Jordan WanCongratulations! You have a few offers from different sales companies. Now what?
Of course, you’ll want to evaluate and compare your options, but you might be wondering what to consider aside from your ultimate salary. And while that’s important, there are other pros and cons to weigh as well. A difference in salary of $5k might seem like a determining factor, but your sales career is also about personal growth. The difference between a good opportunity and a great one might not be apparent from the salaries you’ve been offered.
So before accepting a sales job offer, ask yourself the 10 questions below to help figure out which gig is the right one for you.
About Your Base Salary
- What is your role? More direct impact on revenue generation should mean higher compensation.
- How difficult is the sale? Are you getting fed inbound leads or are you hunting and closing deals on your own?
- Is the company well-funded? If the company you will be working for is venture-backed with millions of dollars in funding, expect a reasonable base salary.
- Is the company a startup? If the company is a early-stage startup with no venture capital or funding, don’t count on the above ranges.
- What kind of opportunity do you want? Would you rather help a small business grow or dive into an already successful company?
About the Commission Structure
- Will your potential commission motivate you to hit your revenue goals?
- Are your targets reasonable? Are you confident you’ll be able to hit them?
- What are the best and worst case scenarios for each month? Give yourself a range of how much (or little) you could be making. Some companies set their target knowing that 30 percent of the company can reach that goal, while some companies set their target knowing only 5 percent of the company can make their goal.
- What percent of the company is at or above the target goal? Ask the company to find out. Targets are based on activities such as number of phone calls or meetings set compared to revenue outcomes. Estimate whether or not you think you can meet those objectives.
About Your Equity
- What, if any, equity will you receive? Evaluating equity is tricky and might be the most complicated part of your offer. Venture Hacks has a great article that can help you figure it out.
If you have any other questions about your offer process, email us at content@closeriq.com and we’ll have someone from our panel of sales leaders respond to you directly. Good luck!
Hiring vetted sales talent? Connect here.
