Super Low Morale in Durham Sales - Anonymous employee Avalara Employee Review

2.0
May 15, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Cool Durham location at the stadium, beer Fridays, nice co-workers

Cons

Unequal playing field in the Durham office regarding territories and inbound lead opportunities. Most are only making base salary which is reasonable for the market but not what was promised during recruitment and not enough to support a family on. Sales Reps hired 6 months ago jealously protect their turf and complain about sharing territory with newer hires. Sales was blatantly lied to regarding expectations on cold calling versus inbound leads. We were told 33% cold calling and 66% inbound leads. The reality is 95% cold calling, everyone calling off the same lists and stepping on each others toes. Hostility from the Seattle office reps who resent having to actually cold call for a living now rather than sitting back waiting for inbound partner leads that are ready to close. Seattle office reps hold all the lucrative partnerships, the Durham reps get thrown their crumbs. Very low morale in spite of all the hype and hooplah. Drinking on the job encouraged and promoted.

Explore other reviews about Avalara

5.0
Jul 13, 2026
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Pros

Cutting edge technologies Very Smart colleagues Great business model

Cons

High hiring and performance bar

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Avalara Response
5d
Thank you for sharing your experience at Avalara. We’re glad to hear the technology and your teammates have made a positive impact. We appreciate your feedback and your contributions.
4.0
Jul 17, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Is Avalara a great place to work? It depends on the team you are on. Pros: - I love my team. I have great co-workers. I feel like leadership to the VP level understands the value we bring and advocates for our work throughout the company - I like being able to go into the office and see people and bounce ideas around - My manager is always pushing me to learn new things and get out of my comfort zone - We just got a new CEO and I am super excited about him and his vision. Everyone who has actually been in meetings with him is excited too.

Cons

It depends on the team you are on. Cons: - Some teams are not as curious/helpful as others. I often have to check and recheck the work they do, after I have chased them multiple times to even complete the work - The layoff fear is real, the idea that at any point your position could be eliminated because they want to keep that revenue per headcount KPI down is everywhere

1
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Avalara Response
1d
Thank you for taking the time to share such thoughtful insight. We're glad to hear your team and manager have had a positive impact on your experience, and we're encouraged by your optimism about Avalara's future. We also recognize how important it is for that experience to feel consistent across the company, and we appreciate you sharing your perspective.
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