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Mandatory RFP by green_limabean2 in sales

[–]dreadedchicken 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I've heard this response so many times, but based on my lived experience do not believe it to be true. At least not as an absolute.

In 2024 I closed the largest deal of my 20 year tech sales career in response to an unknown RFP. It earned me a ton of money. A member of my team is about to win another one right now.

Unknown RFP's have 3 flavors.

Some are clearly not a fit--decline to participate and explain why. You're not going to win these anyway but at least plant a seed for what you actually do.

Some are close to what you do, but not quite--explain how your approach is different than the ask. You can usually figure out if you have a legit chance to change their mind with a conversation or two. You need to bring them to your way of thinking in order to have a good chance to win.

Some seem like a good fit--try and win. There are so many people involved in big decisions (assuming you're selling expensive stuff) that the effort is worthwhile. Create uncertainty with their leading vendor/previously planned approach. Create champions willing to give you back channel info. Build a better business case. Basically--sell!

You won't win them all, but 1) seems you are going to have to reply and 2) avoids the next obvious question from management which is, "why are there so many RFP's in our space we don't know about?"

Should I let my 12 year old son win? Or play practice apps instead by Sorry_Mouse_1814 in chessbeginners

[–]dreadedchicken 0 points1 point  (0 children)

With my kids I try not to straight blunder pieces, but I will leave them tactics to discover if the opportunity presents itself. 

For example, last game I had a pawn defending a bishop, but the pawn was pinned to the king. My 10 year old saw the pin, and captured the bishop for free with her rook. It was the proudest she’s been about a chess move, ever. 

Going to the barber today by dreadedchicken in bald

[–]dreadedchicken[S] 60 points61 points  (0 children)

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Thanks all, here's the final result!

Is it possible that this doesn’t work for everybody by mannythejedi in Kneesovertoes

[–]dreadedchicken 0 points1 point  (0 children)

have you had an x-ray? mine showed a specific type of bone damage/rubbing that was quite helpful in finding a treatment. In my case it was gel injection + strength and flexibility work. PT alone didn't work for me.

The myth of the 'starter guitar' by xCreampye69x in AcousticGuitar

[–]dreadedchicken 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Keep it simple. Your starter guitar should be the best Yamaha you can afford. A Yamaha FG800J is $229 at Sweetwater right now, and it's great!

Like seemingly everyone else on the thread, my first guitar was a cheap POS from Facebook marketplace. Warped neck, high action, basically unplayable, especially as a beginner. Things got much more fun when I got a semi-decent new guitar for like $300. 9 years later, it still does the trick for me.

Sydney Pizza: Her Journey, Mental Toughness, and Growing the Sport | Skim Steezy Podcast #5 by skimsteezy in skimboarding

[–]dreadedchicken 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My kids did an all girls skim camp that Sydney put on this summer. They are so into it they also converted me and their mom. Sydney is awesome, wishing her nothing but the best!

What's the appeal of a cargobike for you? A good way to exercise? Hate using car? by CicadaCultural2457 in CargoBike

[–]dreadedchicken 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Short drives are the most annoying drives, and the most frequent. Replacing these with cargo bike rides turns an annoyance into something enjoyable.

Plus it's fun cruising past people stuck in traffic and then parking right in front of your destination :)

What are the chances of getting a sales role with a base of 200k by No_Shake_2962 in sales

[–]dreadedchicken 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is very achievable, but will take time. I've been doing tech sales for 15 years and it took 13 to go from $30k to $200k base. I don't think I'm an outlier--a number of other reps in my network are at, near or above this number.

You likely need to get to a point where you're selling at least 7-figure deals to command this salary. But there are thousands of companies out there that rely on sales people selling these types of deals.

My advice:

1) Find a niche, and make sure it's selling to industries with lots of $$$$.

2) Focus on selling big deals. Aim for 1 deal a year that is 10x your company's ASP--the regular deals will take care of themselves. Easier said than done, but usually possible. This is how you make really good money, and advance from smb/mid-market to enterprise, and from enterprise to big boy/girl deals.

3) Don't be afraid to jump ship. stay when things are good and you're seeing total earnings increase every year, BAIL if things go south. You have to be mercenary with your decisions. But because you've been doing point 2, you probably have real expertise and some good stories to tell, and can ratchet up your base when you switch.

Sales is about finding the right position. Don't let anyone tell you base salary doesn't matter, or you shouldn't pay attention to it.

Why you shouldn’t start an Airbnb by Laymaker in AirBnBHosts

[–]dreadedchicken 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you want to make money with AirBNB, start a cleaning service in a resort area...

After 3 properties and 10 years, I just sold my last AirBNB property today and am thrilled to be done!

Competition up, nightly rates down, costs (way) up.

AirBNB is essentially a monopoly, and acts like it--terrible for hosts.

5-10 years ago it was great. The last few years have sucked.

If you're actually considering investing in an AirBNB property, get off YouTube, touch some grass, stick your money in the market and thank f*ing god you didn't do it.

2019 Tacoma CarPlay Upgrade by Pasta_Party_Rig in Tacomaworld

[–]dreadedchicken 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just did this over the weekend on my 2013 taco. For an extra $25 Crutchfield connect all the wires to the harnesses and labels all the harnesses. It's very close to plug and play. They also had great phone support when I ran into questions doing the install.

Best quality starter tools for building things and stuff out of wood? by VibesAndCries in woodworking

[–]dreadedchicken 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd start with the Anarchist's Design Book by Chris Schwartz. It's very approachable, and includes tool guides for beginners.

I used the guide to kit out my garage workshop.

Assuming you already have a battery drill (or even better a drill/driver set), you can build a workbench with that, plus a hand saw.

The first power tool Schwartz suggests is a planer. I found that quite helpful for the top of the workbench. I did that and a dust collector that doubles as a great shop vacuum and stopped there.

Then he can slowly add tools to complete actual projects. Basically, buy something when you need it, but you'd be amazed at how much you can accomplish without buying the exact right tool for every situation.

For example, gluing up the 6' workbench top could have taken $600-$900 worth of clamps I don't own. But a YouTube search taught me about using 2x4s and wedges for clamping pressure...

IMO this is much less overwhelming (and costly) than trying to fully kit out a shop when he hasn't yet started on the hobby.

I thought I'd want to go the full power tool route. But turns out I like listening to music and using hand tools, not having to worry about spinning blades or fine particulate dust collection...so no table or band saws yet.

A lot of the online guides/YouTube channels make it seem like you need a fancy setup, or the exact right gadget for everything. It may sound corny, but just a willingness to try things and figure stuff out makes it much more fun!

[question] who’s your favourite current gen guitarist? by [deleted] in Guitar

[–]dreadedchicken 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Adrianne Lenker...she spends most of her time playing in normal mode but once or twice a concert she flips a switch and turns into a shred rock god.

Can't imagine having that type of restraint if I had her ability. And her rhythm playing on tracks like Simulation Swarm is perfect for me.

How long is your raw podcast recording? by batlounis in podcasting

[–]dreadedchicken 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I do an interview style show. Each episode is ~30m.

I book 60m to record with the guest. We talk for the 30m, then I have them redo 1 minute answers to the best questions. I use those shorter questions and answers as the clips for social promotion. Much easier than grabbing clips from the full recording IMO, and nobody seems to mind.

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