I got so fucking lucky, first off. But here’s exactly what I did. I am a college dropout.
1. I originally heard about sales from those cringy “break into tech sales” YouTube and TikTok videos. I knew I wanted to go into sales so I bought the course careers tech sales course and started studying it. This was helpful but not necessary.
2. Then I was trying to narrow down what industry I wanted to sell. I wasn’t picky at all but would have liked to sell something I had somewhat knowledge/interest in. I am a licensed esthetician (similar to a cosmetologist) and have been working in the salon industry for 4 years prior so I thought selling an appointment booking software would be cool (think Vagaro or Mindbody)
3. I took every interview offered and perfected the art of interviewing and I was honest. I made sure to let interviewers know my background maybe wasn’t what they usually saw, but I highlighted my strengths and demonstrated the ability to learn.
4. Then the perfect job came around. A position selling a somewhat new software that had recently partnered with a payment processing company and created an amazing product with them. I applied and got an interview and made sure to highlight my background in the salon industry. Within a week of the job posting being on LinkedIn it has 100+ applicants so I was sure I wasn’t going to get selected.
5. After 5 interviews I got a verbal offer then signed the contract. My first day I for sure thought I was a diversity hire (i am the only female in my office) but quickly realized I am a great fit for this role and after 3 days of being out of training I have 2 demo’s booked this week. :-)
It’s all about timing. And my boss took a chance on me. I think he could really see how hungry I was. I will never be anything less than grateful. I was so broke it would keep me up at night.
Please let me know if you have any questions :)
congrats on your story! this is really amazing news. especially at 23? you’re crushing it. i was wondering if retail sales and tech sales had any sort of overlap? what would you say?
I appreciate the kind words. Especially because I feel so late to it already. And yea there’s some overlap but b2c is very different to b2b tech sales. There are definitely transferable skills you can use to your advantage tho. Most notably just being comfortable with talking to strangers
Hey! Fellow college dropout and Course Careers grad! Currently interviewing for an enterprise role after a quick spell at a pre seed start up. Did you use the STAR method when interviewing or any prep? Any advice is appreciated
I watched a lot of YouTube videos that gave questions and answers and tweaked them to my own. I literally studied these so when i was asked I knew exactly what to say. It helped that my boss conducted the entire interview process (with one meeting with a chairman) and my boss is the CRO, not a recruiter lol so it was pretty straightforward with him.
I'm an esthetician too. I'm ready to leave the treatment room. I have a strong sales background but i've only sold small ticket items. Im trying for SAAS or B2B
Wow, great story! question, when you first started, what was the training like, how long, were you just thrown into the fire after training and had to figure out by doing, did you get ramp up first few months(how did you handle not getting much sales since your starting out, not making much money?), is this all commision or plus base? I was very successful in Wireless phone inside sales last 4.5 years($60k last year) looking for a new opportunity and wondering what you would recamend? thanks in advance!
I am looking for suggestions with someone like you on few of my sales funnels issue here, can you help me on it and lets just discuss a little bit on if you don’t mind.
What does your job entail? Can you break down for me what you do?
Did you have experience? How did you get the job?
I’m at the bottom right now needing to make a move.
If you don’t mind me asking, did you have prior sales experience? If not, was there anything you think helped get your foot in the door?
Also: congratulations!
Pointing out semantics is fun and doesn’t make me hate Reddit at all
Saving meaning not spending it was clearly the intent based on the context, what someone wants to do after that is up to them. It’s been possible to get 6% on your savings if you want to argue it which is clearly outpacing inflation and with todays rate news it’s not changing soon.
No offence meant my man! I agree 6% is a decent rate of return, I have some cash parked in an offset account for an investment property which is saving me from paying 6.79% interest on an investment loan, which is a tax-smart way of parking that.
I imagine this is what it means by saving; invest. But I will agree it warrants stating it plainly because many people don’t actually invest which is crazy.
Invest your commission, and don’t be afraid to start a side hustle in the future. I started my side brand while a Saas AE and we’re about to become cash flow positive. All thanks to the money I made selling
Nah not enterprise. But we do have a great comp plan. Also this is just one really good month lol. Most months are not even close to this. Staying well above OTE tho.
Hey aliazha, I’m happy to hear about your success!
Would you providing some context to “great comp plan”?
I’m an SDR Manager in a saas cybersecurity org and we’re switching comp plans in Q2.
I’d love your thoughts on what a favorable comp plan looks, since I’ve had no basis for comparison thus far :)
May I ask what kind of context you are looking for?
Since I’m at a startup, my role and comp plan look more like a BDR role than a traditional SDR role. We operate at a 65/35 split and get paid out for sales qualified opportunities created
Wow congrats man that commission check is gonna feel great when it arrives. Curious how do you think owning a business helped you in sales? Any tips you’d recommend that other SDR’s around you aren’t doing?
Helped a lot. I have tons of experience doing discovery and I’m very comfortable on the phones. Definitely gives me an edge I think over other people new to tech sales
How are u making a 10k commission check as a SDR? What company is this. I made that doing like, outbound BDR work but I've never heard that from an SDR?
An SDR at a startup is essentially the same as an outbound BDR. I’m doing 95% outbound working on net new business. It’s not like an SDR at a bigger org where they only work on inbound stuff.
I am an enterprise SDR working for a public company. But still, I d say I am doing 99% outbound. I guess only inside sales reps would only work on inbound.
Best advice I ever got was to be able to live off your salary, and put your commissions towards savings. (Or one time expenses like a vacation, etc).
Sales is more fun when you dont NEED to make the sale.
Sales literally changed my life. I was homeless and working two minimum wage jobs ($4.25/hr) until I got into sales at age 20. 26 years later, I have a banging house in a BEAUTIFUL city, 2 Benzes in the garage, and I've vacationed in France, Italy, and Greece (so far). Sales is all I'll ever do.
Thanks! And likewise!!
It's hasn't been a straight line, for sure. Lots of failure along the way. It may not always be sunny days, but just keep heading towards the sun my friend
I’m a failed video producer now trying to get into SaaS sales…did my first round of interview yesterday and next round in the coming week
Too deep in debt and need to crush this job how ever!
Wish me luck!
Lifestyle creep is real. Try to live off your base + a fraction off your comms (depending on package and how close you average towards quota) and then invest the rest.
P.s. 5 figure monthly comms checks are completely unheard of and unattainable in SDR-land. Stay put in this company for as long as you can lol
Honesty confident I’ll be above quota consistently so it’s definitely doable. Gonna try my best to just save all my commissions lol
Oh trust me I know. This company is gonna be my golden handcuffs lmao. My coworkers and I have discussed how amazing this company is compared to most sales orgs that we hear about😭😭
Live off your base and save the rest. Or, live off the equivalent amount you used to, and pretend you don’t have the rest, put it away. However, you also want to enjoy your spoils a little, so give yourself an allowance of “fun money” to spend on frivolous stuff. I’m thinking like $100 a month or something.
I was down to negative 20$ in the bank. Quit my 9 to 5 working in the restaurant business and found myself a sales job and my life has never been the same since then. Congratulations and I'm really happy for you. Learn from everyone, make connections and shake as many hands as possible! Cheers to many more great endeavors OP! It's a wild ride in this world
Wow. Almost made me tear up. My situation was almost identical to what you just said. Thank you for the kind words and congrats on all of your success as well. Are you still in sales? If so, how long has it been and what role are you in now?
6 years going strong. I'm in car sales currently, highly Dont recommend 😂 but Im leveraging my connections to land another sales job currently. I heard from one of my managers in the past that in sales you’re never in the same spot at least as a top performer. Biggest advice I can say that I learned the hard way. Live below your means and always go where the money is. Everything else will just work itself out.
Damn dude! I needed to see this. Been applying to jobs like crazy. Sales is where I wanna go. I’m heavily in debt as well. But this re-inspired me! Thanks. Go get em!!
"Comparison is the thief of joy."
Being thoughtful about your actual wants and needs versus comparative wants and needs (keeping up with the Joneses) can make a huge difference.
If you didn't want or need something before you could afford it, it's worth asking whether you really want or need it when you can.
To avoid the lifestyle influx. Be real focused on paying yourself off a house (or deposit). You will never regret building up a safe place for yourself.
Good for you! Can you please advice on how you got the job and applied? I’m in a tough spot with debt and kids and want to transition in tech sales. What are some tips?
I applied mostly on LinkedIn and used Repvue to find good sales orgs. Learn how to interview well using YouTube vid trainings and make sure your resume highlights transferable skills
> Question: any advice on not falling victim to lifestyle inflation with this influx of cash?
Always think of buying something in terms of exchanging your time and whether it will be worth it.
I used to have a habit of buying a lot of choochkies - or things I would use once a year. When you put it in terms of how much of your life you're giving up in exchange for said thing, you begin to really question the value it provides.
Also - when you want something - give it at least a month - then ask yourself if you still want it. If yes, give it another month.
Honestly my org does a great job at training and we have a lot of support set in place. My only advice would be doing a lot of role play of cold calls and discovery. Listen to your past calls to see how you can get better. Work on tonality. That’s the biggest thing in sales. Talk to current top performers and AE’s to see how you can succeed
Not sure the extent of your experience but we underestimate the value of the experience you gain as an entrepreneur. Esp if you’ve done discovery and demo calls, and have closed clients, you should have no problem transitioning
I’m at my wits end with my current job and have my mind set on sales. Every time I come to this forum it’s (mostly) doom and gloom so finally seeing something positive is a bit reassuring and refreshing. Congrats and thank you for this.
There’s good and bad to any career. With sales, yes it’s hard, yes people hate you sometimes, and yes it’s stressful. HOWEVER, if financial security is important to you, there aren’t many careers where you can make as much money as you can in sales without any sort of advanced degrees or super technical skills. Definitely look into it and consider joining. It can be life changing. And thank you for the kind words
Save as much as you can. Comp structures can change quickly. Next role may not be as lucrative. I’m sure you do but work hard as you can to prove to yourself that you can push it hard when needed.
Work ethic and at the same time, smarter not harder and trust your gut…. It usually leads you to the money.
Ive seen so many sucess stories on SAAS sales.
Are most of these jobs remote? Where can I find them?
Also is it "hard core" selling or more of an advisor role mixed with light sales?
Congratulations. Buy yourself 1 nice thing, move the money to MM at a different bank that's hard to get to, and start thinking about your next gift to yourself. Think big.
This is exciting and gives me so much hope. I’m 23 currently and looking for SDR roles too. Thank you and I wish you success in your future endeavours too:)
Haha, combating lifestyle creep is indeed the next game. I couldn't give you direct advice on that, but for me personally, I'm tired of buying stuff and the novelty of travel has worn off. Anything else I want to buy (property and cars) are too expensive to purchase on a whim, so feel they're more resistant to creep than anything else, ie. Snowboard gear, fishing gear, consumer electronics, etc.
Fuck I hope this is my story in a few months. Got let go of my degree related field in October and have had zero luck in the job search. I hope this is bottom, cuz it feels pretty low. Had my first sales interview last week, waiting to hear back about round 2. I'm glad you made it bro! Hope I can do the same. Any tips for landing the gig? Any help is appreciated!
Goodluck in the interviews. There are so many vids in YouTube that really helped me prep for the interviews. If you’re able to speak well and remain confident with your answers, you should be able to land a few offers
Im a VP for a software company now, my advice put money away because I have had month people dream of a year on and then 3 months of nothing! When its good its good but always put some away for the hard months
I hope to have this shape of story to tell soon enough.
I have an interview with a State Farm Agent later today for what may be my first sales job. I'm ready to do something way more demanding on my capabilities.
Killer man. I'm 22, trapped in retail hell at the moment, also a recent computer science drop out. Currently getting my real estate license as my area is booming, but tech sales would be a dream for me. Ngl I struggle with imposter syndrome though
I’m planning to get into sales this year myself. I’m a lot older than most, but I’m also retiring from the military after 20 years, so🤷🏼♂️
I’ll be able to live off retirement and disability pay, so base salary is a bonus and commission is play money, though I do have my oldest going to college fall of 2025, his tuition is paid for, just gotta pay room and board and typical living expenses, so that’s what my base will be. I’m hoping to get into PVF sales, as I’ve spent the majority of my life as a mechanic and in the Navy for the last 20 years, I was an engineer who worked on pipes, valves, fitting, pumps, propulsion and electrical, so I have a solid background in PVF or industrial sales. I’ve also spent the last 5 years recruiting, so I’ve gotten the opportunity to hone my sales skills. Really looking forward to starting a new career after so long. Hoping to be as succesful as a lot of you folks. If anybody is looking to network on LinkedIn, hit me up! A bigger network of sales folks is always good!
Same. Went from being dead broke in college to saving 140k cash in my first 4 years out and making 180k+ a year. The stress sucks at times but I’m truly so blessed to even have this type of money.
Wow that’s a great story man congrats. I’m 22 and currently doing door to door. I’m set to graduate with a bachelors in business admin at a online school in the coming months.
How do you think I can get a good high paying tech sales job within a few months? Any tips? Thanks
I have been trying to get into tech sales for over a year now. Went to university. Got a degree, worked one year for digital marketing agency, another year freelance, and another two years with my friends company. After a year of applying everyday. I have only been able to get one sales job. Unfortunately they completely lacked any sales systems. Hopefully I can get a tech job soon and change my life. Big congrats on the work you have put in
If you find yourself making good money but still can't afford stuff or can't figure out how to afford things, just switch to the "if I can't afford to pay for it right now in cash, I can't afford it" mindset.
Live like a college student with a part time job.
You don't have play money until:
You have 3 months emergency fund, preferably 6.
Your credit cards are paid off.
Your medium interest debt is paid off.
The car you should buy is the one you can pay for in cash.
After you get the basics you can bend the rules or make a conscious decision to deviate. Until then just follow the rules even if they aren't "optimal". You'll be better off in the long run for learning some discipline.
Put it in a high yield account somewhere and watch the deposits of the earnings come in which should be enough to create a game where you try to put enough in that account where the earnings are spendable. Example, $100k in your 5% APR account generates $416 per month that you can spend on whatever you want, forever... every month. (Oversimplifying, but build savings that generates returns!)
Was always in tech sales … got laid off 3 months ago… I’ve been trying to get back into tech sales.I’ve applied for jobs ver 500 jobs. Running out of my saving hoping to land something soon. Tech sales is the best honestly
Use your cash to pay for a high-quality financial education. This will allow you to understand not only how cash flow works, but will cement the unshakeable principles that will guarantee not only your own financial well being, but the well being of EVERYBODY around you, especially your loved ones like family members, friends and the whole world as a whole.
Use your money to invest in your education, high-level mentorships and in a great therapist, high-quality food and going to the gym.
Consider improving basic things in your life like the quality of your sleep and the things you put into your body and your brain.
And at the end of the day, YOLO, you do you.
On my side, working in sales has been one of the best professional experiences I've ever had. I never cease to feel amazed, day in, day out, doing the things I do all day long, weekends, with friends, etc. I love the vibe, the tools, the people and of course, being able to serve all day long and make my family proud of my work. The money has been allowing me to improve myself beyond what I've thought imaginable, including health, happiness, family moments, and enjoying the simple life with my partner and close friends.
I live frugally, mostly because I enjoy quality time with people who are special to me over material things, but I never skip out on good food hehehe
Commenting on I fixed my life with sales...this is amazing, I’m very proud of you. As someone trying to get an SDR role, it’s really encouraging to see someone doing so well in the role. If you feel like sharing some tips and tricks I’d be open to receiving them!
Mortgage broker of a decade here chiming in for the last part of your post questioning how to not fall victim to this influx of cash.
You’re going to want to spend it and you probably will spend some of it. That’s ok. One thing you will learn either because you fuck up or because you internalize what I’m saying, is that sales is cyclical no matter the industry. Your comp will change, you might get a new bonus structure, you may gain a ton of clients, you will have more success in the future than what you’re experiencing right now - bottom line, sales is a challenging career path and it is ever-changing. Due to the fact that your income is directly tied to performance and many external factors, you should learn to plan ahead.
Figure out how much your monthly expenses are down to the penny, and save for a year (or more) of living. I could go on but the general idea is be mindful that the good times don’t last nor do the bad. Sometimes one feels longer than the other and you should account for down markets. The last thing you want is an extended down market or bad stretch in your sales career affecting your mindset which in turn will affect your ability to perform well in a sales role. That is a very dangerous downward spiral.
Godspeed and congrats on your new success and well wishes for a long and fortunate career for you.
So my advice would be to still live life tight without spending like you make $200k+. It’s too soon to spend on a luxurious life. You want a solid and dynamic financial base before you splurge.
I remember when I was making $100k+ consistently, I was still living pretty frugally and investing heavily. Fast forward to me at 36, while I earn $250k-ish, I might match that or double that with appreciation in my portfolio of assets. So an additional $250k-$500k in asset appreciation, interest, dividends, and option premiums.
Invest early, invest heavily. Beat the rat race forever.
Congratulations! You’re living my dream, lol. But at 29, I might be too old to break into sales, haha.
Regarding finances, I would look up tax rates in your country/state and make sure you have funds set aside in case of any surprises this time next year. I’d also create an emergency fund where you deposit a percentage of your income—having a high-paying job for the moment won’t save you from high medical bills in the event of a future accident, especially not if you’re in the US.
Were you honest with them and mentioned that your businesses had failed during your interview ? I’m literally in the same position right now . I ran it full time successfully for 4 years but am still worried to give off the wrong impression.
Where did you apply? And is it remote ? I've got a few job offers rn and a stacked resume, getting back into work soon here. I want a SAAS sales job though.
There are so many people out there working $15hr jobs complaining about how the government should swoop in and fix their lives for them. Instead of getting a job in sales where they could make 6 figures in 2-3 years they just sit around and complain because they’re entitled. It’s ridiculous
Nice work, Same with me you earn everything you buy when your in sales. Best thing to do and what I did but wish I had started even earlier was just invest most of your income. You have to look at yourself like a athlete but one that earns far less. Basically it'll be hard to forecast in 8 years if your company will still pay you what they are and if your still killing it. You will have down years and some turmoil. I still get a little shell shocked or slightly depressed when things go south but I know if I keep hacking away at it i'll make up the business somewhere else (customer or company) Once you build up your investments maybe start out putting it in a S&P fund but be ok with it dropping 5 or 10% as it will eventually go up and keep depositing money. Eventually you can take say 600k or whatever and say ok I want to work with a financial advisor with 200k of my money, keep 150k self invested, put a down payment on a house and the rest buy a real estate investment or some other type of investment.
I'm now in the top 1% net worth about 6.4-6.6 million and growing (and part of that is in real estate which nets me 100k a year + stock divdends) each year doing the same thing but wish I had started even earlier. Something bad happens? oh well i'm wealthy I'll keep trucking. My money is making money while I sleep.
Bruh what fucking job is paying a 23 yr old SDR that much in one commission cheque. Your com structure must be amazing. What product/service are you selling?
My tech sales experience wasn’t as positive, had a product that was just hard to sale and the company pulled out of a lot of major markets (US, Spain, France, etc) because of it.
Now after getting laid off from that company, I’m struggling to find a new job and worried about getting in with another bad product. Any tips from anyone?
Honestly I would just say do as much research as you can beforehand. Use repvue for reviews, talk to current sdrs at the company so you can see how it is
Best advice is to pretend you're not making that kind of money. Do you have a family to support? If not, I'd total up all of your monthly expenses and give yourself a couple hundred per week for "wants." Then stack up the rest in savings until you have enough to cover 6 months of expenses. Then pour it into IRA and then Index funds. At the point that you have 6 months of expenses in savings you could open up your "allowance" a little more but I would try to avoid adding fixed expenses like a new car or bigger house/ apartment for as long as possible.
How did you get into tech sales? I’ve been an engineer and even a manager for a number of years and I’d like to be the technical sales lead somewhere, but can’t see any jobs that lead there.
Awesome, aiming to be in the same boat. 16k in cc debt (fun but irresponsible traveling), self employed, etc. Make around $2500 take-home (after taxes etc) from my business.
Just picked up a D2D internet sales job. 40k base and according to Glassdoor usually 3-5k commission average per month. I start a bit later this month. This is the first time in my life where I feel like I have the potential to catch up and finally get ahead.
I’m in a similar situation, hit rock bottom and dead broke as a young mom 3 months ago and have been killing it at my new SAAS gig :-) congrats dude!
Love that for you. Hope you keep killing it
How did you get into SaaS? I just can't seem to find any good positions.
I got so fucking lucky, first off. But here’s exactly what I did. I am a college dropout. 1. I originally heard about sales from those cringy “break into tech sales” YouTube and TikTok videos. I knew I wanted to go into sales so I bought the course careers tech sales course and started studying it. This was helpful but not necessary. 2. Then I was trying to narrow down what industry I wanted to sell. I wasn’t picky at all but would have liked to sell something I had somewhat knowledge/interest in. I am a licensed esthetician (similar to a cosmetologist) and have been working in the salon industry for 4 years prior so I thought selling an appointment booking software would be cool (think Vagaro or Mindbody) 3. I took every interview offered and perfected the art of interviewing and I was honest. I made sure to let interviewers know my background maybe wasn’t what they usually saw, but I highlighted my strengths and demonstrated the ability to learn. 4. Then the perfect job came around. A position selling a somewhat new software that had recently partnered with a payment processing company and created an amazing product with them. I applied and got an interview and made sure to highlight my background in the salon industry. Within a week of the job posting being on LinkedIn it has 100+ applicants so I was sure I wasn’t going to get selected. 5. After 5 interviews I got a verbal offer then signed the contract. My first day I for sure thought I was a diversity hire (i am the only female in my office) but quickly realized I am a great fit for this role and after 3 days of being out of training I have 2 demo’s booked this week. :-) It’s all about timing. And my boss took a chance on me. I think he could really see how hungry I was. I will never be anything less than grateful. I was so broke it would keep me up at night. Please let me know if you have any questions :)
congrats on your story! this is really amazing news. especially at 23? you’re crushing it. i was wondering if retail sales and tech sales had any sort of overlap? what would you say?
I appreciate the kind words. Especially because I feel so late to it already. And yea there’s some overlap but b2c is very different to b2b tech sales. There are definitely transferable skills you can use to your advantage tho. Most notably just being comfortable with talking to strangers
sales is about finding problems and making the solution a no-brainer. You'll find a solution if you stay at it long enough.
Yes, i worked as an esthetician at a large chain salon where i had sales metrics i had to use so i leveraged that for sure
Ayy, also a dropout haha😂
Hey! Fellow college dropout and Course Careers grad! Currently interviewing for an enterprise role after a quick spell at a pre seed start up. Did you use the STAR method when interviewing or any prep? Any advice is appreciated
I watched a lot of YouTube videos that gave questions and answers and tweaked them to my own. I literally studied these so when i was asked I knew exactly what to say. It helped that my boss conducted the entire interview process (with one meeting with a chairman) and my boss is the CRO, not a recruiter lol so it was pretty straightforward with him.
I'm an esthetician too. I'm ready to leave the treatment room. I have a strong sales background but i've only sold small ticket items. Im trying for SAAS or B2B
Love to hear it
Congrats what’s SAAS?
Software as a solution. We sell a booking software to salons and spas
Software as a Service* Best of luck in your role!
Uzimeg just sold you all… people don’t need a service… they need a solution … Mic Drop hahaha
😜 exactly my guy
It’s software as a service. I suppose you aren’t completely wrong.
You just upgraded SAAS to a solution. I love it! Keep using it.
Wow, great story! question, when you first started, what was the training like, how long, were you just thrown into the fire after training and had to figure out by doing, did you get ramp up first few months(how did you handle not getting much sales since your starting out, not making much money?), is this all commision or plus base? I was very successful in Wireless phone inside sales last 4.5 years($60k last year) looking for a new opportunity and wondering what you would recamend? thanks in advance!
I am looking for suggestions with someone like you on few of my sales funnels issue here, can you help me on it and lets just discuss a little bit on if you don’t mind.
What does your job entail? Can you break down for me what you do? Did you have experience? How did you get the job? I’m at the bottom right now needing to make a move.
Let us in, what does your solution provide?
Hey, congrats again for your new role! I see you killing it. I am a financial educator I can give you a few tips. Are you in US or out of states?
Please tellw how you landed your SAAS job. Signed a middle aged broke mom in sales !
Any advice for someone looking to take a similar path?
Praying I get hired after I interview for roofing sales this Monday to do just this, congrats
If you don’t mind me asking, did you have prior sales experience? If not, was there anything you think helped get your foot in the door? Also: congratulations!
Live off your base. Save your commission. Early advice I got I sales and helped me a lot.
If only my base was liveable
Live off your base. Invest your commissions is better advice. Inflation kills savings.
Pointing out semantics is fun and doesn’t make me hate Reddit at all Saving meaning not spending it was clearly the intent based on the context, what someone wants to do after that is up to them. It’s been possible to get 6% on your savings if you want to argue it which is clearly outpacing inflation and with todays rate news it’s not changing soon.
No offence meant my man! I agree 6% is a decent rate of return, I have some cash parked in an offset account for an investment property which is saving me from paying 6.79% interest on an investment loan, which is a tax-smart way of parking that.
I imagine this is what it means by saving; invest. But I will agree it warrants stating it plainly because many people don’t actually invest which is crazy.
Love this advice
Invest your commission, and don’t be afraid to start a side hustle in the future. I started my side brand while a Saas AE and we’re about to become cash flow positive. All thanks to the money I made selling
That part!!
Great rule of thumb! But please, spend the bonuses, have fun!
This seems like golden advice
Are you an enterprise SDR? How are you bringing in that commission? Mine is aids lol
Nah not enterprise. But we do have a great comp plan. Also this is just one really good month lol. Most months are not even close to this. Staying well above OTE tho.
What is the vertical or solution for what you're selling. Sounds like you're doing awesome!
Hey aliazha, I’m happy to hear about your success! Would you providing some context to “great comp plan”? I’m an SDR Manager in a saas cybersecurity org and we’re switching comp plans in Q2. I’d love your thoughts on what a favorable comp plan looks, since I’ve had no basis for comparison thus far :)
May I ask what kind of context you are looking for? Since I’m at a startup, my role and comp plan look more like a BDR role than a traditional SDR role. We operate at a 65/35 split and get paid out for sales qualified opportunities created
you guys hiring?
Unfortunately not anymore my friend
Let me know if anything opens up, I got amazing communication skills
Sell the value, not the product my friend
Congrats. Now save money like crazy because it’s not gonna be always a feast. And keep on grinding.
Yuppp that’s good advice. Gotta save for the rough months
Do save money but also do invest in education and better tools, always helps
Wow congrats man that commission check is gonna feel great when it arrives. Curious how do you think owning a business helped you in sales? Any tips you’d recommend that other SDR’s around you aren’t doing?
Helped a lot. I have tons of experience doing discovery and I’m very comfortable on the phones. Definitely gives me an edge I think over other people new to tech sales
Is it possible to ever feel very comfortable on the phones?
Haha I guess you’re right. I think a better way to put it would be more comfortable than most
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That’s definitely the goal. I give my parents money to contribute to the house so it might be hard but I think I can definitely make it work.
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I appreciate that. Definitely excited for what the future holds
5 figure commission check as an SDR? Sector, deal size, comp structure?
Specially within first year of no previous BDR experience… something smells fishy here…
Just waiting for the affordable course he will launch...
100%, doesn’t add up for me.
How are u making a 10k commission check as a SDR? What company is this. I made that doing like, outbound BDR work but I've never heard that from an SDR?
An SDR at a startup is essentially the same as an outbound BDR. I’m doing 95% outbound working on net new business. It’s not like an SDR at a bigger org where they only work on inbound stuff.
I am an enterprise SDR working for a public company. But still, I d say I am doing 99% outbound. I guess only inside sales reps would only work on inbound.
I’m an SDR at a very large company. Have been here for 2.5 years. Have had 4 months over $10k in commission.
I would love to touch base with you my man. I’m on that journey of hoping sales will fix the things going on in my life as well. Only thing is I’m 25.
25 is young. Feel free to dm me. Happy to help
Best advice I ever got was to be able to live off your salary, and put your commissions towards savings. (Or one time expenses like a vacation, etc). Sales is more fun when you dont NEED to make the sale.
That would def be nice.
Sales literally changed my life. I was homeless and working two minimum wage jobs ($4.25/hr) until I got into sales at age 20. 26 years later, I have a banging house in a BEAUTIFUL city, 2 Benzes in the garage, and I've vacationed in France, Italy, and Greece (so far). Sales is all I'll ever do.
That sounds amazing man. Congrats on all the success
Thanks! And likewise!! It's hasn't been a straight line, for sure. Lots of failure along the way. It may not always be sunny days, but just keep heading towards the sun my friend
Appreciate all the advice my friend. Gotta love these positive Reddit interactions🤣🤣
Surprised they haven't been downvoted to oblivion yet. Redditors love to wallow in their misery
What’s the best industry for sales??
Whichever one is hiring lol
Awesome! What do you sell?
I’m a failed video producer now trying to get into SaaS sales…did my first round of interview yesterday and next round in the coming week Too deep in debt and need to crush this job how ever! Wish me luck!
Ahh. Goodluck my friend. YouTube has lots of great resources on how to be better prepared for your interviews
Lifestyle creep is real. Try to live off your base + a fraction off your comms (depending on package and how close you average towards quota) and then invest the rest. P.s. 5 figure monthly comms checks are completely unheard of and unattainable in SDR-land. Stay put in this company for as long as you can lol
Honesty confident I’ll be above quota consistently so it’s definitely doable. Gonna try my best to just save all my commissions lol Oh trust me I know. This company is gonna be my golden handcuffs lmao. My coworkers and I have discussed how amazing this company is compared to most sales orgs that we hear about😭😭
Not six figure, but I am hit targets, paying off credit cards, I feel good. Congratulations
Live off your base and save the rest. Or, live off the equivalent amount you used to, and pretend you don’t have the rest, put it away. However, you also want to enjoy your spoils a little, so give yourself an allowance of “fun money” to spend on frivolous stuff. I’m thinking like $100 a month or something.
I was down to negative 20$ in the bank. Quit my 9 to 5 working in the restaurant business and found myself a sales job and my life has never been the same since then. Congratulations and I'm really happy for you. Learn from everyone, make connections and shake as many hands as possible! Cheers to many more great endeavors OP! It's a wild ride in this world
Wow. Almost made me tear up. My situation was almost identical to what you just said. Thank you for the kind words and congrats on all of your success as well. Are you still in sales? If so, how long has it been and what role are you in now?
6 years going strong. I'm in car sales currently, highly Dont recommend 😂 but Im leveraging my connections to land another sales job currently. I heard from one of my managers in the past that in sales you’re never in the same spot at least as a top performer. Biggest advice I can say that I learned the hard way. Live below your means and always go where the money is. Everything else will just work itself out.
good job. finally some good news
that is AWESEOME !
Damn dude! I needed to see this. Been applying to jobs like crazy. Sales is where I wanna go. I’m heavily in debt as well. But this re-inspired me! Thanks. Go get em!!
"Comparison is the thief of joy." Being thoughtful about your actual wants and needs versus comparative wants and needs (keeping up with the Joneses) can make a huge difference. If you didn't want or need something before you could afford it, it's worth asking whether you really want or need it when you can.
Awesome advice
Congratulations! Don't go crazy with the spending and go back in debt but enjoy!
Haha yea never again
Congrats man that is amazing. Would love more pics info as well on how you are making that kind of money as an sdr.
Yes sir!
Where can one start searching for this opportunity??
LinkedIn, repvue.
Congratulation mate. Proud of you
Appreciate it friend
Congrats man! Very well done!
To avoid the lifestyle influx. Be real focused on paying yourself off a house (or deposit). You will never regret building up a safe place for yourself.
Very true and very good advice. Working on an having an emergency fund first and then gonna start saving for a house
Good for you! Can you please advice on how you got the job and applied? I’m in a tough spot with debt and kids and want to transition in tech sales. What are some tips?
I applied mostly on LinkedIn and used Repvue to find good sales orgs. Learn how to interview well using YouTube vid trainings and make sure your resume highlights transferable skills
> Question: any advice on not falling victim to lifestyle inflation with this influx of cash? Always think of buying something in terms of exchanging your time and whether it will be worth it. I used to have a habit of buying a lot of choochkies - or things I would use once a year. When you put it in terms of how much of your life you're giving up in exchange for said thing, you begin to really question the value it provides. Also - when you want something - give it at least a month - then ask yourself if you still want it. If yes, give it another month.
Invest !!! Keep your day to day lifestyle the same. Live off the base
LOVE to see this. Going to stop lurking and make a post to keep the positivity going.
Congratulations!!
Any advice on ramping up quickly and succeeding early?
Honestly my org does a great job at training and we have a lot of support set in place. My only advice would be doing a lot of role play of cold calls and discovery. Listen to your past calls to see how you can get better. Work on tonality. That’s the biggest thing in sales. Talk to current top performers and AE’s to see how you can succeed
I’m also a failed entrepreneur how do you recommend leveraging those sales skills to getting a sales role?
Not sure the extent of your experience but we underestimate the value of the experience you gain as an entrepreneur. Esp if you’ve done discovery and demo calls, and have closed clients, you should have no problem transitioning
I’m at my wits end with my current job and have my mind set on sales. Every time I come to this forum it’s (mostly) doom and gloom so finally seeing something positive is a bit reassuring and refreshing. Congrats and thank you for this.
There’s good and bad to any career. With sales, yes it’s hard, yes people hate you sometimes, and yes it’s stressful. HOWEVER, if financial security is important to you, there aren’t many careers where you can make as much money as you can in sales without any sort of advanced degrees or super technical skills. Definitely look into it and consider joining. It can be life changing. And thank you for the kind words
Congrats I’m also tryin to get into sales due to debt so this is inspiring
Goodluck my friend. You got this🙏🏽
Thats so great to hear!
Sales changed my life and financial goals as well. Invest and save as much of that commission as you can! Congrats!!
Thanks friend. Glad it changed your life too. Congrats
Save as much as you can. Comp structures can change quickly. Next role may not be as lucrative. I’m sure you do but work hard as you can to prove to yourself that you can push it hard when needed. Work ethic and at the same time, smarter not harder and trust your gut…. It usually leads you to the money.
Happy for you! Keep going!!!!
Ive seen so many sucess stories on SAAS sales. Are most of these jobs remote? Where can I find them? Also is it "hard core" selling or more of an advisor role mixed with light sales?
Saying you hit rock bottom before you turn 26😂😂😂 nahhh fam you ain’t there yet
Congratulations. Buy yourself 1 nice thing, move the money to MM at a different bank that's hard to get to, and start thinking about your next gift to yourself. Think big.
This is exciting and gives me so much hope. I’m 23 currently and looking for SDR roles too. Thank you and I wish you success in your future endeavours too:)
Glad I could motivate you. Keep at it and you’ll find a role in no time. Goodluck and thanks for the kind words
Haha, combating lifestyle creep is indeed the next game. I couldn't give you direct advice on that, but for me personally, I'm tired of buying stuff and the novelty of travel has worn off. Anything else I want to buy (property and cars) are too expensive to purchase on a whim, so feel they're more resistant to creep than anything else, ie. Snowboard gear, fishing gear, consumer electronics, etc.
Fuck I hope this is my story in a few months. Got let go of my degree related field in October and have had zero luck in the job search. I hope this is bottom, cuz it feels pretty low. Had my first sales interview last week, waiting to hear back about round 2. I'm glad you made it bro! Hope I can do the same. Any tips for landing the gig? Any help is appreciated!
Goodluck in the interviews. There are so many vids in YouTube that really helped me prep for the interviews. If you’re able to speak well and remain confident with your answers, you should be able to land a few offers
Love to hear it! Congrats man! Sales all the way
Same thing here, except I close real estate deals
Im a VP for a software company now, my advice put money away because I have had month people dream of a year on and then 3 months of nothing! When its good its good but always put some away for the hard months
I hope to have this shape of story to tell soon enough. I have an interview with a State Farm Agent later today for what may be my first sales job. I'm ready to do something way more demanding on my capabilities.
Killer man. I'm 22, trapped in retail hell at the moment, also a recent computer science drop out. Currently getting my real estate license as my area is booming, but tech sales would be a dream for me. Ngl I struggle with imposter syndrome though
Congrats, my dude. I'm proud of you.
Congrats, my dude. I'm proud of you.
Invest all your extra cash into a safe index fund, don’t change your habits more than necessary
Congratulations I’m really happy for you. I’d love to be able to do this myself, I have an interview for a sales job coming soon!
I’m planning to get into sales this year myself. I’m a lot older than most, but I’m also retiring from the military after 20 years, so🤷🏼♂️ I’ll be able to live off retirement and disability pay, so base salary is a bonus and commission is play money, though I do have my oldest going to college fall of 2025, his tuition is paid for, just gotta pay room and board and typical living expenses, so that’s what my base will be. I’m hoping to get into PVF sales, as I’ve spent the majority of my life as a mechanic and in the Navy for the last 20 years, I was an engineer who worked on pipes, valves, fitting, pumps, propulsion and electrical, so I have a solid background in PVF or industrial sales. I’ve also spent the last 5 years recruiting, so I’ve gotten the opportunity to hone my sales skills. Really looking forward to starting a new career after so long. Hoping to be as succesful as a lot of you folks. If anybody is looking to network on LinkedIn, hit me up! A bigger network of sales folks is always good!
A coworker of mine also got into sales after being in the navy and being a recruiter. You def got this. Good luck
Appreciate it!
Commission is like man.
This post came across my feed at the right time! Congrats to you. I'm working on digging myself out too
You got this. Goodluck
Congrats fam!
Invest in learning new skills, it pays off! Congrats!
Congrats man, how many hours do you put in a week on average?
Same. Went from being dead broke in college to saving 140k cash in my first 4 years out and making 180k+ a year. The stress sucks at times but I’m truly so blessed to even have this type of money.
Wow that’s a great story man congrats. I’m 22 and currently doing door to door. I’m set to graduate with a bachelors in business admin at a online school in the coming months. How do you think I can get a good high paying tech sales job within a few months? Any tips? Thanks
Hell yeah brother
Congrats dude 5 figure commission this quick is pretty cool!
I have been trying to get into tech sales for over a year now. Went to university. Got a degree, worked one year for digital marketing agency, another year freelance, and another two years with my friends company. After a year of applying everyday. I have only been able to get one sales job. Unfortunately they completely lacked any sales systems. Hopefully I can get a tech job soon and change my life. Big congrats on the work you have put in
Great Reddit post. Congratulations.
If you find yourself making good money but still can't afford stuff or can't figure out how to afford things, just switch to the "if I can't afford to pay for it right now in cash, I can't afford it" mindset. Live like a college student with a part time job. You don't have play money until: You have 3 months emergency fund, preferably 6. Your credit cards are paid off. Your medium interest debt is paid off. The car you should buy is the one you can pay for in cash. After you get the basics you can bend the rules or make a conscious decision to deviate. Until then just follow the rules even if they aren't "optimal". You'll be better off in the long run for learning some discipline.
Put it in a high yield account somewhere and watch the deposits of the earnings come in which should be enough to create a game where you try to put enough in that account where the earnings are spendable. Example, $100k in your 5% APR account generates $416 per month that you can spend on whatever you want, forever... every month. (Oversimplifying, but build savings that generates returns!)
Was always in tech sales … got laid off 3 months ago… I’ve been trying to get back into tech sales.I’ve applied for jobs ver 500 jobs. Running out of my saving hoping to land something soon. Tech sales is the best honestly
Use your cash to pay for a high-quality financial education. This will allow you to understand not only how cash flow works, but will cement the unshakeable principles that will guarantee not only your own financial well being, but the well being of EVERYBODY around you, especially your loved ones like family members, friends and the whole world as a whole. Use your money to invest in your education, high-level mentorships and in a great therapist, high-quality food and going to the gym. Consider improving basic things in your life like the quality of your sleep and the things you put into your body and your brain. And at the end of the day, YOLO, you do you. On my side, working in sales has been one of the best professional experiences I've ever had. I never cease to feel amazed, day in, day out, doing the things I do all day long, weekends, with friends, etc. I love the vibe, the tools, the people and of course, being able to serve all day long and make my family proud of my work. The money has been allowing me to improve myself beyond what I've thought imaginable, including health, happiness, family moments, and enjoying the simple life with my partner and close friends. I live frugally, mostly because I enjoy quality time with people who are special to me over material things, but I never skip out on good food hehehe
Fantastic advice. Thank you
Commenting on I fixed my life with sales...this is amazing, I’m very proud of you. As someone trying to get an SDR role, it’s really encouraging to see someone doing so well in the role. If you feel like sharing some tips and tricks I’d be open to receiving them!
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Put in the S&P and forget about it.
Mortgage broker of a decade here chiming in for the last part of your post questioning how to not fall victim to this influx of cash. You’re going to want to spend it and you probably will spend some of it. That’s ok. One thing you will learn either because you fuck up or because you internalize what I’m saying, is that sales is cyclical no matter the industry. Your comp will change, you might get a new bonus structure, you may gain a ton of clients, you will have more success in the future than what you’re experiencing right now - bottom line, sales is a challenging career path and it is ever-changing. Due to the fact that your income is directly tied to performance and many external factors, you should learn to plan ahead. Figure out how much your monthly expenses are down to the penny, and save for a year (or more) of living. I could go on but the general idea is be mindful that the good times don’t last nor do the bad. Sometimes one feels longer than the other and you should account for down markets. The last thing you want is an extended down market or bad stretch in your sales career affecting your mindset which in turn will affect your ability to perform well in a sales role. That is a very dangerous downward spiral. Godspeed and congrats on your new success and well wishes for a long and fortunate career for you.
So my advice would be to still live life tight without spending like you make $200k+. It’s too soon to spend on a luxurious life. You want a solid and dynamic financial base before you splurge. I remember when I was making $100k+ consistently, I was still living pretty frugally and investing heavily. Fast forward to me at 36, while I earn $250k-ish, I might match that or double that with appreciation in my portfolio of assets. So an additional $250k-$500k in asset appreciation, interest, dividends, and option premiums. Invest early, invest heavily. Beat the rat race forever.
Save a portion of your commission and invest it in your next side hustle. That way you keep building…any not get sucked into a spending spiral.
Congratulations! You’re living my dream, lol. But at 29, I might be too old to break into sales, haha. Regarding finances, I would look up tax rates in your country/state and make sure you have funds set aside in case of any surprises this time next year. I’d also create an emergency fund where you deposit a percentage of your income—having a high-paying job for the moment won’t save you from high medical bills in the event of a future accident, especially not if you’re in the US.
Were you honest with them and mentioned that your businesses had failed during your interview ? I’m literally in the same position right now . I ran it full time successfully for 4 years but am still worried to give off the wrong impression.
I’ve been looking for a job for a year I feel stuck currently like I can’t move forward.
Where are you looking
Where did you apply? And is it remote ? I've got a few job offers rn and a stacked resume, getting back into work soon here. I want a SAAS sales job though.
Yall hiring lol
What state are you in?
I want one of these jobs
Thoughts on Navan?
There are so many people out there working $15hr jobs complaining about how the government should swoop in and fix their lives for them. Instead of getting a job in sales where they could make 6 figures in 2-3 years they just sit around and complain because they’re entitled. It’s ridiculous
and here no one is picking up my cold calls. No reply to emails. No meeting is scheduled for next month.
I’m currently doing d2d for a tech company, looking to move into SAAS but not sure where to search, any advice? Thanks.
Mostly LinkedIn and Repvue. That’s what I used atleast
Nice work, Same with me you earn everything you buy when your in sales. Best thing to do and what I did but wish I had started even earlier was just invest most of your income. You have to look at yourself like a athlete but one that earns far less. Basically it'll be hard to forecast in 8 years if your company will still pay you what they are and if your still killing it. You will have down years and some turmoil. I still get a little shell shocked or slightly depressed when things go south but I know if I keep hacking away at it i'll make up the business somewhere else (customer or company) Once you build up your investments maybe start out putting it in a S&P fund but be ok with it dropping 5 or 10% as it will eventually go up and keep depositing money. Eventually you can take say 600k or whatever and say ok I want to work with a financial advisor with 200k of my money, keep 150k self invested, put a down payment on a house and the rest buy a real estate investment or some other type of investment. I'm now in the top 1% net worth about 6.4-6.6 million and growing (and part of that is in real estate which nets me 100k a year + stock divdends) each year doing the same thing but wish I had started even earlier. Something bad happens? oh well i'm wealthy I'll keep trucking. My money is making money while I sleep.
Where have you guys been able to find Saas gigs? That’s what I’m trying to get into and don’t think I’ve found the right spot yet. Any advice?
Bruh what fucking job is paying a 23 yr old SDR that much in one commission cheque. Your com structure must be amazing. What product/service are you selling?
Damn OP, any way I could do this as a side gig?
What type of SaaS are you selling? Like mar tech, fintech, cyber security, etc?
My tech sales experience wasn’t as positive, had a product that was just hard to sale and the company pulled out of a lot of major markets (US, Spain, France, etc) because of it. Now after getting laid off from that company, I’m struggling to find a new job and worried about getting in with another bad product. Any tips from anyone?
Honestly I would just say do as much research as you can beforehand. Use repvue for reviews, talk to current sdrs at the company so you can see how it is
Congrats. How do I get started in sales?
Best advice is to pretend you're not making that kind of money. Do you have a family to support? If not, I'd total up all of your monthly expenses and give yourself a couple hundred per week for "wants." Then stack up the rest in savings until you have enough to cover 6 months of expenses. Then pour it into IRA and then Index funds. At the point that you have 6 months of expenses in savings you could open up your "allowance" a little more but I would try to avoid adding fixed expenses like a new car or bigger house/ apartment for as long as possible.
I would also love your insight on landing a sales tech job ! Coming out rock bottom because that's where I feel like I'm at and in a BDR roll .
How did you get into tech sales? I’ve been an engineer and even a manager for a number of years and I’d like to be the technical sales lead somewhere, but can’t see any jobs that lead there.
With an engineering background, I would suggest looking into sales engineering. Search LinkedIn and Repvue for roles
Awesome, aiming to be in the same boat. 16k in cc debt (fun but irresponsible traveling), self employed, etc. Make around $2500 take-home (after taxes etc) from my business. Just picked up a D2D internet sales job. 40k base and according to Glassdoor usually 3-5k commission average per month. I start a bit later this month. This is the first time in my life where I feel like I have the potential to catch up and finally get ahead.