not seeing many sales professionals here but wanted to see if there are any AEs(making $200k+ )who have experience at startups. what is it like in a startup vs big company for sales? which do you like more/less and why? do you make bigger money at startups or at a big co?
It really depends. In my experience you either get a product with a long sale cycle and a lot of custom work which kills commission. If you join a startup with solid product fit you can make $$$. I’d be wary of anything early stage unless your comp is cash or shielded from variance in deal close. Also more people get fired. Miss one deal your ass might be out. FYI. Equity in my experience blows at all levels compared to other FTE. If you bring strong relationships and industry gravity get an MBO to comp you up ahead of sales. Some founders like to churn through sales people just to get their Rolodex.
What’s MBO?
It’s a sales plan that mixes in objectives as goals towards variable comp. for example secure meeting with XX etc by some date. Or have some deal at YY stage by this timeframe. Etc.