So you’re looking to move forward in your career as a sales professional. Congratulations on taking this important step! Here are some strategies for evaluating the offers that come in:
Evaluate whether the company is the right cultural fit
This is the most important factor in deciding on a new position, because it will have a direct correlation to your job satisfaction as well as your productivity. Examples of cultural fit questions include:
- Does the sales team dynamics align with your personality?
- Rep to manager ratio
- SDR or SE interaction and support
- Access to sales training
- Onsite vs remote team
- Are your core values similar to the company’s and sales team’s values?
- Is the work environment formal or casual? Is it collaborative?
- Are work hours rigid or flexible? What is the management style?
Consider your earning potential and sales plan expectations
If you’re thinking of taking the leap and joining a new sales team, you’ll want to first investigate whether the on-target earnings at the company align with your expectations. Ask yourself, “Can I make what I deserve?”
- What is the base vs variable and is the variable realistic?
- Determine what percentage of your prospective employer’s current team members are at plan.
- The rule of thumb is that 70 – 80% of a sales team hits their quota. What percentage do you need to achieve in order to hit your target compensation level?
- What is the ramp time for a new rep?
- Is there a draw baked into the plan and is it recoverable vs unrecoverable?
- How many new reps hit their targets after their ramp time?
- Is there a defined sales territory or named accounts?
- Is the position you are considering net new or a replacement position?
Note: Be sure to read the sales compensation plan as well. The devil is in the details, and you’ll need a detailed understanding to make an informed decision.
Focus on sales rep support and training
When a new company is vying for your attention, it’s exciting. It’s also a critical time to determine whether you’ll have the support and training you need to succeed.
You’ll want to ask the following questions:
- What kind of support are sales team members given? Are you responsible for your own leads? If so, what kind of prospecting tools are available? What is the sales tech stack?
- Does the team have Sales Development (SDR) support, marketing support or Sales Engineers?
- What kind of training is provided?
- Is it sales training or simply product training?
- Who is running the training and how long is the training period?
Assess your prospective employer’s position in the marketplace
Is the new company growing? If so, by how much? And how about the sales team specifically? It is also important to learn as much as possible about the company’s competition so that you can better understand what challenges you will face when trying to get ahead and continue providing value.
Assess the company’s product fit in the current market:
- Does the value proposition as much make sense today as it did at the product’s inception?
- What is the product’s TAM?
- What is the lifetime value for a customer?
- How does that compare to the average customer acquisition cost?
While contemplating your job offer, these are the details you’ll want to nail down before making a decision.
To learn about negotiating the terms of the offer, see our article on How to Negotiate a Sales Job Offer
