First AE role, 1 year in. selling into 1500+ employee companies, deal size 40k on avg. in the big data space.
OTE 140K
Would it be foolish of me to jump to a true Ent AE role? How can I evaluate my skillset?
Am I ready?
12
I don’t think a year of AE exp will give you what you need to move into Enterprise but that’s just me. I’d give it another year or two.
ENT sales cycles can take 2 years. Can you handle that?
Only one way to find out, right? What would I be thinking/feeling that would point towards me *not* being able to handle it?
"One way to find out, right?" is a pretty good indicator that you are not prepared. If you can close your current deals at high velocity while managing a full pipeline then you may be ready...but something tells me that since your current AE tenure is shorter than an ENT deal cycle you are not ready.
While you gain some more experience, you can connect with your enterprise team, build rapport, see what they do and how. Time for you to prep. All the best!
Good call. Networking never hurts.
In short: probably not.
What are your deal cycle metrics (length, meeting count, etc)? Number of customers acquired? Average stakeholders tended to in a deal?
Enterprise is a FAR CRY from MM sales. Deals are far more complex and your ability to drive multiple deals at a time is going to be the true measure of your success. Give us some context?
What are your deal cycle metrics (length, meeting count, etc)? Number of customers acquired? Average stakeholders tended to in a deal?
Enterprise is a FAR CRY from MM sales. Deals are far more complex and your ability to drive multiple deals at a time is going to be the true measure of your success. Give us some context?
Are you looking to move up internally or jump to different org? Either way the only way to gauge is put yourself out there and see if anyone responds.
If you want the opinion of an internet stranger I'd say no. With 1 year of experience you're going to be learning lessons the hard way. And with Ent sales it could be 3-5 years before you get another shot at an account.
Best to cut your teeth a few more years, hone your skills, then make the move.
If you want the opinion of an internet stranger I'd say no. With 1 year of experience you're going to be learning lessons the hard way. And with Ent sales it could be 3-5 years before you get another shot at an account.
Best to cut your teeth a few more years, hone your skills, then make the move.
Great advice. If the money is good, there doesn't seem to be a compelling reason to make a move just yet, either.
Jumping to a different org.
If cutting my teeth is advantageous, what mid-point goals/targets should I be striving for?
If cutting my teeth is advantageous, what mid-point goals/targets should I be striving for?
How much over quota are you?
averaging 140% QoQ, at 110% right now (FY is calendar year)
If you're making good money at current org I'd suggest putting in more time. Keep overachieving and hone your skills. You'll be more valuable and have higher likelihood of success than jumping now.
Agreed. OP is on the right path so far but make sure you can be consistent before you take on bigger challenges.
I don’t think Ent is that more fun to do tbh
I don’t either. 1+ year cycles are not for me.
What if it pays double? Lol
It only pays more if you're closing
Exactly and more fun = more closing
We need more details about the new role enterprise sales is defined many different ways by orgs
In this case, the OTE would be literally double. Sure, 140 is great. But why not go for 250 if a competent, experienced hiring manager is confident enough in my skillset to give me a shot? That's the root question here
Current state: 1500-5000 employee companies ; Average deal cycle is 4 months, roughly 10 meetings per deal. Acquired 11 true new customers in role. Around 7 stakeholders per deal on average (some not as involved in decision process) from engineer to SVP/CTO. Selling a complex technology to the engineering domain
Understood that it is a lot more complex in Enterprise. What can I use as a litmus test to evaluate if I have the required skillset/accumen to succeed?
Understood that it is a lot more complex in Enterprise. What can I use as a litmus test to evaluate if I have the required skillset/accumen to succeed?
How does your average deal size compare to others in your team/segment? I got tapped to make the jump from Mid to Ent because my deals were consistently double or triple the size of my peers.
I'm of the mindset that when a great opportunity presents itself you take it. It's the same logic as going into a pro sports league vs staying in college.
Except that’s terrible advice. As an athlete, what’s better - being a star in a lower level league or bottom of the barrel in the top one? Think of fish size and ponds.
Who’s to say you won’t be a star at the upper level? You won’t know unless you try.
IMO - crush mid-market for 2 years, you will make good money if you're good at your job + get more reps to get the kinks out before cutting your teeth at Ent level.
If you’re eligible for promotion internally, and your management thinks you’re ready - then do it. You’ll have the advantage of selling a product you know well, and might surprise yourself by how ready you are.
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