Hi all savages,
I have been a Commercial AE for going on 7 years. I've typically been selling to companies ranging from 251 to 1,250 employees. The only year I didn't hit quota was 2020 (and covid can fuck right off). So I've been exceeding quota for 2 different companies during this time span primarily bringing in Net New business. My years have ranged from $383K to $700K as I've moved up in position within my Comm sales org.
Recently I've been looking to spread my wings and give Enterprise sales a try. I'm finding that most recruiters and hiring managers are incredibly concerning about what quotas $$ amounts I've carried in the past. The fact that I have a tract record of exceeding quota pales in comparison to the fact that they just want to know that I had a large quota placed in front of me.
At this point I feel like I would be better off if I had a completely unattainable quota like 2 million and only hit like 20% of it rather that being at 121% of my current quota which is right around $414k.
What advice would you give me in these interviews? Should I just stay where I'm at and try to be promoted to an ENT position from within my current company? How did you Enterprise AE's get your start?
You're unlikely to earn full enterprise bucks initially but you can bleed yourself there and then hop ship.