zerotask1717

Account Executive

Anyone come from an accounting / finance background?

Hey everyone, glad to be part of the community.

One of the most interesting things that I have realized in my years in sales is that sometimes the individuals who have came from different career paths have crushed it as AE etc due to their ability to relate to the customer.

As such, looking to connect with individuals or better understand reps who made a transition into SaaS Sales from Accounting / Finance. Anyone on here make that jump?

I think its possible, you just have to be extremely targeted in your search and be able to explain why the change.

☁️ Software Tech

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14 comments

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CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Most of us come from different backgrounds. There is no correct way. 😉

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

Sales Rep

I also think is not just business experience but life experience. If you are coming from a non sales background you are probably older and more mature than the other AEs

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

Bravado's Resident Asshole

I think it is the ability to be empathetic and storytelling skills that help the most.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

I didn’t come from finance, but I think if you have the ability to understand a prospect and the problems they’re facing, and build trust with them, you’ll be able to make the transition.

You may be perfectly suited for a sales role that deals with FSI, as you can speak the language and have the experience that could be very relatable.

Pachacuti

Politicker

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

My degree is in Finance. But never really used it much. Always been in sales.

zerotask1717

Good Citizen

Account Executive

When did you decide you wanted to do sales?

Pachacuti

Politicker

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

I've always been selling. Started when I was 8 yo selling Scout-a-Rama tickets door to door.

broken

Old School Bravo

went from being a cpa with experience big 4/mid size firm/government to being a bdr->ae->sam. yes it can be done and if you bring your billable hours mentality to sales you will lap the sales floor. i sold the bdr manager on my story of running a side hustle blog/events business. with any interview you need to tell a story. shifting to a bdr role doesn't take a crazy story but you need to demonstrate you have grit, want to work hard, and like chasing goals. i think you are overvaluing relating to the customer. ive been able to crush faster then most on the sales floor because i was able to quickly learn the pain points and how to tell the industry story vs ppl that dont put in the effort to study and/or learn much slower, not to mention being smart with your prospecting and combining it with greater effort then the floor. in the bdr seat i never let myself be below top 3 in dials, conversations. also my bdr role was in cybersecurity and working off ppls assumptions it was really easy to say "i like complexlity, i picked cybersecurity because it will be challenging and given the time i put into passing the cpa exam i think i can figure my way around cyber security with similar effort". all about the story you build for yourself and how you sell you

zerotask1717

Good Citizen

Account Executive

How long did it take you to accomplish this? Did you pick this specific company?

FinanceEngineer

Politicker

Sr Director, sales and partnerships

Yup, worked capital markets/structured products prior to going to the start-up life.

zerotask1717

Good Citizen

Account Executive

What do you sell now?

FinanceEngineer

Politicker

Sr Director, sales and partnerships

Identity SaaS

TennisandSales

Politicker

Head Of Sales

I failed Accounting II in college and now im in Saas,......does that count?

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Philosophy degree, so I think that's a little different...

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zerotask1717

Anyone come from an accounting / finance background?

14 comments

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