I’ve been managing SEO/SEM/Social campaigns for digital agencies for the better part of 4 years and i’ve been thinking about jumping to the sales side of things. I’ve found my favorite part of my job is crafting and selling the campaigns to the client, but find myself not nearly as interested in executing/monitoring the campaigns themselves. I spend a ton of time optimizing my campaigns, but I often find myself wishing I could focus more on the sales part of digital marketing instead of the campaign management side.
Has anyone here made this jump before? How did it go? Any advice you would give someone to make a similar jump? Thanks!
View Reddit by Kidw0nder – View Source
Whats the scare? If you’re happier and can make more money in sales, go for it. You have the technical skill, and you’d likely have an impressive background for clients to respond with.
When you take on a senior role at an agency, there is typically a sales component to it. The directors and team leads tend to be same people who are pitching new business from a strategic level, but they are often supported by technical experts that bring the details to life as the sales cycle goes on.
I think you’ll have to figure out a role that aligns with your interests (which it sounds like is more conceptual and strategic) because many sales jobs in digital marketing are not necessarily what you’re describing. Instead, they’re either raw business development where technical expertise isn’t a key selling point, or they’re part of a broader leadership role.
The closer you get to the customer, the more money you make. And if you can handle the pressure, then do it.
Yup! I’m new tho too. Good luck to you!
Hi Kidwonder, wondering if you might be able to give some sales advice or point me in the right direction?
In my experience, this is the direction the ladder takes you when you work at an agency. Once you become Director + level, you’ll generally be included or become responsible for pitching your services. Also, you’ll be expected to up ell clients on additional services.
If you’re interested in still being involved with the marketing side, consider business development. Biz dev is a mix of marketing (demand gen – you’ll be responsible for finding/nurturing leads), and then selling them your services.
I transitioned to sales after 8 years on the agency side. Frankly, I’m upset with myself for not doing it earlier in my career. I also enjoyed the strategic planning side of things, but was over working 60+ hour weeks on the Next Important Campaign® ad infinitum. It all got old pretty quick.
Simply put, I will never go back to an agency role again (I’ve had 4 serious offers to do so since going into sales). Not only are the top-line benefits better: work/life balance is great (not “better,” but legitimately great), tons of new professional opportunities (day-to-day and long term), and the pay is not even comparable; but more importantly, I’ve actually had more impact in shaping how an entire industry goes to market with their products than I ever had on the agency side.
That said, not all sales roles are created equal. Working for an ad tech startup is going to be vastly different than a large tech company. Some sales roles are very strategic and require a technical background, others are more traditional sales (lead gen, relationship development, lots of dinners, etc).
In terms of what to focus on, it really boils down to three pillars: Sales skills are always valued first and foremost, so work on communication and presentation skills. After that, technical competence within your specific field is key (ad tech/programmatic, measurement, UA, creative, etc.). Experience with basic stuff like Excel/Powerpoint, CRM, etc) also fall in here. Finally, experience within the vertical or industry you’ll be servicing, i.e. having an established network. Several of my clients are former colleagues and agency clients, it’s a lot easier to work with new clients and sell through your ideas when you have already established your credibility.
tl;dr: Go into sales. 10/10 A++ Would buy again.
I did, but then I took an arrow to the knee.