Transition: SaaS Recruiter to SaaS Seller?

I've spent the last year as a full-cycle agency recruiter (12th person brought on) dealing with startup SaaS orgs, and working primarily with mid-market and enterprise AEs, AMs, CSMs, etc.


This was always a jumping off point in my mind, to get into an actual sales job within tech.


(For those of you that don't know the ins and outs of recruiting, it's not far off from what you AE's do - cold outreach and prospecting, trying to get a phone call, qualifying and discovery, followed by weeks of praying that we can get the candidate across the finish line with the client. (With a ton of variables that could crush the deal...))


My question to you all is: how do I position this experience to interviewers (or in applications) in order to get a reasonable look for an SMB-type closing role?


👥 Hiring
🎯 Career Development
🗣 Interviewing
7
Jeffreed
Politicker
7
Account exec
I made the switch a few years ago. Very similar sales process, highlight your prospecting and full cycle closing experience and how difficult it is to convince selling both a candidate and customer on each other and the million objections each has. I transitioned from recruiting to a SaaS reseller for a year and half, did well then went into a startup. Highly recommend trying to make the change. You would have good experience since you already know the software being sold just have to position your experience that way.
TennisandSales
Politicker
3
Head Of Sales
this is it! great comment! glad someone that has actually made the leap could comment.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
1
🦊
Nailed it.
Reverend
Contributor
1
BDR
Appreciate that coming from someone who's done both!
jefe
Arsonist
3
🍁
Focus on the biz dev aspect, not the candidate side.

Many have made this switch, though I think more go the other way.
GreenSide
Politicker
2
Sales manager
Not really an answer on how to position but keep up the faith. Job hunting sucks, especially when you’re switching careers - though I agree you have very transferable skills. A friend of mine made the same switch years ago and crushed it.

One thing to keep in mind: don’t let hiring managers who can’t see the transferable skills get you down. If they can’t see it, you don’t want to work for them anyway. You’d feel a constant target on your back. When someone sees you for more than your title, that’s the leader you want.
TennisandSales
Politicker
1
Head Of Sales
for sure! it a recruiter or company doesnt get it, then move on. dont waste too much energy trying to convince people.
Reverend
Contributor
1
BDR
Thanks for the pep talk, it's certainly needed some days!
DungeonsNDemos
Big Shot
2
Rolling 20's all day
Just demonstrate that you can run a sales process, prepare well, and ask the right questions. Culture fit comes into it a bit, but at the end of the day sales is just running a process (even though SaaS gets snooty and they often feel you need SaaS experience to get a SaaS job - which is dumb).
saaskicker
Celebrated Contributor
2
Enterprise AE
Can you reach out to someone you placed for a referral.....?
Reverend
Contributor
1
BDR
I actually reached out to a couple guys that I ended up NOT being able to place, but built pretty solid relationships with over the course of weeks-months. One was nice enough to refer me internally to one of the top project management platforms, but whether its my background or just bad timing, I got a rejection email the other day without getting a first interview.
saaskicker
Celebrated Contributor
1
Enterprise AE
keep pounding, you should know its a numbers game. you just gotta secure that phone call to strut your stuff.
antiASKHOLE
Tycoon
0
Bravado's Resident Asshole
There will still be some skills to hone and others to learn when it comes to any type of transition. At the end of the day, do what makes you happy and feels like a good decision.

What's the worst that could happen? You make a few dollars, find out you don't like it, and go back to recruiting? I mean as long as you don't go full Do-Do bird and work in marketing or try to be a LinkedIn Influencer, you should be good.
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SaaS Seller OTEs

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AE with no experience in SAAS?

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