chewymammoth

Account Executive

Valued Contributor

BDR to AE to SDR, but at a pay bump... dumb idea?

I'm an AE at a large SaaS company and looking for a new role. I started as a BDR here and did that for 1.5 years, then got promoted to AE which I've been doing for 1 year. My OTE is $105k right now.

I applied for an AE role at this Series A startup and went through the whole interview cycle. Right now the only salesperson there is their director of sales, and they're looking to get a real sales team. At the end they told me they had more qualified candidates for their AE roles, but that they like me a lot and asked if I'd be interested in joining as an SDR.

They said they could still offer the OTE I asked for when interviewing for the AE role of $130k, but it would probably be 60/40 instead of 50/50 like when we discussed the AE role. They also said they can outline a clear a path for me such that if I hit certain metrics I'm guarunteed to be promoted to AE in 6-9 months. They haven't given me this outline yet since they want to know if I'd consider taking the SDR role before they put the effort in to create a promotion path specific to me. They told me I'd mostly be working inbound leads and could learn about selling to this industry from their more experienced AEs before becoming an AE myself.

The company seems solid: the director of sales has lead sales at multiple companies to getting purchased, they've grown a lot in the last 2 years, and the product fit seems pretty strong. The AEs they did hire are currently top performers at large, well-known companies selling to the same industry. And I'd be making more (theoretically).

The risks: If I join this company and it doesn't work out for whatever reason, then going from BDR to AE to SDR is going to look weird on my resume. I could hit the required metrics but still potentially get screwed and not promoted to AE, its a startup and things change. Or since this is a new sales team the metrics could just be way higher than realistic and I dont hit them. But $130k to work mostly inbound leads seems pretty high if they aren't serious about promoting me later, my OTE as an outbound BDR was 70k...

Should I even consider this, or would it be a dumb career move? If it's worth considering, what should I ask them or think about to protect myself here?

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CuriousFox

WR Officer

7

🦊

If something seems too good to be true....

Also don't take a step back.

braintank

Politicker

5

Enterprise Account Executive

I'd be wary. Working at a series A can be a grind. And even with higher comp package they don't have the data to back up that you can earn close to OTE.

As for what you should ask, you really need to dig into the business and GTM plan with series A.

Is the product ready to sell?How are you closing deals right now, how do you meet your customers? Who is your target market?
What segments and markets are you pursuing?
Who is asking for this product? Yearly ARR and growth?
What industries is this resonating with?
What industries are you surprised it is not resonating with?Where do you see the biggest growth opportunity?What sets you apart? Who are some current customers?
What does this help your customer do/achieve?Who is your best customer case study? How are they using the product? Biggest competive threats?
Biggest overall survival threat? Competitive or internal

Also, watch out for these: https://bravado.co/war-room/posts/somewhat-comprehensive-guide-to-avoiding-a-toxic-startup

bandabanda

Tycoon

2

Senior AE Mid Market

This is a FIRE list of questions I wish I had known when joining my Series A.
Thanks for this @braintank

chewymammoth

Opinionated

1

Account Executive

Thank you, that's really helpful info. One of the things really throwing me for a loop is I reached out to one of the AEs they just hired that I'd be working with, per the director of sales' suggestion. He told me he's the top performer at his current company (large & well-known), hit 250% of quota last year, and thinks he'll make more at this startup. He doesn't even start until next month so I don't think he'd have any reason to lie to me about that. I know it's just one guy's opinion but he's a lot more experienced in this industry than I am, and he's making boatloads of cash right now at his current company, so he'd have to be pretty damn confident to make the jump. I've been trying to be very objective about everything, but everyone at this company does seem extremely competent and experienced. (That said I have no experience in the startup world so I may just be falling for some of the things you mentioned in your post)

Beans

Big Shot

3

Enterprise Account Executive

Terrible idea.

Never ever drop back.

lackofbudget

Contributor

1

SDR

Keep your options open. Because of the pay bump tell them you are interested, but only if they provide you with the outline that you can get promoted in 6-9 months. Seems off though.
Definitely also look for other AE positions, you are underpaid with your 105k current OTE

braintank

Politicker

2

Enterprise Account Executive

Outlines don't mean shit. Especially in series A land. Company could pivot their entire business model a week after you start.

bandabanda

Tycoon

1

Senior AE Mid Market

Multiple people have said it and I agree: don’t take a step back.
The market is so hot right now for AE’s. You can find another AE role making a better split that DOESN’T have all the risks of this Series A. There are so many options.
Completely agree with Braintank - things change SO fast. Ask the questions Brain listed and look for well-thought through answers and CONSISTENCY.
Coming from a series A myself right now, they said my OTE would be a certain number. I’m over a year in and STILL not there. Quota is unattainable (screwing me on my resume to list accomplishments like attainment).
In summary: look elsewhere.

PresidentSkroob

Opinionated

1

CSM

There are so many other companies you could get with as an AE for that pay range.

ultrarunner

Opinionated

0

Account Executive

A similar opportunity came up for me about a year ago. I decided to stick it out in my AE role another 9 months. Ended up hitting my quota and a head hunter from another company reached about an AE role. Gave me an even better offer, which I took.
So for me it paid off not talking the down grade to an SDR role even though it paid more the short term. So unless your in a bad spot and really need to get out, I’d recommend sticking it out at your current company a little longer!

KendallRoy

Politicker

0

AM

Don’t do it

Marth

Opinionated

0

si vis pacem para bellum

Sounds like absolutely the wrong move - plenty of other AE roles out there + why aren’t you asking for a pay bump at your current role ?

SADNESSLieutenant

Politicker

0

Officer of ♥️

YEAH NAH

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