I’m currently a mid-level sales professional within the staffing and professional services space (some IT/saas aspects). I’m doing great and earning 350k+ yoy but really want to get out of the staffing and transition into software sales. The issue is I don’t want to leave a good gig to restart at the bottom of the food chain as an SDR making 85k. Any advice on how to bypass that role? Anyone else with a similar trajectory that can share some insight and tips?
Job market is really tough right now but this would be an easy transition over to Corporate or Mid-Market AE. You're doing a lot of the same work just different products and clientele. The job is very comparable but I will tell you in the MM and corporate level it would be hard to find anything close to the $350k per year you're getting now that's more reserved for the Enterprise, SLED and Strategic AE's. Best of luck!
I was in the same boat and had to take a small pay cut, but it was worth it for the SaaS experience. Bond with sales recruiters about how hard staffing is. Most of them came from it, so they understand the grind. HR tech companies love to hire ex-staffing, so that's also a good place to start. If you find sales leaders with a staffing background, it's an instant connection because they know how hard you have to work in staffing to make $350k.
Since you're mid-level and performing well, you should be able to give yourself a promotion even if you're moving into a new industry. You've just got to highlight that your skills are transferrable to SaaS/Tech (because they are). Go for Commercial or Mid-Market Account Executive, you should not have to start as an SDR or BDR. I made the transition from Med Device sales to Tech sales and went straight to AE, and had several colleagues starting with me from different industries. You've got this and good luck!!!