sellingsellssold

SDR

AE upward movement

I started as an SDR for about 2 years until getting my AE promotion. I've been in the role for almost 2 years. What is the next upward movement?

How long were you an AE before moving up?

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🎈 Mentorship

🤘 Personal Growth

🧢 Sales Management

22 comments

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Gasty

Notable Contributor

War Room Community Manager

here's what you should NOT do:

SDR --> SDR Manager

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

Bravado's Resident Asshole

I did this at my last job, only because the AEs were treated like shit and I didn't feel like going out knocking on doors in Orlando to talk about copiers. hah BDR Mgr was the safer bet for that time.

Gasty

Notable Contributor

War Room Community Manager

Safer for sure! As rewarding? Not so much

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

Bravado's Resident Asshole

In the overall world of Sales, without a doubt you are correct. At that particular job, I made more as a BDR Mgr than most of the AEs did.

TennisandSales

Politicker

Head Of Sales

i would also argue not as secure in terms of job security...

punishedlad

Tycoon

Business Development Team Lead

🤢

Diablo

Politicker

Sr. AE

What’s your goal - do you want to be in a Management role or want to jump from SMB —> MM —> Enterprise?

TennisandSales

Politicker

Head Of Sales

these are really your only options. unless you consider a new role (CS, sales ops ect) as upward movement.

sellingsellssold

Politicker

SDR

Ya that is what I was afraid of I’m not really sure where/what I even want to do next

TennisandSales

Politicker

Head Of Sales

thats totally fine. i would just focus on getting really good at what you are doing NOW, before you start thinking about what to do next.

Pachacuti

Politicker

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

It really depends on where you want to go.
There is no predefined path of progression. It’s just what you want to make of it.

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

What do you want to do? I like being an IC so a management role doesn't interest me.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Same here. I manage my family...that's enough management for me.

sellingsellssold

Politicker

SDR

Agreed I’m not convinced that I will like a management role but eventually I’m going to want to move up.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

There is something to be said for not feeling like you have to be upwardly mobile. Management is not for everybody, not to mention many ICs make more than their managers.

starson

Good Citizen

Senior Sales Manager

I think you first need to have some thinking time and truly understand why you want to progress and what the implications are.
AEs are the makers of their own fortune. Should have more outward than inward interaction.
Mgr is more inward focus. Carries team quota.

Only become a mgr if you are ok with hiring people that are much better than you and still trying to make them much much better every day.

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

Sales Rep

I feel like most do the

SMB —> MM —> Enterprise not straight to mgmt

Maximas

Tycoon

Senior Sales Executive

Totally up to you to decide what would be your next step based on your passion and the payout!

RandyLahey

Politicker

Account Executive

So I was an SDR for exactly 7 months before I got a huge opportunity as a full-cycle AE.

Turns out, that full-cycle role was mostly just SDRing, and handing off the juicy opps to a "complex" team. While it was good to get some closing experience, I had severe burnout from a trash, boiler room culture.

I would have been better off riding it out as an SDR.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Hindsight is 20/20. Is there any way you could have known what that role was like before you took it?

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Back in my day there weren't really such things as these newfangled BDR/SDR's..

Went right into an AE role, funnily enough a 'Senior' AE..

SportsSalesGuy

Tycoon

Enterprise Account Executive

Depends on the level of "AE". Companies put the title AE but you could really be Mid-market or Inside Sales, could be Enterprise or National Accounts.

if its more similar to mid market or inside, you are right on track. If you are Enterprise level you are ahead of schedule! I was always told you need 5-10 years of closing experience before you get to Enterprise level or even National.

Also depends on the company, size of org and industry/market you are in.

But with the limited info in know about your situation . You sound like you are right on schedule!

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sellingsellssold

AE upward movement

How long were you an AE before moving up?

22 comments

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