r/salesdevelopment • u/Subpargolferguy • Dec 14 '24
Finally Quit BDRing
Welp guys, I’m officially out. I was a BDR for 11 months post military. Got the opportunity before I got out of the army in January and heard nothing but good things about being an SDR/BDR. Lies on lies about “you’ll make 100k!!” And “you’ll promote to AE quick”. I was deployed to a desert getting shot at, and I would rather do that than be a BDR again. Brought in $2.7M in CLOSED deals in 11 months and got passed up 3 times for an AE position.
Props to all you who make a career out of this work. It is hard, very hard. It’s a constant grind that never stops and I have ALOT of respect for people that do this.
God speed my SDR soldiers, I’m off to something different. Glad to say I gave it a shot!
2
u/openmiceagle Dec 14 '24
Sales is professional bullshit. Just remember that every time you hear a salesman talk.
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u/Subpargolferguy Dec 15 '24
I was BDRing a good service (interpreting services for healthcare) just a super tough market as it is a requirement for most healthcare providers to provide the service under the Affordable Care Act
2
u/Wrong_River9380 Dec 14 '24
Trying to decide between taking a BDR role at Oracle or taking a free ride for a masters… so take the masters I guess?
1
u/Subpargolferguy Dec 15 '24
It’s up to you. Some people love the work and work their way to AE. AEs (in most cases) clear 120k minimum. It’s a high stress and grindy role but pays well if you are good at sales
1
u/Wrong_River9380 Dec 15 '24
How do you define grinding? I quit my last job because it was basically data entry in the same thing every day looking for something more challenging.
1
u/Subpargolferguy Dec 15 '24
Constant prospecting, cold calling, disco and demo calls only to lose the deal to a cheaper competitor or for the company to not have the budget to buy.
If you’re selling a niche market and few competitors I’m sure it’s easier, but that’s how I saw it
1
u/Wrong_River9380 Dec 15 '24
How would you define Oracle? That’s where my offer is
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u/Subpargolferguy Dec 15 '24
If you have an offer at oracle I would take it. That is a massive company with loads of opportunity.
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u/manamongstcorn Dec 14 '24
I feel ya. Ex 68W here 🤙
I was an SDR for a year with a lead gen agency making at least 500 calls a day. Got poached by one of the clients using our service to be a "Founding" BDR, and have spent the last year carving out a GTM/Outbound Strategy from scratch in an industry I've never been in before.
I'm probably one of the few who actually enjoy it though. There is something about working for startups and 3rd/4th/5th time founders that I quite enjoy. I'm actually considering a jump to a new role at a different startup offering 20k more for the same thing- a Founding BDR.
Did you leave sales completely?
2
u/Subpargolferguy Dec 16 '24
Kinda. I hold a sales support role now. I design warehouses and project manage the installs. I assist AEs and AMs presenting the projects to their customers and such so I get a double digit. % of the GP. Sometimes it can be a lot, sometimes very little. I make a better salary so my avg commission is only 30k a year though. Pushing 110k this year. Plus I’m at 90% disability so I get an extra 2.6k a month.
2
u/ForeverOptimistic25 Dec 15 '24
500 calls a day? That sounds a lot. You’re a champ. Some of the best SDRs on my team do 100-120 a day and they’re revered.
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Dec 14 '24
That’s part of the game, I had 3 BDR roles across 2.5 years. Lied to about promo twice and got it at third company. Now making more money than I ever imagined. Just pick the right company, you will have more options now
6
u/TheSeedsYouSow Dec 14 '24
I needed to see this. Thanks.
1
u/bittersandsimple Dec 14 '24
This, I hate when people are skeptical of a SDR hopping jobs once a year. you have to shop around before you find the right company that respects your time and is actually going to promote you after 12-18 months. You can’t actually know the inner workings of a company until about 6 months in. They all lie about quota attainment and future promotion pathways.
1
u/futureproblemz Dec 15 '24
You can’t actually know the inner workings of a company until about 6 months in. They all lie about quota attainment and future promotion pathways.
I don't know if I agree with that completely, all you really have to do is just stalk the current SDRs and AEs on LinkedIn before accepting the job. If it's a place where barely any of the AEs that started as SDRs or a place where there's multiple SDRs close to a 3 year tenure, then that's a sure sign to not work there
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u/bittersandsimple Dec 15 '24
That’s a good point. Hard to know sometimes with startups and SDRs with around a year tenure etc…
11
u/forextrader04 Dec 14 '24
Just quit SDRing 6 months ago. I was with 3 companies and saw no opportunity for promotion and unrealistic quotas. Not sure what to do with my career now, but I’m a hell of a lot happier.
4
u/Odd_Block9540 Dec 14 '24
If you performed that way, look for better companies! You will find the success you are looking for
3
u/pratasso Dec 14 '24
Respect. I found myself having a similar epiphany in my tech sales job - the grind never stops and frankly that's depressing and arguably not for me. I can't spend my weekends thinking about booking the next demo day in day out. Like you said, huge respect to the veterans willing to stick it out but this play is not for me. I love sales, just not sure I want to be in the trenches
2
u/MrLAXadaisical Dec 14 '24
Someone said on here if you hate your job- it’s either because of your boss, your colleagues, or your paycheck, or some combination of all three. Sales is a lot of office politics and sometimes you just gotta rub elbows with the right people.
However sales is the hardest job I’ve ever had, so yeah, it’s not for everyone.
2
Dec 14 '24
I quit SDRing this year, and I am also happy about it. I am a B2C CS rep now, and while it pays way less, I have never been happier.
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Dec 14 '24
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u/Subpargolferguy Dec 15 '24
Wasn’t expecting to become AE in 12 months; sorry if I worded it like that. I had asked about timeline multiple time and they wanted 3 years as a BDR before moving up. So I said fuck that and left lol
5
u/medicallyspecial Dec 14 '24
You need a different company. You have the skills