cashmachine

AE (Account Executive)

Politicker

Executive

Catalyst

thoughts on moving into management?

hey everyone, trying to see if maybe i'm missing something here.

to me, the idea of moving into management is repulsive. i like my autonomy, being responsible for myself, & the cash.

am i missing something here? does the idea of your success being in someone else's hands appeal to you? making less money?

but also, what's the next step then? staying a senior ae & crushing doesn't sound so bad. for the goal-oriented mind, keep setting higher & higher targets for yourself to see how far you can go?

what do you think?

📳 SaaS

☁️ Software Tech

🏹 War Room

17 comments

Sort by:

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

There's no written rules stating what your career path should be. That's up to you babe. ❤🦊

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Absolutely right.

braintank

Politicker

Enterprise Account Executive

Different strokes. I happen to agree with you.

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

It really depends on what floats your boat.

Some people really like coaching, mentoring, training, and enabling others to succeed compared to hammering the phones and grinding for deals. Some are much better at the former.

I've managed a sales team, and it can be rewarding to help newbies or people that are struggling. It can also require more brainpower/problem solving (but not necessarily), which many like.

Plus it's damn nice to have other people make money for you, especially while you're on a vacation. Now that does bring an entirely different type of stress, because you're not in control, but it has its pros and cons.

CatMom

Politicker

Account Executive

This is a hard one for me. It’s like deciding whether you want to have kids or not. I think the potential management appeal ties into feeling a sense of purpose and feeling like you’re doing something meaningful (even though it usually just ends up being that you’re either putting out fires all day or you’re updating the forecast all day)…I think its like this American Dream of being able to be better than what you’ve had in management and being able to coach and mentor people you care about that makes it seem appealing. Especially after years of grinding.

cashmachine

Politicker

AE (Account Executive)

hope your cats are doing well!

i get where you’re coming from. maybe it’s just not for me😁

CatMom

Politicker

Account Executive

No I’m totally with you! That was the tiny voice in my head that comes out every once in a while and says “don’t you want to do something more meaningful with your life?”But generally I agree…being an AE forever is probably the best route. Less stress and responsibility and as long as you’re half decent at it, people leave you alone!

cashmachine

Politicker

AE (Account Executive)

it sure is fun being on the front lines!

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

I'm a career IC. I was in management earlier in my life, enjoyed it just fine, but in sales, I prefer this role and have no desire to climb the ladder. I have a meaningful life outside of work, and the flexibility of being an IC means I can usually balance both and work doesn't cut into my family time.

But every day I am grateful that my manager had her calling to be in management, because she makes my work infinitely easier. She's really good at it, so if it's something you feel you want to do, there's incredible value in following that path as well.

cashmachine

Politicker

AE (Account Executive)

what do you find that makes your manager so great? genuinely curious.

Pachacuti

Politicker

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

If you’re happy just managing yourself, own it.

NotCreativeEnough

Big Shot

Professional Day Ruiner

Some people love the idea of management. They enjoy coaching reps, the more stable income, etc. Or for some the power trip of it.

A lot of us love sales because of the adrenaline rush and the chase. Personally I could never be in management. I enjoy the challenge of closing deals way too much

cashmachine

Politicker

AE (Account Executive)

closing is the most fun!

is the income really that much more stable? i mean, we get a solid base + commission of course.

NotCreativeEnough

Big Shot

Professional Day Ruiner

managers pay is usually a much larger percentage of base than it is commission. So a bad month/quarter doesn't really hurt them as badly. This of course isn't always the case but typically it is.

They'll also earn more than an "average" performing rep does. A top performer can/will usually crush what a manager makes though.

TennisandSales

Politicker

Head Of Sales

do it. ive been doing it for 6 years in Saas and 8 out of 10 years in sales (i was a manager for a minute)

SOOOO Many positives to just being an IC for your whole career.

cashmachine

Politicker

AE (Account Executive)

what are the pros & cons in your mind?

also, I played tennis for 10+ years. love it!

Justatitle

Big Shot

Account Executive

Personally, I used to want to manage then I thought about it and managing 10 of me would be my nightmare, I’ll be an individual contributor for life.

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

Press Careers

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.

cashmachine

thoughts on moving into management?

17 comments

Related posts

Moving goalposts

Moving from IC to management?

Moving into Management advice