Is Software Sales a Good Career?
Software sales careers are one of the best and highest paying roles in the sales world. The job offers a good degree of job security and potentially huge earning potential at the highest ranks. The salary is comprised of a base salary and commission. The commission is performance based, making the role exciting and fall on your shoulders.
Back to the question at hand, the world is evolving and tech is at the forefront of most of that change. Tech is booming evident by the high stock pries and buzz in the business world. Top performing companies are leveraging software to stay competitive like SalesForce, Gong, Microsoft etc…. Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) companies are taking over especially in the business to business (B2B) space. With all this great tech coming out these companies need to sell their services. That’s where the sales reps come into play. Understanding the value add, getting into opportunities and eventually closing deals. Companies are forced to keep up with very aggressive revenue growth models and that’s why sales is such a scrutinized and high paying role.
Pros:
- Exciting thrill of closing new deals and being the “hotshot” with in the organization
- Completive, fast paced environment where your numbers are broadcasted across the organization
- Ease of mobility into high level roles with in the organization
Cons:
- Long hours
- Consistent monthly or quarterly quotas that never end, think hamster cycle
- A large chunk of salary is tied to performance and commission can suffer when performance suffers
Keep in mind there are different personas with in a sales team:
Lead generation - These are typically entry level roles filled by college grads or professionals with less experience. Their goal is to book meeting for more tenured reps to close the actual business. These team members are not typically closing business. They are measured by meetings scheduled, dials and sometimes revenue closed. Input activity ie. Calls, emails etc.. are highly monitored by bosses. These roles are typically referred to as Sales Development Representatives (SDR) or Business Development Representative (BDR). Success in these roles are usually fast tracked to Account executives and closing roles.
More tenured, seasoned sales reps are responsible for bringing on new clients for the company. The largest earning potential exists for top performing closers because they are the ones actually bringing in revenue. And a general rule of thumb in the business role is “the closer you are to the money, the more you can command”. Most reps in these roles know the industry they’re selling into very well to effectively pitch the value the product will bring to the market. Goals are directly tied to the company’s revenue. These roles are typically referred to as Account Executive (AE).
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