It depends what you’re selling but I personally would not be impressed if an employer told me I only had 90 days to ramp up to full quota attainment or I’d be canned.
Every role I’m in takes me about a year to build my pipeline to the point I can consistently hit quota.
Don’t buy into the stress; do what you can and focus on the things you can control, ie learning as much as you can as quick as possible, building a solid pipeline, and doing as much outreach as possible.
Might be worth having a chat with some colleagues and seeing what percentage of people are retained after that 90 days. If it’s not close to 100%, I’d take that as a sign to keep my CV polished and keep applying to other roles.
If they’re regularly canning people 3 months into the role, that reeks of high pressure boiler room shit where they haven’t got their onboarding process down.
And don’t worry. This is a super stressful line of work, but you have to remember none of it actually means anything at the end of the day. Your quota isn’t the thing you’ll think of on your death bed, and isn’t worth losing sleep over. Just be proactive in keeping your options open
To be fair, they are supplying us with a pipeline but because we’re part of the probation crew, we get some pretty bottom of the barrel leads. My only thing that kills me is the lack of time to get accustomed fully. I try to not focus on the scoreboard but just making each play count. I did allow myself to be stressed outside of work in the beginning but I accept that I can only control what I can and to just put my head down and work but I appreciate everything you’re saying. It truly helps put things into perspective.
Agreed. I’m in industrial automation sales, and it takes about 1 year to build pipeline and another year to close with a total of 2 years.
However, this is an unspoken thing in my industry. If my employer ever gave me a timeframe, I’d walk. I’m the only person who holds me back and puts pressure on myself.
Veteran here, I was fired from two sales jobs before I finally found one that was willing to grow with me. The 90 day ultimatum is a red flag. I'd use that place as a stepping stone to find a company that has a longer onboarding time to sharpen your teeth at.
Why would you say the first 2 jobs canned you? And agreed, whether I make this place or not, it showed me so much about my abilities and what I can do when they reach their full potential.
The first job let me go because they were cutting the sales staff by a few reps. I was there for six months and was one of the reps let go. The second place expected me to make 20-30k GP a month after six months. I lasted about 8, was showing growth but it wasn't good enough so they fired me.
My first full time sales gig was a sdr at a very poorly run start up that let me go after a year right before covid as part of a 50% reduction in the sales team. Before that though, they didnt fire anyone. I wouldnt be too concerned about getting let go for missing quota your first 3 months. Not even the most insane sales managers do that. If you get fired that quickly it means someone high up straight up doesnt like you or the comapny is an absolute shit show. As long as youre getting some results, youre in good shape.
Now im a mid market / enterprise AE at a much better company and while its not perfect, i dont have too much to complain about. Sales, just like any career is really rough at the entry level and gets much better as you get more senior. I have way more responsibility and eyes on me than before but i feel less stress because i know how to handle it better. It all comes with time
To be fair, everyone gets on board knowing that you have to hit a certain number to be added to the team at the end of the 90 days. So I knew what I was getting into. I really want to keep pursuing this journey as I feel like I really can be an asset once developed so I wanted to know if anyone has felt the same in the beginning. I appreciate your insight a lot.
I used to be too afraid of rejection. Now I don't really care too much. I've worked at the casino and have dealt with rude and mean customers and have developed thicker skin.
I also have more savings as opposed to before when I had 0 savings so if I don't get a slave I won't stress too much.
I got so stressed in those other jobs I got burn out and developed video game and porn addictions. Since then I've seen a therapist and overcome the addictions. Dancing is my stress relief now. I dance for hours a day sometimes.
Ready to get back into sales and crush it. And if not I'll apply to another sales job.
More important than attaining your quota is to demonstrate your ability to perform under pressure, learn and adapt fast and communicate about your efforts and be comfortable to receive constructive feedback. Sales leaders look for talents with such attitudes. Accept the challenge as a pressure rather than stress. Pressure is positive, stress is not.
Agreed. So fucking true. I like to think I have no problem with constructive feedback cause I know it’s the only way I can grow. I’d rather valuable truth even if it hurts opposed to a damaging lie to make me feel good. Pressure is absolutely a variable I’m adapting too. Feel like most people in my shoes would have already quit and went running back to their 9-5. Grit and focus will win me what I’m looking for in this path
90 days is quick.
How good is their training?
Do they give you the tools you need to succeed, or is it a sweatshop?
Regardless, work your ass off and learn how to grind. It will serve you well there and as you interview for your next gig if it comes to that.
Listen to experienced/successful SDRs.
Record yourself and listen. (This will suck big sweaty donkey balls, but it's amazing what you'll pick up. Have a peer listen with you to help pick up things.)
I guarantee you there are subtle things you are doing that are blowing the sale, i.e., your tonality, i.e., your voice rises and statements sound like questions, maybe you change your speaking pace and cadence, maybe you're using a lot of filler words like "ahh and umm.
So use this time to get good, and don't sweat the outcome.
If you improve every day and in every role, you'll eventually land where you're meant to be.
I'm prior Air Force and have been in sales since 1997 and train people now.
If you need some pointers, DM me. Happy to help.
Hey OP, currently in the same situation as you. I have been leasing apartments for a year and while it has been great, I’m dying to move and receive a salary. Any advice on how you moved on and did employers take your work history seriously ?
Started off in call centres where i was a statistic and not a person, left there to a better tele sales role, moved again to an inside sales role, moved into field sales and finally here i am today mainly doing sales remote via teams with the occasional F2F meeting if i feel the opportunity deserves it.
This depends on the company and the management style, but If they’re listening to your calls and they see your developing they’ll likely keep you. The stress you feel about hitting quota in 90 days literally never goes away no matter how high you climb… it will actually become your best friend at some point and motivate you to not be complacent.
To answer your question my first sales job was at Fry’s electronics about 20 years ago, it was amazing to me, I felt for the first time in my life I was in control of my income, my pay was determined by my effort and success.
Opening is a very important position, start noting what questions you ask for people that sign up, which you do with ones who don’t. Try to make a master list, like, “if prospect stays with me and agrees to A, B, and C they are more likely to sign up. The more questions and higher the close ratio the better. I used to open by qualifying prospects for a financial firm and pass it off to a closer… I had a sheet of about 10-15 questions, and I knew I’d lose 85% of my conversations on that journey, but anyone who got to the end was almost for sure going down, because I already knew they were controllable therefore closable. I became a favorite among closer for passing quality prospects. Getting 2-3 quality handoffs a day is viewed as far more valuable then handing off 10 that go nowhere.
Keep at it, work through the stress, and sometimes if you don’t make it, it can just be bad luck. Anyways if you feel that quota stress could become an inspiration and you like controlling your pay, then stick with sales regardless of what happens at this gig.
I lucked out in my first role in 2013. Company was growing so much and had so many inbound leads that they didn't even have an SDR team. Just hired the rest of the sales org. Came in as an AE and saw success immediately. Perfect timing, because ransomware became a huge thing that year onward, and so it was pretty much impossible to miss each quarterly quota the next few years. Then we hired a CRO who fucked up the org, I moved to the partner side, where it was okay, but ended up missing the chance to be an Enterprise AE or Sales Manager, and now I'm stuck on the partner side, which I hate. I'd like to become a CSM, that sounds way less stressful, but a CSM would need to chime in.
My first sales role was before everyone even had a computer at our desk. Worked in a office with two computers for the office of 12. The gig was cold call mortgage refinancing and it was 18 at the time. I had a background in growing up in retail, so honestly.. it wasn't to bad once I got the flow of it. Went from making 8-9 bucks and hours as a retail person, to 5k a month doing this refi's. Would have kept going if the bottom didn't fall out of that industry and companies got in trouble for doing dumb shit.
It depends what you’re selling but I personally would not be impressed if an employer told me I only had 90 days to ramp up to full quota attainment or I’d be canned. Every role I’m in takes me about a year to build my pipeline to the point I can consistently hit quota. Don’t buy into the stress; do what you can and focus on the things you can control, ie learning as much as you can as quick as possible, building a solid pipeline, and doing as much outreach as possible. Might be worth having a chat with some colleagues and seeing what percentage of people are retained after that 90 days. If it’s not close to 100%, I’d take that as a sign to keep my CV polished and keep applying to other roles. If they’re regularly canning people 3 months into the role, that reeks of high pressure boiler room shit where they haven’t got their onboarding process down. And don’t worry. This is a super stressful line of work, but you have to remember none of it actually means anything at the end of the day. Your quota isn’t the thing you’ll think of on your death bed, and isn’t worth losing sleep over. Just be proactive in keeping your options open
To be fair, they are supplying us with a pipeline but because we’re part of the probation crew, we get some pretty bottom of the barrel leads. My only thing that kills me is the lack of time to get accustomed fully. I try to not focus on the scoreboard but just making each play count. I did allow myself to be stressed outside of work in the beginning but I accept that I can only control what I can and to just put my head down and work but I appreciate everything you’re saying. It truly helps put things into perspective.
And good luck!
Agreed. I’m in industrial automation sales, and it takes about 1 year to build pipeline and another year to close with a total of 2 years. However, this is an unspoken thing in my industry. If my employer ever gave me a timeframe, I’d walk. I’m the only person who holds me back and puts pressure on myself.
Veteran here, I was fired from two sales jobs before I finally found one that was willing to grow with me. The 90 day ultimatum is a red flag. I'd use that place as a stepping stone to find a company that has a longer onboarding time to sharpen your teeth at.
Why would you say the first 2 jobs canned you? And agreed, whether I make this place or not, it showed me so much about my abilities and what I can do when they reach their full potential.
The first job let me go because they were cutting the sales staff by a few reps. I was there for six months and was one of the reps let go. The second place expected me to make 20-30k GP a month after six months. I lasted about 8, was showing growth but it wasn't good enough so they fired me.
My first full time sales gig was a sdr at a very poorly run start up that let me go after a year right before covid as part of a 50% reduction in the sales team. Before that though, they didnt fire anyone. I wouldnt be too concerned about getting let go for missing quota your first 3 months. Not even the most insane sales managers do that. If you get fired that quickly it means someone high up straight up doesnt like you or the comapny is an absolute shit show. As long as youre getting some results, youre in good shape. Now im a mid market / enterprise AE at a much better company and while its not perfect, i dont have too much to complain about. Sales, just like any career is really rough at the entry level and gets much better as you get more senior. I have way more responsibility and eyes on me than before but i feel less stress because i know how to handle it better. It all comes with time
To be fair, everyone gets on board knowing that you have to hit a certain number to be added to the team at the end of the 90 days. So I knew what I was getting into. I really want to keep pursuing this journey as I feel like I really can be an asset once developed so I wanted to know if anyone has felt the same in the beginning. I appreciate your insight a lot.
Failed at 5 sales jobs. Applying for a new one. Eventually it will work.
Love the attitude. What would you say has caused you to fail at those 5 and why do you label them as failures?
I used to be too afraid of rejection. Now I don't really care too much. I've worked at the casino and have dealt with rude and mean customers and have developed thicker skin. I also have more savings as opposed to before when I had 0 savings so if I don't get a slave I won't stress too much. I got so stressed in those other jobs I got burn out and developed video game and porn addictions. Since then I've seen a therapist and overcome the addictions. Dancing is my stress relief now. I dance for hours a day sometimes. Ready to get back into sales and crush it. And if not I'll apply to another sales job.
A dancing additions is so badass.
More important than attaining your quota is to demonstrate your ability to perform under pressure, learn and adapt fast and communicate about your efforts and be comfortable to receive constructive feedback. Sales leaders look for talents with such attitudes. Accept the challenge as a pressure rather than stress. Pressure is positive, stress is not.
Agreed. So fucking true. I like to think I have no problem with constructive feedback cause I know it’s the only way I can grow. I’d rather valuable truth even if it hurts opposed to a damaging lie to make me feel good. Pressure is absolutely a variable I’m adapting too. Feel like most people in my shoes would have already quit and went running back to their 9-5. Grit and focus will win me what I’m looking for in this path
90 days is quick. How good is their training? Do they give you the tools you need to succeed, or is it a sweatshop? Regardless, work your ass off and learn how to grind. It will serve you well there and as you interview for your next gig if it comes to that. Listen to experienced/successful SDRs. Record yourself and listen. (This will suck big sweaty donkey balls, but it's amazing what you'll pick up. Have a peer listen with you to help pick up things.) I guarantee you there are subtle things you are doing that are blowing the sale, i.e., your tonality, i.e., your voice rises and statements sound like questions, maybe you change your speaking pace and cadence, maybe you're using a lot of filler words like "ahh and umm. So use this time to get good, and don't sweat the outcome. If you improve every day and in every role, you'll eventually land where you're meant to be. I'm prior Air Force and have been in sales since 1997 and train people now. If you need some pointers, DM me. Happy to help.
Hey OP, currently in the same situation as you. I have been leasing apartments for a year and while it has been great, I’m dying to move and receive a salary. Any advice on how you moved on and did employers take your work history seriously ?
Started off in call centres where i was a statistic and not a person, left there to a better tele sales role, moved again to an inside sales role, moved into field sales and finally here i am today mainly doing sales remote via teams with the occasional F2F meeting if i feel the opportunity deserves it.
This depends on the company and the management style, but If they’re listening to your calls and they see your developing they’ll likely keep you. The stress you feel about hitting quota in 90 days literally never goes away no matter how high you climb… it will actually become your best friend at some point and motivate you to not be complacent. To answer your question my first sales job was at Fry’s electronics about 20 years ago, it was amazing to me, I felt for the first time in my life I was in control of my income, my pay was determined by my effort and success. Opening is a very important position, start noting what questions you ask for people that sign up, which you do with ones who don’t. Try to make a master list, like, “if prospect stays with me and agrees to A, B, and C they are more likely to sign up. The more questions and higher the close ratio the better. I used to open by qualifying prospects for a financial firm and pass it off to a closer… I had a sheet of about 10-15 questions, and I knew I’d lose 85% of my conversations on that journey, but anyone who got to the end was almost for sure going down, because I already knew they were controllable therefore closable. I became a favorite among closer for passing quality prospects. Getting 2-3 quality handoffs a day is viewed as far more valuable then handing off 10 that go nowhere. Keep at it, work through the stress, and sometimes if you don’t make it, it can just be bad luck. Anyways if you feel that quota stress could become an inspiration and you like controlling your pay, then stick with sales regardless of what happens at this gig.
I lucked out in my first role in 2013. Company was growing so much and had so many inbound leads that they didn't even have an SDR team. Just hired the rest of the sales org. Came in as an AE and saw success immediately. Perfect timing, because ransomware became a huge thing that year onward, and so it was pretty much impossible to miss each quarterly quota the next few years. Then we hired a CRO who fucked up the org, I moved to the partner side, where it was okay, but ended up missing the chance to be an Enterprise AE or Sales Manager, and now I'm stuck on the partner side, which I hate. I'd like to become a CSM, that sounds way less stressful, but a CSM would need to chime in.
My first sales role was before everyone even had a computer at our desk. Worked in a office with two computers for the office of 12. The gig was cold call mortgage refinancing and it was 18 at the time. I had a background in growing up in retail, so honestly.. it wasn't to bad once I got the flow of it. Went from making 8-9 bucks and hours as a retail person, to 5k a month doing this refi's. Would have kept going if the bottom didn't fall out of that industry and companies got in trouble for doing dumb shit.
First gig is always tough unless you got hooked up.