Promotion

So fellas, recently I have been offered a new job as a Sales manager in an EU Startup with 2 AE and 2 sdrs. Their plan is to get the team up to 5 AE and 5 SDR in 3 months which will be my mainly my responsibility. They also want to set up new processes, tech stack, comp plan, etc.

Now here is the tacky bit. In previous roles when shit hits the fan the Sales Manager is the first one to go. Most of my experience is in Start-ups.

In my current role, I am hitting quota, it is smooth sailing. I am a little hesitant and perhaps a little bitch about taking the next step in a product and industry I do not know anything about. The OTE will be 20 % more to what I am getting now

I wanted to ask you here, what were the first few months like when you made your switch up the ladder?

👑 Sales Strategy
🧢 Sales Management
🚀 Career Goals
14
oldcloser
Arsonist
3
💀
Uncomfortable, scared of getting caught not knowing something, petrified of failure. It’s an entirely different skill set. I was useless. No way I could have made it without strong senior management.

Advice? Be collaborative with leadership to diversify responsibility for decisions. Earn trust through authenticity with your team. Think everything through to all possible outcomes. Your instincts are going to be those of a seller, not a manager. Be diligent and learn. You’ll find your groove when you’ve helped someone grow. Focus there.
DataCorrupter
Politicker
1
Account Executive
"Be collaborative with leadership to diversify responsibility for decisions." This is killer advice.

I think you're instincts are right in that you could be the first out the door if things don't go smoothly, but this advice^ helps you to (somewhat) insulate yourself from that.
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
2
☕️
You’re a first time manager and you’re being tasked with all of that? Let me say this nicely: pass.

It’s not for you unless you can outline the plan to success before you sit in the seat on day one. Have you done that already? If not, once again, it’s not your time.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
3
🦊
Pass dot com....dot org...
jefe
Arsonist
1
🍁
I agree. For your first time, you want structure, guidance.
aiko
Politicker
1
Sr. Account Executive
It’s going to be a hell of a learning experience. Reach out to your previous leaders for advice, stay humble, be likable and continue to learn.

Read books like “Leaders Eat Last,” or “Start with Why” if you haven’t already.
Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
1
Sales Rep
Great learning experience, but that seems stressful and a lot of work.
pirate
Big Shot
1
🦜☠️ Account Executive
I think pass for now. Market is super risky right now.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
Weighing in a little late here, but thinking that the OTE is not quite enough to warrant the risk.
GDO
Politicker
0
BDM
I always get scared when I grow my role. Tbh, sometimes i fucked up sometimes it went great. It truly is a leap of faith when you take such a step.

I really depends on you as a person if you're comfortable enough
SonnyVaccaro
Good Citizen
0
Growth Lead
I've made this move, and it's not an easy one. Sounds like they love the "headcount" math to growing. The challenge is, that when they are new, it's important to understand the capacity of the team vs. territory before adding more people.
There is a ton to consider here but I'd recommend first, getting your tool stack in place. You are the new leadership hire, they will want you happy. Don't be shy about asking for what you need so your team is successful. Get it early because if you are asking for more $10-$20k spends every other month, they will get tired of it and start second-guessing you.

Then talk about metrics and reporting cadence. Your leadership NEEDS transparency into what is going on and why. Simple report generation doesn't cut it, they want to understand what is going on and to help you brainstorm on improvements/investments.

Build relationships across the business, the more you are viewed as a team member and someone trying to help, the more those other business heads will work to make sure you are successful.

There's a lot more to add but I'll start there.
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Promotion incoming 🎉

Advice
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Promotion

Question
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