DealDonkey

Director of Business

Move from AE to SDR Leader?

I am a top producing AE individual contributor within a SaaS organization. Sales management seems like a natural career progression that can be a difficult leap. Is going from top AE to leader of an SDR team a step back? Job postings seem to require a lot less experience for manager of SDRs compared to manager of AE.

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SaaSData

Catalyst

VP of SaaS & Unit Economics 🏴‍☠️

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! I can't say no enough here. This is a total trap.

The only way you do this is if you have a commitment from the CRO or VP of Sales that you will own a quota carrying team and this is temporary.

This could be the worst move made in SaaS Sales. If you take it.

I love your desire to get into a leadership role, but it's not right to take an SDR Manager role. Simply not the same.

SDR Managers get paid like dog shit in the market and becomes a real bad job if Marketing somehow acquires your division.

Continue the status as a top killer AE and take bigger, better accounts. Crush the number then go steal an FLM role from one of the managers who is past their prime.

The ones who fade first, are the ones missing their number and can't use spreadsheets or technology. These are ideal managers to target for career growth. Find them through your operations team.

Make a BIG W2... THEN tell your leadership you want a front-line role or you're out.

This is the play, if executed you can pivot to leadership.

Then build your army of AE Closers who love to make money and work hard and like to punch and fight every single day they're working with you.

I'll tell you why... the SDR role that changes ownerships within Marketing and Sales Departments.

You never want to report to Marketing. Sometimes your leader can't even protect you. It's sometimes a broken promise.

I've seen so many SDR Teams get switched to Marketing because it makes more sense to align you there when the Sales Leader hasn't done SDR shit in 10 years.

If you hit the wrong "Progressive" Marketing Leader, they'll try to argue you need to be in Marketing so you can be their content creator, campaign editor.

Please do not do this. I beg you. DO NOT DO THIS.

DO NOT DO NOT DO THIS!!!!!!!!

I can tell you horror stories of top AEs getting put into these roles and crushed. Many of them are unemployed and left SaaS completely.

Stay closing, stay near revenue. Never hide. Never let them put you in Marketing as an SDR Manager. This would be a total loss.

You can shift to Marketing under one condition. You've absolutely had it with Sales and your company is going PLG. Then you go to Growth Marketing and you build a side hustle.

The good marketing people are almost 100% OTE + Side Hustles. I know some great marketers that do very little for their own company and they do tons as a Side Hustle. In fact, I'm partnered with many of these Marketing Pros. They're awesome. You'll find them building niche websites on SEO words and shit.

The only time this works is when you KNOW the CRO or VP of Sales and they literally promise you with their life you will get an AE Quota Carrying Team. Then, evaluate their chances of staying and tell them no. Seriously. Stay on the REVENUE side. Nothing else. Close deals, sign orders, be the manager of the team or the manager's manager.

I'm sorry to be so emotional here but this is just going to ruin your career if you do it. I hope you don't.

Please tell me I got through to you on this message.

This is a HARD no from me.... unless

1) Sales Leader cuts a side deal that they're axing an FLM and you will get both.

2) You just trust the hell out of the Sales Leader and they tell you they're going to "take care of you"

The SDR Manager role is right up there with the person running Social Media. Very important but not very well respected or paid well.

You want a Quota. You want to be near Revenue. You want to bring home the bacon in Sales. SaaS Sales is no different.

Front Line Managers, 2VPs, Quota Carrying Reps, you must be near quota to survive in SaaS Sales and make the big bucks.

-SaaS Data
lmk if I can help

DealDonkey

Acclaimed Answer

Director of Business

Thank you for the detailed response and Admiral Ackbar pic. I was actually looking at roles outside my current organization where I am qualified on paper for SDR leader but not AE manager. I have seen our SDR team move from sales to marketing within past year and they are now fighting to bring it back under sales. I wouldn't want to manage our current SDR team so I guess I shouldn't want to manage someone else's. Thanks for helping me see the light.

Getting that sales management experience is not easy though (my current boss is not cut out for it, different story though).

SaaSData

Catalyst

VP of SaaS & Unit Economics 🏴‍☠️

Here's the reality. You can cut a deal with a Sales Leader who needs a good rep. That's your move.

You cut the deal to be a Sales Leader (Quota Carrying) to get the role in 3-6 months. So you look for jobs hiring a rep in a place, that is scaling/growing. Then you take the FLM role as soon as you do a deal cut.

Make them verbally commit to giving you an FLM job if you hit X target. Make sure it's achievable. Then take that job. But I'll tell you. Rushing to management was one of my faults. Be careful. It can be a problem. I get it though, FLM is the way to go. Try to make a +$500k+ W2 year for 1-2 years then go FLM.

Find the job where you already have a commit from the Sales Leader desperate to hire you, then take it.

Don't go in sideways through the SDR Program. That Program is one that is replaced by programmatic Ad Campaigns and your Marketing Team figuring out how to use matched audiences.

Become an AE, get near revenue, hug your customers and do everything you can to get more money and ARR out of them.

Then, make friends with the CEO so you can be teflon. That's the move.

DealDonkey

Acclaimed Answer

Director of Business

Thanks again SaaSData, I have an interview with a growing and recently series D funded SaaS company with positions open all over the sales dept so I will keep this in mind.

SaaSData

Catalyst

VP of SaaS & Unit Economics 🏴‍☠️

Take a killer AE patch and trade with the most senior sales leader for an FLM role in 3-6 months.

Do.it.for.the.checks

Politicker

Account Executive

Hmmm so you think he should?

SaaSData

Catalyst

VP of SaaS & Unit Economics 🏴‍☠️

Definitively yes, sign the offer letter today.

-SaaS Data
lmk if I can help

Diablo

Politicker

Sr. AE

Thanks for sharing @SaaSData I was looking for this answer as well and you quite killed it with the indepth explanation

SaaSData

Catalyst

VP of SaaS & Unit Economics 🏴‍☠️

It's always weird getting offered this position. I've seen so many CROs just give it to the top AE not knowing they're going to completely pollute their best Sales Person's career.

Here's the resume' you don't want...

SDR -> Top AE -> SDR Manager (Switched to Marketing) -> Bottom AE (new company)

Stay in control. Get a bigger territory and wait till one of your FLMs of a Quota Carrying Team falls over and dies. Many of these folks will soon.

Also being SaaS Data / Automation guy here...

Learn how to automate your operations and sales world so you can build moats around your accounts with Alerts/Automated Follow-ups and ALWAYS double down on the Activity Logging via these Automation Systems.

-SaaS Data
lmk if I can help

friendlyginge

Politicker

Account Executive

Can we pin this somehow! So many people ask if SDR manager is a good move and this is always the answer…

SaaSData

Catalyst

VP of SaaS & Unit Economics 🏴‍☠️

Thank you friendly.

I've found my new home here at WR. I'm addicted to the forum. It's not good for all those in SaaS hoping people wouldn't find out about all these Secrets I'm going to drop.

But I'm going to be so stupid honest now with people so you don't make the mistakes I saw as a SaaS Leader.

I've got nothing left to lie for.

I could see someone, a kind soul who is working so hard to get to that next level of their career fall into this trap. The SDR Manager trap is a bad one. Never do it.

-SaaS Data
lmk if I can help

friendlyginge

Politicker

Account Executive

I hear you, I’m addicted too! And I’m glad to be in the room here with you experienced folks, wouldn’t have this opportunity in real life. Give us the cold hard facts!

MSPSales

Politicker

Partner Development Manager

MVP for this comment

saaskicker

Celebrated Contributor

Enterprise AE

commenting to save, this might be the best advice i've seen on the WR yet.

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

Seems like a red flag to me to be honest. I would not go that route.

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Hell yeah it's a step back! Dafuq?!

TheDonnyDifference

Good Citizen

Sales Manager

I think it ultimately depends on what you're trying to do long-term. Are you in it for the money? If so, stay as an AE. Are you trying to move up in the organization and have more influence on up-and-coming individuals? If so, move to a leadership role. I personally got more satisfaction and enjoyment watching other people experience success and hit their personal goals than getting huge commission checks for myself. But...that being said, leadership isn't for everyone. You no longer have control over your direct income, you have to coach up or coach out the low performers, you need to ego-check the high performers, and all the while still deliver on a number. Just my two cents.

DealDonkey

Acclaimed Answer

Director of Business

Great points and ones I have struggled with. I like the idea of helping others grow but am pretty good at doing well for myself and this is about money. My manager gets half of what I do in commission on every deal whether they are involved or not so I see potential for money in a leadership role. Not sure how other SaaS companies compensate their leaders but mine has it pretty damn good.

LordBusiness

Politicker

Chief Revenue Officer

They are two very different skillsets, do you have a solid amount of SDR experience? Are their know AE leadership roles on the horizon??

DealDonkey

Acclaimed Answer

Director of Business

I do my own appointment setting in this role as well as past closing roles so I have SDR experience. I don't see a management path at current company, am looking outside. Thanks

DealDonkey

Acclaimed Answer

Director of Business

Thanks everyone, sounds like no one thinks going from AE to SDR Leader is a good path to sales leadership.

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DealDonkey

Move from AE to SDR Leader?

21 comment

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