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Politicker
Opinionated
Contributor
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POLL: Does Firing/Quota Anxiety Ever Go Away

Question for the more experienced AEs of this forum:


Has the anxiety associated with a quota hanging over your head, or getting fired due to missing it for a quarter or two, ever lessened or dissipated as your career has progressed?

Does it ever stop

Attached poll
*Voting in this poll no longer yields commission.
🚀 Career Goals
🤓 Sales Tech
✌️ Growing Pains
23

28 comments

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punishedlad
Tycoon
7
Business Development Team Lead
I'm considering going to therapy because the anxiety simply does not go away.
jefe
Arsonist
5
🍁
Therapy is always a good thing
Diablo
Politicker
4
Sr. AE
It only goes up. Whether you achieve the quota for this quarter or not, the next one starts killing your mind already
Sunbunny31
Politicker
4
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
It's what drives me, to be honest.
startupminion
Executive
1
BDM
Wow. I can’t really comprehend that, as someone who can’t deal well with anxiety. Do you mind explaining a little?
DC540
Opinionated
2
Sales Development Manager
It drives me to not be lazy. A little bit of pressure motivates me. Too much is crippling. I tend to put more pressure on myself than my leaders do.
ONEDER422
0
Account Executive
Leads to hard work and promotes solid work ethic!
FinanceEngineer
Politicker
3
Sr Director, sales and partnerships
Think about the finance world we’re you can get fired from the trading just because they don’t want to pay out your bonus. But it never goes away.
RandyLahey
Politicker
3
Account Executive
I literally just hit my first quota closing side, and i feel like that bought me maybe one month of wiggle room. Part of the game.
jefe
Arsonist
3
🍁
It ebbs and flows but it never truly leaves...

A lot depends on where you are
3
Director of Sales
The pressure never really goes away, but the anxiety starts to dissipate as you become more and more comfortable. Than you get in to sales management and a whole new set of misery begins…
startupminion
Executive
1
BDM
Oh damn, i thought it gets better at the top! Since the firing typically hits the sales pple and not sales management..
1
Director of Sales
Negative ghost rider. Dealing with operations, supply chain, c-suite…still responsible for revenue, just new headaches with folks that don’t have any clue what frontline sales is about.
tulip22
Good Citizen
2
AE
It doesn't go away but eventually, you'll be able to evaluate it better. Like the general anxiety is different from the no wait I'm getting fired anxiety
alienjesus
Good Citizen
2
Enterprise Sales Manager
As your bank account grows and your debts get eliminated the stress eases. I’ve finally made it to a totally debt free place with plenty of cash reserves, but when i was laid off 8 years ago with a mortgage, car payments and the sole bread winner of the family, i had more than one panic attack.
dieselbravo23
Executive
2
Enterprise Account Executive
Think of it as if you were growing your own food and had to store enough for the coming winter; you always have to have more deals in your pipeline than you need to hit your quota.
If you were storing just enough to survive without starving to begin with, and some spoils, is eaten by animals or is lost any other way, you would fail to have enough to survive (make quota). It may seem unrealistic to some, but you have to aim much higher than your quota. The mindset is that if you aim for the moon and you miss, you will land among the stars.
In my mind, life begins at 150% of quota, where our accelerators for comp start. If I have a bad month and hit let’s say 130% of quota, I failed my own goal, but my manager and my company won’t ever question me because I’m consistent even in a bad month. To me, that keeps the company off my back.
Maximas
Tycoon
1
Senior Sales Executive
Anxiety only stops temporarily once getting targets achieved, and always comes back again when a new challenge takes place!
startupminion
Executive
1
BDM
And how does everyone deal with this anxiety? Just grit your teeth and bear with it?
studmuffin
Contributor
2
Business Development
Absolutely nothing wrong with seeking out help. Most high performers I know are in some form of therapy or another
SoccerandSales
Big Shot
1
Account Executive
If you crush, sometimes it does. But for the most part, it is the big ugly monster under the bed
Justatitle
Big Shot
1
Account Executive
Briefly when you attain quota but then the next Month/Quarter starts and its back to the beginning of the cycle...
SaaSyBee
Politicker
1
Founder
I go to therapy on a weekly cadence (so no)
UncleHoho
Good Citizen
1
Account Executive
Honestly this is why I hate the beginning of a new month. Hit quota last month and it feels good- next month your back at square one
LightingLeader
Politicker
1
Specification Sales
I’m always anxious. I have no quota (lighting is weird) but if I want to make good money I have to go way above and beyond. I want to get married and have a family so that’s gonna require about double what I make now. Constant anxiety. I have high blood pressure from the anxiety and drinking a little too much. Trying to cut it back and get the anxiety under control by working out more, eating better, drinking less, and meditating.
MiceTrap
Opinionated
1
Sales Development Representative
Facing your fear head on. If your main worry is being fired, having a strong network system were all it takes is a couple phone calls to land a job. I myself need to work on this.
Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
0
Sales Rep
Unfortunately not
WheelofCheese
Opinionated
0
Sales Executive
There is always the pressure to perform but I handle stress pretty well. When I have a tough day, I just remember.. I'm not saving lives! A little humor goes a long way. Mindset is everything.
SerialBiller
Executive
0
Account Executive
If I feel like I’m getting anxiety due to targets… then I need to take a moment to slap myself round the face and tell myself to stop whining like a lil biatch and go make some business

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