SDR Org is a toxic wasteland, rest of company is probably different
Pros
The product market fit is amazing. SDRs and AEs are pretty great, for the most part. There is one good SDR manager in San Mateo, another in Atlanta. Office is nice and the RTO is not too strongly enforced, for now, at least
Cons
This org has gone downhill so fast in the past 6 months. The misalignment with our Enterprise and Majors accounts incentive (paid out on only booking meetings, regardless of where AEs are in their pipeline, makes zero sense and needs to be changed. The same comp plan for years is ridiculous). Misalignment with the CAE leaders. SDRs are being told they are entering the CAE interview process (Snowbound) with only days to prepare and they are expected to do so with smiles on their faces. Then, the CAE hiring managers are holding it against them that they did not reach out months before to introduce themselves. SDR "leaders" are concerned with self promotion - writing books, promoting the podcast episodes they're not, touring offices with "fireside chats" pretty much anything about themselves besides actually leading. They could help these SDRs by investing in them as people and professionals, but instead they stay locked away in their castle, treating SDRs as disposable. I have never met people with more ego and hubris. As the SDR business unit aligns closer with Marketing and becomes a more programmatic motion with marketing writing our emails and required activity that isn't always the best for our territory or accounts, SDRs are deprived of learning the messaging and pipeline planning skills necessary to become good at sales, so it makes sense they're not interviewing as well. But hey if it helps pad a sales ops directors' career, why not? SDRs should keep your head down and make calls. Even if they calls don't even add value. It's not like directors have the slightest idea what is best for enterprise/majors accounts---it is the best way to get an SDR director to start talking about you. It is pointless and adds no business value to suck up to these vapid people. SDR managers and directors act like they know everything about sales even though they were an AE for 9 months before becoming an SDR "leader". The emphasis on what people "hear" about SDRs is more important than our actual deliverables. SDRs are encouraged to be spending time with directors so they will advocate for their promotions, even if they aren't even pacing to quota. They are moved to be allowed to interview. This is not a performance driven organization, the directors have created a toxic, gossip focused org. Rather than actually helping their employees, using their emotional intelligence to work with CAE VPs, SDR "leaders" act like it is all about them. They judge SDRs. Quick hire to fire motion. I have heard one SDR director actually speak about an SDR who literally LOOKED at her the wrong way.