bendandsnack

Account Exec

Would you move for a better territory? Can a rockstar manager make up for a shitty territory?

Hey guys,

Getting promoted to a new segment at the beginning of next year. As opposed to the round robin clusterfuck entire USA territory I have now, I'll be regional.

I currently live in Chicago, and the Midwest is the shittiest territory for the type of tech I sell by far. I got off the SDR grind at my company earlier this year and have prospected the entire USA, so I'm making that statement with confidence.

Spoke to my Manager/VP/CRO at our company offsite last week about potentially covering a West Coast territory instead, and they told me I could have it, but I would have to move to be in-market.

The manager of the Midwest is someone I highly respect and would love to work for, but I'm not sure if a good manager can make up for a bad territory. My company was also founded in Chicago so we have a ton of existing clients/legacy business I could use to supplement my pipeline.

My significant other would rather not move which is the main issue here, but would follow me if I chose to do so.

Thoughts? Would you move?

☁️ Software Tech

🚀 Career Goals

13

14 comments

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Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

2

Sales Rep

Outside of saying Westcoast you set more meetings with, is the territory actually better. Given the company is HQ in Chicago and has a ton of current clients there, I would assume that’s the better territory since the accounts would be warmer

braintank

Politicker

2

Enterprise Account Executive

Midwest isn't as bad as you think! Especially if your HQ is in Chicago.

SoccerandSales

Big Shot

2

Account Executive

In my experience, having a ton of live clients in an area tends to help win rate in the long run. May be fewer opps entering pipeline, but you can leverage the hell out of the other companies once they are there.

If you respect the manager, I would give it a shot.

JustGonnaSendIt

Politicker

2

Burn Towns, Get Money

For me, having experience with a spectrum of territories from dog-shit to amazing, and a similar experience of managers... I typically weight manager quality much more heavily than territory quality.

There is no successful situation where either are totally shit. But a good manager can make up for a below-average territory. Especially in the long view of your career.

Also, the weight of personal life accommodation far exceeds either manager or territory.

If your personal life stress level goes up, that reduces the stress load you can take on at work. To maximize success, you need peace on the home front.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

1

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

What kind of tech is it that you think would be better elsewhere? Warm companies and the HQ seem pretty compelling.

bendandsnack

Politicker

4

Account Exec

I sell cloud, the provider I sell vibes way better with digital natives out west, in the Midwest you're always competing with curmudgeony old companies that are in bed with Microsoft

JustGonnaSendIt

Politicker

1

Burn Towns, Get Money

Smells like opportunity to me...

Less competition in the market. Not viewed as a commodity. Opportunity to influence the customer's thinking rather than going with the mainstream flow...

My biggest successes in tech sales have been in areas where my competitors are not investing as heavily.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

2

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

PacNorthwest is not better for this, so I'd agree with JustGonnaSendIt that maybe it will be a grind, but you have an edge, being local. You've also got that existing client base to leverage.

And as CRAG112 has said, moving is risky.

Honestly, if you like your manager, I'd give it a try.

CRAG112

Valued Contributor

1

Account Executive

Moving for a sales job just sounds very dangerous. Combine that with your partner not being excited for it, well, we all know sales and the BS it brings is a lot to deal with already.

Sounds like you have a decent thing going where you are at but it is going to be a grind. It's quite likely to be similar in the west coast too.

Even with the information you have, can you get an unbiased opinion of the territory in the west? Easy to see the grass being greener elsewhere, but that's not always the case.

TennisandSales

Politicker

1

Head Of Sales

if i was you, based off that fact, i would NOT move.

if you have legacy business to go off of, and a solid manager those are 2 big positives.

also if my spouse did not want to move i would rather find a different company to work for than MAKE them move.

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

1

Bravado's Resident Asshole

I'm never moving for another job again. too many fine prints.

CuriousFox

WR Officer

1

🦊

Ehhh....I mean.....money talks 🤷‍♀️

sealteam6

Good Citizen

0

Vice President

Depends if the product your are offering is more well received in the West vs MidWest. I'm thinking you have done some analysis and not jumping into this blindly. In my early days of sales leadership, I would tell reps never marry a territory. That was because the product I was offering had many variations based on the state sold and the data available e.g. California would have a larger data set to offer than Ohio. I have seen folks dominate in every jurisdiction and figured out their territory regardless of geo. Those outside of major metros had to work differently to sometimes harder than the metro reps. They both had pros and cons. I would do the analysis before making a decision.

coletrain

Politicker

0

Account Executive

"My SO would rather not move" There's your answer.

We can be risktakers however there is clearly opportunity in Chicago with your company. Use existing clients to build pipe via referrals. If it doesn't work out, there are other companies and you're dealing with less of a change professionally and socially.

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