Base pay is genuinely unlivable. Salespeople do not begin earning commission until they are essentially 10 weeks into the role, and even then, your commission doesn't make up for how horrifically low the base is. Sales is expected to wear so many different hats, while constantly being thrown operational changes and other hurdles- so much rests on you, yet you are paid pennies. The accounts you get and the manager you have almost completely influence your ability to make money, as well as your treatment. While in Academy/Residency (your first 24 months,) you are made to come into the office 3x/week, while the more tenured reps come in once a week at most, which is extremely frustrating, seeing as how the cost of commuting to and from the office is quite a strain given how little the pay is. Metrics can be extremely rigid and, at times, unrealistic, depending on your segment and manager. There are a ton of gives and not many gets. The culture is...lacking. I knew many women who had incidents with their Managers being sexist or employees at partner companies being weird with them, who told leadership and HR, but nothing was done. The environment amongst sales felt very male, and there was a disturbing lack of diversity. Leadership seems very disconnected from the struggles of their Salespeople, and it almost feels purposeful. The processes are complicated, each customer situation is very nuanced, and no department that 'supports' the sales team feels the same level of urgency, so often times getting things done is a crazy uphill battle. Managers aren't in touch with the details of things, so often when you present a problem, you are just pointed in the direction of another individual and sent on a wild goose chase. Because leadership is disconnected, they put a very stressful amount of responsibility onto their salespeople. Critiquing them on timelines, efforts, etc. when in reality you are dealing with at LEAST 10 projects a week, with many other departments and partners involved who play into those factors. It feels like near-perfection is demanded while external factors aren't taken into account & efforts aren't made to help simplify operations/ truly support sales.
