Becoming an Account Executive: Unlearning, Adapting, and Thriving in a New Role

A week ago, I started my new job as an Account Executive at a company called PowerUs, a career platform where electricians can find jobs, take courses, and communicate with each other about life at work—the LinkedIn for blue-collar workers in Germany, so to speak. Making this jump from BDR to AE has been an ambition of mine for a long time, mainly because I wanted to gain closing experience, sign new customers, and generate MRR for my company.

The role is more lucrative, stressful, and demanding. However, without challenges at work, there is no progression. In the following article, I'd like to touch on three things I learned as an AE and what I plan to bring to my game next week.

Selling a non-SaaS product requires a different sales methodology

For me, getting onboarded to a new company meant unlearning a lot of sales methodologies inherited from my last job. Previously, I was selling Fintech SaaS, which involved a more value-based selling approach. However, selling job postings on a career platform is more transactional, and the sales cycles are shorter. This means there's no need to go into deep discovery, spend ages explaining the value proposition, and qualifying during the first point of contact. Making my first calls, this definitely took some getting used to.

A steep learning curve can lead to dizziness

Learning how to deal with a different ICP, new objections, and getting used to an entirely new tool stack was definitely challenging at first. My mind stayed occupied long after leaving the office, and I found it harder to separate work from life after work. However, I consciously decided that putting in more hours at first to get used to new processes is totally appropriate and will make my life easier down the line. Knowledge gains today will pay dividends in the future.

Your relationship with your direct manager should be a top priority

How you get along with your colleagues is important in any context, as those are the people you spend the most time with during the week. But getting along with your direct manager—having a transparent relationship with clear expectations defined and laid out from the get-go—should be a priority at first. If your manager doesn't have your back, and vice versa, things go sideways quickly.

While the pace of change has been rapid, joining a new company can also be a hugely rewarding experience. Some things are daunting at first but turn out to be less challenging with time—making your first cold call, pitching a new product, hosting your first product demo, closing your first deal. These experiences feel like you're starting your career all over again, despite your experience. While I don't plan on hitting the brakes any time soon in my ramp up, I will try to enjoy the ride as much as I can.