Kanyebut4sales

Account Executive

How high does sales leadership comp actually go in SaaS?

thinking about taking an offer to make the jump into sales leadership but have always been told I'll earn less... and I'm not into that sorta thing 😐

OTE is 250 for this position but I'm curious how much that can scale as time goes on?

anyone here see the fruits of sales leadership take you past 500k?

💰 Compensation

🧢 Sales Management

☁️ Software Tech

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CoorsKing

WR Officer

Retired King of the Coors Knights

At my company:
my OTE = 260k
Director = somewhere around $300-$400k
VP = $520k
AVP = $700k +
SVP = close to $1m

Kanyebut4sales

WR Lieutenant

Account Executive

Dang! Cyber space? That’s an awesome trajectory

JustGonnaSendIt

Politicker

Burn Towns, Get Money

I'm in Cyber and this tracks almost exactly with what I see at my company.

Wait @CoorsKing ... do we work at the same place? LOL

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

SaaS Eater

I am a director right now but in SMB, my OTE is 250 split between base and variable.

My upside as me and my team grows is into the mid 3's probably but the real upside for leadership generally comes in the form of stock/equity. I have like 10x the stock that any of my AEs have. If we IPO my stock will be worth $5-$10M where theres is worth like $500k. (I know its a huge if, thats a different convo).

I have also been a leader at a publicly traded company and the above was still true. My cash comp was lower than my top performing AEs but I made that up and then some in RSUs.

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

☕️

This is an example of a thread where a bunch of IC level folks are going to blow smoke about something they do not have experience with. However, I do.

If your OTE is 250, I’d imagine you’re on an 80/20 base/variable split—or close to it. It’s hard to raise your base over time, but as your teams number goes up, so should your variable. How fast and how far will that take you? Maybe to 500+, but more than likely some here in the 300s in the next few years.

I don’t know many SMB or MM VPs making $500, but if you can leverage this experience to get into an Ent role then you have a shot at a big payday.

TennisandSales

Politicker

Head Of Sales

yeah its possible. But I mean its realy going to depend on industry, experience and success of the company for sure.

I would it is common for the manager to make less than the top IC.

But once you become a Senior director or VP if any sales ppl make more than you, its probably only one or two and the are tru enterprise reps

EQSales

Opinionated

VP of Sales

i agree with some of this feedback not being rooted in reality:

-every comp plan i have ever seen has been a 50/50 split for OTE (base/variable). occasionally i will see 60/40

below all OTE's based on 50/50 split

for enterprise:
-junior rep- $230k-$250K OTE
-tenured enterprise rep- $260K-$300K OTE
-majors/strategic/global enterprise rep- $300k-340K OTE
-first line sales manager- $340K-$370K
-second line sales leader- $370k-$400k
-3rd line (typically where VP title comes in)- $400k-$420K
-4th line- $450K-$500K
-5th line is either CRO or Global VP depending on company size and you will see a big range but typically mid $500's to $750K

For SMB, mid market or transactional sales regardless of customer company size-
-inside rep- $120k-$160K
-hybrid/field rep/sr rep- $180k-$220K
-first line- $200K-$260K
-second line- $275K-$340K
-3rd line- $325K-$375K
-4th line- $400k-$450k
-GVP- $450K+

doing this for 15 years. worked in fortune 50 companies, series A and everything in between. been in commercial and enterprise. above reflects what i have seen of late across everything discussed

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

SaaS Eater

Yup this nails it, I assume youre saying the 50/50 split is for AE's though correct?

EQSales

Opinionated

VP of Sales

leaders also. in my experience. i prefer it that way, more upside for over achievement

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

SaaS Eater

Interesting, in all the leadership role I have been in its been more of a 70/30 ish split base and commission especially as ive moved from manager to director and so on.

EQSales

Opinionated

VP of Sales

might be the crew i've run with but we liked to keep everyone consistent. so if reps are 50/50, leaders are too. plus again, incentives leaders to overachieve vs collect big salary and prey for equity to work out

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

SaaS Eater

yup makes sense. plenty of ways to skin that cat

DragonTiger

Good Citizen

VP of Sales

If AEs got 5050 split managers usually do too. Second line and above it’s the stock options / RSUs that gets really interesting. I hated that all my mangers always said they didn’t get any money as manager. If there were no economic inventive to be managers everyone would be ICs. But it is a longer game, first line manager is the BDR role of leadership. I earned less my first two year as manager than I did as top performer, but have earned similar or more every year after.

EQSales

Opinionated

VP of Sales

oh 100%. a rep can make a million $ W2 as enterprise rep at the right company.

But a 3rd line + can make $10MM+ in equity at the right company over 3-5 years

goldenlazard

Politicker

Senior SDR

What’s a tenured rep?

NotCreativeEnough

Big Shot

Professional Day Ruiner

Typically a top producer will out earn a manager. The benefit to being on the management side though is that your pay tends to be more consistent, and your quota's are based on team performance as a whole, not on one individuals success. There's definite pro's and con's to both. Personally, I enjoy being in a client facing role too much to get into management. I also feel like if you ever want/need a job change, it'll be much harder to find a new management role than it will be to find a new sales role.

BitcoinAddict

Opinionated

Plus management = much less work-life balance

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Have you checked roles similar to yours on RepVue? That should help.

Pachacuti

Politicker

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

I have seen it, but it’s rare. And usually you have to be there from the early start.

SADNESSLieutenant

Politicker

Officer of ♥️

Big money

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Kanyebut4sales

How high does sales leadership comp actually go in SaaS?

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