I work at kind of an old fashioned sales job now and new companies are brushing my applications off

Hey, so I work in commercial HVAC sales right now. I work for a contractor and sell repairs/replacements and service type work. I like the job but I live in a small city right now and am looking to move to a bigger city with more opportunity. I am applying to sales account executive and account management roles but companies don't seem to give me the time of day since my job isn't fitting the corporate structure.


My job now is working up estimates and talking with the customer through what they're looking for, working with technicians to see what needs to be done, and talking with vendors for equipment. We don't do any cold calling but sometimes we will do cold emailing or some sort of tip off from another customer we are already working with. Basically we have customers we take care of with sales and will expand to more customers through networking, reputation, and expanding on current customers. We don't use salesforce.com/etc. The type of person who answers a cold call isn't the type of person we do business with is what we like to say.


Anyway, the questions I get asked by these companies in the screening calls seem very like they're looking for random customers to buy the product and then throw them out; and the whole relationship thing seems foreign to them. I often get told my company doesn't know what we're doing (100m in revenue with 200 employees idk).


Am I just running into bad apple companies, or is this just kind of how it is and I got dealt the strange company? I've been looking for awhile and it kind of seems like the only companies hiring now are the ones that want the quick buck, rather than building a relationship with a customer they work with for a long time. I'm getting kind of discouraged I'lI be stuck in my small town my whole life because these companies I've talked to have been kind of close minded/fixed mindset...


I've looked in tech/SAAS, advertising, and HVAC sales.

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9
HVACexpert
Politicker
12
sales engineer
Finally a fellow HVAC guy! Where are you applying to? Like are you trying to jump to the manufacturing or rep side? I get hit up quite a bit about open positions in my local HVAC market. If you work for a contractor and have service sales experience that would be very valuable anywhere you go in our industry. Are wanting to stay on the commercial/industrial side? Controls? Equipment ? If you would like you can DM me and we can chat I bit. My market is in a ‘big city’. Would be happy to help any way I can.
oldcloser
Arsonist
8
💀
☝️☝️☝️ How this is supposed to work.
detectivegibbles
Politicker
4
Sales Director
It's so refreshing to see members in the same market connect and lend value.
Maximas
Tycoon
3
Senior Sales Executive
Yeah,finding an HVAC fella in the WR is just like finding a diamond in the sand:),lucky tezz and thanks expert!
RelationshipMaker
Opinionated
1
Head of Sales
As soon as I saw this post I remembered that @HVACexpert had commented on some of my posts. Looks like you’ve found each other, fantastic!!
CPTAmerica
Opinionated
5
President/CRO
Why change industries? Plenty of very high paying sales positions in home/industrial services in big cities.

If your goal is to transition into tech, software, etc. I’d call a recruiting agency in the city you want to move to and tell them what you’re trying to do. Most major cities will have recruiters that focus specifically on sales roles.

It can be frustrating but it’s nothing new. Flip the roles, some big shot AE from a SaaS company moves to your town and applies at your company to sell HVAC services. How is that applicant viewed?
HVACexpert
Politicker
1
sales engineer
Industry experience will always trump non industry experience. That is certainly the case for HVAC I’m sure it’s the other way around as well.
CRAG112
Valued Contributor
4
Account Executive
Start focusing on Account Management roles that are focused on upsells/renewals. Not roles that are focused on new business new logo sales.

reach out directly to hiring managers via email and cold call them.

tell them why you and why their company. Tell them you will call every single person in the CRM. You should get some meetings booked that way.

what other questions are there?
oldcloser
Arsonist
4
💀
I suspect you’ve got some expert advice on the way in from @HVACexpert. I’ll yield
FinanceEngineer
Politicker
3
Sr Director, sales and partnerships
You should be a shoe in for a larger market if you know the product. What do you sell? Just find the local rep or the larger local GCs and there should be something open. Hell, if you know the equipment you can go owners rep or even with a design firm. Getting into non-building related SaaS will be very difficult.
HVACexpert
Politicker
1
sales engineer
Something building related would be easy though, like BlueBeam or ServiceTitan would be easy for him to integrate into.
ChickenWings
Opinionated
0
Tom Callahan's Son
Great route. I don't know a ton about HVAC, but finding a platform that serves the industry is a great way in.

Sell to who you know, speaking their language.

Some ideas a quick search threw back...

1. Housecall Pro
2. ServiceFusion
3. Jobber
4. Gladly
5. Podium
6. Birdeye

Not an endorsement for any of the above being good places to work, but they should see value in your experience.
Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
2
Sales Rep
it's frustrating when companies don't seem to understand your approach to sales. But don't get discouraged! There are definitely companies out there that value customer relationships.

Before applying or interviewing, check out companies to see if they align with your sales style. Look for ones that prioritize building long-term relationships.

Networking is a great way to find companies that appreciate your approach. Talk to old coworkers to see if they like their role and willing to refer
CuriousFox
WR Officer
1
🦊
I back you 💯
HealthyPipe
Opinionated
1
Enterprise Account Executive
@HVACexpert looking to poke your brain a bit about HVAC sales, and the opportunity in general. Virtual coffee on me- Interested?
HVACexpert
Politicker
0
sales engineer
Do you have IPhone App? We can DM there if you want
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Should I mention that I’m currently running a company in my new sales job interview?

Question
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What are some good companies to work that will take on someone with new with no experience? I have 6 years of sales experience and I’m bilingual.

Question
14
7

Worked as a Freelance Sales expert from last 7 years..... Now looking for tech sales job

Discussion
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