Growth Outpacing Infrastructure in Sales - Account Executive Podium Employee Review

2.0
Aug 15, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great Product - The software is truly amazing Style - Everything at Podium has the most modern, up to date style including the brand, swag and the building. Culture - Hustle mentality, super young employee base Everyone says it’s a unique culture. Perks - The best swag of any company, as much food as you can handle, great gym, and as many energy drinks as you can handle. Leadership - Innovative leaders with an uncanny way of motivating hundreds of people to be a part of something special. The founders of Podium are the most approachable and friendly guys, I was amazed that I could talk to them whenever I see them. Amazing. Meetings - Amazing. Every Monday the Town Hall is superb. Start Here if you want to learn SAAS Sales. AEs get to sit next to their ADMs. Overall - I was always attracted to Podium because it just had a style that is contagious, and the software is top notch, and you definitely want to be on the ground floor of a company like this.

Cons

-Ideal for Sales Reps, not Sales Professionals. The overall mentality in Sales is reminiscent of a door knocking sales culture where you sacrifice everything to get a sale, and you work off volume and not quality. But it works for the sales folks that like transactional sales. -Very poor work/life balance. I’ve noticed that if you have a wife and kids, it’s tough to work at Podium because you have to work extra hours, and you are under constant stress and pressure. So it’s a good place if you are young and have no kids. And they do say emphasize this when they hire you. -The Infrastructure is way behind. There is zero organization with the CRM, which is what sales professionals rely on to perform. You literally don’t know who is a customer and who isn’t, who is using which product (difficult to up-sell) and there is a huge missed opportunity to expand the business into new features. -Low base pay compared to the area. Way lower...but great if you love the grind of getting that commission. -Mass confusion on how to sell Podium. I’ve yet to see a solid framework on how to successfully execute a Sales Process, everyone just tries to figure it out on the fly. But they know it’s a problem and own it, which I respect so much. -You have to self-source a majority of your deals. Not too bad, until you burn out being an ADM and an AE at the same time for months on end. ADMs have a high churn rate. But the ADMs that are grinding are the best in the industry for sure. -On-boarding was the absolute worst when I started. I’ve heard it’s been horrendous since day 1. -Tribal Knowledge in Sales. It seems like some of the successful AEs are not sharing their secrets, which is odd because there is a synergy among sales teams.

Explore other reviews about Podium

5.0
Apr 29, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This has been a great place to work. It can be a lot of pressure, which is probably right on the cusp where some find the pressure to be compelling, and others find it toxic. So, I get why some people may justifiably not like it. Not sure if there's a definitive line between toxic and compelling. But, I personally have found it compelling. The constant challenge pushes me and has helped me avoid complacency. There's always a new challenge and something new to learn. I have a lot of confidence in the leadership, both middle management and exec. To be transparent, I'm distant enough from execs that I'm isolated from any rumored drama or toxicity. But, I've been here for a while and have never experienced any of the rumored toxicity in my infrequent direct interactions with leadership. They make mistakes, but any time mistakes are made, they are pretty quick to learn from them and right the ship.

Cons

It's a lot less fun than it used to be. There used to be a lot more lighthearted fun and silliness in the culture. There used to be a lot more jokes and casual conversation in Slack and heckling in town hall. Thankfully the work is still fulfilling. Just... not very fun anymore. The pressure can be a lot. It requires a bit of thick skin. The pressure is good to push you beyond what you think is possible. But, you have to be able to be honest with yourself and management to be able to communicate reality when the expectations are completely unreasonable. I honestly think it's a good culture. But, only if you can find the balance between allowing yourself to be pushed to learn and improve, and being able to effectively communicate and pushback to prevent burnout. It would be miserable for those that are too scared to surface issues to management or push back on other teams. And it can't just be whining. Frankness and honestly is good (and in my experience, has always been appreciated). Whining is not helpful or good.

2.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Cool office building, learn from some of the best sales reps you’ll come across in your career

Cons

I worked at podium for a few years. It was the most toxic sales culture I’ve ever experienced. I do not say that lightly It was worth the money a year/two plus ago. They raised quotas multiple times in the last year and decreased the commission percentages. It is wild how many hoops an ae had to jump through to close a deal. In my 7+ of being in sales it was probably the hardest sale to close and I was a top rep. If you want to join podium it could be a good learning experience but it will come with a lot of headaches, anxiety about job security (they pip sales reps out like no other company I’ve ever worked for) and maybe some tears

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