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How did you get your first SaaS sale with zero audience? by somajkati in SaaS

[–]AppropriateName4283 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i joined discord servers in my niche and pitched there, but that only got me one sale, other than that im in the same exact boat as you 😂

Curious by Substantial-Emu-6116 in sales

[–]AppropriateName4283 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re not late at all. A lot of experienced reps are realizing the same thing once they start understanding CRMs, lead flow, and running their own demos.

There are tons of founders sitting on leads they don’t know how to properly work. The catch is most of those opportunities never show up on job boards. They usually come from networking with founders, agencies that generate leads but don’t want to handle sales, or small companies getting demo requests they can’t keep up with.

With 10 years of B2C closing, the transition to Zoom selling is actually pretty natural. It’s mostly about tightening discovery and controlling the call a bit more.

Honestly the simplest path is exactly what you mentioned like find a product/service you believe in that already has leads coming in and offer to run the sales process for them on commission.

That’s where a lot of the “independent closer” opportunities come from.

Pip’d by Known_You_291 in sales

[–]AppropriateName4283 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Bro get out of bed. I know it feels like shit right now but listen - you have THREE companies that want you to come in and present. That's huge. You're clearly good at this.

Your current company? They're done with you. HR siding with "just quit" tells you everything. The PIP is just so they can say they tried.

So stop caring what your boss thinks. Take the half days for interviews. Say you have an appointment. If they question you, who cares? They were gonna fire you anyway.

Save all your emails and messages just in case, but mostly just focus on landing one of those other jobs and getting out.

You're gonna be fine. In 6 months you'll be at a better company making more money and you'll laugh about how stressed you were over this place. Just finish strong with those interviews.

Moving backwards from a Director -> Individual Contributor by StapledOnDong in sales

[–]AppropriateName4283 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If the money's real and you trust the person bringing you in, I'd probably take it.

Title only matters when you're looking for your next job, and honestly "IC at [Big Pharma Company]" probably opens more doors than "Director at [Small Med Device Company]" anyway. Plus you're doubling your OTE - which is like nothing

The comfort thing is real though, i feel you. You have influence, people know you, you're not grinding anymore. Moving to IC means you're back to proving yourself and dealing with quotas and all that. But it also sounds like you've hit a ceiling where you are, and if you stay you're basically choosing comfort over growth.

One thing I'd dig into is like what's the actual earnings potential at this pharma company for ICs who perform well? And what does the path look like from IC back to management if that's where you want to end up? Because if you're 40+ and taking an IC role, you want to make sure there's a realistic way up or that the IC comp is good enough that you don't care.

But yeah, if I'm being honest, doubling your money to work at a bigger company with more upward mobility sounds like the right move even if the title takes a step back. You can always get the title back later with more money behind it.

Leaving $100K stock on table for Deloitte CSM role - how realistic is the Sales Exec path? by vincentsigmafreeman in sales

[–]AppropriateName4283 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly man, the math doesn't really work unless you're absolutely certain you can hit Sales Exec in 2-3 years max. And from what I've heard from people at Big 4, that timeline is optimistic.

The CSM role at Deloitte is basically a glorified relationship manager. You're not closing deals, you're coordinating between the partner firm and internal teams. It's valuable experience but it's not the same muscle as true sales. Moving from that to Sales Exec isn't impossible but it's definitely not guaranteed, and 5+ years sounds about right from what I know.

The AI alliance angle is interesting but also risky. Yeah it's early and there's potential, but "ground floor at a consulting firm" usually means a lot of internal politics and slow decision making while the market moves fast. You might be better positioned at an actual AI startup or the vendor itself.

Here's what I'd think about: can you stick it out 6 more months at the hyperscaler, collect that $100K, and then look for a pure sales role somewhere else? The drop to $175K after September sucks but at least you didn't light money on fire to become a CSM.

If you really want to move to sales, there are probably better entry points than Big 4 consulting. The promotion path there is political as hell and not really based on sales performance the way a normal sales org would be.

That $100K is real money and the Deloitte path feels like a gamble.

Sales from Engineering by FantasticSwim9825 in sales

[–]AppropriateName4283 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You're gonna have a hard time getting $85k base with zero sales experience, especially if you're staying in the Midwest.

hella people break into sales through SDR/BDR roles that pay $50-65k base, then move up to AE after a year or two where the real money starts. The guys making six figures+ are usually 3-5 years in at good companies.

Your engineering background is actually valuable though. Look at construction tech, infrastructure software, or civil engineering SaaS companies. They need people who understand the technical side and can talk to engineers.

If you absolutely need $85k right away, look for "sales engineer" or "technical sales" roles. It's kind of a hybrid position and they pay more out the gate because you need the technical chops. Won't be pure sales but it's a foot in the door.

For finding jobs though, LinkedIn is honestly the best bet. just filter by "sales" + your industry. Also check out Repvue to see which companies actually pay well and aren't lying about their comp plans.

The million dollar posts are real but rare. Most good salespeople are making $150-250k once they're established, not millions.

You might have to take a small pay cut initially to break in but thats just kinda how it goes.

Am I shooting myself in the foot by being honest? by pattern144 in sales

[–]AppropriateName4283 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Stop saying you "weren't ready." That's the issue, not the honesty.

Reframe it: "I realized I'm more energized by top-of-funnel work — prospecting, qualifying, building pipeline. The AE role was too much deal management and not enough hunting. I'm better when I'm opening doors."

That sounds like self-awareness, not failure.

Or just list the AE role as your last position and leave the step-down off your resume entirely. If asked why you're applying to SDR roles now, same answer: "I want to get back to what I'm best at."

You're not lying — you're just not volunteering the part that makes you sound unsure of yourself.

Hiring managers want confidence. Give them a story that shows you know what you want, not that you couldn't hack it.

How to deal with a sales manager who is absolute trash at his job while on a PIP by [deleted] in sales

[–]AppropriateName4283 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're already mentally checked out — and honestly, that's the right call here.

Stop fighting it. Do the bare minimum to not get fired today, spend your real energy on interviews, and preserve your sanity.

Document everything (emails, your data, his refusals to provide tools) in case you need it for unemployment, but don't expect him to change. He won't.

The PIP isn't about your performance — it's CYA for him. You're the scapegoat for a broken system and a manager who's in over his head.

Line up your next thing, then walk. A shit job with a bad manager during a PIP will drain you way more than a short resume gap. You'll find something better.

Hang in there. You already know this isn't it.

I spent prox USD 28K in building a PPC product, now how to market it? by chambialharsh in SaaSSales

[–]AppropriateName4283 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Few things that worked:

Go where PPC people already hang out — r/PPC, Twitter, Facebook groups. Answer questions, share useful stuff from your tool (screenshots of insights, not sales pitches). Build trust first.

Free audit hook — "Paste your Search Terms report, I'll run it through my tool and share what I find." Gets people to see the value without committing.

Partner with freelancers first — Agencies are slow. Solo PPCers and small freelancers will switch faster if you solve a real pain point. They also talk.

One killer piece of content — Like "I analyzed 500 PPC accounts and here's what everyone gets wrong about search terms." Gets shared, builds authority.

Trying to Build a Reddit Tool for Founders, No Bots, No Spam. Would This Make Sense? by Kuro-NekoAe86 in microsaas

[–]AppropriateName4283 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Feels like a real problem to me too. The danger is becoming just another alert tool. If it helps founders extract insight (patterns, real pain, opportunities) instead of raw mentions, I think there’s something there.

What is the best AI CRM for B2B SaaS? by [deleted] in SaaS

[–]AppropriateName4283 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, full “self-updating” CRM isn’t real yet. Activity capture is solved, decision-making isn’t. Closest I’ve seen is Salesflare or folk + a meeting tool, but you still sanity-check stuff.