S
S

sjla

Account Executive

Fire Starter
Good Citizen
Contributor

Building pipeline

I'm about 6 months into my role as an AE after spending a year as a sdr. I sell a relatively expensive software ie sales cycles are usually 4-6 weeks, multiple decision makers and it is not an impulse buy. 

I always hear that the work you put in prospecting/doing outreach may not payoff for another 6 months plus, curious how long it took people who have been in similar situations to start to see their prospecting/outbounding pay off and start to see their pipeline begin to grow.

I'm hoping that the work I've been putting in since I started will begin to start paying off soon as I know it doesn't happen overnight, any advice or tips are greatly appreciated. thanks! 

🧠 Advice
❤️ Bravado Community
☁️ Software Tech
9

9 comments

Sort by:
GingerBarbarian
Opinionated
5
Lead Sales
There is no magic bullet in that kind of sales sadly. If I could make a suggestion it would be don't be afraid of getting other people in the organization involved. Focusing particularly on the end user of the software, not just the executives. Having people inside the org championing for you is the closest thing to a shortcut I can give you.
RandyLahey
Politicker
4
Account Executive
This is great advice. Sadly there isn't a one size fits all strategy to grow pipeline.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
5
🦊
Some sales cycles are longer than others. Keep on truckin friend. You can do this.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
4
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
Long sales cycles are why it's so important to get started building pipeline early and don't stop. It's going to be slim at first when you start from nothing, but over time, you'll see a steady increase in the pipeline as you continue. Don't be afraid to weed out bad opportunities and to prioritize targets.
Do you get inbound leads, or are you pure outbound? How does this work for you?
0
Account Executive
We do get some inbounds but often times they don’t go anywhere, my main focus is outbiunding
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
That’s going to be true of many inbounds. Hopefully the quality will improve, but you obviously can’t count on that. Keep at it with the outbound effort - it’s always going to be worth it to make sure you’re building that pipe. Are you getting help with understanding your ICP and value prop?
TennisandSales
Politicker
3
Head Of Sales
Ok so this will totally depend on the product. An “expensive” product normally takes longer to buy than 4 weeks.

It’s hard to know when the results will come. But you just need to make sure you are going after the right people, with the right message.
That should help you get calls set up.
If those calls don’t lead to anything then you have to think about if it your prospecting? Or your discovery?
RedLightning
Politicker
3
Mid-Market AE
Keep booking meetings, but the typical hurdle most SDR's have to make on the AE transition is understanding what is and isn't real/good pipeline.

Consistent pipeline will solve most of your challenges in sales, but the trick is understanding what will and won't progress and putting your mental energy there.

Every deal is different, but as an AE you are now operating on closed won rather than demo/disco completed. So, your previous end goals are now just leading indicators. Shift your mindset
0
Account Executive
Thank you!

Related posts

18

Filling Pipeline

Question
🎈 Mentorship
13
14

PLG or outbound building pipe?

Discussion
🐱
👑
13
10

Team Building Activity

Discussion
💰
🤓
🤘
18
Bravado is a community of trusted sales professionals endorsed by their customers.
Apple Store logo
Products
The War Room Jobs Salary Guide Tech Sales U
Company
About Us How It Works Blog Bug Bounty
Contact
Press Careers
© 2024 Bravado Inc. All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy Legal and Privacy Center Sales Jobs
If you are hired as a contract sales rep by a Bravado customer, we may ask you to prove access to the employee email account provided to you by that customer. This data will be shared with customers to track your sales productivity; customers can use this data to confirm you meet the minimum activity requirements to pay out your ramp stipend and commission.