runedude9002

Senior Account Executive

The pathway to Enterprise Software Sales

Hello World,

It's my first post/question on here. I'm currently a Senior Account Executive at a mid-market Saas company - been in sales for over 5 years now. I'm looking for that big jump to Enterprise Software Sales. What practical steps can I take to ensure that I land that role in the next 1-2 years?

Also, off topic, but I feel sales is just largely a numbers game/luck. You can be the best sales person but if you don't have good lead generation going on - then it doesn't matter how great your disco/demo is. There is only so much outbound one can do - the OTE is largely dependent on the rest of the company and how well they source leads for you as well.

That being said - I want to control what I can control and get to that position where the big bucks are at. Any advice is welcome. Thank you!

🏰 War Stories

🚀 Career Goals

🎯 Career Development

11

14 comments

Sort by:

TennisandSales

Politicker

3

Head Of Sales

THIS is the question! besides how to get into Saas in the first place how to get into Enterprise sales is the second big question.

first you need to decide what enterprise sales means to you. is it a dollar figure? is it certain type of customer? Becuase there is ALWAYS another level above you.

so once you understand what you are looking for it gets easier. some companies have "Enterprise reps" and their product cost $20k.

Then you need to assess if that opportunity is even an option at your company. if it is, talk to the AEs that have that role, learn from them and see how they got in there, what skills they have and what you can do to get there.

if you dont have that option at your company then look at your network and see is anyone does.
If you sell a product for $50K and want to get to an ENT role where the deal size at $300K +, you are going to have a VERY hard time doing that unless you have a connection or there is a path at your company.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

2

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

To add to this - since there's no Enterprise at your company, you MAY need to consider taking a lateral step into a different company in order to get to an Enterprise role. Larger companies will have this, and will have openings in their Strategic roles about every year. You'd have to go crush it in order to have the ability to internally apply for and win the Strategic role, but it becomes a possibility in that larger org, and is definitely something you can grow into.

CuriousFox

WR Officer

3

🦊

Fill out a profile on the jobs tab and see who you get matched up with. I'm curious if there are Ent roles or if they are all SDR. 🤔

Gasty

Notable Contributor

3

War Room Community Manager

Not sure about Sales, but 50% outbound lead gen is definitely a numbers/luck game.

Hunt the universe to find them future inbound leads and convert 'em today.

payton_pritchard

Executive

2

RSM

100% agree with other comments more specific to process, sales skills, etc. but one important thing I'd add is uplevel your more technical skills relative to your product.

If you're doing enterprise SaaS sales chances are it's something cloud related (infosec, ML/AI, data science, etc.) there are a million certifications and trainings related to these things (ex. AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner) start taking these classes and get certifications, allows you to have more credible and technical convos with buyers and makes you look great internally

saaskicker

Celebrated Contributor

1

Enterprise AE

Is there a path to Enterprise at your current job? -- sometimes the best way to get the promotion/level up you want is to leave your current company.

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

1

Bravado's Resident Asshole

I think this applies in most cases for almost every job/vertical.

runedude9002

Good Citizen

0

Senior Account Executive

There are no enterprise roles at my current company. Is there a way to leverage my Sr. AE experience and just jump into an Enterprise role at a diff company?

saaskicker

Celebrated Contributor

2

Enterprise AE

turn on linkedin open for work, enterprise AE roles in your area. there's plenty of series b+ companies that will hire someone for an enterprise role. if there's no enterprise function at your current company it sounds like you have to jump ship anyways.

be wary - everyone has different definitions of "enterprise". a TRUE enterprise role, you have 1-2 accounts, they are a f50 company and you have 10+ of experience.

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

0

Sales Rep

This would be the quickest in my opinion

runedude9002

Good Citizen

1

Senior Account Executive

If turn open for work on, will my existing employer would be able to see that?

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

1

Sales Rep

No they wont, should say on LinkedIn how to show everyone outside of your employer

salezkween

Opinionated

0

Enterprise Account Executive

Sell largest deals in your segment. Have a process. Be autonomous

GDO

Politicker

0

BDM

Yup totally agree it’s a numbers game. Fill that pipe to the brim and seals will fall out

Bravado is a community of trusted sales professionals endorsed by their customers.

Products

The War Room Jobs Salary Guide Tech Sales U

Company

About Us How It Works Blog Bug Bounty

Contact

© 2024 Bravado Inc. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy Legal and Privacy Center Sales Jobs

If you are hired as a contract sales rep by a Bravado customer, we may ask you to prove access to the employee email account provided to you by that customer. This data will be shared with customers to track your sales productivity; customers can use this data to confirm you meet the minimum activity requirements to pay out your ramp stipend and commission.