Question for an Outside/Field Sales Rep looking to break into SaaS -- With 3+ years experience and a track record of crushing quotas in a full-cycle, consultative sales role, is it impossible to break into the tech world at an SMB or MM AE role? Really looking to make the transition, but hoping to avoid starting fresh at the SDR level, and essentially taking a 50% paycut. Would greatly appreciate some input or direction!
On the hunt for it! Any suggestions on org's?
Toast, doordash. Anything that is outbound like that. Where do u work now?
Curious why you're looking to break into SaaS. SaaS is tough lately, and I've heard there's much more stability & less pressure in industrial/capital equipment sales.
Not entirely true. I think at the end of the day it depends on the company, but industrial/capital equipment sales tend to be very legacy in terms of business operations. For some people this can be a challenge. Without workflows that leverage modern technology many reps, especially newer or younger sales professionals, experience difficulties. Compound that with leadership who remember the good old days and have a "if it's not broken don't fix it" mentality, the cultural rift between old school sales (who tend to populate the industrial/capital equipment space) and modern sales standards/culture make SaaS very appealing to a large demographic of sales professionals or people looking to break into sales as a whole. There's still a ton of money that can be made in this space, and ultimately it boils down to what someone values in a sales role, but these are just my observations.
Not impossible at all. I went from Dental Equipment to Commercial Plumbing, to SaaS. But I would echo what someone else asked... why are you wanting Saas? I still think its an excellent place to be, but answering this question thoughtfully can help you break through. When I was looking to crack into this world I asked a prominent SaaS Sales Leader for time on their calendar to learn what I was missing about that world that was preventing me from breaking through. He essentially said "nothing..." I was just getting pseudo-bullied without realizing it. So I worked on getting better at selling myself, not just my accomplishments, and was able to re-write my ticket
Look for an AE role that is mostly outbound and you should be able to break in no problem.