Armed_KO profile picture
Armed_KO profile picture

Armed_KO

BDR

Fire Starter
Contributor
Good Citizen

Aim for AE or become veteran BDR?

Dear bravado


Im currently a BDR at Salesforce ( BDA->SDR->BDR -> Sr BDR )

Spent 4.7 years overall.

As an SDR i was majorly taking care of qualifying inbound sales/service interest.

As an BDR im responsible to open Marketing automation requirements

I do not have visibility on being an AE for the next 1.3 years. Most tenured.


I got approached by Snowflake for a BDR role with a 30% hike, would it be wrong to consider BDR role again?


Current thought process :

  • No internal visibility, have to fight, no sal hikes
  • No extra learning curve internally
  • I should apply for AE roles outside
  • If i consider snowflake i will make more money (100%) but my access to AE role can be delayed by 2-2.5 years
  • Im also getting married, should i make such professional moves?
  • Will i be a bdr for-ever i take up the bdr path



What is the best career move to do?

  1. Wait it out, fight internally/ externally for AE
  2. Take the BDR role outside, make more money, learn a new product and hope to crack the AE path eventually at snowflake


P.S : I love prospecting, im doing 120% MOM, im dependable, trust-worthy, team player and love helping peers, been a sf lover for a long time but i feel a little stuck now


🚀 Career Goals
🎯 Career Development
🧠 Advice
10

26 comments

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jefe
Arsonist
8
🍁
I'm not trying to be a dick, and you've had a ton of progression so you're obviously doing some things right, but I don't understand the time it's taken for you to get to where you are.

Almost 5 years and still a BDR? And more than a year to being an AE?!

Now I haven't worked at a place like Salesforce, and BDR/SDR wasn't really a thing when I started in sales, but this seems INSANE to me.
Phillip_J_Fry
Opinionated
5
Director of Revenue
Yeah, 5 years seems really excessive. I would be curious to know what the conversation looks like with his manager. Surely, he's had to talk about the path to AE at some point, right?
Armed_KO
Fire Starter
1
BDR
Thanks guys.
Marketing cloud BDR's ideally are a good fit for Marketing cloud AE roles, and marketing AE roles open up only a year later ( provided the current AE's move up the ladder)
From outside, they are hiring AE's who either have an entrepreneurial stint or have a SAAS closing exp of 5 years.
I weirdly sense my boss doesn't care if i get promoted all he worries is about PG

Also i did attend two internal interviews, core AE roles, but did not get through..


jefe
Arsonist
4
🍁
Not a good boss to have. You want someone in your corner.
SiliconBBQ
Politicker
3
The Metal Rooster
Dude - that stinks on multiple fronts, especially wrt a shitty boss.

I worked at a martech startup that was acquired by Big Red. I saw people come in with a year of 'sales' exp from unknowns or places like yelp, work for us for a year or so as an AE and get a job selling Exact Target...which i believe is marketing cloud or a component of it.

If you stay, you need to network with the AE hiring managers.

Either way, get out from under your manager's thumb. He is stunting your career growth and trajectory.
saaskicker
Celebrated Contributor
0
Enterprise AE
Marketing Cloud is the slowest growing business unit at Salesforce (per the earnings call). I would network withing SFDC to see if you can find a role on a different cloud/team - someone at SFDC has headcount that's easier to fill with internal vs. external hire who knows the ins and outs of all the stuff at SFDC.
GDO
Politicker
1
BDM
Yeah even in these orgs it should go a lot quicker
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
4
☕️
Aim for growth or be the dude that never left his hometown. You choice.
Armed_KO
Fire Starter
0
BDR
Yes makes sense. Thank you
Sunbunny31
Politicker
4
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
Unless you're a career BDR, I'm wondering why you are not getting clear direction on becoming an AE. You've been in lead gen for a very long time to not have any idea what the path is.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
3
🦊
Maybe they wanted to coast for a bit?
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
I do know a couple “career” BDRs who had zero interest in becoming closers. But even they were routinely asked if they wanted to pursue the role, or if they had any career aspirations in another direction. To not get any direction or feedback is interesting.
oldcloser
Arsonist
3
💀
Run. Don’t walk. Run. This is just so long to sit still.
Justatitle
Big Shot
2
Account Executive
Going to snowflake is probably the move here, you'll likely make the same money as an early AE at SFDC and in addition you aren't likely to get an AE role very easily without closing experience
Revenue_Rambo
Politicker
3
Director, Revenue Enablement
Go to Snowflake. Personally seek out Nick Lawrence (he’s one of the best people in enablement anywhere). Spend the next year learning, refining, and grinding.

Get promoted.

Spend 2 more years mastering your new role.

This is a marathon not a sprint. If you want to be good you have to put in the time. SF makes you out in the time but there is no reward. Make the leap, do the work, and move forward.
Armed_KO
Fire Starter
1
BDR
Noted thank you
Armed_KO
Fire Starter
0
BDR
In the long run, does a BDR tag for 6 years make me looser?
Justatitle
Big Shot
0
Account Executive
Only if you see yourself as one, don’t see much wrong with making good money and not having any stress of closing
Armageddon
Opinionated
0
Enterprise Account Executive
not at all, it sounds like the issue is with Salesforce. But I'd get out of there and start fresh if they are telling you a year to promotion with a track record of success. Go do a solid year elsewhere as a BDR and you will be promoted to AE, but also apply to some AE roles now and SELL YOURSELF in the interview
Pachacuti
Politicker
1
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
Mo money is always good. So there’s that. And 30% is nothing to laugh at.

But with your experience you ought to be looking to move up. I would only be applying for AE jobs if I were you.
Armed_KO
Fire Starter
0
BDR
Noted thank you, can you recommend few SAAS orgs which have a solid market potential and i can have fun selling?
jabroni
Opinionated
1
Account Executive
Honestly this sounds like you’ve just been screwed mainly due to poor timing which is 100% not your fault. I personally had to take a pretty big step back after being laid off to an SMB closing role because of how many people are looking for a job in the industry. The thing I had going for me was closing experience.

A lot of this industry is purely based on right time right place. I don’t know what direction you should go but I wanted to validate that this sounds like you’ve just been a bit unlucky. You seem to be crushing it and that may be part of the problem too. You’re making other people money in a hard economy, they have no incentive to move you.

Wishing you all the best my friend. Keep your head up and continue the grind. It will pay off in the end.
wolfofmiami
Opinionated
0
🐺
if you join an org like snowflake you prob be an sdr for another 1.5 years as an sdr, but if youre only doing inbound, you should leave get an outbound role. but either way each direction is going to have some bad with it though it just depends how you like where youre at now, if you do id say stay if you hate it look elsewhere
Armed_KO
Fire Starter
0
BDR
Its an Outbound Role
Armageddon
Opinionated
0
Enterprise Account Executive
you need to fire your mentor... It shouldn't take longer then a year and a half to move to AE, 2 years is the MAX
Armageddon
Opinionated
0
Enterprise Account Executive
Also, apply to some external AE roles. You'd be surprised at how many companies will hire someone with strong prospecting skills but has yet to work a full cycle. What city are you located in? I can give you a few companies to look into who are known to hire BDRs into an AE seat

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