S
S

Shango

Sales Manager

Fire Starter

Young guy trying to make it in sales!

Hey everyone,  

First-time poster here but have been soaking up a lot of great insights from the forum. Wanted to share my background and get some advice from those of you who’ve been in the sales game for a while.  

**A little about me:**  
I’m 25, been in sales my entire career, and also took a detour to serve in the Marine Corps (got out as a Sergeant). My sales experience includes:  
- 3 years in car dealerships  
- 1 year as a Sales Manager in manufacturing (more on that below)  
- 1 year in roofing sales (my current role)  
- Very good looking (does this matter?)
- Fluent in English, Spanish & Yoruba (Odd combo huh)

I’ve had some solid wins—especially in manufacturing sales, where I took over a department averaging $250K/month and within three months, pushed it to $780K/month. Since there was no real structure, I built the process from scratch and stabilized it at around $450K/month. The downside? It was a family-owned business, and eventually, the CEO’s daughter (with no experience) took over, switched us to salary, and capped earnings—even though we were generating $600K/month on average (peaked at $1.1M). I was making $100K/year while driving serious revenue, so I moved on.  

Now, I’m in roofing sales, and honestly, it’s been rough. The industry is highly unpredictable—lead flow is inconsistent, variables are out of my control, and the company is struggling. We’ve had a mass exodus of experienced employees, so now it’s all new hires (including leadership), and the micromanagement is brutal. They’ve even made office attendance mandatory if you don’t have appointments. I’m working 7 AM to 10-11 PM (sometimes 1 AM) Monday through Saturday, on a commission-only structure, and despite grinding, earnings have dropped ($14-16K/month before, now much worse 3-4k) & Yes I understand the waves, but between the drastic changes within the company, to my mental health legit being to the floor, I need change. 

**Looking for Guidance:**  
I love sales—the hustle, the game, the results—but I need a change. I’ve been considering tech sales (SaaS, etc.) since it seems more structured and scalable, but I’m open to other industries where I can actually grow & make money.
Would love to hear from those who’ve made a similar jump or have experience in high-growth sales roles. What industries would you recommend? Any tips for breaking into tech sales with my background?  

Thanks in advance—really appreciate any insights!
🧠 Advice
9

15 comments

Sort by:
oldcloser
Arsonist
8
💀
If I were to take all of the above at face value, I’d tell you this: You’re too good looking for sales.

Otherwise, you’re clearly disciplined and experienced enough to make a consistent living in an entry level role if SaaS is where you want to land.

Your military background is gold. Your process orientation makes you as good an SDR candidate as anyone. Go get it.
Filth
Tycoon
1
Live Filthy or Die Clean
In addition to what @oldcloser says here, @Shango I would look for some tech that sells into gov't or requires security clearance. Use your background to hit where others can't. I would assume you have a leg up on most sales people and DOD/gov't has a SHIT TON of tertiary vendors and that trickles down from national to state as well.

Last comment, leverage any relationship you can to get in the door where you want to be. Don't stay somewhere that isn't working, start putting that effort to the next position not just surviving (unless that's your current financial state then you do what you go to do and pick up anything and everything out there - we've all been there from time to time before the good opp shows up)
Just realized @Revenue_Rambo just said this so I'll shut up for a minute lol
Revenue_Rambo
Politicker
7
Bad MFer
There is absolutely no reason you can’t land a solid role in tech sales. My advice is to leverage your military background and search out companies that actively recruit and hire veterans.
Shango
Fire Starter
6
Sales Manager
How would I do such? First time actually exploring this… and more or so getting into the world of LinkedIn, been networking a lot more on it. Is there any certs needed for these roles, and where / what would I start looking up?

Thanks in advance man!
Revenue_Rambo
Politicker
6
Bad MFer
Start by leveraging your own personal network. Some of your USMC brothers have likely landed jobs and can refer you in.

Don’t worry about certs at this point. At this point in your career experience is more valuable than shelling out for a piece of paper.

Quick Google search pulled up hireveterans.com as a potential resource for you and looks like it will allow you to search by job title and location to narrow down prospective companies quickly.
jefe
Arsonist
5
🍁
Really solid advice from Rambo here!

Good luck @Shango & welcome to the War Room!
Gasty
Notable Contributor
3
War Room Community Manager
Right on point! Rambo!
Filth
Tycoon
2
Live Filthy or Die Clean
There are websites dedicated to just gov't based vendors - start there and see if there is special hiring organizations that specialize that way or just start writing down names and applying to all
QWhiz
Tycoon
6
Founding AE / ex-SDR
Tech sales is more structures but, not layoff-proof. But with your current situation of $3k to $4k/m, you should definitely consider tech sales. If I were you, I'd start hunting for entry-level / mid-level SDR roles and try to use the veteran experience to augment my profile. Keep dropping by the war room every now and then - this place is gold for people like you. Good luck!
Justatitle
Tycoon
5
Account Executive
Treat the job hunt in software sales as you would prospecting to close someone, find the hiring manager for a job you want, call them and email them show you can do the job and remove all doubt from their mind since you don't have the prior experience, and if you want an SDR role I may have an inside track
Shango
Fire Starter
3
Sales Manager
Will definitely do, I appreciate the feedback! Definitely interested in that SDR role if you happen to have an inside track,

Thanks in advance man!
medhardwaredr
Politicker
5
Director of Sales NA
You sound like a great SaaS candidate go for it. Absolute software will be hiring shortly but has a few now depending on location. Would highly recommend them. Partner side a unique one is Cambridge computer, great money, very interesting culture
Shango
Fire Starter
2
Sales Manager
Appreciate it! Currently checking out absolute as we speak, will definitely check out the other one as well, and here I thought that it’d be damn near impossible to land a role at this point, thanks for the input!
Gasty
Notable Contributor
0
War Room Community Manager
Shango, welcome to the War Room! That was a great first post. It's awesome to see that you've been absorbing insights from this community and have now decided to pursue a career in tech sales.

As others have mentioned, you seem like a strong fit for the world of sales. A good next step would be to target recently funded startups - they offer a fast-paced environment where you'll quickly gain exposure and learn. Given your background in building systems and scaling operations, that experience will be great in a startup setting. Just make sure to do extensive research before choosing where to join.

To talk about getting a job, make a strong LinkedIn profile, reach out to hiring managers, and of course a killer resume. Most entry-level roles in SaaS are SDR/BDR, so try getting one of those.

Best of luck, and looking forward to seeing more of your journey here! :)

Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
0
ERP Sales
Check out breaking into tech sales

Related posts

2

Empowering a sales person to make there own choices

Discussion
9
13

advice for an 18 year old trying to get into sales

Question
👑
🙏
☁️
24
16
Members only

How mid 30’s people become head of sales at such a young age

Question
🕧 age-related
30
Bravado is a community of trusted sales professionals endorsed by their customers.
Apple Store logo
Products
The War Room Jobs Tech Sales U
For employers
Hire sales talent Executive search
Company
About Us How It Works Blog Bug Bounty
Contact
Press Careers
© 2025 Bravado Inc. All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy Legal and Privacy Center Trust Center Sales Jobs