detectivegibbles

Sales Director

Acclaimed Answer

I took the bait...and beginning to regret it.

Wanted to share my experience with joining a series A startup...

Was performing as a top 3 (of 20) rep at previous company. Had a recruiter reach out for a start-up that just raised a Series A.

$25k salary bump, uncapped commissions, paid healthcare for me, unlimited PTO, equity, etc. Sounds good right?

I asked all the right questions about their runway, burn rate, how many reps were hitting quota, etc., before accepting the role.

3 weeks in, they've laid off 6 reps who were hired in the previous 2 months. I get zero clarity to my questions on standard of processes and how reps are supposed to sell now as they've eliminated paid marketing, inbound leads are now held by the director of sales and no longer divided up amongst sales reps. Everything being told to sales team is just "restructuring to best suit team going forward". Yet, reps that were laid off were producing.

Trying to keep an abundance mindset, make my calls, etc., but writing seems to be on the wall....

Just enrolled in TechSales U. Sorry for the vent session...but just wanting to pass along my experience for any one currently in the hiring process. Make sure to do your due diligence and trust your gut.

50

50 comments

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Douglo

Opinionated

11

Sr Account Executive

Laying off even 1 rep after 2 months is a huge red flag, let alone 6. Can admire the will to stick it out but I would look for a new job

detectivegibbles

Politicker

1

Sales Director

We've all been reassured this is the sales team to drive the business forward...so I guess we shall see.

bdiggidy

Opinionated

0

Account Executive Mid-Market

No problem just DM’d you!

CuriousFox

WR Officer

9

🦊

Sounds like they can't give you clarity because they are working on figuring shit out on the fly. Vent away boo. ❤🦊

detectivegibbles

Politicker

3

Sales Director

Which I totally get. 2nd start up I've been a part of. You throw shit against the wall, see what sticks, and adjust.

However, the fact we're having our 3rd sales meeting in 8 business days to discuss processes tells me we can't stick to any one plan long enough to see what works.

Appreciate ya Fox.

eyris

Fire Starter

0

Business Development Intern

Exactly

SoccerandSales

Big Shot

3

Account Executive

Sounds like a shitshow, I have had a couple newer companies reach out, and this is helpful for my mindset going into speaking to them

detectivegibbles

Politicker

1

Sales Director

Guessing you already have, but use the resources within the academy.

Also recommend if you're being offered equity to get clarity on that.

SoccerandSales

Big Shot

0

Account Executive

Great advice, I actually haven't looked too much into the academy for resources for getting a job (because I am not really looking) but I should

ADK

Opinionated

3

VC Associate

Sorry to read this, vent it all out. Can you estimate how much runway this gives lay off spree gives them? It's probably a terrible morale atm but if it makes them take a breath, company may come back stronger faster. Best of luck 🙏

detectivegibbles

Politicker

0

Sales Director

I can't unfortunately. Haven't been given much insight into financials outside of "if you're not hitting $XXXXX number per month in sales, you're costing the company money".

ADK

Opinionated

0

VC Associate

yeahh not very motivating as well

eyris

Fire Starter

0

Business Development Intern

Agreed!

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

2

Bravado's Resident Asshole

yikes. I hope things clear up for you.

detectivegibbles

Politicker

0

Sales Director

Thank you!

jefe

Arsonist

2

🍁

Ouch, I hope things turn out well for you.

detectivegibbles

Politicker

1

Sales Director

Thanks Jefe!

Sunbunny31

Politicker

2

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

It sounds like you did all the due diligence and research you could. You can’t see the future. That said, I do hope this ends well for you.

detectivegibbles

Politicker

0

Sales Director

Thanks Sunbunny!

Fenderbaum

Politicker

2

Retired Choirboy🪕

Maintain that mindset, do your job, and keep on the lookout for something new. Hopefully this is just a speed bump for you and this clusterf#ck works itself out for the good. Best wishes, Sir.

detectivegibbles

Politicker

1

Sales Director

Appreciate you Fenderbaum.

bdiggidy

Opinionated

2

Account Executive Mid-Market

@detectivegibbles can I DM you? I literally got an offer last week and am in a similar position you were in before you started at this shop it sounds like. Money looks good but difficult to decisive rn.

detectivegibbles

Politicker

0

Sales Director

Absolutely! I haven't used the DM feature yet on here so forgive me if I don't respond immediately.

TelecomBro

2

Sales Manager

Seems like it would be quite the shocker. The good news is processes can be fixed quickly, bad news is culture has a much harder time getting fixed. Hard to be in a chaotic environment and fear of getting laid off. If you believe in the product and want to be part of the success, stick with it and fight, and be professionally vocal about changes in processes you’d like to see.

G00ND0CKS

Personal Narrative

2

CSM

This is where your grit kicks in. Abundance mindset is a plus, but don't stop there. Use this time to shape the company culture, best practices, and directives to a lane that will improve performance, then humbly accept your VP promotion when the company finally pulls its head out of its ass.

Diablo

Politicker

1

Sr. AE

Sorry to hear that and I’m sure you will do well - I try to avoid series A no matter how much more they are willing to pay.

detectivegibbles

Politicker

0

Sales Director

Lesson learned! Thanks for the support.

Pachacuti

Politicker

1

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

Been there. Its a tough lesson to learn. Not all series A companies suck, but its a big reward for big risk scenario.

Good luck!

detectivegibbles

Politicker

0

Sales Director

Very. The super fast tracked hiring was the first red flag. Nearly tripling the team within 2 months after funding, it felt rushed.

Pachacuti

Politicker

0

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

The fast hiring after finding makes sense. The investors have given the company targets to hit and the only way to do that is with an aggressive sales force.
The big money is the red flag to me though.

detectivegibbles

Politicker

0

Sales Director

I agree, however I think they've been a bit misleading with the recent new hires.

I hope I'm wrong but that's the sentiment floating around the sales team.

detectivegibbles

Politicker

1

Sales Director

Appreciate the support everyone. Means a ton and grateful for this community. Will figure this shit out and get off my soapbox!

JustGonnaSendIt

Politicker

1

Burn Towns, Get Money

I've been thru this. It's rough.

If you can financially and mentally afford to grind it out to see how things evolve, and what you're doing is interesting, you stand to learn a TON about how businesses are built.

However, there is a point where, if they don't get it figured out, and your contributions are being minimized, it's time to take a walk.

I would recommend you figure out a system that works for you while you're waiting on the CHUDs in management to figure it out. Heck, if your system works better they may adopt it (win!).

Also, note of caution, Unlimited PTO is really not PTO at all. It's just working from somewhere else. Everywhere I've worked with this perk has essentially never let me disconnect successfully without severe negative feedback.

FiestyFeline26

Personal Narrative

1

AM (Account Manager)

Love this (well, not the situation for you Detective Gibbles) convo. Thanks for the good food for thought (similar but different situation here).

Showmesales.com

1

TSM

Totally understand. Same thing happened to me. NUTS!

londoniscoldandwet

Opinionated

1

SDR

I did this for a pre-seed, and jumped into what became a head of sales role and I was expected to create reports and forecast which I’d never done before. I lasted 8 months before I went back to being an SDR because it’s more fun

detectivegibbles

Politicker

0

Sales Director

Wow. Not much support from CEO regarding forecasting it sounds like?

londoniscoldandwet

Opinionated

0

SDR

Eventually they did, took about 6 months! Issue was, there was no system, not even a CRM when I joined so I had to build out everything. Once I left, the CEO decided to take apart everything I’d done, despite getting us some good logos in. Last I saw they haven’t found anyone else to do sales

Maximas

Tycoon

1

Senior Sales Executive

Such no clarity that way does not make them trustworthy, just stay with them until finding a better opportunity soon.

SDRThanos

1

Sales development representative

Oh my gosh I had the same experience recently and got laid off last month on lunch break even though I was doing great 😞 even told me it wasn’t my performance. I’m stuck in a weird space now but I’m trying my best to get on someone’s team. Look for a new job before it’s too late and if anyone can help me please reach out I desperately need it!

detectivegibbles

Politicker

0

Sales Director

Keep grinding, networking, and applying. Tons of great companies that are forecasting growth and hiring. You got this!

honeybell

1

Director of Sales

So all in all - bad time to move around, especially to a start up, right?

detectivegibbles

Politicker

0

Sales Director

I wouldn’t totally agree.

This company just did a round of layoffs 6 weeks ago. Those that weren’t were given a presentation with the new sales strategy and a “transparent” look into our financials which included a 15 month runway based on our current revenue.

We were totally misled. I think there are much better managed startups out there and you’ve got to take it upon yourself to find red flags.

honeybell

0

Director of Sales

How do I find the red flags accordingly? I’ve never stepped foot into start-up world before. I’ve always been at these Fortune 500 companies (many feel like startups sometimes), but there’s always been some sense of security. I’ve never had to ask specifics about the longevity/future to this degree before. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

detectivegibbles

Politicker

1

Sales Director

No tried and true method. But I believe there’s some good resources in the academy section about questions to ask when interviewing.

If they dance around answers related to runway and cash reserves, run.

honeybell

0

Director of Sales

Got it. Thank you!!

slaydie

Big Shot

0

Account Executive

Yikes, this is terrible. Vent away! Might be worth looking for a new role.

eyris

Fire Starter

0

Business Development Intern

Be on the lookout and have a backup plan

Arzola

Valued Contributor

0

Business administration

ohhh, it doesn't sound like an environment where one can be calm, I hope everything goes well

WhoDey

Opinionated

0

VP of Sales

Sorry to hear that. Another Series A startup horror story. Ugh.

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