CyclingAddict

AE (Account Executive)

Crazy Job Market

Okay, so I was laid off about a month ago. Company went from an inside model to outside. 3 of us were laid off.

This job market is crazy. I have 2 years of closing experience and 2.5 years of SDR experience, still getting so many rejection emails for SMB AE roles. These JD's want 3-4 years of closing experience and industry experience too. This is the craziest I've ever seen it.

Someone else published a post that they moved from AE to CS and haven't been happier. Same commish, but less stress. I was thinking about it, but this has solidified the decision for me. Tech sales is in shambles right now, and as I interview more and more it seems lots of SMB sales cultures are crazy high volume, and churn and burn reps.

So, given that these CSM JD's are just as strict, how do I stand out?

🎙 Interviews/Podcasts

🚀 Career Goals

🗣 Interviewing

24 comments

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noname123

Politicker

noname

Just change past titles and experience to align more with CS roles. If that’s what you want.
Or if wanting to stay in sales just change your SDR role to be ‘sales representative’ so it’s bending truth but not a complete lie.
Gotta do what you gotta do in this world.
Good luck w everything.

LegacySales

Big Shot

Account Executive

^completely agree. Applying to a job is almost exactly like prospecting: everyone hates it, personalization is key and a little bit of luck helps.

ExtremeVibeChecker44

Arsonist

Inside Sales

Also, don't bet on the portal coming through.
I've gotten a fair amount of interviewers from LinkedIn messaging + emailing recruiters and managers directly.
You're competing with laid off enterprise reps who are trying to get back on their feet with SMB jobs

oldcloser

Arsonist

💀

👆 This.

charlescarmichael

Good Citizen

Senior Sales Engineer

Agreed! You know the value you bring to the table, just like you know the value your CSMs bring to your clients when you land the deal. How you get there (without being illegal and/or completely unintegrous) is somewhat arbitrary as long as you can deliver on your value proposition?

Filth

Tycoon

Live Filthy or Die Clean

Think of all the things you've done in a sales cycle that aren't strictly sales - there is probably project management, customer support, invoicing, and legal activities that, if you are a sales person, can easily mold into the 'real you' that will standout for whatever position you feel has the best chance to get you paid.

That's just how I would do things but I am a plotter and a schemer.

Space_Ghost20

Executive

Account Executive

I was fired in October from a below average AE job that I took after being laid off from an AE job in 2022. I've been looking for the better part of 18 months. May last year I got an offer to be an ADR which I declined because the comp was only slightly better (would have gone from $50k base/$75k OTE as an AE to $52k base/$87k OTE as the ADR) but the title was a downgrade. I thought for sure I'd find something else.

The only legit opp in my current pipeline is an SDR job in Austin for a MongoDB competitor. It seems like a decent company, but a) I don't want to be an SDR again b) I'd like to make more than $50k base/$76k OTE and c) it's a brutal 2 hour commute each way from my house in San Antonio to their office (they are 4x a week in office). On that last note I made the drive earlier this week for an on-site interview with them and after going through that I'm convinced that if I were to make that commute regularly, I will at some point be in a car accident. A big part of me is hoping they don't make an offer because I don't want the responsibility of having to make a decision on whether or not to take the job.

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Fuck man, that's brutal. I don't think anyone could make that commute on the regular.

oldcloser

Arsonist

💀

Yep. Nope. Too much life wasted in that scenario

Sunbunny31

Arsonist

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

I’m so sorry. You just haven’t caught a break yet.

Rallier

Politicker

Account Executive

Job market sucks right now. SMB sales can be good, but you're right there's a lot of high-pressure sales environments.

Have you tried building a brag book? Not sure if it'd make sense for CSM, but I've seen this tool mentioned a few times on Linkedin - https://pitchfolio.io/
Given you don't have CSM experience I think you'll have to do something different to stand out. Maybe try your network first?

CyclingAddict

Executive

AE (Account Executive)

Great idea, the founder, Jimmy I think actually messaged me to use it.

I don’t have the CSM title, but I was an AM for a year, and at my last company (startup) I did a lot of what a CSM does. I project managed across different stakeholders once we set success metrics with an EB, got them to be happy and then upsold and cross sold.

Given that it was an early startup, there wasn’t a playbook for upselling. I partnered with CS and we got shit done.

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

What makes you unique?

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

I like pork

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

Lee Mooney, is that you?

Chep

WR Officer

Bitcoin Adoption Specialist

As someone who made the move to CS I must note it's quite nice

CyclingAddict

Executive

AE (Account Executive)

Great to hear this feedback! How can I stand out with 2 years of closing experience when JD’s want 3-5?

Armageddon

Opinionated

Enterprise Account Executive

I made the move from CS to Sales and I just updated job descriptions to align more closely with a hunter role

CyclingAddict

Executive

AE (Account Executive)

So you’re saying I should update my resume to align more closely with an AM role?

asalesguy123

Fire Starter

It's been absolutely insane for me. I have MM experience for over a year selling deals 40-100K and have barely got any sniffs.

I am in Canada however and the market is absolutely brutal here in Toronto.

Not only are there fewer ops but they are aggressively paying less than their American counterparts.
My recommendation is to apply - reach out to someone in job and ask for a referral or if you get an interview to inform the contact at the company to speak highly of you to the manager.

bendandsnack

Politicker

Account Exec

Have you considered a minor facelift on the resume? Let’s shift that to .5 years BDR & 4 years closing, calling into xxx industry you’re trying to get into

SportsSalesGuy

Tycoon

Enterprise Account Executive

Im trying to do the same. Move to CS role get paid just as much or more and so much less stress

iamtheone

Executive

Enterprise SDR

I got laid off in November and I’m still looking. Hang in there and best of luck

lilhunter

Good Citizen

independent sales consultant

if you're still open to suggestions... might I suggest you sell something outside of tech startups? Go on subreddit r/sales and you will see the happiest, richest sales people selling HVACs and construction equipment and adhesives...