T
T

techp

Account Executive

Opinionated
Personal Narrative
Contributor
+2

Ramp AE Prospecting Issues

Hey guys,

I was promoted from SDR team lead this past October to AE. I was given a ramp goal by my new manager of 1 closed opportunity. 25 days in however, the co-founder and overall head of sales says he's giving me a new goal over my bosses head of 9 sales accepted opportunities. I get the feeling he did this as I was the top SDR and by promoting me, he lost pipeline.

I have only gotten to 3 and haven't had much progress with a lot of opportunities getting pushed to January.

I am starting to get questioned by my co-founder and manager why I am not hitting my 9 opportunities and it feels like the daggers are coming out.

from my point of view - a ramp is a ramp for a reason. for the new person in role to learn the role. 

my feeling is they are disregarding that and applying pressure where it's not due.

how would you handle this?


🧠 Advice
😤 Conflict Resolution
☁️ Software Tech
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7 comments

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TennisandSales
Politicker
2
Head Of Sales
well first off, congrats! thats is always a big deal to get the promotion from SDR to AE.
What is the timeframe of this ramp?

this is not a super uncommon situation to be in. where you transition to a new role, and they still want you to be an SDR. thats what happens when you are good at your job.

If I was you, I would call a meeting with all of these leaders and lay it out on the table and ask for clarity on what the goal is for you.

I would mention that changing the target 25 days in is not an effective way for you to be motivated.

I would also express that with the goal posts being moved you want to make sure your promotion is not in jeopardy and you are dedicated to being a successful AE but need to be allowed time to learn.

Coming up with a suggested quota is also not a bad idea.
You say you are excited about the idea of shooting for 1 closed deal and 5 new opps or something.

Then explain how you will break out your calendar to combat both goals.
this level of detail and ownership i Think would be exciting for them to hear.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
2
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
Great advice. My initial response was to roll my eyes at how unrealistic they were being with expectations and casually pushing techp back into an SDR role. I had no idea this was so common.
techp
Opinionated
2
Account Executive
25 days into Q4, with November and December holidays looming they expected me to get 9 self sourced opportunities. When an SDR does their job fully - the goal is 12. So they wanted me to do 75% of what a full ramped SDR does while learning new role while moving opportunities down the sales cycle on top of a lack of business days in holiday. My ramp is only 1 quarter. After this, I am officially out in the ocean. Fully ramped quota.
TennisandSales
Politicker
1
Head Of Sales
hmm yeah seems aggressive. but most companies tend to do this haha
Pachacuti
Politicker
2
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
1 vs 9 seems like quite the jump. I would engage my manager on this to make sure he's on your side and going to bat for you here.
DungeonsNDemos
Big Shot
1
Rolling 20's all day
You made the jump that all SDRs hope for! That is great!
Unfortunately, if you don't have your ramp goals and ramp quota in writing, it makes it very easy for the goal posts to get moved on you.
From what you described, there is a disconnect somewhere between management and their sales process. IF they think that 9 is attainable, there should be reasons behind that. ex. We convert at 30% of all opps, and reps get 27 opps per month.

Going forward I would first of all assess how you run your process and what you think is attainable. Then go have a discussion with your manager, as they are likely tied to how you perform and it's in their best interest to help you succeed.
activity
Politicker
1
VP, Business Development
Unfortunately, at start ups right now, most are hurting financially. It's poor leadership from your manager and co-founder because they are freaking out. I've been in these situations and a lot of my friends have to where the manager is shifting blame to their employees. It sucks to be in a situation like this but you either power through or find another opportunity depending on how bad they handle the situation.

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