All About That Base

Why do sales people get so fixated on base salaries? This is a question I have continuously asked myself since I started recruiting salespeople for tech companies, but is something I have come across a lot lately. I get it, you want to be guaranteed money upfront. You are worth “x” at your current company so you think it only makes sense to make a move unless you get a nice big bump up on your base salary. Right? Not exactly…

There are many things you need to take into consideration before you make up your mind whether an opportunity is or isn’t right for you. While obviously important, salary should not be priority #1. As any successful, producing sales rep will tell you – the most important aspect is figuring out how well you can sell there.

Here are some other things it should be about, instead of just the base pay:

Upside

During any interview process for a new sales gig you need to be able to have a firm understanding on your commission/bonus structure. After all, this opportunity is about you selling and not a get rich quick on the base. There are plenty of sales jobs out there that have a high base salary where you’re selling an unsellable product. Where you make the real money is through high commission payouts. Really take the time to connect the dots to figure out just how much you think you could make selling.

Product

What is the value prop of the product this company is selling and could you see it being effective in the marketplace against some of their competitors? It is important to know whether the product you are selling gives you a legitimate shot at getting a “win” against other competitors. Make sure you have a solid understanding of what makes them better and for what reasons they’ve lost against some of their competition.

Territory

What’s the current state of the territory? Are you familiar with the verticals and accounts that you’ll be responsible to sell to? How have other reps done there? If they haven’t been successful there, then you might need to dig a little deeper as to why.

Culture

This has to do more than just if they offer unlimited vacation days and full health benefits. Sometimes, at larger companies, salespeople have to do a lot of back-end work when completing a deal. It’s important to get a good grasp on how quickly a company can get a deal finalized internally so you can move on to the next one.

So, I urge you to realize that it’s not all about what you make upfront, but what you’ll be able to achieve and earn once you start closing those deals!... After all, that’s why you got into sales, isn’t it?