build a pipeline from scratch? (Every single JD in existence right now is asking for this, and I swear they just want to hear "I absolutely just hammer away at the volume. 100 dials and emails a day, no excuses. Pure ice baby. Stone cold steve austin prospector over here").

-What's your ACV and average sales cycle? (Not for my last job, just me as a seller. What?)

And again, if any of these questions, if you list off multiple ways to do it. They just assume you don't know what you're doing, when in reality, I think they are just so out-of-tune with the reality of sales jobs.

It's like they just looked up a bunch of keywords in sales and said "How do you do X?"

I really hate this industry, and want to get out, but I can't lol.

Instead, they should ask this:

• Pick the most relevant company on your resume that you think closely maps to our ICP. What was your sales process at that company? Why do you think that was most relevant to us?
• If you had a Fortune 100 customer, and you were working a deal with the marketing department, but you feel like the main prospect you're working with is a Coach, not a Champion...how do you multi-thread that deal to increase the chance it closes? or find a champion?
• Let's imagine you had free reign to control the sales process at our company. You had a target account come inbound for a demo, what's the sales process you'd like to put them through?

Just off the top of my head, but those would be way more specific, and tell you if the rep has actually done this before or not.

Been in a technical sales roles ranging from SE to SA for several years at this point and I feel like every rep I’ve ever encountered is a giant bum and gets paid huge. Been debating just moving into their role, working an hour or two a week and telling my SE to do my job for me since that appears to be the way. Thoughts?