ABCEDFGHNFNF

Sales Director

Sales Manager or Enterprise AE

I work in SaaS, I'm and I've been offered two roles.

Enterprise role I have a tiny bit of true enterprise experience but realistically this would be my first true enterprise role ie big ticket, 12 month cycles etc. Team seem to hitting number and the top rep last year (outlier) made 500k plus commission alone. Tempting right.... although don't they all sound great on paper.

Sales manager role Alternatively I have an offer managing an SMB or mid market team of 7. It's a chance to get off the treadmill and work developing people which I certainly enjoy. I know it's still a stressful role but I think we can all agree it's "safer" than life as a rep and sales manager roles are very hard to find!!!

I've also read elsewhere that once you are a manager you tend to get pigeon holed and cant go back. Eventually I would like to be VP Sales..... maybe.... however....

I need the advice of some seasoned closers.. ... help!

Thanks in advance !!!

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goose

Politicker

3

Sales Executive

You had me at $500k plus commission... Seems like a no-brainer here.

ABCEDFGHNFNF

Good Citizen

1

Sales Director

Their top rep, there is always an outlier right. But I 100 percent get your point, its amazing to have the opportunity to earn it. I think thats the way im leaning at the moment. thanks bro

FromaBlankPerspective

Politicker

3

District Manager

I took a management position at a prior job and realized VERY quickly that the only reason I took it was for the appearance of career progression. In reality, I probably knew this was my motivation beforehand. At my current company, I have made it abundantly clear that I only want individual contributor roles in increasing levels of responsibility. I still mentor and coach folks which is what I thought I would like about managing, but I am not responsible for them. So, that's not really an answer, but I would say to take a really solid look at your motivations for taking either role and see which one is more authentically what you want!

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

2

SaaS Eater

Ill beat the drum for the management route here since most input is to take the IC role.

I love managing people and dont feel pigeonholed at all. I started in SMB, have moved to Mid Market and have a path to enterprise leadership if I want it. I have also seen many managers realize that this path isnt for them and pivoted back to sales. (Often times at a higher level than they previously sold and managed)

I also want to be a VP of Sales as I continue to grow and I think leadership experience is invaluable. Ive been put in so many challenging positions before 30 than I could imagine and my career is better for it.

The IC role is going to be less of a stretch for you and will produce greater short term income. If you want long term, and potentially generational wealth then management is your best path by leading a larger sales org, or growing a startup from nothing to acquisition or IPO. Obviously this is a super hard path to achieve but with proper execution is extremely lucrative and gratifying.

No one can tell you what to do, thats how I think about the two though.

ABCEDFGHNFNF

Good Citizen

0

Sales Director

Finally! I appreciate you jumping in. fascinating to hear you have to path to enterprise managment, have you previously sold enterprise as well? Leading a larger sales org is a very good point I did not think of, food for thought.

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

1

SaaS Eater

I have not previously sold enterprise but have mid market experience and in our business the sales motion isnt too different when you move into enterprise.

BrodyMagnolia

Contributor

2

Manager, Mid-Market Sales

Late to the party here...but I was in an eerily similar situation ~2 years ago.

Headline: I chose sales manager.

Benefits:I've grown more in the last 2 years than I ever have
-As a rep I spent a LOT of time working with my peers to get them better, so it was a nice transition to actually reap financial benefits from that
-You still do a ton of selling. Remember how great it was when you first got an SDR? Now imagine handing off a majority of the responsibilities of a deal to an AE. Now you're only looped in for the fun parts: high profile customers, tough negotiations, strategic moves
-Definitely the safer route as it comes to pay & quota attainment. Lows aren't as low. But hey- if your team crushes it across the board a lot of doors open both financially and in upward mobility

Challenges:
-Highs not as high as an ENT AE. 2x-ing you quota may require all your reps exceeding and/or having multiple reps 2x or 3x their quota. Good luck
-Pathway upwards becomes less clear. I'll explain my scenario below
-Your calendar is no longer your own. Between 1on1s, forecast calls, & team meetings with your team and cross-department meetings, your calendar is shot. You might be in meetings all day, then have to start doing work in the afternoon as soon as you get up for air. Sprinkle in candidate interviews, org projects, customer calls. cya long lunches & free time 👋

As for your pathway to eventual VP of Sales, it's really going to depend on your company & the skills you can develop. I've seen my previous SMB manager (at different co than my current) move up to MM then to ENT manager. Which eventually teed him up for a Dir job, and now a Head of Sales at a smaller startup. He never had ENT closing experience. But at that initial company, it wasn't a complex strategic sale-- so his skills more or less transferred.

In talks with my CRO, my pathway can basically go 2 ways if I want to move up in leadership. Ride the growth of the SMB/MM realm until a 2nd-line management role (Director) opens up OR start working/helping on ENT deals now to get some experience. If you're going to be a successful ENT sales manager, you better know how to help your team navigate complex deals, illuminate blind spots, and successfully bring deals to close. I've seen lots of folks go back into AE roles to get that experience so they can confidently lead the team.

Pathway to VP depends on the company. I'm sure you've seen a lot of the sales leadership personalities on LI who have experience leading teams at Aircall, Patientpop, Womply etc who weren't leading ENT selling orgs so therefore didn't need ENT selling experience.

Throw my vote in for sales management. No right or wrong decisions here..just tough ones

BrodyMagnolia

Contributor

1

Manager, Mid-Market Sales

@Enki would love to hear what’s you ended up choosing!

Tres

Politicker

1

Account Executive

Enterprise AE. That 7 member team SMB role sounds stressful

ABCEDFGHNFNF

Good Citizen

1

Sales Director

Yeah i guess your fate isnt in your hands right. thanks

ABCEDFGHNFNF

Good Citizen

1

Sales Director

Any Sales Managers out there with a counter perspective?

alecabral

Arsonist

1

Director - Digital Sales Transformation

I think it really depends on what's pulling more at you. 500K is hard to pass on, but that's just a promise. A great manager career is also hard to pass on, but also a great promise...

CaneWolf

Politicker

1

Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract

I'm an IC. Personally, I get my joy out of helping other people and have seen that in my career. I'd probably take the SMB Manager role. If you want to move up the chain, that's a good place to get managerial experience as well. Plus, if you don't like it, you can probably slide our to the AE role in the future.

ABCEDFGHNFNF

Good Citizen

1

Sales Director

I too enjoy developing people so I get this entirely. interesting point. thanks bro, i just wonder if as an IC the grass always looks greener.

CaneWolf

Politicker

0

Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract

Go exploring on LinkedIn. You'll find lots of ICs who did the manager thing and then went back. There are far fewer of them though than people who stayed in management.

Either way, you have options so it's worth chasing something that you think will make your work more fulfilling.

Stax

Opinionated

1

AE - Major Accounts

If you really want to be a VP of Sales eventually then I would take the Ent AE role. While it might be great to get management experience - it could be difficult to move up from SMB / Mid Market management directly to leading a field team (and eventually the whole organization). The company is likely to want someone who has experience with these top tier customers leading those reps.

You definitely can't go wrong and you should pick whichever job checks more boxes for you, but it's worth considering.

ABCEDFGHNFNF

Good Citizen

0

Sales Director

This is EXACTLY what I have been wondering, does jumping in at SMB limit your ceiling. Thanks man

datruth08

Good Citizen

1

BDS

I contemplated similar paths, ended up choosing the Enterprise AE role but my goal eventually is probably into leadership, but by taking a role in enterprise which I hadn't previously done, now I have gained more experience in different types of sales, and at least on paper I should have more opportunity to move to a leadership role whether enterprise or otherwise.

dadasaurus

Opinionated

1

Enterprise Account Executive

I have run small to mid size sales organizations and been the Managing Director of several businesses over the years. Here is the bottom line on the Sales Manager/District Manager vs AE/Enterprise AE:

* As a sales manager you will never blow it out because of the way quotas are structured. You will work harder and have much higher expectations set for you than anyone in your team - its a totally thankless job. And yes - a lot harder to find another gig if you need to find a new job. As a sales manager here are the two most likely outcomes:
a) IF EVERYONE hits their number and a few do really well, you'll be - at best - somewhere around 120 - 150% of plan. Big whoop.
b) IF ONE of your sales team is a bad hire, has a bad year, gets sick in the middle of the year, etc., it will be nearly impossible to hit your target for the year. And that happens a LOT more than you think...

* As an AE, you are FAR MORE in control of your destiny and income and the likelihood of you exceeding your quota significantly is INFINITELY higher. If you have a great year you'll make that 500k. You'll never do that as a sales manager. NEVER.

kneehigh

Politicker

0

Senior Enterprise AE

This was exactly my response to +1

CRAG112

Valued Contributor

1

Account Executive

What do you want to do? Be promised OTE based off just one person (just as you mentioned) or be in a role that will advance your career?

Enterprise rep is still just a sales rep.

Trust. You can always go back to direct sales if you want. Plenty of people with the title Sales Manager that are actively selling not managing.

dadasaurus

Opinionated

0

Enterprise Account Executive

It raises eyebrows (trust me...) when you have a sales management role and seek IC jobs. Why would anyone in the world want to take a step back??? Answer: Because of the reasons I posted previously, and .... being a sales manger is a thankless job and totally sucks.

RealPatrickBateman

Politicker

0

🔪Amateur Butcher🔪

Enterprise Rep all day, every day, twice on Sunday.

Whupswhups

Politicker

0

Business Development Representative

Enterprise AE!

CuriousFox

WR Officer

0

🦊

What did you decide?

CuriousFox

WR Officer

0

🦊

What did you do?

kneehigh

Politicker

0

Senior Enterprise AE

Enterprise AE all the way - at least your in control of your situation for the most part. As a manager where your performance will ultimately be judged by the 7 below you. All you need is someone to leave for example (very common) and it blows your year out...

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