Ask HN: What would you pay me for?

#1

Post by torn-fm » Fri, Aug 04, 2017, 12:00 PM UTC

Sales reps, managers and I guess anyone who wishes to grow their business - a strange request here from me.

My question to you is: Hypothetically, what would you pay me (or someone else) to do for you to help you get more sales?

Context: I've been a salesman for the past 8 years, working up from cold-calling (booking appointments) up to being a territory sales manager with $2.5m+ target. I've mostly sold the same type of product/service, working with 3 vendors/partners all quite closely linked in the field of Network & Application performance monitoring.

I don't love being a salesperson, but I do like helping people and organisations grow. I wish to move from being a salesperson to being someone who supports multiple sales organisations.

I have ideas and I believe I know some of the areas I can add significant value (because I know what is/isn't useful to me as a sales guy) but I wanted to hear from you wise minds first.

Please by all means challenge me, question me and shout ideas at me - I would love to hear it all.

Re: Ask HN: What would you pay me for?

#2

Post by drefgert » Fri, Aug 04, 2017, 12:52 PM UTC

Any salesman you asks this question doesn't understand sales.

Re: Ask HN: What would you pay me for?

#3

Post by mtmail » Fri, Aug 04, 2017, 12:53 PM UTC

How is this a question and not a looking-for-job ad?

Re: Ask HN: What would you pay me for?

#4

Post by sharemywin » Fri, Aug 04, 2017, 12:54 PM UTC

B2B space problems:

1. Enterprise customers won't deal with new companies.

2. outside sales people want 10k+ deals.

3. VCs/Angels want traction.

4. inside sales works for $250/mo sales + some traction

5. self service takes a large investment in refining "on boarding" funnels, exit funnels, self-support etc.

6. most developers don't like sales. period.

7. you could sell contracting services.

8. if you want to sell software as a service you would need to sell "small" enterprise clients for about 2 years(read: little money) or large self service clients with custom needs until you've either built a decent self service process or complex enough enterprise product(with decent track record).

9. if it has some kind of marketplace/communication network effects all the better(but even harder to get off the ground).

Re: Ask HN: What would you pay me for?

#5

Post by contingencies » Fri, Aug 04, 2017, 12:55 PM UTC

Honestly, nothing, sorry. Your seem to be all B2B and software and a bit US/monocultural which is not where we are at at all. Three strikes, you're out.

Re: Ask HN: What would you pay me for?

#6

Post by micael_dias » Fri, Aug 04, 2017, 12:55 PM UTC

mtmail wrote: post #3

How is this a question and not a looking-for-job ad?

There's a question mark in there?

Re: Ask HN: What would you pay me for?

#7

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Aug 04, 2017, 12:55 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What would you pay me for?

#8

Post by throwaway123355 » Fri, Aug 04, 2017, 1:03 PM UTC

As a salesperson, isn't it your job to be an expert on what makes people buy things? If the people hiring you have to provide the playbook, you aren't adding much value over any other candidate.

It's like a developer asking "what code would you pay me to write?"