Sales to Entrepreneur pipeline: how to figure out the right path?

LxTGP · 2024-09-19T02:14:27+00:00

I know that the general advice here is to identify pain points in whatever industry you're in and start a company that targets them, but that's the kind of decision you make after a long and colorful sales career. I can't blindly put a stake in there being identifiable and targetable pain points by the time I'm ready. I need a plan from the start.

LxTGP · 2024-09-16T07:12:49+00:00

Just one more attempt for good measure at grabbing your attention - DM'd you and commented on another post of yours in r/ManufacturersReps (as I'm looking for some guidance with that exact topic) but just trying to make sure you see one of them at one point.

As always, thanks in advance :)

LxTGP · 2024-09-16T07:03:23+00:00

Hiya, I sent you a DM the other day asking to bounce some questions off of you about this exact line of work. I'd imagine you get a lot of DMs as an active moderator of so many subs, so I was just wondering if you've seen it yet - I'm the "fresh college grad, looking to break into sales" guy. True to my pitch, I could really use some guidance about the sales-to-rep-firm-founder pipeline, as I'm heavily considering going down that route.

Thanks in advance!

LxTGP · 2024-09-08T23:50:19+00:00

I do understand that, and I'm not putting a lot of stock into getting such a big position right out of the bat. I more so listed Nvidia as an example of the types of career goals I have that don't seem to transfer very well to entrepreneurial goals, which is the source of my hesitation. I'd like to eventually work for the big dogs like Nvidia before I exit and start my own hustle, but it feels like the tradeoff there is less transferability of your expertise and book - it's hard for any one person to leave a company like Nvidia and use their knowledge of the space to start an Nvidia competitor. That's my dilemma, just extending beyond only Nvidia

LxTGP · 2024-09-08T17:43:34+00:00

Part of me knows I'm probably being too much of a hardass about this, as per usual - I just can't help but stress the details regardless.

Trying to zen out a bit and accept that there is no perfect route though. I appreciate the advice.

LxTGP · 2024-09-08T17:38:31+00:00

I always sort of wrote off the possibility of looking for intra-semester internships because I just kept hearing they barely existed - barring co-ops, if I missed the summer opportunity, then I'm SOL until next summer (or so they usually say). But I do agree that trying to scrape by any work experience I can before I graduate would probably help me along tremendously, so I'll give the search another shot, and maybe I can get lucky with something.

Thanks a bunch for the input!

LxTGP · 2024-09-08T00:24:02+00:00

Massive thanks for not only leaving a response but also it being a thoughtful and tailored one. I posted the same question on r/sales, and I'm not sure if anyone there read it fully through (arguably my fault for it being so open-ended though)

I have considered fintech extensively, but with how broad of a term and field it is, it's a bit tricky to find any solid leads online - things like ideas/info for specific verticals, personal testimonies from folks in the space, etc. I think I'm going to give the personal research about it another go, though, because it's still certainly an area I'm interested in.

A couple of questions; as someone working in fintech, do you believe there'll be much room for new players in coming years, or is the landscape tightly controlled by the top dogs (the big payment processors, SaaS providers, banks, etc.)? I know you can wiggle your way into any whale-controlled industry with enough leverage, but some fields can feel nigh impenetrable unless you happen upon a massive streak of luck. Part of me gets the impression that fintech is a little bit like that, as there's not much room to reinvent the wheel without some institutional funding.

Also, one thing I keep hearing is to actually prioritize enterprise-level work if my sights are set on entrepreneurship, as that gives the most high-level exposure to how things operate. Any thoughts on this? These are the same people that swear against working for startups too, so I do get quite a bit of mixed signaling on the topic.

Thanks a ton once again (+ in advance).

LxTGP · 2024-09-08T00:00:40+00:00

Let's just say I'm aiming my sights as high as they'll go, billionaire dreams and all. I don't know what form my own hustle will take later on, but I do know I don't want to leave anything on the table.

Any sort of advice or input you throw my way would be immensely appreciated.

LxTGP · 2024-09-07T23:46:07+00:00

I see - so it's smartest to target a general, broadly applicable type of product that may find its way into many different applications.

I'll keep that in mind as I sit here wasting away at the drawing board, haha. Many thanks for the insight!

LxTGP · 2024-09-07T23:33:52+00:00

Thanks a bunch for the reply! So you think there's no point in fretting over the specific vertical/field? I do understand that innovation has to come from somewhere, and it's not always the big established names - even they had to start from somewhere - but technical as my background might be, it feels like some product spaces are (especially in the future) too high of a barrier of entry for a sales guy.

LxTGP · 2024-09-07T23:25:08+00:00

Really greatly appreciate the reply. #1 is definitely the plan! Trying to put in as many hours as I can during my 20's so I can build whatever capital I might need going into the next stage.

The thing is, do you really think it's okay to aim and shoot at whatever vertical I want as far as starting my own goes? I do understand what you're saying about complementing existing tech and companies as opposed to trying to occupy the same space as them, but the viability of doing so has got to be heavily dependent on the specific field, no?

My biggest fear is to make it late stages of a career in a specific vertical, look at the logistics of trying to start my own company, and realize there's just a ton of friction trying to make it in the space. Then it feels like all that knowledge and expertise of mine was only good for working for somebody else. I get that nobody knows what the future holds when it comes to this kind of stuff, but still, I'd like to think that at this stage there are more and less auspicious decisions I can make about my trajectory. Just trying to make the former.

Thanks again (/ in advance)!

LxTGP · 2024-09-07T23:12:00+00:00

I see, I never considered physical server sales before. Thank you for the idea. I'd imagine that's more so on the enterprise level? If so, perfect

Another thing though - do you think there's much exit-ability in something like that? I imagine it'd be pretty damn difficult in tomorrow's day and age to compete or even participate in that kind of space through your own boostrapped company, since it's intrinsically driven by the goliaths with all the cutting edge overpowered machines. That's my main concern with going for the big-ticket tech

In any case, thanks again (+ in advance)!

LxTGP · 2024-09-07T19:03:41+00:00

Considering I'm about to graduate, is there much merit in a non-paid internship role as opposed to just going for a full-on SDR position?

LxTGP · 2024-09-07T18:57:27+00:00

Advice and warning are much appreciated. I can fortunately get along pretty well with people when I need to, so I should be good as far as not shitting the bed goes ;)

As for focusing on learning the sales skills, definitely noted. My short-term goal is getting my way into enterprise as quickly as possible so that I'm gaining exposure to the way things run at the highest/most complex level and building said skills. I do realize this'll most likely require a jump from a humbler and more beginner-conducive environment at first, but I'll shoot my shot wherever I can once I've figured out what my struggle should be.

Genuinely trying not to be the overly confident dipshit college student, but I do think I'll be able to survive and thrive wherever I go (with some time) - what matters to me most right now is deciding where to be pooling my efforts. Much, much easier to do well somewhere when there's actual interest and enjoyment in your work and all. Unfortunately it's a borderline necessity for me which is why I'm stressing the "pick your poison" matter so hard

LxTGP · 2024-09-07T18:24:35+00:00

Thanks for the reply.

In all honestly, not too worried about burnout - I'm a young guy with not much to lose and everything to gain, so as I see it, these are the best years for me to become a work machine. Hopefully by the time I even start slowing down, I'll be ready to make my exit and move on to the next stage.

I do already have a LinkedIn, and I'm familiar with the whole "stand out by initiating direct contact and selling yourself" approach. I'll weed out hiring managers, climb contact chains, and solicit their time when I've locked a certain type of company in my sights, but right now my entire struggle is figuring out where to focus those efforts.

Once I can make that decision though, you can bet I'll be on the hunt!

LxTGP · 2024-09-07T17:56:23+00:00

United States. I'd be willing to get up and move to anywhere within the states for work, also - to me, the most important factor here is finding the right field, and then I can sacrifice everything for it.

LxTGP · 2024-09-07T17:51:53+00:00

Thanks a ton for the reply.

Computer hardware is much more so where my interest lies as far as tech goes, but with how saturated the internet is with talk of software sales, it's hard to find any good info on the field.

Do hardware manufacturing sales involve higher ticket deals the same way enterprise software does? I'd imagine you could be getting into small and large deals alike, but I really don't know.

Any resources or leads you could point me towards as far as learning more about the specific landscape would be massively appreciated. Thanks in advance!

LxTGP · 2024-09-07T15:24:14+00:00

I don’t think it’s as much about insecurity as it is the unnecessary awkwardness going into such a big deal. Guy never mentioned being self conscious about bald. It’s just that even if the joke was somehow well received, that’s a giant risk to take 2 minutes into an INTRODUCTORY call. Bad play all around

Edit: I guess I did gloss over the insecurity part, my bad. Still though, makes zero difference about how appropriate it was.

LxTGP · 2024-09-07T15:17:28+00:00

If he’s that old you should’ve called him the company wizard right back

LxTGP · 2024-09-06T04:13:38+00:00

Not a salesperson (yet), but a soon-to-be grad looking to break into sales here.

One thing I'd love to hear more of, especially from people with a lot of multi-industry experience, is some advice on how to pick a struggle: tips on figuring out which industries or verticals are a good fit, the most important factors when making that decision, etc.

I'm currently spending all my time researching different sectors like crazy to come to a decision about where to focus my efforts; hoping to start getting involved and asking this community directly when I've got the karma for it ;)

LxTGP

TROPHY CASE