Curious how others decided it was time to start applying. Was it a numbers thing, a gut feeling, or something else? Lately I’ve been feeling pretty disconnected from my team. Leadership’s not toxic or anything, but there’s zero direction, no coaching, and honestly it feels like they’re just winging it. Plus, our product is starting to fall behind the competition. I’ve lost a few deals recently because buyers straight-up told me we’re missing key features. I’m still hitting quota and our comp plan has always been decent, but it’s taking way more effort than it used to, and I’m not sure I want to grind this hard for a company that isn’t keeping up.
never leave while you’re still hitting quota. bleed em dry. drag it out, fake your activity, run up your PTO, and start "working remotely." ride the comp plan til it breaks.
Yeah, that works until your manager notices you haven’t added a real opp in weeks and suddenly there’s a “performance improvement plan” with your name on it.
Sales is hard. Suck it up and do what you need to do to get paid. If you're hitting quota you're either good or lucky or both... That said reps that are hitting quota are the ones that other teams want to hire - so can't hurt to look - and better to do so while your numbers are good. Worst thing would be to let your attainment slip and then try to look for a job when you're not as impressive of a job seeker.
Worth remembering that reaching out, applying to jobs, and even interviewing doesn't force you to continue pursuing those threads until the end. Two rules I'd always recommend following: 1. If a recruiter reaches out with a professional message, *always* take the first call. Fit it into your schedule, but it's always worth having a conversation. Think of it as industry awareness, just like you'd keep tabs on the industry of whatever you sell. Bonus: When you *need* to get out, if you like how they ran the call, you have someone you can call to see what's out there. 2. Worth having 1-2 interviews, even just introductory, every year or two. It keeps your skills sharp, and it forces you to update your resume and think about how you'd frame your current role if the company decided to perform layoffs tomorrow. If you're thinking about it now, start reaching out and see what you can find. You might talk to a couple folks and realize you don't like anything else you're seeing, or you could realize you're missing out on some great opportunities. Won't know till you try.
I think ultimately it’s a gut feeling but that gut feeling is based on an accumulation of data points. I’m just dipping my toe into the job market because my company has similar challenges. Our product was market leading a few years ago but we’ve been passed by our competition. Executive leadership is too busy drinking their own koolaid and don’t feel like any new strategy should be employed as they think we are still the best.