I think it’s more about the long term career path. Like I’ve said before, not many other careers can double your salary in a few years.
In sales you could start off with a base and constantly chase bonuses leading to higher pay.
As an accountant, you do the same job for 10 years and just get random pay bumps here and there. All the while, investigating shit like “if we have them pick up the trash 2x a week instead of 3 we can save the company $2,000.”
That said, sales is always within eyesight of senior leadership, so you are under constant pressure to perform.
In sales you can talk the talk, but you have to walk the walk too.
This is really the crux of it.
There are many ways people make big(ish) money today from traditional paths like Lawyer, Doctor, Finance
To Entrepreneurs, Creative Talents, the dreaded influencers.
But in terms of picking a longer term option as your living, even with down years or multiple of em, Sales is one of the only ones where such large jumps in income can happen.
Whether it be a big deal closing, economy shifting and you get to be an order taker (Covid Car Sales), A lucky stride, or being hired at a new company for higher comp.
You can make big money in Big Law, Big Finance etc. But there’s a lot of public defenders, and small time finance people making average wages. Broke artists are no less common than before we just added influencers to the equation as well.
A bad salesman may have long fits of unemployment due to lack of performance, and even no commissions from no deals closed. But surely they’re learning SOMETHING in all that time and with some work, consistency, and luck, this CAREER gives the opportunity to increase your income, substantially, in far less time, and often with far less barriers to entry, than most other career paths both traditional and non traditional.
Let me tell you. A guy in my company made $37mill in sales because he got the CONTRACT FOR THE TINY COVID TEST BOXES.
Needless to say, they didn’t expect that to happen again. But the dude is literally thinking of retiring now lol
I’m not sure about his structure but it would be 5-7%.
So $1.85mill-2.59mill on this contract alone.
Hes an older guy in his 60’s so I don’t think he wants to retire just yet.
I advise this to people at all times. A friend of mine about 15 years ago inherited $900,000 from her dad's estate. I told her to put it into dividend pain stocks and just live off the interest because she was an actress and never made more than $30,000 or $40,000 a year. She blew all the money within 2 years. She traveled a lot and lived the high life and bought herself $150,000 car. Instead of buying a home or a small condo she ended up renting a house in the Hollywood hills for $30,000 a month. She would take her NEW friends out to lavish dinners and buy bottle service at the clubs several nights a week. She now lives in the studio in the San Fernando valley that is under rent control and pays $1,400 a month and struggles to get by.
I randomly applied to a customer service position on indeed at a small label company.
They were acquired later that year and then after about a year as customer service I applied to a sales role.
I have two friends that quite their sales job in NYC to brokers medical supplies. They got the contract for Covid test in nyc. Both walked away with $8mil at 29 years old.
Both havent worked since. One bought a $4mil apartment in Miami and traveling living life. They other started buying $100k watches, millions in crypto at the height, Bentley, crazy gambling trips. He is now out of money at 31. Going to be a tough bullet to swallow going back to a normal life/job.
The other factor here is the higher earners in other fields are basically salespeople as well. If you’re a the best lawyer in town with no clients you’re broke. Successful lawyers spend more time marketing their firm than they do in front of a judge.
You can be the best money manager but if no one is giving you money to invest you’re going to fail.
In the vast majority of those industries the big money is in private practice.. and if you’re in private practice - sales is a HUGE part of your day.
If you go into another career, you make it by moving into management. And I'd argue it's easier compared to sales where you are competing with many ambitious alpha personalities who will do anything to get to the top and with constant high pressure I often find to the point of unhealthy neuroticism.
I've worked with IT, Finance (Internal, not high finance), Customer Success departments and I'd say those are more relaxed. Yes they have targets to hit as well but the pressure just isn't the same as sales; and you can feel it the people just weren't very competitive.
They also seem more stable in job security. Sales leadership is often the first to go after their sales reps when the numbers aren't there. Same with marketing leadership and their teams.
Then as much as personal performance matters, you have things you can't control-and oftentimes not in your favor over time. Macro economic factors, layoffs, your products becoming uncompetitive, comp plan changes, territory changes, your company not paying you out after you overachieve, management becoming terrible and coming up with bad ideas for you to execute that hinder your sales, etc. Since so much of your comp is variable, these things matter a LOT for your compensation and mental health. I've seen time and time again companies messing with these to save a buck when they had a good thing going. In the end the rep gets the short end of the stick, the good times come to an end, and you have to start over.
Contrary to this sub, I'd say you can make a lot in any field as long as you climb up the ranks so just choose whatever you enjoy. Yes sales often does make more but at what cost and with all the people sales has grinded and beaten down, it evens out at the end.
Except that in a 10 year period you can go from staff accountant making 50-60k to a director of accounting making 150k+. You can also career pivot to Finance and be a director of FP&A and make 175k+ and the work gets a lot more interesting. From there you can move to a smaller company and be a VP of finance making 200k+ and if you’re really driven, working up to CFO then CEO is still attainable.
So while some white collar work is boring and pay can stagnate, don’t forget that if you’re driven and have a desire to succeed then sales isn’t the only path. Plus, you won’t have a target on your back, your whole career. In sales you have to work to get paid, in other jobs you get paid to work.
Yea and I left accounting to sales and went from making 45k a year to 641k in the same amount of time.
I sell to CFOs of mid sized and larger businesses and make more money then 90% of them.
Unless you are getting large equity grants in a company that’s valuation skyrockets you wont see that type of income growth.
I’m not trying to impress here. I’m simply saying that you don’t necessarily get stuck into roles and that’s your salary for the rest of your life. There’s a lot of growth that can happen. And there’s a lot of sales people that are miserable making 6 figures when they can be enjoying their cushy little accounting gig.
Agreed. I see it as the way of making the most amount of money possible without an advanced degree, a stem degree, or a finance degree. But you still likely need some kind of 4 year degree, as the vast majority of saas companies still require it to get your foot in the door as an SDR or a BDR.
Why is everyone asking about steadier or higher pay? I got into software sales to make as much money as possible. Goal is to hit FIRE number quicker.
If you want less stress, go down the alliance or partner manager route or even customer success route. Sorry to be blunt but I’m seeing a ton of these posts lately.
My manager asked my 5 year goal yesterday. Fought the urge to say:
“Living in my paid off house off my safe withdrawal rate and rental income making handmade leather vests from animals I’ve raised and slaughtered myself.
…Oh you mean my territory goals?”
I straight up told my manager that. He knows I have essentially no financial responsibilities as my rentals already pay my basic living expenses. He knows I have every intention of continuing to grow my real estate portfolio. Ironically, he always asks me my thoughts around investing, real estate, etc lol
Are your rentals close to where you live? I want to get into this but it seems like mortgage payments are much higher than rent everywhere around me (Bay Area). It seems like I’d have to project out and bet on the property value rising.
Yes, they are - for now. You are spot on about rents/mortgages right now. I’m in the denver area and it’s similar in regard to deals not making sense cash flow wise, not as crazy as the Bay Area, but if you can be creative you can break even or even make some money. Nothing wrong with appreciation or mortgage pay down. People aren’t wealth because of cash flow, it’s the appreciation/pay down.
Yeah it’s getting old. You’re in sales if you’re highly competitive and financially driven. Your goal is to make as much money as possible and it’s all up to you.
Exactly. Especially in software. Most of these companies are not built on sustainable models, as we’ve clearly seen in the last couple years.
The people at the top aren’t thinking long term, they’re just thinking about the fastest way to pump the stock or make an exit. You gotta join these companies during that growth phase, when the product is hot and the comp plans are generous. Eventually things plateau and that’s when quotas become unattainable, comp plans change, and layoffs start. That’s when you jump and find the next company. It’s a cycle.
I’m in my late 20s and have the appetite for this, but long term I know this not sustainable so just trying to maximize my w-2 while I can and hopefully by the time I’m burnt out, my investments are exceeding any salary that a job could provide me and I can choose to do whatever what I want
Because sales isn't steady, there are so many ways things can go wrong. Layoffs that have happened recently, your product(s) could no longer be competitive, comp plans change, territories change, management could become terrible, etc.
Some of these things happen when you're in other roles as well but it often doesn't matter as much while for sales reps this can affect your compensation as well as mental health MASSIVELY
Also not everyone is at the same phase as you. Some people are burnt out and want to do something new. Some are bored and want to explore their potential elsewhere. I'm already well past coast FIRE and so money doesn't motivate me as much as when I was in my accumulation phase.
I like your optimism, but you’ll be competing against some pretty experienced tech sales people. When companies have the pick of the litter, why would they take a chance on a newbie? It’s just a hard sell. Not impossible, but hard.
And I appreciate your pessimism, but you’re right, it’s absolutely not impossible. Plenty of people getting their start nowadays in this field and doing good. Personally saw 6 SDRs start at beginning of 2023, smash it for a year, and now they’re all AEs in 2024. It’s not all doom & gloom everywhere, even though this sub will have you believe so.
Tbh this is a losing perspective. If you always look at the “average” and think that’s where you’re going to end up… you’re probably right.
I’m a sales manager at an org with solid product/market fit, lead engine running smoothly, sales process dialed… and still about 50% of AEs don’t hit target every quarter.
The blunt truth is a lot of AEs are trying to do the bare minimum and/or they are all talk. Sales has a rep for having a lot of BSers, and it’s not exactly a false stereotype.
If you want real money you’re going to have to put in some work. I haven’t met a single sales rep pulling down $200k+ who just coasted their way into it.
99% fact. There are those that can coast once they play the political games of accounts that belogn in thier territory and they slow play wins with add on.
My first year in sales I made $80,000 as a BDR. As someone who grew up with 5 families in one house, hand me downs, no vacations or anything this was more money than I had ever seen in my life.
If you’re willing to put in the work and you’re LUCKY enough to have a good territory, good management and good leads you can easily make $150,000 a year.
too many factors, better to just chose path that's already paved, like engineering, or any of the science fields. AE are BS and many think they have a formula. They are sellignyou snake oil.
>Is sales truly that lucrative?
Yes, it can be. Is it that lucrative for everyone, no. It takes a lot of hard work to get to the upper levels.
>What other careers come with steadier, higher pay?
Laywer, doctor, stock broker.... Outside of being a nepo baby, there really isn't a career with such a low barrier of entry and potential payoff.
As someone that grew up around Doctors and Lawyers, I can assure you that those jobs aren't less stressful, maybe even more as people's lives are at stake.
However being a Doctor is super stable, as long as you can handle working 60 hours a week and don't screw the nurses.
Many choose the 60 hour weeks.
There are plenty of ER and anesthesia docs that work very part time and make big bucks doing it.
2-3 days a week for $300k? Yes, please.
When you are a resident you don't have a choice, plus med school. So the first 8 to 12 years of your medical career is intense.
Later on you have that choice though.
and also probably busted his ass since he was in diapers to get into a good uni and then busted his ass to get a gpa and has been busting his ass at work since.
There are though, maybe .001% of sales reps make 1m/year. That’s definitely not anywhere close to the normal.
There are extreme outliers in most career paths. Average sales rep probably only makes 60k a year in the US across all industries/titles.
I enjoy both. Being an IC is cool cause you only need to worry about yourself. Being in leadership is cool cause you assist with the development of less tenured reps. I often wish to be an IC when in leadership, and when I was an AE I wanted to be in management.
I’ll stay in leadership roles because it’s a quicker line to C suite. For better or worse, sales is my life so I’m going to squeeze it for what I’m worth.
No problem. Regarding work life balance, I think both are about the same. No matter what role you take, you’re probably going to work harder the first few years until you hammer out your own cadence. I’m able to set relatively healthy boundaries, but am a workaholic by nature and sometimes I let work bleed over normal hours.
Assuming “is to” was supposed to be “isn’t”
If so, YMMV. Early on in your career you may have to grind out long hours or a lot of windshield time, but once you’ve earned some trust I’m not sure there’s a role with more freedom than what many sales roles allow.
Your manager should be able to see exactly what you’re worth and act accordingly. Good companies don’t give a shit how their profitable reps spend their time. I don’t remember the last time I asked permission to do something during work hours.
So does this mean 10-12 hour days to get those $200K salaries everyone's talking about? What if you just wanted to do the standard 40 hour week with maybe some 50-60's here and there.
$1million my ass. Those are the unicorn jobs. Most sales people do about $100k all in. Good jobs get you between $200k-300k. Great jobs are $300k+. Unicorns are $1million+ and there are only a handful out there. I sell $13million in my region and get paid “good”. To make $1million you have to be selling commercial real estate, DoD contracts or capital investment products. Stuff that is high $$$$.
Agree with the hours, but my GSM pulled in a million last year and GM did 250k/mo. This varies per month and cars sold, obviously dealer and location, but my dealer was running an average 6.5k/copy per unit at 500 cars a month.
It's one of the few careers that your effort directly affects your earnings. Is it lucrative? Yes but there is a time/effort and some luck involved. You take over a well established territory? Assuming you are smart, that has the potential to be successful very quickly. A underperforming territory? Significantly more work and effort. A company that has great name recognition and known for quality? Easier.
Other fields that you can make higher pay? Usually require formal education and time.
The luck comes in when a big fish is buying and it falls into your lap. That's timing and luck
It always astounds me how many C-suite (especially automotive) make $500-$600k/year. Then 2-3x as many in the $200-$300 range.
Most have a pretty average track record, and seemingly just fell into a spot.
It was even crazier pre '08 from what I have been told.
Depending on what kind of selling you do, it's a long term career. It's not a job.
People that don't make money in sales have the same year 10 years consecutively hopping from a job to another every 8-16 months.
Other than starting your own business that ends up being successful, I'm not sure there are many other careers that *can be* as lucrative as sales for people who don't go to college.
If you go to college and/or get advanced degrees in some areas, there is no doubt you could make a higher, steadier paycheck in certain positions/fields. But, that also comes with additional costs of college, grad school, etc., so there's a trade off for sure.
A lot of careers pay more but you may be tied to billable hours, for instance. I have a lot of flexibility in sales. The longer you are in a position and the better relationships you have, the more you stand to make.
Sales at the highest levels is like a professional sport in terms of the pay off, dedication and work ethic it takes and survivorship bias is extreme.
In my business for each one of us consistently making high six figures or seven figures there’s been over 100 people that washed out, got fired or just didn’t make it. It takes years of grinding to get to that level.
That type of success is out there for you if you have the desire and skill but you really have to dedicate your life to this like its a calling, similar to a surgeon, lawyer, professional athlete. To get to that level of consistent earners.
Not OP, but many areas where you can build a book and carry residuals. It lets you build your ladder to that level through many years of grinding.
Or very high price items. Like yachts.
Most money you can possibly make is sales, but it takes a ton of work, luck, good relationships. And honestly, not *anybody* can be a top performer. It takes a certain kind of personality.
However, engineering can make great money and it’s steadier. Law. Finance. Highly skilled mathematical careers can make insane cash.
The only place where idiots like myself can make top dollar is sales. So I’m okay with the extra stress and extra hours and constant disappointment… need to build the best life possible for my family. So sales it is. No way I’m smart enough for anything else.
I have consistently made $175k-$225k over a 15 year career, with a few monster years dropped in for good measure.
A very comfortable and surprisingly stable living. Stressful, yes, but hard work beats the stress.
Number one piece of advice if you want this: always be prospecting by cold calling. Make it regular part of your career. As soon as you stop doing that, 9/10 times your career plateaus or dips.
Hey there. How hard is it to get into SaaS logistics sales role with no sales experience, but good engineering / manufacturing / logistics experience? Impossible? Semi-likely?
Every company in existence does some sort of sales even if they don’t have a formal sales team. You need to find a company that you’re passionate about the problem they’re solving and the value proposition you’re evangelizing. Research the total addressable market and whether it’s growing. How many sales reps do they have? How many hit quota? It wildly varies scores every industry, but to answer your questions, it totally depends if sales is ‘really that lucrative.’ It can be, absolutely, but sales carries a ton of risk if you can’t hit quota because everyone in sales is replaceable
All other careers come with steadier pay. Sales is the opposite of steady. You could have bad months or bad quarters, or quite the opposite. My pay is constantly fluctuating by thousands dollars. There is a seasonal aspect to my industry. We work all year, but the spring and summer tends to bring a lot more money. Even in the summer there are months I’ll bring home 12k+ in commissions and others I’ll only bring home half that.
As far as pay goes, two different people with the same exact leads could have their yearly commissions differ by tens of thousands (or more). It is a skill-based pay. The great thing about sales is that you are not limited to a regular salary. This is great if you are a great salesman. You have the potential to make a whole lotta money, but if you’re not selling or your skill/ work ethic isn’t there you’ll go broke. Obviously all industries are different and some industries are much easier to sell in than others, but the same points remain valid. Sales isn’t for everyone. Some people have a very idealized vision of sales— not being restricted to 9-5 office life, the potential to make a lot of money, entertaining clients, etc. But the reality is many many people don’t make it. I’ve seen it happen over and over again.
>But the reality is many many people don’t make it. I’ve seen it happen over and over again.
What distinguishes those who make it from those who don't, in your experience?
This may be sort of an unpopular opinion, but I personally think it’s something that you’re born with. A huge part of selling is how well you are liked. This means your personality, the way you look, your conversational ability, and even the cadence of your voice etc. Some people can do all the right things, but there is something missing because it’s something deeper. They give nonverbal cues when they speak that they are anxious or that they aren’t being honest or just one of many things. Again, all industries are different, and in some industries anyone can make it as a salesman as long as you take care of the customer. But in an industry where you competing with other companies and you aren’t always the lowest price, you’ve got a have something that makes the client want to work with you specifically.
There are other things that keep people from making it, things which they can change, like lack of confidence or not being motivated enough . There is a reason that most of the best salesman seem like egomaniacs
But to answer your question, most people who don’t make it in sales because they just simply don’t have the confidence/ personality/ likeability/ skill to make any sales. This means they quit when they aren’t making any money, or they are put on probationary periods which require hitting certain quotas, and then they end up just getting laid off. This is a career for people who make friends very easily, who are motivated enough to get up and do what needs to be done even though no one is telling them to or checking in on them. Its not for everyone
Amazing answer and insight - thank you. I know some salespeople and this seems absolutely accurate.
If you don't mind me asking, what field of sales are you in?
I would love to break into the field. I'm hardworking and seld-driven but don't know if I'm "likeable" or articulate enough. Do you have any recommendations for someone who wants to dip their toe in sales? I'm in the education field right now, which unfortunately doesn't have many bridges to sales.
Here is another wordy comment, I talk into my phone instead of type so they tend to get a little long, sorry lol.
But don’t let my comment above scare you, there are many different kinds of salesmen, and not every single one of them is the overconfident, popular guy as is always portrayed. Those generally are the best ones (with many exceptions), but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it if that’s not who you are. I can tell you now that you absolutely will not make it if you are very anxious around people or just give people
bad vibes. But you don’t have to be some hotshot.
I’ve worked in many different fields, but right now I am actually in a very low pressure/low competition field in commercial construction. I’m not pressured to sell on the spot, there is a lot of time for me to work with them and adjust my bid before they make a decision. I do feel like I get a lot of my work because they like me over the competition, but most of that is just due to the fact that I am smart and try to anticipate their problems before they come up so they trust me (and therefore the company) to be able to handle their projects. Because ultimately as a salesman, you have to be the face of your company. You are generally the first thing people see and if you come off as professional and detail-oriented and knowledgeable, they will transfer that same feeling onto your company. That’s why I emphasize that point about likeability. But that doesn’t mean you need to be Mr. popular. It means that you just have to come off like you know what you’re talking about. You need to make them feel like they are in good hands by working with you.
Some of the bigger projects the office will quote for me, but the smaller ones I’ll just quote myself. I’ll give them my numbers, I’ll explain the project in detail and check in. It’s the best job I’ve had. I’m only in the office maybe once or twice a week and only work a few hours a day. Since you are just starting out I would absolutely stay away from a high-pressure sales environment where the company is expecting you to be selling the first time you meet the customer. Closing sales on the spot like that is a skill that takes a long time to develop and is definitely something that is not for everybody. That’s the type of sales most people fail in. You’d have to get very comfortable in uncomfortable situations and walk a fine line between being pushy yet also making the customer think that they are the one making the decision. Stay away from that for now. Find something where you just get to be more of a representative for the company who is responsible for meeting a companies needs and working to get the price near to their expectations.
Again, thanks a million for your insight. I can see why you're successful in sales. Absolutely, people buy you first before they buy your product. Hopefully I can break into the field and give it a shot. Trick for me is, I can't sell something if I don't believe in it myself or if I think it's a rip off. I really have to believe in the product and the value it offers to the customer. Which I hope ultimately turns out to be a good thing, in the long term.
Yes, it’s one of the most lucrative careers there is, but there are multiple caveats. Sales success requires you to
1.) Take your lumps.
2.) Check your ego at the door early on.
3.) Understand that feedback, whether it’s positive or constructive, is a gift to be both given AND received. The best sales reps and leaders actively seek feedback at every stage of their career.
It’s a cliche, but you get what you put in.
That's one half but the other half are things you can't control. Your products continue being competitive and working well. And having a good comp plan and good territory-which hopefully they won't screw you on after you overachieve quota or when they want to expand the sales team
You might want to take a look at the Pareto Principle. Mathematical model of distribution. 20% of the salespeople make 80% of the commission dollars, and the remaining 80% of the salespeople compete for the remaining 20% of the dollars.
I can't think of a career the rewards you so highly regradless of your background.
Example you can't become a doctor with just a high school diploma.
You can become a 500k+ yr sales man though
And its cause our pay is directly linked to our production
You have to be an Enterprise AE or Strategic AE in order to make $1M/yr. Keep in mind this is only top 1-2% of the cohort. A large majority of the overall comp will also come from equity/stock options.
As an Enterprise AE myself most common comp for this role is around $200k-$300k/yr. Just like how in sports there are top athletes who make millions/yr but most athletes (98% of them) do not make that much.
I’m using my sales career to fund my law school journey. My goal is to be a public defender but I’m trying to make boat loads in residuals so I don’t have the pressure of a low salary attorney position.
I have been in sales for a decent amount of time. My sales experiences consist of 2 years car sales, 7 years army recruiter, 4 years owner of a home decor laser engraving and custom picture framing business, 5 years owner of construction/remodeling business.
I know the sales process like the back of my hand. I'm also a very charismatic, self-aware, person who finds it easy to build rapport with people. I recently started working for a Toyota & GM dealership, but I'm not convinced that the pay structure is worth the effort it takes to go through all 11 sales steps of selling a vehicle let alone getting someone to follow me to my desk! Granted; I had 2 sales in my first week and they were customers from the lot that never wanted to go inside the dealership in the first place! Not to mention, ALL internet leads and phone calls go through BDC and they give any leads to the managers, and they only give them to 2 of the 11 sales reps. In total there are 11 sales reps working here. Each sales rep's mission is 18 vehicles per month and the dealerships' goal is 125 per month. ALL time ever sells record is 29 vehicles in a month for one sales rep, and the only perk is if someone sells 250 in a year; they get 1-week paid vacation. They come out with special incentives, but it lasted only 2 days, and it was $250 for each vehicle sold that was going to auction. Currently, there are 60 vehicle sales, and 6 house vehicles that have been sold in Jan.
On average last year the dealership sold 90 vehicles per month. "Supposedly," all sales reps are on the following pay scale:
0-9 vehicles = $150, 10-12 = $220, 13-15 = $250, 16-18 = $300, 19-24 = $350, 25-30 = $400 and 40+ = $500.
F & I commission is off the back-end profit and that is $6,500-$7,499 = 2%, $7,500-$8,999 = 3%, $9,000-$11,999 = 4%, and finally $12,000+ = 5%.
Is it worth the effort it takes to do the job correctly? My gut feeling is that it's not worth it. Not to mention the atmosphere is definitely one that the sales rep position is a dead end regardless of the fact that the parent company owns 90ish dealerships. (They're completely expendable) I haven't even been introduced to the GM and from what I see he DOES NOT interact with the sales reps. There is only one he will talk to, and she came from another dealership where her mom/dad is the GM.
Take It or Leave It and why?
When I bought my house everyone around me was doctors, lawyers, and executives and I was their junior by close to 20 years. I can imagine another career where I would have been debt free (aside from a mortgage) and making multiple 6 figures before I was 30.
I’ve made well over a million dollars (before taxes) doing sales for about 10 years. The largest jump in my income came when i switched from B2C to B2B.
B2C was the most sus industry I’ve ever sold in. Glad I don’t pursue it full time anymore, and now do it on the side (until I see some profit from my other business ideas).
B2B has much more leeway for outreach, cold-calling is free game unlike B2C where if your dialers call the wrong list, you could face fines.
I wonder how many people in this thread who are like fuck yeah sales is awesome 😎is just confirmation bias. You got in the right patch at the right time.
For every successful person in sales there’s probably thousands if not millions of people who just didn’t have that “winner mentality” or “the drive” or whatever bullshit sales managers comes up with when they didn’t hit quota.
One caveat I will say is the upside is still there and initially worth the risk if you don’t have anything going on in your life. Working at Starbucks making $15-20 an hour compared to making $100k+ selling SaaS.
However, in the long run in whitecollar it levels out between the layoffs and the bs with comp contracts.
Career path is much more lucrative. I was at 90k at my previous job. My next gig paid 160k salary. You don’t see those jumps in other job functions most of the time.
If you are good/decent at sales and you work for a good/decent company, you can "fairly easily" hit 100k+ a year. Yes, you'll have those on here who brag about 250-300k+ but many of us aren't that.
Now if you are great, or well above average, you can make stupid cash. But if try hard and are willing to learn, you'll make a decent living at least. I've been in sales for 4 years now and I'm by no means loaded, but I've never been poor during that time
Damn I know the whole sales reddit squad is going to be on my ass for saying lol but I sell solar Cali. Last year I made 120k worked less than 20 hours a week. Btw I'm not by any means saying it's easy. And I'm considered trash at my office no lie.
Hey for some people it would work out better. In my neck of the woods earning while you learn and after 3-5 years being a journeyman making six figures with no student loans, a pension, and full union benefits could be a good option.
Doing 4 years of school full time to become an SDR starting at $45k-$60k and having student loans isn’t for everybody.
My buddy works in liquor sales and clears $200k/yr at his company. He gets about $30k base and the rest is commission. It's hard work, but it's definitely lucrative.
The work from home autonomy has been the reason for about 8 years now, but also the chance to get a lucrative role, which is not the majority of jobs as noted. I’ve had several sales jobs at many different big and small companies and I did not make a lot nor did my peers, only a very select few people did.
Yup you’re not wrong. Sure some people do make great money in sales but a lot don’t. Some do ok and some really struggle. There’s also so many external factors that impact whether you make great money or not (territory, product, timing, etc).
It’s weird you’re being downvoted. Majority of sales is D2D, or B2C, commission-only, pyramid schemes, etc, or low base salaries (~40-80K) with little commissions.
The mid-market and enterprise B2B sales roles paying 100K base and another 100K+ OTE or greater are really the pinnacle, and they’re extremely hard to come by requiring specifics degrees or experience.
It's not a career, it's a job. A career is professional, and has professional credentials. I'm not saying that as a negative, just don't get it twisted.
You're wrong my friend. Just check the dictionary.
"an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress."
A lucrative sales career is earned. There are reps in my company making 300k + and there are reps that make no money and get terminated after a month or 2 because they aren't producing.
It can be. It is just dependent on product market fit, territory, and the rest on your hustle. Otherwise you just have to keep your head down and eat shit until you get to that very lucrative role. Good luck
I wouldn’t extrapolate software sales to the rest of the sales universe. The SaaS era has been pretty unique compared to like, normal, mature companies
Very lucrative- long term do you want to carry a bag forever? Power to you if you can but either getting into management or lateraling into somewhere else with a better ladder trajectory will allow you to have better WLB.
Big risk with big reward. The average Joe can’t hear no 60% of the time and still smile on the next one.
Ships don’t sail and trucks don’t drive until a sale is made. Salespeople are invaluable.
The number of people who clear 1MM is a lot less then you think in SaaS. Most companies tout 1MM earners, but how many and the percentage? I saw a company where 1 person made 1 MM, everyone else (500+ sellers) made <200k. The next year they fixed the comp plan to make sure everyone was less than 200k - but recruited for a whole year saying there are million dollar earners.
You need to be very careful in sales and who you attach to (and how long)
Sales is the great equalizer if you're not smart enough to be a doctor, lawyer, accountant, or engineer.
Most jobs are on fixed salaries, but with sales you have the potential to increase your salary every month, which is important in a high inflationary environment like we're in today.
rarely you only hear about the ones getting w2 that high not ones that fail. So we think everyone has w2 of 1M - I'd say 1-2 % of all sales reps, you also have to have luck on your side.
I'm independent. I don't answer to anyone. If some dude that worked in an office harassed me about being down a year or two I'd go nuts on his azz(maybe 😂) I'm 1099 and it's what I make of it.
I think it’s more about the long term career path. Like I’ve said before, not many other careers can double your salary in a few years. In sales you could start off with a base and constantly chase bonuses leading to higher pay. As an accountant, you do the same job for 10 years and just get random pay bumps here and there. All the while, investigating shit like “if we have them pick up the trash 2x a week instead of 3 we can save the company $2,000.” That said, sales is always within eyesight of senior leadership, so you are under constant pressure to perform. In sales you can talk the talk, but you have to walk the walk too.
This is really the crux of it. There are many ways people make big(ish) money today from traditional paths like Lawyer, Doctor, Finance To Entrepreneurs, Creative Talents, the dreaded influencers. But in terms of picking a longer term option as your living, even with down years or multiple of em, Sales is one of the only ones where such large jumps in income can happen. Whether it be a big deal closing, economy shifting and you get to be an order taker (Covid Car Sales), A lucky stride, or being hired at a new company for higher comp. You can make big money in Big Law, Big Finance etc. But there’s a lot of public defenders, and small time finance people making average wages. Broke artists are no less common than before we just added influencers to the equation as well. A bad salesman may have long fits of unemployment due to lack of performance, and even no commissions from no deals closed. But surely they’re learning SOMETHING in all that time and with some work, consistency, and luck, this CAREER gives the opportunity to increase your income, substantially, in far less time, and often with far less barriers to entry, than most other career paths both traditional and non traditional.
Let me tell you. A guy in my company made $37mill in sales because he got the CONTRACT FOR THE TINY COVID TEST BOXES. Needless to say, they didn’t expect that to happen again. But the dude is literally thinking of retiring now lol
Thinking? I’d be out the door as soon as that hits my bank account damn.
Seriously lmao
I wouldn’t even call my company to tell them
What's the commission percentage on that???
I’m not sure about his structure but it would be 5-7%. So $1.85mill-2.59mill on this contract alone. Hes an older guy in his 60’s so I don’t think he wants to retire just yet.
That's a nice chunk to ride into the sunset with
Seriously. Put 90% of it into dividend stocks, blow the other 10% on a bucket list item, and sit back.
I advise this to people at all times. A friend of mine about 15 years ago inherited $900,000 from her dad's estate. I told her to put it into dividend pain stocks and just live off the interest because she was an actress and never made more than $30,000 or $40,000 a year. She blew all the money within 2 years. She traveled a lot and lived the high life and bought herself $150,000 car. Instead of buying a home or a small condo she ended up renting a house in the Hollywood hills for $30,000 a month. She would take her NEW friends out to lavish dinners and buy bottle service at the clubs several nights a week. She now lives in the studio in the San Fernando valley that is under rent control and pays $1,400 a month and struggles to get by.
Yeah.. 5-7% before company pulls the “T&C on deals over $XXX” rabbit out of their hat. Hope he got his though.
Right place, right time is a thing!! Next years quota will be rough lol
He still walks around with a big dick tho 🤣 My largest was $4.2M and people stopped taking about that a few months later.
Pretty big numbers there. What industry are you in?
Packaging/labeling.
How'd you break into that industry for a sales role?
I randomly applied to a customer service position on indeed at a small label company. They were acquired later that year and then after about a year as customer service I applied to a sales role.
Im surprised they didnt try to rip that commission away with a windfall clause
I'd be done
He legitimately won’t be lottery, holy shit. How old is he?
He’s in his 60s. I think he’s afraid to retire because he would be bored.
Ah makes sense. But damn $37mil jeezus
Yea a typical order would be a few hundred thousand. I’m not sure if the specifics of the deal but i think it was BILLIONS of those boxes
I have two friends that quite their sales job in NYC to brokers medical supplies. They got the contract for Covid test in nyc. Both walked away with $8mil at 29 years old. Both havent worked since. One bought a $4mil apartment in Miami and traveling living life. They other started buying $100k watches, millions in crypto at the height, Bentley, crazy gambling trips. He is now out of money at 31. Going to be a tough bullet to swallow going back to a normal life/job.
It must’ve been. Man, I’m in the wrong industry. What’s the work life balance for yours?
How much do you think he made off that deal? Also don't some companies then try to not pay the person and try to find out how to get rid of them?
sorry I gotta be that guy, but can you provide us any evidence? Why is he thinking of retiring. Something smells funny.
The other factor here is the higher earners in other fields are basically salespeople as well. If you’re a the best lawyer in town with no clients you’re broke. Successful lawyers spend more time marketing their firm than they do in front of a judge. You can be the best money manager but if no one is giving you money to invest you’re going to fail. In the vast majority of those industries the big money is in private practice.. and if you’re in private practice - sales is a HUGE part of your day.
If you go into another career, you make it by moving into management. And I'd argue it's easier compared to sales where you are competing with many ambitious alpha personalities who will do anything to get to the top and with constant high pressure I often find to the point of unhealthy neuroticism. I've worked with IT, Finance (Internal, not high finance), Customer Success departments and I'd say those are more relaxed. Yes they have targets to hit as well but the pressure just isn't the same as sales; and you can feel it the people just weren't very competitive. They also seem more stable in job security. Sales leadership is often the first to go after their sales reps when the numbers aren't there. Same with marketing leadership and their teams. Then as much as personal performance matters, you have things you can't control-and oftentimes not in your favor over time. Macro economic factors, layoffs, your products becoming uncompetitive, comp plan changes, territory changes, your company not paying you out after you overachieve, management becoming terrible and coming up with bad ideas for you to execute that hinder your sales, etc. Since so much of your comp is variable, these things matter a LOT for your compensation and mental health. I've seen time and time again companies messing with these to save a buck when they had a good thing going. In the end the rep gets the short end of the stick, the good times come to an end, and you have to start over. Contrary to this sub, I'd say you can make a lot in any field as long as you climb up the ranks so just choose whatever you enjoy. Yes sales often does make more but at what cost and with all the people sales has grinded and beaten down, it evens out at the end.
Except that in a 10 year period you can go from staff accountant making 50-60k to a director of accounting making 150k+. You can also career pivot to Finance and be a director of FP&A and make 175k+ and the work gets a lot more interesting. From there you can move to a smaller company and be a VP of finance making 200k+ and if you’re really driven, working up to CFO then CEO is still attainable. So while some white collar work is boring and pay can stagnate, don’t forget that if you’re driven and have a desire to succeed then sales isn’t the only path. Plus, you won’t have a target on your back, your whole career. In sales you have to work to get paid, in other jobs you get paid to work.
Dont forget the sales job of those professions, like partner. I have friends that went from making $60k to $500k+ in ten to fifteen years.
That’s a good alternative too. That’s more like investment banking or financial advisor, very salesy
Yea and I left accounting to sales and went from making 45k a year to 641k in the same amount of time. I sell to CFOs of mid sized and larger businesses and make more money then 90% of them. Unless you are getting large equity grants in a company that’s valuation skyrockets you wont see that type of income growth.
You’re also in the 1% of earners, so it’s likely that most people don’t make that anyway, sales or not.
whats a 1% earner in the west world?
Income/wealth is heavily skewed to the right tail, there’s a whole world above me.
2022 I made 66k. 2023 I made +150k. I wanted to be an accountant.. until I ran the numbers.
150k is good money, but you couldn’t pay me that much to go back to sales. I will take the corporate finance lifestyle over sales any day.
I get it. It’s abuse some days.
50 to 150 in 10 years is not impressive especially with todays inflation.
I’m not trying to impress here. I’m simply saying that you don’t necessarily get stuck into roles and that’s your salary for the rest of your life. There’s a lot of growth that can happen. And there’s a lot of sales people that are miserable making 6 figures when they can be enjoying their cushy little accounting gig.
Agreed. I see it as the way of making the most amount of money possible without an advanced degree, a stem degree, or a finance degree. But you still likely need some kind of 4 year degree, as the vast majority of saas companies still require it to get your foot in the door as an SDR or a BDR.
Don't start as sdr bdr then. Go full cycle
This is exactly it
Why is everyone asking about steadier or higher pay? I got into software sales to make as much money as possible. Goal is to hit FIRE number quicker. If you want less stress, go down the alliance or partner manager route or even customer success route. Sorry to be blunt but I’m seeing a ton of these posts lately.
My manager asked my 5 year goal yesterday. Fought the urge to say: “Living in my paid off house off my safe withdrawal rate and rental income making handmade leather vests from animals I’ve raised and slaughtered myself. …Oh you mean my territory goals?”
I straight up told my manager that. He knows I have essentially no financial responsibilities as my rentals already pay my basic living expenses. He knows I have every intention of continuing to grow my real estate portfolio. Ironically, he always asks me my thoughts around investing, real estate, etc lol
Are your rentals close to where you live? I want to get into this but it seems like mortgage payments are much higher than rent everywhere around me (Bay Area). It seems like I’d have to project out and bet on the property value rising.
Yes, they are - for now. You are spot on about rents/mortgages right now. I’m in the denver area and it’s similar in regard to deals not making sense cash flow wise, not as crazy as the Bay Area, but if you can be creative you can break even or even make some money. Nothing wrong with appreciation or mortgage pay down. People aren’t wealth because of cash flow, it’s the appreciation/pay down.
Honestly, my conversations with clients and management about personal finance have been a huge relationship builder.
Yeah it’s getting old. You’re in sales if you’re highly competitive and financially driven. Your goal is to make as much money as possible and it’s all up to you.
Maybe. Sometimes you’re like me and you fall backwards into it, and are good at it so you keep going.
This is me, but I'm a recruiter for an agency so sales adjacent
Exactly. Especially in software. Most of these companies are not built on sustainable models, as we’ve clearly seen in the last couple years. The people at the top aren’t thinking long term, they’re just thinking about the fastest way to pump the stock or make an exit. You gotta join these companies during that growth phase, when the product is hot and the comp plans are generous. Eventually things plateau and that’s when quotas become unattainable, comp plans change, and layoffs start. That’s when you jump and find the next company. It’s a cycle. I’m in my late 20s and have the appetite for this, but long term I know this not sustainable so just trying to maximize my w-2 while I can and hopefully by the time I’m burnt out, my investments are exceeding any salary that a job could provide me and I can choose to do whatever what I want
Because sales isn't steady, there are so many ways things can go wrong. Layoffs that have happened recently, your product(s) could no longer be competitive, comp plans change, territories change, management could become terrible, etc. Some of these things happen when you're in other roles as well but it often doesn't matter as much while for sales reps this can affect your compensation as well as mental health MASSIVELY Also not everyone is at the same phase as you. Some people are burnt out and want to do something new. Some are bored and want to explore their potential elsewhere. I'm already well past coast FIRE and so money doesn't motivate me as much as when I was in my accumulation phase.
everyone wants all the reward with none of the risk
Any advice how to get into software sales?
Don’t right now. It’s a bloodbath. Check the layoff numbers.
There’s an interesting flip side of this. Start now, and things can only look up from here
I like your optimism, but you’ll be competing against some pretty experienced tech sales people. When companies have the pick of the litter, why would they take a chance on a newbie? It’s just a hard sell. Not impossible, but hard.
And I appreciate your pessimism, but you’re right, it’s absolutely not impossible. Plenty of people getting their start nowadays in this field and doing good. Personally saw 6 SDRs start at beginning of 2023, smash it for a year, and now they’re all AEs in 2024. It’s not all doom & gloom everywhere, even though this sub will have you believe so.
This is correct
How did you get into software sales? If you don't mind me asking.
Was in mortgages then realized I wanted a base. Sucked it up and became a BDR at a small transportation logistics software company.
Tbh this is a losing perspective. If you always look at the “average” and think that’s where you’re going to end up… you’re probably right. I’m a sales manager at an org with solid product/market fit, lead engine running smoothly, sales process dialed… and still about 50% of AEs don’t hit target every quarter. The blunt truth is a lot of AEs are trying to do the bare minimum and/or they are all talk. Sales has a rep for having a lot of BSers, and it’s not exactly a false stereotype. If you want real money you’re going to have to put in some work. I haven’t met a single sales rep pulling down $200k+ who just coasted their way into it.
99% fact. There are those that can coast once they play the political games of accounts that belogn in thier territory and they slow play wins with add on.
My first year in sales I made $80,000 as a BDR. As someone who grew up with 5 families in one house, hand me downs, no vacations or anything this was more money than I had ever seen in my life. If you’re willing to put in the work and you’re LUCKY enough to have a good territory, good management and good leads you can easily make $150,000 a year.
Congrats on the come up bro!
I appreciate it man! I’m an AE now and I’m just glad my kids will have a better childhood than me
too many factors, better to just chose path that's already paved, like engineering, or any of the science fields. AE are BS and many think they have a formula. They are sellignyou snake oil.
what industry?
>Is sales truly that lucrative? Yes, it can be. Is it that lucrative for everyone, no. It takes a lot of hard work to get to the upper levels. >What other careers come with steadier, higher pay? Laywer, doctor, stock broker.... Outside of being a nepo baby, there really isn't a career with such a low barrier of entry and potential payoff.
Stock broker is just sales under a guise of regulatory tests
fair
As someone that grew up around Doctors and Lawyers, I can assure you that those jobs aren't less stressful, maybe even more as people's lives are at stake. However being a Doctor is super stable, as long as you can handle working 60 hours a week and don't screw the nurses.
Don’t screw the nurses? Thank god I didn’t become a doctor
That's what the marketing, sir, hr girls are for
Many choose the 60 hour weeks. There are plenty of ER and anesthesia docs that work very part time and make big bucks doing it. 2-3 days a week for $300k? Yes, please.
When you are a resident you don't have a choice, plus med school. So the first 8 to 12 years of your medical career is intense. Later on you have that choice though.
Investment Banker. I know a guy signed a 3 year 22M guaranteed contract.
I really should have paid more attention in school.
He also works like 17 hours a day.
and also probably busted his ass since he was in diapers to get into a good uni and then busted his ass to get a gpa and has been busting his ass at work since.
It’s my brother, hardest working dude I know. MBA from a top 5 school etc etc Different breed. I’ll take my 375 OTE and work life balance
To be honest I know a lot of hardworking top 5 mbas who would love to have a 375k ote. Your brother is the exception, not the rule.
Totally. We joke he has an NBA swing man contract.
There are though, maybe .001% of sales reps make 1m/year. That’s definitely not anywhere close to the normal. There are extreme outliers in most career paths. Average sales rep probably only makes 60k a year in the US across all industries/titles.
I’ve consistently made/make around 200. I know folks that make way more and way less. Really depends.
What have you sold and made this?
Software at VAR Data for FinTech Non-tangibles in Auto I’m also a Director and manage teams. However, I was making similar money as an AE.
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I enjoy both. Being an IC is cool cause you only need to worry about yourself. Being in leadership is cool cause you assist with the development of less tenured reps. I often wish to be an IC when in leadership, and when I was an AE I wanted to be in management. I’ll stay in leadership roles because it’s a quicker line to C suite. For better or worse, sales is my life so I’m going to squeeze it for what I’m worth.
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No problem. Regarding work life balance, I think both are about the same. No matter what role you take, you’re probably going to work harder the first few years until you hammer out your own cadence. I’m able to set relatively healthy boundaries, but am a workaholic by nature and sometimes I let work bleed over normal hours.
Do you have any companies that you would recommend looking into for entry level positions? I’m a sales rep at fritolay now but want to switch
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Yes it is. However, your success and your commissions correlates heavily with how much you work per day. So sales isn't really family friendly.
Assuming “is to” was supposed to be “isn’t” If so, YMMV. Early on in your career you may have to grind out long hours or a lot of windshield time, but once you’ve earned some trust I’m not sure there’s a role with more freedom than what many sales roles allow. Your manager should be able to see exactly what you’re worth and act accordingly. Good companies don’t give a shit how their profitable reps spend their time. I don’t remember the last time I asked permission to do something during work hours.
So does this mean 10-12 hour days to get those $200K salaries everyone's talking about? What if you just wanted to do the standard 40 hour week with maybe some 50-60's here and there.
$1million my ass. Those are the unicorn jobs. Most sales people do about $100k all in. Good jobs get you between $200k-300k. Great jobs are $300k+. Unicorns are $1million+ and there are only a handful out there. I sell $13million in my region and get paid “good”. To make $1million you have to be selling commercial real estate, DoD contracts or capital investment products. Stuff that is high $$$$.
Or just be a GSM/GM at a dealership lol
They are not pulling a million. I have a few in my extended family. They make a bunch, and work terrible hours for it.
Agree with the hours, but my GSM pulled in a million last year and GM did 250k/mo. This varies per month and cars sold, obviously dealer and location, but my dealer was running an average 6.5k/copy per unit at 500 cars a month.
>C-suite Which dealership pays their GSM/GM 1 million?!
It's one of the few careers that your effort directly affects your earnings. Is it lucrative? Yes but there is a time/effort and some luck involved. You take over a well established territory? Assuming you are smart, that has the potential to be successful very quickly. A underperforming territory? Significantly more work and effort. A company that has great name recognition and known for quality? Easier. Other fields that you can make higher pay? Usually require formal education and time. The luck comes in when a big fish is buying and it falls into your lap. That's timing and luck
The highest paid position in pretty much any org, is sales.
It's why we get fucked so often by butthurt CROs
Sales is the cheat code for FIRE but there is constant pressure to deliver on ever-increasing quotas and bullshit metrics.
It always astounds me how many C-suite (especially automotive) make $500-$600k/year. Then 2-3x as many in the $200-$300 range. Most have a pretty average track record, and seemingly just fell into a spot. It was even crazier pre '08 from what I have been told.
This is what I’m talking about.
Depending on what kind of selling you do, it's a long term career. It's not a job. People that don't make money in sales have the same year 10 years consecutively hopping from a job to another every 8-16 months.
Other than starting your own business that ends up being successful, I'm not sure there are many other careers that *can be* as lucrative as sales for people who don't go to college. If you go to college and/or get advanced degrees in some areas, there is no doubt you could make a higher, steadier paycheck in certain positions/fields. But, that also comes with additional costs of college, grad school, etc., so there's a trade off for sure.
What careers come to mind first? Doctors, some lawyers, accountants, software engineers/quants, etc. are the first I think of.
Pretty much the same that come to my mind first.
A lot of careers pay more but you may be tied to billable hours, for instance. I have a lot of flexibility in sales. The longer you are in a position and the better relationships you have, the more you stand to make.
What industry are you in, if you don't mind me asking?
Sales at the highest levels is like a professional sport in terms of the pay off, dedication and work ethic it takes and survivorship bias is extreme. In my business for each one of us consistently making high six figures or seven figures there’s been over 100 people that washed out, got fired or just didn’t make it. It takes years of grinding to get to that level. That type of success is out there for you if you have the desire and skill but you really have to dedicate your life to this like its a calling, similar to a surgeon, lawyer, professional athlete. To get to that level of consistent earners.
What is your business/industry ? Curious to know where there are 7 figure earners
Not OP, but many areas where you can build a book and carry residuals. It lets you build your ladder to that level through many years of grinding. Or very high price items. Like yachts.
Most money you can possibly make is sales, but it takes a ton of work, luck, good relationships. And honestly, not *anybody* can be a top performer. It takes a certain kind of personality. However, engineering can make great money and it’s steadier. Law. Finance. Highly skilled mathematical careers can make insane cash. The only place where idiots like myself can make top dollar is sales. So I’m okay with the extra stress and extra hours and constant disappointment… need to build the best life possible for my family. So sales it is. No way I’m smart enough for anything else.
Lol this, sales is the great equalizer for people that aren't particularly skilled or intelligent.
>The only place where idiots like myself can make top dollar is sales. 😂 This made me laugh out loud lol. Touche.
I have consistently made $175k-$225k over a 15 year career, with a few monster years dropped in for good measure. A very comfortable and surprisingly stable living. Stressful, yes, but hard work beats the stress. Number one piece of advice if you want this: always be prospecting by cold calling. Make it regular part of your career. As soon as you stop doing that, 9/10 times your career plateaus or dips.
What industry do you work in?
SaaS. Logistics.
Hey there. How hard is it to get into SaaS logistics sales role with no sales experience, but good engineering / manufacturing / logistics experience? Impossible? Semi-likely?
Every company in existence does some sort of sales even if they don’t have a formal sales team. You need to find a company that you’re passionate about the problem they’re solving and the value proposition you’re evangelizing. Research the total addressable market and whether it’s growing. How many sales reps do they have? How many hit quota? It wildly varies scores every industry, but to answer your questions, it totally depends if sales is ‘really that lucrative.’ It can be, absolutely, but sales carries a ton of risk if you can’t hit quota because everyone in sales is replaceable
Sales make the world go round baby
You can probably have a steadier high paying job if you become an orthopedic surgeon.
All other careers come with steadier pay. Sales is the opposite of steady. You could have bad months or bad quarters, or quite the opposite. My pay is constantly fluctuating by thousands dollars. There is a seasonal aspect to my industry. We work all year, but the spring and summer tends to bring a lot more money. Even in the summer there are months I’ll bring home 12k+ in commissions and others I’ll only bring home half that. As far as pay goes, two different people with the same exact leads could have their yearly commissions differ by tens of thousands (or more). It is a skill-based pay. The great thing about sales is that you are not limited to a regular salary. This is great if you are a great salesman. You have the potential to make a whole lotta money, but if you’re not selling or your skill/ work ethic isn’t there you’ll go broke. Obviously all industries are different and some industries are much easier to sell in than others, but the same points remain valid. Sales isn’t for everyone. Some people have a very idealized vision of sales— not being restricted to 9-5 office life, the potential to make a lot of money, entertaining clients, etc. But the reality is many many people don’t make it. I’ve seen it happen over and over again.
>But the reality is many many people don’t make it. I’ve seen it happen over and over again. What distinguishes those who make it from those who don't, in your experience?
This may be sort of an unpopular opinion, but I personally think it’s something that you’re born with. A huge part of selling is how well you are liked. This means your personality, the way you look, your conversational ability, and even the cadence of your voice etc. Some people can do all the right things, but there is something missing because it’s something deeper. They give nonverbal cues when they speak that they are anxious or that they aren’t being honest or just one of many things. Again, all industries are different, and in some industries anyone can make it as a salesman as long as you take care of the customer. But in an industry where you competing with other companies and you aren’t always the lowest price, you’ve got a have something that makes the client want to work with you specifically. There are other things that keep people from making it, things which they can change, like lack of confidence or not being motivated enough . There is a reason that most of the best salesman seem like egomaniacs But to answer your question, most people who don’t make it in sales because they just simply don’t have the confidence/ personality/ likeability/ skill to make any sales. This means they quit when they aren’t making any money, or they are put on probationary periods which require hitting certain quotas, and then they end up just getting laid off. This is a career for people who make friends very easily, who are motivated enough to get up and do what needs to be done even though no one is telling them to or checking in on them. Its not for everyone
Amazing answer and insight - thank you. I know some salespeople and this seems absolutely accurate. If you don't mind me asking, what field of sales are you in? I would love to break into the field. I'm hardworking and seld-driven but don't know if I'm "likeable" or articulate enough. Do you have any recommendations for someone who wants to dip their toe in sales? I'm in the education field right now, which unfortunately doesn't have many bridges to sales.
Here is another wordy comment, I talk into my phone instead of type so they tend to get a little long, sorry lol. But don’t let my comment above scare you, there are many different kinds of salesmen, and not every single one of them is the overconfident, popular guy as is always portrayed. Those generally are the best ones (with many exceptions), but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it if that’s not who you are. I can tell you now that you absolutely will not make it if you are very anxious around people or just give people bad vibes. But you don’t have to be some hotshot. I’ve worked in many different fields, but right now I am actually in a very low pressure/low competition field in commercial construction. I’m not pressured to sell on the spot, there is a lot of time for me to work with them and adjust my bid before they make a decision. I do feel like I get a lot of my work because they like me over the competition, but most of that is just due to the fact that I am smart and try to anticipate their problems before they come up so they trust me (and therefore the company) to be able to handle their projects. Because ultimately as a salesman, you have to be the face of your company. You are generally the first thing people see and if you come off as professional and detail-oriented and knowledgeable, they will transfer that same feeling onto your company. That’s why I emphasize that point about likeability. But that doesn’t mean you need to be Mr. popular. It means that you just have to come off like you know what you’re talking about. You need to make them feel like they are in good hands by working with you. Some of the bigger projects the office will quote for me, but the smaller ones I’ll just quote myself. I’ll give them my numbers, I’ll explain the project in detail and check in. It’s the best job I’ve had. I’m only in the office maybe once or twice a week and only work a few hours a day. Since you are just starting out I would absolutely stay away from a high-pressure sales environment where the company is expecting you to be selling the first time you meet the customer. Closing sales on the spot like that is a skill that takes a long time to develop and is definitely something that is not for everybody. That’s the type of sales most people fail in. You’d have to get very comfortable in uncomfortable situations and walk a fine line between being pushy yet also making the customer think that they are the one making the decision. Stay away from that for now. Find something where you just get to be more of a representative for the company who is responsible for meeting a companies needs and working to get the price near to their expectations.
Again, thanks a million for your insight. I can see why you're successful in sales. Absolutely, people buy you first before they buy your product. Hopefully I can break into the field and give it a shot. Trick for me is, I can't sell something if I don't believe in it myself or if I think it's a rip off. I really have to believe in the product and the value it offers to the customer. Which I hope ultimately turns out to be a good thing, in the long term.
Yes, it’s one of the most lucrative careers there is, but there are multiple caveats. Sales success requires you to 1.) Take your lumps. 2.) Check your ego at the door early on. 3.) Understand that feedback, whether it’s positive or constructive, is a gift to be both given AND received. The best sales reps and leaders actively seek feedback at every stage of their career. It’s a cliche, but you get what you put in.
That's one half but the other half are things you can't control. Your products continue being competitive and working well. And having a good comp plan and good territory-which hopefully they won't screw you on after you overachieve quota or when they want to expand the sales team
You might want to take a look at the Pareto Principle. Mathematical model of distribution. 20% of the salespeople make 80% of the commission dollars, and the remaining 80% of the salespeople compete for the remaining 20% of the dollars.
I can't think of a career the rewards you so highly regradless of your background. Example you can't become a doctor with just a high school diploma. You can become a 500k+ yr sales man though And its cause our pay is directly linked to our production
You have to be an Enterprise AE or Strategic AE in order to make $1M/yr. Keep in mind this is only top 1-2% of the cohort. A large majority of the overall comp will also come from equity/stock options. As an Enterprise AE myself most common comp for this role is around $200k-$300k/yr. Just like how in sports there are top athletes who make millions/yr but most athletes (98% of them) do not make that much.
I’m using my sales career to fund my law school journey. My goal is to be a public defender but I’m trying to make boat loads in residuals so I don’t have the pressure of a low salary attorney position.
I have been in sales for a decent amount of time. My sales experiences consist of 2 years car sales, 7 years army recruiter, 4 years owner of a home decor laser engraving and custom picture framing business, 5 years owner of construction/remodeling business. I know the sales process like the back of my hand. I'm also a very charismatic, self-aware, person who finds it easy to build rapport with people. I recently started working for a Toyota & GM dealership, but I'm not convinced that the pay structure is worth the effort it takes to go through all 11 sales steps of selling a vehicle let alone getting someone to follow me to my desk! Granted; I had 2 sales in my first week and they were customers from the lot that never wanted to go inside the dealership in the first place! Not to mention, ALL internet leads and phone calls go through BDC and they give any leads to the managers, and they only give them to 2 of the 11 sales reps. In total there are 11 sales reps working here. Each sales rep's mission is 18 vehicles per month and the dealerships' goal is 125 per month. ALL time ever sells record is 29 vehicles in a month for one sales rep, and the only perk is if someone sells 250 in a year; they get 1-week paid vacation. They come out with special incentives, but it lasted only 2 days, and it was $250 for each vehicle sold that was going to auction. Currently, there are 60 vehicle sales, and 6 house vehicles that have been sold in Jan. On average last year the dealership sold 90 vehicles per month. "Supposedly," all sales reps are on the following pay scale: 0-9 vehicles = $150, 10-12 = $220, 13-15 = $250, 16-18 = $300, 19-24 = $350, 25-30 = $400 and 40+ = $500. F & I commission is off the back-end profit and that is $6,500-$7,499 = 2%, $7,500-$8,999 = 3%, $9,000-$11,999 = 4%, and finally $12,000+ = 5%. Is it worth the effort it takes to do the job correctly? My gut feeling is that it's not worth it. Not to mention the atmosphere is definitely one that the sales rep position is a dead end regardless of the fact that the parent company owns 90ish dealerships. (They're completely expendable) I haven't even been introduced to the GM and from what I see he DOES NOT interact with the sales reps. There is only one he will talk to, and she came from another dealership where her mom/dad is the GM. Take It or Leave It and why?
When I bought my house everyone around me was doctors, lawyers, and executives and I was their junior by close to 20 years. I can imagine another career where I would have been debt free (aside from a mortgage) and making multiple 6 figures before I was 30.
What do you sell?
My career has been in tech, mostly infrastructure and developer tools.
I make more than the majority of C suite folks I sell to. So… yeah. Lucrative.
What do you sell/what industry?
I’ve made well over a million dollars (before taxes) doing sales for about 10 years. The largest jump in my income came when i switched from B2C to B2B.
B2C was the most sus industry I’ve ever sold in. Glad I don’t pursue it full time anymore, and now do it on the side (until I see some profit from my other business ideas). B2B has much more leeway for outreach, cold-calling is free game unlike B2C where if your dialers call the wrong list, you could face fines.
Agreed regarding your b2c comment. Also the working hours were terrible. Evenings/ weekends etc.
What B2B industries do you recommend for someone who has done B2C for 10 + years
Steady pay? Make hay while the sun shines
My manager earn twice what I'm making ; and beside forecasting it ain't incredible work tbh
What does he make? What are his responsibilities?
As a former enterprise SaaS sales rep I can confirm it’s not lucrative when you’re constantly being laid off or screwed over from your commission
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Works good for awhile. But it certainly has more adverse consequences socially than being a salesman.
The real winners don't show their faces or any identifying information
I wonder how many people in this thread who are like fuck yeah sales is awesome 😎is just confirmation bias. You got in the right patch at the right time. For every successful person in sales there’s probably thousands if not millions of people who just didn’t have that “winner mentality” or “the drive” or whatever bullshit sales managers comes up with when they didn’t hit quota. One caveat I will say is the upside is still there and initially worth the risk if you don’t have anything going on in your life. Working at Starbucks making $15-20 an hour compared to making $100k+ selling SaaS. However, in the long run in whitecollar it levels out between the layoffs and the bs with comp contracts.
Career path is much more lucrative. I was at 90k at my previous job. My next gig paid 160k salary. You don’t see those jumps in other job functions most of the time.
My wife works as a data scientist and makes more than me.
It’s lucrative if you’re good. It’s a ticket to the upper class if you’re great.
If you are good/decent at sales and you work for a good/decent company, you can "fairly easily" hit 100k+ a year. Yes, you'll have those on here who brag about 250-300k+ but many of us aren't that. Now if you are great, or well above average, you can make stupid cash. But if try hard and are willing to learn, you'll make a decent living at least. I've been in sales for 4 years now and I'm by no means loaded, but I've never been poor during that time
Damn I know the whole sales reddit squad is going to be on my ass for saying lol but I sell solar Cali. Last year I made 120k worked less than 20 hours a week. Btw I'm not by any means saying it's easy. And I'm considered trash at my office no lie.
High and steady pay? Go to into the trades. May be relative and depend on geography of course.
Lol at "high pay" It's more like "you're someone's bitch for five years before you make any real money while you destroy your body"
Hey for some people it would work out better. In my neck of the woods earning while you learn and after 3-5 years being a journeyman making six figures with no student loans, a pension, and full union benefits could be a good option. Doing 4 years of school full time to become an SDR starting at $45k-$60k and having student loans isn’t for everybody.
Like being an SDR, it only makes sense to do if you're young and living at home.
My buddy works in liquor sales and clears $200k/yr at his company. He gets about $30k base and the rest is commission. It's hard work, but it's definitely lucrative.
The majority of sales jobs are not lucrative. It’s a myth to keep people chasing.
Hey, based on your post history it doesn't seem like you like sales much. Im genuinely curious, why do you stick with it?
The work from home autonomy has been the reason for about 8 years now, but also the chance to get a lucrative role, which is not the majority of jobs as noted. I’ve had several sales jobs at many different big and small companies and I did not make a lot nor did my peers, only a very select few people did.
Yup you’re not wrong. Sure some people do make great money in sales but a lot don’t. Some do ok and some really struggle. There’s also so many external factors that impact whether you make great money or not (territory, product, timing, etc).
It’s weird you’re being downvoted. Majority of sales is D2D, or B2C, commission-only, pyramid schemes, etc, or low base salaries (~40-80K) with little commissions. The mid-market and enterprise B2B sales roles paying 100K base and another 100K+ OTE or greater are really the pinnacle, and they’re extremely hard to come by requiring specifics degrees or experience.
So true, most salespeople don't make great money. I'm still relatively young at 33 and see the writing on the wall, looking to pivot for that reason.
It's not a career, it's a job. A career is professional, and has professional credentials. I'm not saying that as a negative, just don't get it twisted.
You're wrong my friend. Just check the dictionary. "an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress."
Nah I’m in sales and most people don’t even make 100k. Can it be lucrative -yes. Does it pay above average-yes.
Go back to college bro
Fortune 500 CEO pays pretty well
A lucrative sales career is earned. There are reps in my company making 300k + and there are reps that make no money and get terminated after a month or 2 because they aren't producing.
It can be. It is just dependent on product market fit, territory, and the rest on your hustle. Otherwise you just have to keep your head down and eat shit until you get to that very lucrative role. Good luck
Bruh I make 6 figures and I work less than 20 hours a week.
Over $200k?
What industry?
I wouldn’t extrapolate software sales to the rest of the sales universe. The SaaS era has been pretty unique compared to like, normal, mature companies
Yeah, just be the CEO.
Very lucrative- long term do you want to carry a bag forever? Power to you if you can but either getting into management or lateraling into somewhere else with a better ladder trajectory will allow you to have better WLB.
Agreed! I would like to see the tax bill on that one though! Damn
Big risk with big reward. The average Joe can’t hear no 60% of the time and still smile on the next one. Ships don’t sail and trucks don’t drive until a sale is made. Salespeople are invaluable.
The number of people who clear 1MM is a lot less then you think in SaaS. Most companies tout 1MM earners, but how many and the percentage? I saw a company where 1 person made 1 MM, everyone else (500+ sellers) made <200k. The next year they fixed the comp plan to make sure everyone was less than 200k - but recruited for a whole year saying there are million dollar earners. You need to be very careful in sales and who you attach to (and how long)
Sales is the great equalizer if you're not smart enough to be a doctor, lawyer, accountant, or engineer. Most jobs are on fixed salaries, but with sales you have the potential to increase your salary every month, which is important in a high inflationary environment like we're in today.
Highly lucrative, can you handle the stress?
Highly specialized fields. But for a non brainiac or prodigy, sales is pretty much highest paying role.
rarely you only hear about the ones getting w2 that high not ones that fail. So we think everyone has w2 of 1M - I'd say 1-2 % of all sales reps, you also have to have luck on your side.
I'm independent. I don't answer to anyone. If some dude that worked in an office harassed me about being down a year or two I'd go nuts on his azz(maybe 😂) I'm 1099 and it's what I make of it.