bendandsnack

Account Exec

Imposter syndrome & differences between SMB and Ent reps

Hey guys,

Made the jump from SMB to Ent in a cutthroat but lucrative territory. Yippie.

I work in partner channel sales so my job is to kiss the ass of sales reps at a Big Tech company. I convince them to bring their clients to my company for professional services.

We're hosting a big event for the Ent reps SKO. That means I'll have to have customer stories from specific industries ready to rock, know what sales plays are going to make these reps money, and wow them into thinking I'm the partner for them.

I've been reaching out to the reps ahead of time to say "hey can't wait to chat at the event blah blah blah", and have noticed that most of them are way older than me, with way more Big Tech experience.

Any thoughts on what makes an Ent rep stand out versus an SMB rep?

Def imposter syndrome but I'm afraid of my lack of experience showing through

🎈 Mentorship

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☁️ Software Tech

17

14 comments

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Pachacuti

Politicker

10

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

Be humble and don’t act you know it all. They will smell that and if ignore you.

To quote Pitbull “ask for money, get paid once. Ask for advice, get paid twice”.

Ask lots of questions like “what has worked for you…” “what would you do…” etc

SaaSsy

Politicker

3

AE

Haha Pitbull spitting truth!

Sunbunny31

Politicker

6

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Worked for a big tech company, and worked with a lot of partners.

Besides helping those reps with the deals they bring to you, are you in a position to bring them business your company has sourced? That’s one way to be really effective.

Other ways are to know your stuff, be proactive, and be willing to do the hard work to help progress deals in partnership. If you are effective and have a good track record of responsiveness and getting things done, nobody’s going to care how old or young you are. We were all baby reps once, and a good one is a good one.

GDO

Politicker

4

BDM

2 way street, Love it!As long as you can be valuable to them they will not mind your age.

lvsales16

Member

3

SVP-Business Development and Client Partnership

Do your homework and come prepared with thoughts on industry trends or best practices. If they think you know what clients are struggling with and want to solve for, you will be viewed as an asset. And don’t worry about the age gap…view it as a bonus because so many of today’s buyers are young like you!

yosoybill

3

Account Manager

I work at a major SI and we partner sell with most of the Big Tech companies out there. In my experience, getting them to work with rests of a) understanding how they’re comp’d, b) bringing some value to them either via intros to new customers or helping their commission check, and c) making sure you know your shit. If they recommend you to a customer, they need to feel absolutely great that they won’t get egg on their face.

TennisandSales

Politicker

2

Head Of Sales

man i have never been in a sales situation like this. if I was the sales reps I would just want to know about you and how you run things and if I liked you as a person I bet i would be more inclined to work with you.

LiveFromTrona

Opinionated

2

Partner Sales Rep

How do you like working at a partner? I work at a CSP and have thought about switching to sell at one of the SIs that I work with a lot. Have you ever thought about working on the CSP side?

bendandsnack

Politicker

0

Account Exec

I haven’t worked at a CSP but I love working at a partner.

Pros: selling cutting edge technology without dealing with the red tape that comes at Big Tech, my freedom to do whatever I want/have a say in company strategy, lead gen is building relationships with reps, if you get a good rep/relationship the pipeline fills itself

Cons: you live & die on reputation, if you piss one rep at a CSP off they can tell all their colleagues to avoid you, also it’s hard juggling what the CSP wants/what the customer needs on a deal

Really depends what you’re looking for

ilovemondays

Executive

2

Senior Account Executive

don't feed the dinosaurs

Justatitle

Big Shot

1

Account Executive

everyone has imposter syndrome, even once you have been there done that the human mind loves to go to dark places. Guess what if its not you someone else will do it so why not you?

detectivegibbles

Politicker

1

Sales Director

The best way I've found to mask lack of experience is just staying curious.

I don't know is a totally acceptable answer.

"That's a good question. I'm not 100% sure but I know who I my team can walk us through that."

fcmf

Valued Contributor

1

RSM

I think you already doing most of this and might sound cliche, but Here's some advice for you to impress the Enterprise sales reps:

Do your research! Take the time to understand the reps and their companies, their pain points, and what they're looking for in a partner. That way, you can tailor your pitch to meet their needs.
Show off your company's strengths! Share case studies and success stories that demonstrate your value proposition and how you can help the reps succeed.
Stay up-to-date! Demonstrate your knowledge of industry trends and the latest technologies. Show the reps that you're ahead of the game and can support them in navigating this ever-evolving field.
Make them feel heard! Ask questions and actively listen to the reps. Show that you're truly interested in their success and that you're there to support them every step of the way.
Be confident and professional! Show the reps that you're an expert in your field and that you have a solid track record of success. This will help build trust and establish you as a credible partner.
Keep the conversation going! After the event, make sure to follow up with the reps. This will keep the relationship strong and open the door for future opportunities.

ChickenWings

Opinionated

1

Tom Callahan's Son

This will continue to be a factor if you keeping challenging yourself to grow.

About 2 years into the SMB->ENT shift myself. I still routinely come across situations I’m guessing on.

The thread is correct that you just gotta stay humble and curious.

They will smell your inexperience regardless, surprise them with your maturity.

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