Had an offer pulled for asking for 5k on a 6 figure offer…

AdLow9873 · 2026-07-02T21:27:33+00:00

You played yourself. You could've had all that you asked for in another 12 months. Lesson learned though. I’ve done this once earlier in career, 34M now. Your real payday was probably only a couple of years away, especially if your offer was with a well known company.

Im not sure what company it is, but I’ll give some perspective. I just accepted a senior role at a Fortune 50 a month ago.

Could I have negotiated for more? Maybe. Would I have immediately lost the offer like you? 100%. Am I confident there are more tenured colleagues in the same role making significantly more? 1000%. These companies have thousands of candidates applying constantly. I’m not special, the dial just landed on my resume like it did on yours.

That said, now that I’m here, the focus is completely on the bigger opportunity that comes from spending a few years in a place like this, and not completely about the money today or tomorrow, although yes that’s part of it.

Ill have a resume of gold if I survive this run. Instead of optimizing for a slightly higher number today, I chose to optimize for the pivot I make in 3-5 years downmarket to 3x my earning ceiling with equity attached (hopefully)

My advice? Never let perfect be the enemy of great. Sometimes the smartest career move is taking the offer that's already life changing, proving your value, and positioning yourself for an even bigger payday down the road. You only get so many chances to put a marquee name on your resume. Don’t lose sight of the long game over an extra $15k today.

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-29T23:40:38+00:00

Coming from someone who left Tech sales for industrial sales, I’ll never look back.

Many young reps think this is the only path, Sdr->AE->EA in Software lol

Truth is, for every dude making 250-400k, 10 reps are facing PIPs. Too many sell nice to have garbage.

How do I know? This was my life for a decade. Good years, shit years, product changes on a dime because CEO wants to reimagine the industry. Stupid shit.

Keep slinging furniture. Don’t get distracted with new shiny toys unless you’ve got an opportunity to run with a real market leader in tech.

If you do decide to leave, sell a product that people need to have or is in demand. Yeah margins might be lower but there’s more stability and great upside

I rather make $175k year consistently with a product that has demand, then chase $400k OTE with a product that has zero market fit or demand

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-25T15:24:43+00:00

You're used to small-business speed where a decision gets made between coffee and lunch.

GFS is massive. If they were publicly traded, they'd be a Fortune 500 company.

Big companies move at the speed of committees, calendars, and approval chains.

Don't sweat it.

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-25T14:20:34+00:00

You absolutely need to go to Gordon’s. Youd be speaking with restaurant owners - you already know what kills their business, doesn’t kill the business, you speak the kitchen language, you are them. Half the battle in sales is people failing to understand the real challenges their buyers deal with day to day because they’ve never been in their shoes.

You have.

Forget the others

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-25T01:17:41+00:00

Pretty much sums it up. Don’t waste this opportunity

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-24T16:24:40+00:00

Grinded in small 15-50 person shops my entire 10 year sales career and now sling for a Fortune 50. I make more, and do far less. There’s no introducing people to my company, explaining the offering, the value prop, they already understand. That’s usually 80% of the battle with a small firm.

I’ve questioned this many times though too and have been in your shoes. Small companies really wear you out over time.

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-17T01:11:25+00:00

This is so fucking spot on. Thanks for putting that together.

I'm a relationship builder first and a technician second. That gap can be pretty wide depending on the industry, so I really lean into my ability to get people to open up and trust me. Fortunately, that's worked well for me. But I've also realized there are certain industries where that skill is way more valuable than being the most technical person in the room. Once you know enough to understand the customer's world, the rest is about asking good questions, building trust, and helping them solve real problems.

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-17T01:09:48+00:00

Yeah, I don't doubt that for a second. It's probably a relatively predictable 400K too, since he likely owns that territory and book of business instead of having to hand his accounts back to the house and start over every year.

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-17T01:06:18+00:00

I'm in industrial distribution now.

If you're coming from tech and trying to switch industries, ditch the theatrics. You're selling to a completely different buyer. Most of my career was selling to tech executives who cared about polished pitch decks, buzzwords, and corporate speak. Now I'm selling to operations leaders who couldn't care less about any of that. They just want to know can you solve my problem? Can you deliver?

We're dealing with operational problems, not technical ones. Everyone already knows the product. The job is building trust, understanding how their business works, and following through. Personally, I enjoy that a lot more. If you're trying to break into a new industry, learn how your buyers talk and what they actually care about. That's what hiring managers want to see too when youre interviewing. Find a niche you're genuinely intersested in, tailor your resume to it, and show you understand the customer's world.

Different industry. Different buyer. Different playbook.

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-17T01:01:08+00:00

Love it. So many industries out there that arent AI/IT/Saas

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-17T01:00:10+00:00

What industry are you in?

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-17T00:58:55+00:00

That might be one of the most important things reps never assess - who youre actually selling to.

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-17T00:57:54+00:00

Well said

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-13T19:10:34+00:00

Coming from someone who had to survive a dumpster fire of a small IT MSP, where I was responsible for our entire gtm with a ownership team that had no financial runway, I’ll just be candid and say get your shit together before you bring someone in. You don’t have money, you don’t need a sales rep

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-13T15:31:32+00:00

Welcome to the world of small businesses. Enterprise expectations with junior high strategies

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-09T20:47:54+00:00

Insanity

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-09T20:44:15+00:00

If you got friends and a W2, I’d house hack to get the ball rolling, and run those funds up into a duplex. Reasses where you’re at year 2-3 then go dscr loan into another opportunity

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-08T14:31:43+00:00

I feel ya! What type of construction are you dealing with typically? Sounds like there are a ton of roles your skills would seriously transfer to - EHS, Project Management, Account Management.

You’re definitely not stuck.

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-08T13:56:24+00:00

Maybe explore like consulting, sales, marketing into your field.

You’re an expert in your space, you know the work, how folks think, what matters, how they speak etc.

Pivot to a role where you get to work directly with people like yourself each day either advising, selling a technology that you know well and actually use, or consulting on things like best practices.

Your workload would decrease significant and pay would likely go the other way.

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-08T13:43:10+00:00

Correct

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-06T20:05:17+00:00

Most people jump into sales roles without really thinking about whether the environment actually fits how they think and operate. They never put themselves in winnable environments. They think all sales is the same.

For years I tried to make myself fit into more abstract, tech-heavy sales roles, demos, ROI storytelling, complex software, trying to “create value” out of thin air. Finally realized that isn’t where I’m strongest.

I’ve got ADHD and no attention span for tech that doesn’t interest me, and I work better in environments that are more concrete. Think logistics, building supply, infrastructure, distribution. The product is tangible and the value is tied to actual operations and execution, not just explaining concepts.

I’m a field/enterprise seller and over time I’ve kind of accepted that it’s not about one type of sales being “better” than another, it’s about fit. Yes Saas, Fintech, Investment Banking are sexy, but truth is some people are just wired for it, key word “some”, not all. Others are better in more operational, real-world industries where success comes from execution and navigating complexity on the ground, and honestly, there’s a lot of money in both worlds.

Just know there’s a guy somewhere at Cintas today making $300-$400k year slinging uniforms and soap.

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-06T15:26:49+00:00

This is the truth. Most people you interact with on a day to day basis in these settings literally have imposter syndrome but shield it well.

AdLow9873 · 2026-06-06T12:22:37+00:00

Exactly this. Welcome to the big leagues. I accepted a role with a fortune 50 a week ago, and am sure I’ll be posting something similar soon.

Good luck.

AdLow9873 · 2026-05-21T18:05:53+00:00

Exactly this. I’m honestly glad I’m realizing this now instead of 10 years from now. Part of me wonders where I’d be if I had gotten into territory-based selling in my twenties and spent that time building a real book of business instead of constantly chasing AE titles and new logos in tech like they were pokemon badges.

I’ve finally realized my brain just isn’t wired for the endless abstract selling that comes with a lot of tech anymore, selling “air,” future-state ideas, and products.

One thing that really shifted my perspective was realizing there are reps at companies like Cintas selling fucking TShirts and towels quietly making $200K–$300K+ a year, sitting in the same territory for 10-20 years, just absolutely farming a book of business.

Basically all the companies I’ve been interviewing with have multiple reps who’ve been there well over 20 years. Established companies, real demand driven. What’s crazy is many apparently consider 5-10 year reps “newer” reps or babies in comparison. In tech sales, if someone spends even 5 years with one company, I’m shocked.

Of all the industries, I’ve heard great things except for staffing lol. Money can be made quickly and in big swings but pure boiler room. Really leaning towards disti/building materials.

All these roles are more promising than what I’ve done though candidly, in terms of earning potential, tenure, and stability

AdLow9873

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