Sales is THE MOST misunderstood and brutal role in tech. One quarter, youâre a rockstar. The next, youâre doubted, blamed, and burned out. Usually unfairly. Before hiring (or firing) another seller, read this đđ˝ Twice.
1. You canât hide in sales. Everyone knows exactly how youâre doing. Every. Single. Month. Donât only measure reps on quota attainment. Give them more ways to show progress: stage conversion, ACV, sales cycle, key logos, pipeline growth.
2. AEs hear more Noâs in a week than most people hear in a year. And donât get me started on SDRs⌠They donât need more pressure in your 1:1 meetings; they need genuine emotional support.
3. One bad quarter and your job might be on the lineâeven if it wasnât your fault. Everyone loves you when deals close, but the moment itâs tough? They panic. Sellers donât need your stress or your micromanagement now. Instead, show you believe in them. Give them an easy win (like a board intro) and help them get their mojo back.
4. Every seller I know has felt impostor syndrome. Even the top ones. They think, âMaybe Iâm just good at selling to non-tech people?â or âMaybe my last job was easy because of the brand, and I canât really sell.â Poor management CAN make top 1% AEs doubt themselves and fail. Manage their mental game. See them as the superstars you want them to be, and they will believe it as well.
5. Sales isnât a vacuum or a department. Product gaps, weak messaging, zero leadsâyet sales always pays the price... You canât hire a magical AE or VP and fix everything. Get your sh*t in place first. And get EVERY team: Product, Execs, CS actively supporting deals. Build a Sales Company, not just a Sales Team. Next quarter, the same reps will perform. Guaranteed.
6. If you crush it? People think âsales must be easy.â If you struggle? People think, âMaybe theyâre not that good.â Stop judging superficially. Look deeper, the devilâs in the details. Are deals stuck at a certain stage? Are they receiving a similar volume/quality of leads? What strengths did they show last quarter?
7. Sales leaders carry enormous pressure for the whole team. Theyâre always just one missed quarter from riskâmarket shifts, hiring misses, fast-scale diminishing returns. Itâs GUARANTEED to happen. Give them time to find root causes. Heck, roll up your sleeves and help them. Show you understand itâs never smooth and help them get back on track.
8. We judge CV gaps or short employments, and optimize for Oracle or Salesforce logos, ignoring that many sellers get zero support, join bad product-market-fit companies, or work outside their strengths (inbound vs outbound, ACV, full cycle vs specialist, early vs established, etc.). Identify the exact seller type YOU need. Stop chasing a âperfect resumeâ.
âââ
Sales is brutal. Wildly misunderstood.
Great sellers arenât flawless unicorns.
Donât punish their struggles.
Support their fight.
Watch them thrive.
1. You canât hide in sales. Everyone knows exactly how youâre doing. Every. Single. Month. Donât only measure reps on quota attainment. Give them more ways to show progress: stage conversion, ACV, sales cycle, key logos, pipeline growth.
2. AEs hear more Noâs in a week than most people hear in a year. And donât get me started on SDRs⌠They donât need more pressure in your 1:1 meetings; they need genuine emotional support.
3. One bad quarter and your job might be on the lineâeven if it wasnât your fault. Everyone loves you when deals close, but the moment itâs tough? They panic. Sellers donât need your stress or your micromanagement now. Instead, show you believe in them. Give them an easy win (like a board intro) and help them get their mojo back.
4. Every seller I know has felt impostor syndrome. Even the top ones. They think, âMaybe Iâm just good at selling to non-tech people?â or âMaybe my last job was easy because of the brand, and I canât really sell.â Poor management CAN make top 1% AEs doubt themselves and fail. Manage their mental game. See them as the superstars you want them to be, and they will believe it as well.
5. Sales isnât a vacuum or a department. Product gaps, weak messaging, zero leadsâyet sales always pays the price... You canât hire a magical AE or VP and fix everything. Get your sh*t in place first. And get EVERY team: Product, Execs, CS actively supporting deals. Build a Sales Company, not just a Sales Team. Next quarter, the same reps will perform. Guaranteed.
6. If you crush it? People think âsales must be easy.â If you struggle? People think, âMaybe theyâre not that good.â Stop judging superficially. Look deeper, the devilâs in the details. Are deals stuck at a certain stage? Are they receiving a similar volume/quality of leads? What strengths did they show last quarter?
7. Sales leaders carry enormous pressure for the whole team. Theyâre always just one missed quarter from riskâmarket shifts, hiring misses, fast-scale diminishing returns. Itâs GUARANTEED to happen. Give them time to find root causes. Heck, roll up your sleeves and help them. Show you understand itâs never smooth and help them get back on track.
8. We judge CV gaps or short employments, and optimize for Oracle or Salesforce logos, ignoring that many sellers get zero support, join bad product-market-fit companies, or work outside their strengths (inbound vs outbound, ACV, full cycle vs specialist, early vs established, etc.). Identify the exact seller type YOU need. Stop chasing a âperfect resumeâ.
âââ
Sales is brutal. Wildly misunderstood.
Great sellers arenât flawless unicorns.
Donât punish their struggles.
Support their fight.
Watch them thrive.