If you join a SaaS company and thrive at the beginning due to inbound leads and good SDR and then sales start going down due to a change of SDR and less inbounds, does that mean you’re not a competent sales person or does it mean it’s time to move on to another company?

🧠 Advice
🤓 Sales Tech
☁️ Software Tech
12
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
6
☕️
What's stopping you from doing your own prospecting and building your own pipeline? Surviving on the gravy (inbounds) will lead to deficiencies elsewhere.
Modro
Valued Contributor
1
Senior Account Executive
Nothing is stopping me from doing that, in fact that is all that I’ve been doing since the changes.. but I feel like it’s impossible to achieve my yearly quota based on what I build from outbound prospecting
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
2
☕️
I don’t think circumstances outside of your own control make you a bad sales professional. If you put the effort in, and exhaust all avenues, then you’re proving your resilience. That said, I’d challenge leadership on the changes—if you already have, and nothing had changed, then I’d consider poking around in the market.
Diablo
Politicker
0
Sr. AE
I can feel you, doing outbound prospecting is great because inbound always don't give you the right ICP. But at the same time meeting quota is challenging. Best is to talk to your manager, explain teh situation and effort you are putting and see if any changes can be done in your target.
funcoupons
WR Officer
5
👑
Doesn't mean you're a bad salesperson, just means you've rested on your laurels too much and need to get back to basics. You might need to hone your cold calling and prospecting skills.
Modro
Valued Contributor
0
Senior Account Executive
Getting back to basic and outbound prospecting along wit some strategic account mapping is all I’ve been doing. However I don’t see how I can achieve my promised OTE based on the this new change. Which is why I asked if this is the time to move on?
funcoupons
WR Officer
1
👑
Up to you. If you've given it your all and still can't get close to what you need it makes sense to look for a new opportunity. 
CuriousFox
WR Officer
2
🦊
Look at you being all helpful and shit ❤
funcoupons
WR Officer
1
👑
I don’t know her. 
Rallier
Politicker
3
SDR Manager and Consultant
doesn't mean your bad salesperson. Just means there is a dip in pipeline
Maximas
Tycoon
0
Senior Sales Executive
True.
aiko
Politicker
1
Sr. Account Executive
The change in process causing less IB leads to come in, is a huge trigger and they should reevaluate your target. Doesn't mean you are a bad rep and it happens often. 
Modro
Valued Contributor
0
Senior Account Executive
This is true, the issue is with forming my targets based on the the inbound leads which used to come in, and now I’m having to outbound to achieve the same target which seems unfair
Justatitle
Big Shot
1
Account Executive
doesn't make you a bad salesperson but it's on you to then generate the new pipeline to make up for the dip. being good at sales isn't just selling it's also prospecting and getting the people to the point of being able to get sold to.
Modro
Valued Contributor
0
Senior Account Executive
I sincerely believe that being a good sales person is also about prospecting and cold calling in facts it’s the basics of selling which every sales person should continuously do, however is it fair for the annual quota to remain the same now that the only source of leads if my outbound prospecting and very minimal amount from inbounds and sdr?
BlueJays2591
Politicker
0
Federal Business Dev Director
I would bring this up immediately. if there truly is a drop in inbound leads and outbound generation, grab the numbers and point to them and try to get to the bottom of it so you can get back to thriving. no need to leave if its something that can be fixed.
ZVRK
Politicker
0
Enterprise Account Executive
Seems like it's time to check your gut feelings on this one :) if it`s becoming to hard to sell, might be time to start looking.
0
New CEO-Sales Lead, Mkt Lead and Ops
I think success comes from consistent improvement and refinement. Can you embrace the change and navigate it or reset baseline assumptions and goals with the SDR? Sometimes leaving is the answer, but the above question is the first one I would ask if you came to me.
AnchorPoint
Politicker
0
Business Coach
Depends upon the role you are to play in the sales process. Prospecting is not a part time thing.
15
Members only

If sales people didn’t have quotas, and were paid just a flat rate of whatever they sold, do you think think that A)Salespeople would work just as hard? B) Create a better culture within the Sales Org? C) Create better relationships with their buyers?

Question
37
13

Rant: Very few SaaS companies actually know how to start an SDR team

Discussion
11
33
Members only

I was hired at a really good start up about 4 months ago for a SDR role that I was told I wouldn’t be in for very long. They’re gonna go public in the next year, but Zoom Info reached out to me about an Account exec position. Now I’m wondering if I should take the guaranteed route to AE or let my shares vest and get to AE at the place that took me. Usually I wouldn’t consider jumping so quickly, but AE is AE.

Question
30
stay or go
53% yes, start closing
47% no, dont be impatient
310 people voted