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MSFT or AWS? As Tech Pre Sales and why?
Microsoft is hiring an account executive and I’m really interested in the role. I have B2B sales experience in a different industry, but my skills include lead generation, prospecting, account management, negotiating, etc (all within the C Suite and other decision makers).
Would appreciate knowing if this is something I have a shot at with no tech sales experience and what I could expect for promotional opportunities and compensation.
Thanks for the help!
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Do it! 1000% do it! I did it and you’ll realize you graduated on to better things. It’s also much more rewarding knowing you closed higher ticket services.
You have to change your mindset. The longer sales cycles were the biggest learning curve for me. Once you get used to it, things start to fall in place. Worth the chance if you are interested.
I did the opposite, started in enterprise sales before moving to SMB. (major computer OEM. Part of the big 3: red, blue, gray)
#1 thing i can tell you from my experience between the 2… forget whatever rule you follow when pricing products for SMB.
Once you get to a certain deal size, Margin becomes a ghost and influence/bragging rights of having “such and such” as a customer is all that matters, even if the company is paying to put our products in the customer’s hands to some degree.
#2
In enterprise, even the smallest feature or lack there of when compared to your competition can make or break the deal. Also, product support, reviews online, heck even logistics of getting the products to the customer can be a deal killer. (Internally we have a joke about labels and cables causing more issues that any other component)
#3
In enterprise there is ALWAYS an escalation path for better pricing or better products, or better delivery ETAs. So you have a WAY better chance at saving a deal than in SMB.
#4
There is alot more “team effort” in enterprise sales. Your core team, (assuming field sales, inside sales, sales manager, solutions architect/ Tech consultant and product manager) will work on the daily stuff with you, but when it comes to the big deals or RFP/RFQs…. The amount of cooks in the kitchen multiplies exponentially.
Finally….In my experience:
Its alot of fun when you have the right team, the product features are there, pricing is decent, and the salary is on point.
But it can turn into a drag real fast, when company BS isn’t stopped by management.
Many people do not believe in planning for the future and experience no growth or change. It is important to overcome excuses and pursue new opportunities for personal and professional development. Consider joining an investment team to achieve rapid profit growth. Always ask questions
Enterprise sales is generally a high turnover career, though I do know reps who have been in a territory for a decade or more. This is not a bad thing, much of the turnover is good reps making strategic moves when they see a lull looming where they are at. The sellers with long tenure have been blessed to build the right relationships within a couple big spending clients, and they do more farming than hunting.
Just as the bird on a high branch gets their confidence from the ability to fly rather than hoping that they picked a strong tree, a good seller gets comfortable in being able to sell, rather than being tied to a company or territory.
All that being said, now is not the time to be looking for an Enterprise Sales role, it's a horrific job market for seekers at the moment. Do update your resume and apply if you feel inclined, but don't in any way put your current role at risk.