I am sure all of you have read the article or heard about in terms of the life of a Salesforce sales rep right now. Unfortunately, it is behind a paywall but here it is:
I do think there is a silver lining in all of this though.
I think things were getting out of hand in the world of SaaS Sales in recent years.
A couple of examples from clout-chasing morons on LinkedIn "Top Voices" and "Influencers":
- It is a travesty that companies favor those with SaaS sales experience in order to sell SaaS, anyone can sell SaaS!
- It is a travesty that a college degree be required for SaaS sales, sure most other high-paying corporate jobs require it but no, not SaaS sales
In other words, they wanted to make it so literally anyone could enter into a career as an AE while the bar, compared to other professions that prefer a high GPA or a degree from a top university, was a lot lower.
People were getting delusional and thinking everyone was entitled to a job as an AE or a highly-paid SDR. This should slowly put an end to that as companies get pickier, especially since guys like John Barrows think sales should be offered as a college major which means companies slowly start to hire those who majored in sales.
A higher barrier to entry is a good thing.
I think companies being picky means that not just anyone who saw a TikTok on the cushy job of tech sales gets the job. It means that less sales jobs are taken up by people who are just there to collect a base. It means that people who cannot actually sell get weeded out fast in the interview process.
Lately, thanks to TikTok Influencers, almost every Gen Z who wants what they see as easy money wants to break into tech sales. I think the higher barrier makes it so those serious about learning to sell and do the job right get it.
I think it cuts down on the nepotism by a lot.
I often hear about how Salesforce was a "Boys Club" back in the day and managers often hired their former fraternity brothers to work there. However, this led to a lot of incompetence and Salesforce was not the only company doing it. Managers would hire their friends who were just like them even if that person could not sell to save their lives.
With companies clamping down and sales reps having to prove their ROIs a lot quicker, I think this means nepotism becomes less common. Managers now have to fear that if their former fraternity brother can't sell, it's their job on the line as well.
That is my take.
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