What happens to failed (or mediocre) salespeople?

The culture on sales teams is to pump up successes, and job postings always demand over-quota applicants.


What happens to those SDRs with call reluctance (and a team that can't support them through it)? What happens to AEs who aren't meeting quota (and a product that sucks, maybe)? What about CSMs and AMs who can't retain or upsell (maybe because they were handed a bunch of customers who didn't need the product)?


What career paths do those people end up on?

๐ŸŽˆ Mentorship
2
TheVeteran
Executive
6
Enterprise Account Executive
IMO:

If they are technical - Solution Engineer/Consultant
If they are personable/dynamic - Sales Enablement
If they are well connected internally - Marketing
If they are operationally oriented - Sales Ops
If they are good at prospecting - SDR management

or the SDR develops their chops and the AE/CSM/AM jumps to a company/territory they can succeed in.
fuzzy
Notable Contributor
2
CMO (Chief Meme Officer)
This is a very mature and great response.ย 

Sales isn't for everyone, nor should it be.ย 
LordTyrion
Good Citizen
0
VP of Sales / Co-Founder
This.ย 


Our Head of Product started in sales but he was the best rep I've ever seen so not relevant to this discussion.
Sales4what
Opinionated
1
Co-Founder & VP Sales @ PLURiTy
Marketing
deviantzen
WR Lieutenant
0
Consultant
They start their own business making branded hip hop songs...wait a second
antiASKHOLE
Tycoon
0
Bravado's Resident Asshole
They go on to teach.... "Those that can, do. Those that can't, teach"
CaneWolf
Politicker
0
Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract
The lack of salespeople tends to mean that all of these people will continue to find jobs. The one exception might be SDRs who are probably more likely to leave the career entirely.
Stringer
Arsonist
-3
SDR
They turn 40 and are still individual contributors.ย 
CaneWolf
Politicker
1
Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract
I know 40+ year olds that are still ICs and kiiiiiillll it though. So that shouldn't be a mark of shame.
Stringer
Arsonist
-3
SDR
It's the ultimate mark of shame. They're killing it because they've had the same role for 20-years, not because they're incredible salespeople. Incredible salespeople never stop progressing being IC and 40 is like sleeping in a coffin waiting to die.ย 
pitchandputt
Executive
0
Account Executive
What's the problem if someone is doing their job well and making tons of money doing it?ย 

I know it's not a 1:1 comparison obviously but I don't see anyone saying the same shit about accountants or lawyersย 
24
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