Employers Hub | Signs Of Successful AE And BDM

When you get down to brass tacks, Pulse Recruitment exists to find the best available sales talent in Australia for Technology Companies.

We have a marketing engine that supports our headhunting efforts, and we spread the net wider than most, BUT what do we actually look for?

Below are some tell-tale signs that we look for when sourcing an AE or BDM specifically.

These are more guidelines, and every rule can be broken if we find a “diamond in the rough”, but they go some way in explaining our thought process when conducting this type of search;

1. The proof is in the pudding – a track record of consistently over-achieving targets. If you didn’t over-achieve in a given 12-month period, we want to better understand why. Plenty of valid reasons exist, such as unrealistic targets, the solution was not market fit, etc. Overall, we want to see top performers.

2. Tenure – a short stint here or there is OK, but again, as long as there is a valid reason. Overall, though, stints of 2 years + with tangible progression or promotions is important to see. On the flip side, the days of 10 years at one company and long service leave are long gone, but a pattern of good tenure is still a key indicator.

3. A robust sales process – can you articulate your sales process, and how do you manage your pipeline? Training in MEDDIC, SPIN and/or other methodologies goes a long way. But overall, it’s a clear understanding of how to solution sell rather than sell on price.

4. Hunger – do you still genuinely want to be in a new business sales role or not? A great track record is one thing, but sometimes it is time for a change, and we never want to push a role on someone or fit a round peg into a square hole.

5. Excitement about the solution – selling a technical IT solution is not for everyone, just as selling a more one-dimensional SaaS solution doesn’t suit everyone. We want to look for the verticals that have yielded the strongest results and what solution sparks a genuine interest and then lead from there

6. Coachability – You are never too experienced to learn, and a growth mindset that reflects this is an indicator of humility which is a very good sign. Overinflated ego and arrogance tend to affect team culture negatively, and that’s a dangerous path to tread.

7. Curiosity – Genuine curiosity typically means that you care, and the more you care, the more the client will trust you. Curiosity is asking questions to understand, not to tick boxes on a checklist. Again, a key trait to being a successful AE.

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