What is the best industry to break into right now for sales?
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Best industry for Sales?
21
SaaS
There are so many SaaS companies out there recruiting for sales jobs. Many are unprofitable and/or backed by PE firms or investors taking a large equity stake. I have many friends in SaaS sales roles and it seems to be a high turnover rate compared to other industries. How do you pick a good SaaS sales job?
Could check funding stats and growth of the firm . Over these, product viability. Try connecting to few in their org via LinkedIn and ask on product demand
🔥👍
Any industry that is something you believe in (product or mission) and has solid credentials as a company.
Of course, believing in the product or mission is critical!!
I like this answer. I've worked at a few companies making different products but all for the same industry. I used to think I was pigeonholed by my experience, but my current role is taking me way outside my traditional industry and I'm now seeing that it was me who put those limits on my career.
As long as the company is good and the product works then I would say there is always growth opportunity.
As long as the company is good and the product works then I would say there is always growth opportunity.
Anything Digital Transformation related (ERP, CRM, eCommerce, Data, Cloud)
These decisions are foundational so you're dealing with smart people (C-Suite, IT directors) that have organizational backing. Technology changes every few years so this evolution will not end and budget replacement opportunities exist vs constantly trying to convince someone that they have a problem in the first place.
These are also typically high ticket (5 to 8 figure) for services and/or license revenue which equals high commission.
Also, selling for organizations who deliver these products or services usually offer high base salaries (can easily be over $100k at the mid-senior level) so you get the best of both worlds from a base comp and OTE perspective.
There's also a lot of competition and diversity of products in this space, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to job hop and leverage the Enterprise AE supply shortage to your advantage for higher comp/job satisfaction.
These decisions are foundational so you're dealing with smart people (C-Suite, IT directors) that have organizational backing. Technology changes every few years so this evolution will not end and budget replacement opportunities exist vs constantly trying to convince someone that they have a problem in the first place.
These are also typically high ticket (5 to 8 figure) for services and/or license revenue which equals high commission.
Also, selling for organizations who deliver these products or services usually offer high base salaries (can easily be over $100k at the mid-senior level) so you get the best of both worlds from a base comp and OTE perspective.
There's also a lot of competition and diversity of products in this space, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to job hop and leverage the Enterprise AE supply shortage to your advantage for higher comp/job satisfaction.
I would second this, CDX is huge right now, businesses are being forced to adapt quickly and to not slow production.
Wow, great info. Thank you!
SaaS all day. I'm a big fan of using LinkedIn headcount growth to get a gauge of where they are at as a company. From there it's just deciding if you want more of a startup culture or more of an ironed-out corporate culture.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator insights are definitely helpful for painting an accurate picture of the health of a company.
+1 . Agree
A companies growth is typically a good indicator if they have a good product being sold
Hands down SaaS. But maybe I'm coming from a point of bias
There are so many SaaS companies out there recruiting for sales jobs. Many are unprofitable and/or backed by PE firms or investors taking a large equity stake. I have many friends in SaaS sales roles and it seems to be a high turnover rate compared to other industries. How do you pick a good SaaS sales job?
Its a combination of many factors but barebones comes down to how salespeople are treated by the management. If management thinks of salespeople as fungible, then that's what they'll get. I know a couple of salespeople not willing to leave because they're so happy with their colleagues and the freedom at the company they work for
Find a SaaS product that you're interested in learning about. My first SaaS role was for a Marketing Tech company that sold to ecommerce companies. I learned so much about eCommerce and how those companies were run that I was able to spin up a side hustle out of it. If you're generally engaged with the work it'll make your prospecting much less boring IMO.
100%
SaaS for sure
There are so many SaaS companies out there recruiting for sales jobs. Many are unprofitable and/or backed by PE firms or investors taking a large equity stake. I have many friends in SaaS sales roles and it seems to be a high turnover rate compared to other industries. How do you pick a good SaaS sales job?
Go with a reputable company. people like start ups for the "vibes" and the potential for payout, but a large SaaS firm will have stability and great benefits (most of the time). still higher turnover but this is due to more reps getting scalped by other firms and less of getting fired or quitting due to low performance.
YC or similar sort of funding, product viability and credibility
Absolutely 💯
Do you mean who do you want to sell *to* or *what* do you want to sell?
For who I want to sell to it would be B2B not B2C. The product or service I am indifferent on as long as there is demand and it fills a need.
I would always suggest working for an entrepreneur who is passionate about their business, willing to invest in the future and focused on an area you are interested in. That's where commissions are uncapped and wins are celebrated.
Interesting, I have never had experience working for an entrepreneur. More large and existing business that have been around for a long time.
All industries are great. However, the product needs to be a strategic asset to the customer. Assure there is propensity for 6 figure landed deals and the ability to grow those.
To sell: SaaS. To sell into: I like SC/Logistics right now. a lot are having to modernize their business and need massive amounts of help doing so. so if your company has a solution for SC/Logistics, now is the time to sell into them.
Pardon my ignorance...but what is the SC stand for in SC/logistics??
no worries. Supply Chain. this goes for transportation as well because most transportation companies are really just logistics companies so the solutions you are selling are the same.
So it is interesting you bring this up. I work for a fleet management company, and one of the biggest pains is companies don’t have access to good data or a way to manage all their costs on one platform. We offer a client web portal, at no extra cost, and does this reporting, consolidated billing, and access to the data.
exactly. data is a company's best resource or worst nightmare, depending on how they're set up to handle it. data that's all over the place or that does not have actionable insights is completely worthless, and this is what SC/log/transportation companies are finding out.
Agreed. Thanks for contributing to my post, appreciate the feedback!
The recruitment industry has been pretty awesome the last year! Its like everyone is hiring and no one is laying off. I definitely don't drink/cry myself to sleep every night. I promise.
Technology
This is vague, care to drill down further and be more specific?
Tech > Pharma > Med device
The big 3
Tech
This is vague, care to drill down further and be more specific?
How long is a piece of string? I mean it really comes down to are you going to be passionate about what you sell?
I know this may not be popular but industrial packaging B2B is where their is uncapped potential. It is not the sexiest industry and not going to make what some medical sales guys are. It is sustainable and consistent. If you like constative selling and good at solving problems the opportunities are out there.
Do you think it's harder to make a consistent 200-300K here?
I was in it for 4 years, doing a basic territory manager role (say for a company equivalent to SealedAir) and it seemed like the guys who really made bank were the Landsbergs, Veritivs, and independent reps.
I'm in cybersecurity/software now, and it's a lot of inside sales and office work. Especially since covid. I miss going to warehouses, traveling around, chatting with the blue collar workers, operations guys, etc.
I was in it for 4 years, doing a basic territory manager role (say for a company equivalent to SealedAir) and it seemed like the guys who really made bank were the Landsbergs, Veritivs, and independent reps.
I'm in cybersecurity/software now, and it's a lot of inside sales and office work. Especially since covid. I miss going to warehouses, traveling around, chatting with the blue collar workers, operations guys, etc.
I see that you’re in an associate role so if you’re just starting out and want an absolute GRIND of sales experience/prospecting under your belt, I recommend copier sales! That’s where I started and I don’t know any recruiter that hasn’t looked at that on my resume and said wow that’s a hard industry to stay in, kudos. The experience for me has allowed me to open the door to higher paying opportunities in the FinTech world where I am today.
Tech / Sales enablement tools.
Always liked that cliche saying about the goldrush that it was the lads selling shovels who got rich.
Always liked that cliche saying about the goldrush that it was the lads selling shovels who got rich.
In this order:
1) AI
2) Software
3)Cybersecurity
4) Medical Device
5) Whatever @generalcorp does
1) AI
2) Software
3)Cybersecurity
4) Medical Device
5) Whatever @generalcorp does
Right now? Medical is crazy but the elevator doors closed mid-last year.
I wonder about this as well. I'm in telecommunications. Our industry is in steady growth mode. I average over $275k every year. I wonder what I need to sell to hit $400k annually. Oil and gas? Medical sales? saas? AI?
Recruiting Sales 😂
You need to pick the product/service/industry where you most truly believe that the customer is better off with your product than without.
Everything else is paperwork.
Oh, and SpaceX.
Everything else is paperwork.
Oh, and SpaceX.
AI driven tools
Technology,Pharmaceutical & digital adoption products (remote workspace management, etc)
Technology,Pharmaceutical & digital adoption products (remote workspace management, etc)
Cybersecurity 100%
The industry that you think you will be the happiest and most successful in. Don’t just follow the herd.
If you're BIPOC, avoid Multifamily. All property management companies are run by 50-60-year-old white men.
Sold in this space for 3-years and was never successful. Left and never looked back.
If you're white, older, and wealthy, maybe go into Multifamily hahaha
Sold in this space for 3-years and was never successful. Left and never looked back.
If you're white, older, and wealthy, maybe go into Multifamily hahaha
SaaS. There are a basically an unlimited amount of jobs out there and companies are always hiring for sales. I don't see a lot of SaaS sales reps going without a job for longer than a month. If not shorter.
Technology
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