krisx

Business Development Manager

Entrepreneurial Olympian transitioning into SaaS LF advice

Hey guys,

I'll try to preface my background in the shortest way possible: I just recently graduated from college as a 6X NCAA All-American & 2021 Olympian but have decided I don't want to pursue my sport professionally any longer–I'd rather focus on my career. Anyhow, during my sophomore year in college I partnered up with some friends as an equal partner and long story short, we 14x'd YoY and I ended up being in charge of a team of 15 closers (AEs, I guess.) I ended up selling my equity because of spending problems w/ one of our founders.

Right after the Olympics, I got restless so I eventually dove deeper into the web3 vertical, landing a Business Development Manager gig and have been doing that for about 8 months now. My concern lies w/ the industry and how there's not a lot of room for upward mobility (compensation-wise).

Given that I'm done with school and don't have any serious time commitments, I'm looking to transition into traditional SaaS and have been using RepVue as a gauge for good potential companies to reach out to, but I have a couple of questions:

I want to break in as an AE and am confident I'd crush it, but I don't have too much experience closing and have never carried quota. Should I initially go for an SDR role and then try to get on a fast-track program to become an AE?
Outside of RepVue, are there any other good resources to help me on my hunt? Any companies in particular you feel are top-tier status?
Any other tips at all?

Sorry about the long post; any help is much appreciated.

Much love

🎈 Mentorship

9

14 comments

Sort by:

jefe

Arsonist

3

🍁

With your track record of success both in business and athletically, definitely aim higher than SDR.

I know some guys that played CFL and did MBA's and the athletic side really helped them get a foot in the door in org's.

Good luck, hope you continue to win!! And it sounds likeyou will

CuriousFox

WR Officer

3

🦊

Agreed 🥂

krisx

0

Business Development Manager

Thanks for replying and for the motivation!

Yeah, I've heard similar stories. Did they all break in as an AE if you don't mind me asking? (if they were in Sales)

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

2

Bravado's Resident Asshole

The clout will definitely help. Why? Because of the dedication shown behind the accomplishments. There isn't a fear of work, there isn't a fear of asking questions or getting feedback, and there is a pull for constant improvement.

Basically a recruiter's wet dream when it comes to prospects.

Find what will work for YOU and then make it happen by reaching out.

krisx

0

Business Development Manager

Appreciate the motivating words, man.

On it! I've got six SDR interviews (mostly enterprise) lined up from a single day of prospecting biz dev managers but will be pushing the attack more aggressively for an AE position.

Pachacuti

Politicker

2

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

With your resume (what you stated here) you should NOT be going the SDR route.

Target AE roles or higher. Make sure your resume prominently displays your athletic accomplishments. Many SaaS companies value this more than actual work experience.

krisx

1

Business Development Manager

Great feedback–thanks! I might need to change up my resume a tad in that case... Is there any chance you'd be willing to take a look and grill me wherever required?

No worries if you're too busy, I just figured I'd ask.

Either way, thanks for the heads up!

Pachacuti

Politicker

0

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

Happy to. I know you can do an anonymous posting of your resume here or I guess you could DM it to me. But you'll get more well rounded feedback posting it (subtracting your PII).

TennisandSales

Politicker

1

Head Of Sales

first off as a former college athlete that did not have NEARLY as much success as you.....im very jealous. 😂 Congrats on your success already.

can you elaborate on your experience with this company in college? you said you managed a team of closers, did you not do any selling your self?

what was the product? (vaguely)

Im drilling down on this because out side of athletics it may be the best story to nail down in interviews.

1. Not necessarily. if you have managed a team of closers you could look for a manager role, BUT it will be hard if you have never closed a deal your self.

2. i think linked in would be your next best choice.

3. I would try to nail down what type of product you want to sell, what kind of company you want to work for and why. Then try to search for companies that fit that criteria, and shoot to connect with people that work there on linked in. this will give you the best chance.

Check out one of the posts I made about going from financial services to saas. a few of the steps apply here as well.

krisx

2

Business Development Manager

Hey, thanks so much for replying man! I appreciate it.

It was a marketing suite for affiliates, and I did sell at times w/ high priority leads if I felt it was important for me to be on the calls. However, most of the time, I handled all objection handling sequences, created the sales training, ran the sales meetings, etc.

I've been using RepVue thus far to look for interesting products w/ good OTEs & high quota attainment and have been reaching out to biz dev managers to book interviews. I've had a really good reception thus far and have 5 interviews booked this coming week. Given my history, do you think I should press for a fast-track program to become an AE, or is that unheard of?

Will def. check out your posts! Thanks again

TennisandSales

Politicker

1

Head Of Sales

ok this is really cool. sounds like you have some awesome experience.

I would avoid SDR roles. i dont think you need to take that step.

I would for sure look for AE roles. I think looking at Marketing technology companies would be a good idea too. i do not understand the affiliate space a ton, but If there was an industry that you were most closely aligned with, it could be Martech.

Feel free to shoot me a DM as well id be happy to share any experience I can.

krisx

1

Business Development Manager

Noted! I'll try to aim for AE positions as well. I'm assuming instead of reaching out to sales development managers, I should be reaching out to sales mgrs in that case, correct?

Also, thanks a lot for being so open. I'll def reach out and happy to return the favor however I can in the future sometime :)

TennisandSales

Politicker

2

Head Of Sales

yeah it could be sales managers, directors of sales or vp of sales depending on the size of the company

Sunbunny31

Politicker

0

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Based on your post, you are motivated, driven, and not afraid to jump into things and try them. Every single one of those is an attribute that should land you an AE role, if that's what you want.

What you've expressed in your post should get the attention of a hiring manager, and are the foundation of your pitch to them as to why you'd be a great hire.

I have no doubt you're going to succeed.

Bravado is a community of trusted sales professionals endorsed by their customers.

Products

The War Room Jobs Salary Guide Tech Sales U

Company

About Us How It Works Blog Bug Bounty

Contact

© 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.