Marth

si vis pacem para bellum

Is tech sales the best sales?

hey fam,

been in tech 4 years now - from lowly SDR to MM rep. making close to 200K now but living day to day with so much stress. I can't help but wonder if there are sales gigs outside of tech where I could make the same or more without feeling anxious 60% of my week. Feel like my skills are so specific to SaaS sales that there's just no way I can earn the same income in another industry.

is there anyone out there who made the jump from tech sales to another profession? I welcome all answers even if people made the jump outside sales entirely. I feel so siloed in the tech sphere and that my skills aren't transferrable to other roles. is it easier to get hired coming from SaaS Sales than it is trying to break into SaaS from another sector?

if you genuinely think I should just suck it up and keep grinding I'm open to that feedback too

🧠 Advice

🎯 Career Development

28 comments

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HVACexpert

Politicker

sales engineer

Sales is stressful no matter what, it’s sales. What makes it bearable is if you enjoy it. I had lost that at one point but found it again where I’m at. You have to find something that you enjoy selling and a place you enjoy being. Only then is the stress and money worth it.

Sdr

facts

oldcloser

Arsonist

💀

I think most people are seduced by the OTE numbers in tech. And once the golden handcuffs get slapped on it’s really difficult to move out. Personally. I immigrated from broadcast media as that was shrinking. So, I have no motivation to leave. If you’ve got engineering in you, the HVAC world might be a place where skills are transferable. @HVACexpert would be better to shed light.

HVACexpert

Politicker

sales engineer

Thanks for tag

Pachacuti

Politicker

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

I met up with a guy who sells office tech 2 weeks ago. Top guy in his office made >1m last year. Not really, like SaaS, but an area where you can make some some real $$.

Avon

Politicker

Senior Account Executive

CDW?

Revenue_Rambo

Politicker

Director, Revenue Enablement

What does office tech include?

saaskicker

Celebrated Contributor

Enterprise AE

you been to an office?

monitors, lap tops, ipads, cables, wifi, routers, cameras in conference rooms, printers

like tech that's in the office

TheColdestColdCall

Executive

Enterprise Account Executive

Is that biz really taking off given the work-from-home change?

FinanceEngineer

Politicker

Sr Director, sales and partnerships

This is what I’m told. No one will pay the big bucks to just babysit an account. You need to close.

HVACexpert

Politicker

sales engineer

There is also sales for EVERYTHING. If someone is making something, there is a sales guy selling it. Find something your passionate about and go sell it, it will be that much easier to make $$

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Or just be dead inside like the rest of us

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Wait, Foxy... Is there another option!?

FinanceEngineer

Politicker

Sr Director, sales and partnerships

As someone who was a specifying engineer in a former life, the HVAC sales guys in major markets (like NYC) made bank and had a lot of fun.

HVACexpert

Politicker

sales engineer

I’m in a large market myself and it can be a LOT of fun, but also a HUGE pain in the ass lol.

A specifying engineer awesome! Let’s nerd out sometime.

FinanceEngineer

Politicker

Sr Director, sales and partnerships

I was at the NY office of a large consulting firm, based in the UK. We mostly did trophy buildings with crazy architects. I got to put in some really fun systems like an energy reclamation wheel inside the AHU, and humidity controlled multi floor atriums inside museums. I have stories.

GDO

Politicker

BDM

Sales is sales. However, the org you’re in matters most in my opinion.

SaaSguy

Tycoon

Account Executive

Best job is somewhere you can remained engaged and sell a lot. For some its timber for some its SaaS

RandyLahey

Politicker

Account Executive

It really depends on your tolerance to stress and pressure. I like the pressure but it can add up.
I do have a close friend that makes about triple what I make in Transportation. But they've working there for over a decade, and it's much more difficult industry to penetrate.
Also, get rid of that 'suck it up' language from your lexicon. These are perfectly normal feelings, and you are doing yourself a favour by expressing them here.
good luck!

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Is it the profession or the company for which you work? Sometimes it's where you work and who you work for rather than the career itself that's the issue.

Diablo

Politicker

Sr. AE

You can definitely explore but the environment, client base, mentality of your prospect will be so different i.e. possible learning curve.

braintank

Politicker

Enterprise Account Executive

Why is tech stressing you out?

ScorpionZD

Executive

Enterprise SDR

Heard high end vehicle sales is good, even roofing sales if you're working for a top company can make you bank. But ATM I'm happy with SaaS

sora

Opinionated

RevOps Automation Consultant

Herd great thing about industrial and manufacturing sales but hard to get into without a book of business or do like me and go into entrepreneurship

Juancallclose

Catalyst

Director

It is. Best sales job but probably the most stressful. I say that as someone who works for a company that has best in class service, reputation and product.

Sdr

I'll only speak with the SDR experience I have. The stress comes with sales. If your not finding it to go away after a while of being at the company then take a good look around, maybe it's time to find another role to sell a different product. In regards to elsewhere, it sounds like you have a lot of skills (i.e. negotiation, customer service, closing deals, etc.) that translate where to pretty much every other sales sector. Be mindful though they'll probably expect you to have some knowledge on the industry. Best of luck.

Sales Specialist

I mean medical Device or biotech is awesome, because you get face to face interactions with some of the most brilliant people changing medicine. Plus you feel like you are apart of driving innovative medicine. But you are hitting the pavement & a lot of companies have extremely aggressive sales targets to the point they let you go if you are in the bottom 30 percent.

LambyCorn

Arsonist

-1

A mfkn E

Sales are the best sales xD

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Marth

Is tech sales the best sales?

28 comments

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