I’m expecting an offer from Motive. Base and OTE are strong, but I’m in a decent spot right now, so I’m only moving if it’s the right company.

If you currently work at Motive or used to, I’d love to hear what it’s really like. Mainly:

• How realistic is quota attainment?
• How long is ramp?
• How are reps treated when they miss?

I’ve heard that at Samsara, mid-market reps get PIP’d after two missed quarters in a row, and commercial reps get fired after two missed months. I want to avoid that kind of culture. Is Motive similar?

Happy to take DMs if you’d rather not say it publicly. Thanks.

Hey all,
Been in sales forever and think I’m ending one era of my career working for the man and want to strike out on my own.

If anyone’s interested, I’ve become very adept at MS CoPilot this year, among other things, and happy to offer sessions sharing tips/tricks and other aspects of it.

Feel free to reach out and I would be happy to show you some things that have multiplied my productivity immensely.

Can also offer lead gen and sales coaching.

Looking forward to chatting!

I'm an enterprise software AE with about 8 years of experience, selling to $1B+ companies. I have an offer from a company that Thoma Bravo recently took private. I'd like to hear from anyone who has worked at a TB portfolio company, or sold through a PE ownership change, before I decide. I’ve been warned by many not to join - but the job seems great.

Quota: $2M ALL NET NEW, Named accounts
Base / variable: 150/150
Draw / ramp: 3 months, offered recoverable ramp 3k/month
Team size: 7 reps, 1 BDR for central region
Excellent manager

My concerns
TB playbook- they merged with competitive product. Cost cuts, layoffs, and territory or comp plan changes often follow the first 12 to 18 months after a take-private.

They say quotas have always been $2M and they consistently hit them with 3-4 deals per year. I have trouble believing them.

They declined any non recoverable draw or severance agreement….

If you've worked at a Thoma Bravo company, was the sales org stable, and did comp plans change after close?

Is a $2M quota with this team size reasonable, or a warning sign?

Would you take this over a smaller, riskier company, or keep looking?

I'm noticing I just get takeout a lot of the time since I get dispatched to system repairs or upgrades with almost no notice. Lots of my on site visits are scheduled, but repairs come up without warning. Made me wonder why I'd even bother grocery shopping for when I'm home, since it's usually for not more than a weekend and an extra day during the week here and there. I'll go out for the small essentials but I really can't think of the last time I went shopping for more than a weeks worth of food.

I try to eat pretty healthy when im on the road, I've been really into Greek lately and it's usually very cheap. I typically don't spend my whole per diem. Sure it's more expensive eating out, but I don't want to waste food from groceries that I can't finish in time. If I'm getting per diem every day, then I may as well just find some greek food somewhere and not bother shopping.

Am I wrong for thinking I should have more inbound leads?

Wanted some perspective from other salespeople. I work for a top 30 telecom provider in the b2b space. New business is primarily driven by cold calling in territory. We also have an existing book of business that we’re expected to manage, there’s no separation between sales and account management. I set this up to say we do not have the flexibility to spend an entire day calling. Realistically, a good day for me would be 30 calls.

Recently there’s been an aggressive push to increase the amount of new business activity (meetings, opportunities, sales) coming from our executive leadership. There has been a lot more focus on our cold calling and outreach behavior.

I don’t have a problem with that, it’s expected with a sales job. Here’s my questions though: we rarely get inbound leads. In my two years in the role I think I’ve received four inbound leads that were legit (not fraud or service complaints).

With an increase in focus on acquiring new customers, shouldn’t we be seeing more inbound leads? Am I being reasonable to expect there would be some additional marketing push to drive customers to us?

Am I being unreasonable or should I be questioning what leadership is doing to drive business other than telling us to increase productivity?

Found a product that needs my solution, in the offer I sell future revenue if A, B, C are given and I have a control over them and they are guaranteed from the lead or I sell a chance of them getting these numbers, if the numbers they gave are correct and I show them success and failure rate chance and how this is calculated, risks are eleminated, like COMPLETELY except like if I don't deliver they spent their time and learned something knew and maybe another rep would sell that to an already educated lead, but even that I could handle with procedures & experience already built + there are already delivered contracts on this offer.

100% ICP fit. Lead said it was his initiative, here is a clear financial incentinve, BUT he's exploring different options, I just can't create urgency, the only urgency I could create is lost opportunities + they could reinvest sooner, currently just trying to figure out which options he's got if he's got any and is not bluffing.

It's not an enterprise sale, but reaching higher managment except of a direct manager of this manager doesn't make sense as their CEO is a dude with multiple projects and like he even doesn't know how this one is called. He says he forwarded this to another guy to look at it (likely It's his direct manager). For an offer like this the process shouldn't have been so long, trying all possible ways to shorten it :/

Genuinely curious about this. I just spent the last week doing demos for a few dialing platforms, looking for a parallel dialer with a lot of AI features and ability for me to manage my team. Not cheap, by far. One simply didn't have all the features I was looking for, so in their follow up email that's what I stated; thank you very much but your platform doesn't have the features I'm looking for.

That sparked three calls (didn't answer any of them) a chain on emails and had to reply "stop" to the fourth text over two days. If one of your prospects has been fully pitched, even done a demo and hard passes, what's your process?

Sigh...
It wouldnt have been a big project obviously but I really wanted the win...

But she solved the problem on the discovery call.

There might be a project in Q1/Q2 to get but the immediate need is gone. RIP to having that small win this month.

I did schedule a meeting two weeks out to make sure that worked/see if they need more help.

Tagged: Advanced sales skill: Dont give away the solution for free.

Moving into a new role in January, from AE- inside sales to now commercial middle market, same company- need to cold source my own leads etc. Just trying to navigate from transitional, to more slower pace.

I have access to LinkedIn sales nav, zoom info.

What’s been working for you guys?

What’s your process?

I had a recruiter screen and the TA rep said that they have 17 reps and everyone is above quota. We all know for a fact that this is not true, any rep out there worth their salt that would never actually believe that. At my current org, our TA lied to all the last 3 reps they hired that everyone was hitting numbers. All 3 were managed out within 9 months.

I’ll start:

Guy in his 50’s literally grabbing a girl by the p**** (as our current president famously quoted) at a sales kickoff in front of everyone- he was shortly escorted on a plane back home where he mysteriously went on sick leave and was then fired.

I want to hear worse - give me your best.

Currently a SDR in SMB Tech sales - was up for internal AE promotion.

Feedback was ‘your talented, a little raw, and your activity needs to be higher’. Hit quota x3 in a row and was 80% last month while going through the process.

Offered a place in the next cohort but told I should be a ‘Top SDR’ to expect an offer. Top SDR is ~160% to quota. I’m doubtful my territory can produce that but acknowledge my activity (low call volume) can be higher.

Part of me feels that was my chance and the next cohort are stronger SDR wise so competition will be stronger.

Colleagues suggest that I should try but look externally - at what point do you acknowledge that they don’t see you with a future and look elsewhere? It’s hard to do SDR -> AE externally and not exactly looking to start at the ground floor as an SDR again.

I just started my current sales job this year in a slightly different industry after a bit of a career break. And I’m just wondering if you guys are also feeling that the sales is just not as good as in previous years?

I’m trying to understand if it’s because I went into an adjacent industry or if it’s because of the economy.

So I’m 15 years into what has been a great sales career so far. Got a long shot chance a million years ago at being a junior rep and hustled my ass off, like most of us. I have a great position as a director of business development for a large biolab company and am basically a high level individual contributor that does a lot of contract negotiations.

In previous positions I was in sales leadership developing and leading teams. I never realized how much I enjoyed that aspect of the job until I stopped.

I can see a reorg coming down the pipe at my current company. I know better than to take anything personal and am probably safe but like to keep options open.

Long story for the question, my sales enablement pros. How did you transition? What is your day to day look like? What’s your comp look like both number and structure wise? It think I really might find development and training to be very fulfilling. BUT at this point in my life I can’t really make under 200k and I have no context to see if that realistic. Any and all info is helpful THANKS EVERYONE AND MAY YOUR SALES ALL CLOSE BY MONTHS END!

Everyone on my team is missing, punishing comp plan, how have you hit goal or close to it in a tough environment or if you didn't did you just put it in context of your team's performance and rank?

Looking to get a feel for how many here are still working fully remote.

Basically the title:

I have about 3 YOE in sales, 2 in B2B and 1 at my current job wholesaling gold, silver, platinum and palladium as an investment to financial advisors at major brokerages.

Unlike typical wholesaling in finance, we also charge an ancillary fee to store their clients metals for them, in turn were contractually their only option, and they’re happy to hand off an ultra-niche, ultra-low-margin product.

the job has its pros (you can work from anywhere, very lax KPIs, good team trips) however...

Here are a few issues that have come up the past few months:

• We have zero systems in place. We have no Tech support, if our trading system isn't working we fill out a form and complete them through a Command Line system.
• One of our externals was recently fired for buying his girlfriend a ton of plane tickets using the company card (I swear to God), and the territory has had no dedicated rep for months,
• My manager has said they’re opening a hybrid role, which is my next promotion, and made sure to let me know ahead of time that I would not be receiving an offer as I am the most junior.
• I’ve come to the realization that our company is a white label for other, much larger companies who don’t want to deal with the logistics of schlepping 1,000s of ounces of silver to someone’s house just to make 3 bps (0.03%). Basically, we can do what we want as long as we don’t mess up, but we are so clearly first in line on so many chopping blocks.
• We are just not that profitable line of business for our advisors, we can offer 0.12% residuals on our product when annuities are probably going above 1%. We are the first on the chopping block in every cost-cutting conversation. We’re a “nice to have” that’s frankly not even that “nice to have.”

All that whining to say, I have thought extensively about switching industries outright, not just finding another finance job, as I fell into it anyway and I’m not exactly on track for investment banking.

I want my work to be outside/territory sales, and I want to feel like what I’m selling is a positive for the world .Hopefully that won’t require direct industry experience. I don’t really care that much about salary. I’m making about 80 grand OTE, but I’m fine with less for the right job.

So far, the industries I’ve found are:

• Food sales, either specialty or broadline (I know someone at Dole in R&D who suggested this).
• Commercial physical security systems (think companies like Securitas or Everon), simply because I’ve heard it has good residuals and is a fairly easy sale.
• Event sales/procurement. I know these are all largely company-dependent, but I honestly think being a Live Nation territory rep could be really fun, and I’d slay in anything that has a longer sales cycle and is relationship-heavy.
• Veterinary sales, selling specialized pet foods to vets. I used to volunteer with the Dumb Friends League as a kid and loved it. Who doesn’t love animals? Also, I heard on this subreddit that vets don’t mind when reps stop by.

Anyone have any more thoughts on industries to look into? I’d love to hear from anyone who has escaped a bad sales job or industry into something better. Thanks!

Long story short, I’ve made it onto the final interview loop for an overlay role at MSFT.

6 candidates and 3 open roles so great odds. Can anyone shed any light on the interview loop? 3 hour block with 3 separate individuals (one is the HM).

Appreciate the input in advance!

I was surprised when I checked RepVue. It looked like OTEs and top performer earnings were actually lower than before. Am I incorrect?

I'm in the US and have about 10 years (5 years enterprise) of sales experience with a well worded and formatted resume and have been applying, using my network for referrals, everything, and it's the most difficult it's ever been.

I remember even back in 2024 it was fairly easy to get a first interview after applying. Also, almost zero activity from recruiters reaching out on LI messenger as of late.

Any suggestions in this current market would be helpful.

This is sort of a vent, but I am looking for brutally honest advice that can help me grow and improve.

After more than a decade as a small restaurant business owner/operator, my new goal is a B2B sales career where I can focus on what I love about my business: connecting with people, building relationships, solving problems, and winning new business.

I've done some outside cold prospecting for my business. Knocking on doors in nearby industrial parks, introducing myself and my business, soliciting office lunch orders, and handing out menus. I find the experience really exciting and energizing.

I've already been self motivated for a long time, and I realized I much prefer getting out in the field connecting with people and winning business rather than spending 6 or 7 days a week inside a restaurant with sick days, vacation days, and work/family life balance nearly non-existent.

I'm a competitive person by nature, super hungry and motivated, and driven by the commission potential.

I've considered B2B positions in adjacent industries like foodservice (Sysco, GFS) but haven't been able to break through with even a call back. The barriers: I have not held a traditional sales role before, and I do not have a degree, though I did attend a good university.

I finally made some progress with a respected local uniform/linen rental company offering an outside, new business hunter role. I've been on the other side of that vendor sales conversation before, and my business owner's perspective should give me an edge at building trust and credibility.

I got all the way to the final round with the CEO, but didn't get the job. Though I worked hard to prepare for the role, I was still pretty green. It was a good rep and it made me a much stronger candidate.

Next, I applied to a few other uniform companies. I landed a call screen from a bigger, local competitor, with a great reputation. This time I worked harder, put together a solid 30/60/90, read a few Jeb Blount and Mike Weinberg books, and started to build a network. I also connected with a sales veteran of the industry who liked me enough to send a reference email to the VP of said company, who he has known for years.

So here I am today. I got through 3 video interviews with the company: HR, sales manager, and VP. Yesterday was the final in-person interview with the sales manager. I thought it went very well overall. We had good rapport and my performance was solid. I tried to close it out by expressing my interest in joining the team and asking if he had any concerns about hiring me that I could address. He said he had no concerns and reiterated what he liked about me. Then he told me there was 1 other candidate interviewing that had passed the second of four potential rounds, and that I should get an answer within two weeks.

My instinct said that I should try to close harder, that simply giving the stakeholder two weeks to think it over wasn't a good idea. Instead, I resisted. Frankly, I wasn't prepared for it, and I didn't want to call the wrong audible and look desperate (and yeah, I do need some sales training). I'll have to live with that decision.

I still like my chances of landing this one. Even if I don't get it, I know that the process is making me a better candidate and ultimately is going to make me a better salesman as well.

I am grateful for any advice as my main goal is improve and grow.

Thank you!

Currently employed, good title + resume, I haven’t had a recruiter in my inbox in maybe 3/4 months.

What are you all seeing?

Or maybe even by industry. My current role is an absolute nightmare, been there for a little over a year and likely going to be PIP'd soon for reasons outside my control.

Hired as an AE and I spend 90% of my time doing non-revenue generating account management work that has to be done.

How's the current job market looking?

Career Industry: B2B/ Healthcare, Tech, Industrial sales

Business: Small local businesses in Industry, Aesthetics, Dentists, Med Spas

1). I. have the clean looking dreads done by a professional not the Freeform ones

2). It’s easier to just keep them and maintain beard but I’m scared I’ll look like a bum. I also don’t want to be minimalist and look like some baldcel.

Am I just overthinking things or what?

The open roles are for an Account Manager, Inside Sales Specialist, or Sales Development Representative position.