Marlon Braxton profile picture
Marlon Braxton profile picture

Marlon Braxton

Accountant at WTAS

Tips on landing first SDR role in SaaS

Seems like the job market for this industry has gotten more saturated than it used to be. I remember interviewing for an AWS technical lead position back in 2018. Now I can barely get a call back from most SaaS companies. I interviewed for a sales position for an AI company about a week ago, but did not get the offer and no feedback to why. I feel like I’m a pretty good candidate but something’s holding me back. Thoughts?

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22 comments

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HVACexpert
Politicker
3
sales engineer
Have you reviewed and polished your resume? We would be happy to help review a redacted version here for yourself.

Are you only applying to SaaS ? Why not other industries or verticals? What industry do you have most experience in? Are you trying to reach out to hiring managers, or networking with colleagues to see if you can get a recommendation?
1
Accountant
Happy to send a copy of my resume.
HVACexpert
Politicker
1
sales engineer
Post one here in the war room
1
Accountant
Most of the resume is attached. The rest is just leadership, awards, etc.
braintank
Politicker
3
Enterprise Account Executive
Upload a better version (PDF), this is hard to read.

But what I can gather your sales experience is primarily retail, correct?
jefe
Arsonist
4
🍁
Definitely looks like it. SDR is definitely the right target, but he needs to tell a compelling story as to why he should be hired. Too much competition for too few roles.
1
Accountant
Yes, primarily in retail. This is the full PDF version. Thanks for the recommendations. I can tell a story during the interview. I will try to reach out on Linkedin, etc. Say I wanted to get in with like Amazon, Microsoft, VMWare, Oracle, Appian, Adobe, etc. does this prospecting approach still work?
braintank
Politicker
3
Enterprise Account Executive
You'll need a referral to stand out.
jefe
Arsonist
4
🍁
Tank is right, you'll absolutely need a referral. To be honest, you might have to set your sights a bit lower than those massive names. It's brutally difficult to get into those big players.
0
Accountant
Know anyone offering referrals to unicorn or large name companies?
HVACexpert
Politicker
3
sales engineer
Who do YOU know? That is a better question , and you might want to expand your search beyond unicorn and big name to get entry. Otherwise you will continue to be disappointed.
0
Accountant
Thanks
2
Founding BDR
Reach out to hiring managers as you would a prospect - Call, Email, LinkedIn, maybe even SMS. Most will appreciate the drive and initiative.
0
Accountant
Ok, I will try that.
SerialBiller
Executive
2
Account Executive
its really tough out there at the moment, the competition is plentyful
Pachacuti
Politicker
1
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
Show hunger.
1
Accountant
During the interview or on the resume and what does this look like?
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
A huge part of what you're experiencing is saturation. With all the overhiring a few years ago and then the recent layoffs to "right size" companies, there are fewer positions and more reps available to fill them. It's going to take more time and persistence to land a role, but that's also sales.
That said, you've already been asked to provide a copy of your resume so that the group can help make sure that's as polished as possible.
1
Accountant
That makes sense. I figured this was the case. I think there was a huge boom in these positions during or just after Covid then died down a bit.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
0
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
I also just saw your target list. Those companies are extremely hard to get into, even for entry level. Maybe with your finance/bank background, you can take a look at companies that either specialize in FSI tech, or have a vertical team. I presume you understand that business - use that experience and knowledge to your advantage.
Dantback
Executive
1
SDR
It's all in the resume. I have no issue when applying for sales jobs due to my resume making myself seem much more talented than what I really am
js2458
Politicker
0
Enterprise SDR
Just landed my first. What was helpful for me was working in a different market for a few months, then leveraging experience to break into tech.

I crushed a conference sales job as a SDR, worked there for 8 months, broke a few records AND THEN leveraged all of this I. My resume to land an enteprise SDR role at a fraud prevention tech company.

You can land tech SDR roles without sales experience, but IMO the easiest way is to work in a tangential industry then move over after a few months.

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