Software Sales Career Guide: Pay, Progression & How to Break In
Hunters and Unicorns
AI's Role and What Humans Must Own
John explains AI as a research co-pilot while humans must lead qualification and discovery conversations.
Today we sit down with John Lack, Global Head of Sales Development at Airtable, to demystify the world of software sales as a profession. John breaks down the immense rewards of the industry—from earning six figures right out of college as a successful BDR to mastering the "autonomy, mastery, and purpose" of high-level tech sales.
We explore why the BDR role is the most critical time in a career for building foundational grit and why 90% of AE struggles stem from poor front-end pipeline generation. John also shares his own unconventional journey, starting as a BDR at age 30 and scaling teams through massive growth phases at Oracle and MongoDB.
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🏹 Key Topics Covered
00:00 - Intro
01:53 - Software Sales as a High-Trajectory Profession
03:48 - The Six-Figure Entry: SDR/BDR Realities
06:47 - Why PG Sets You Free
10:27 - Grit and Resilience: Pushing the Boulder
16:51 - How to Assess the Right Organization 20:25 - Uncommon Investment in Development
33:28 - John’s Story: Starting as a BDR at 30
43:32 - The AE and BDR Partnership Dynamics
💥 3 Biggest Lessons:
Pipeline Generation is the Foundation of Success: Most Account Executives who struggle do so because they lack consistent pipeline generation skills from the front half of the sales process. The BDR role is not just a stepping stone; it is where you learn the "meat and potatoes" of sales—doing the gritty work in the dark, from cold calls to disqualification, that eventually sets a field seller apart.
Seek "Uncommon Investment" in Development: When interviewing, candidates must challenge organizations on their training programs. A high-quality program can clearly articulate its methodology (Learn, Practice, Do), validates skills through real-world application, and provides double the industry standard of coaching time—dedicating specific hours to both pipeline strategy and individual skill development.
Habits Determine Your Fate: Success in sales is fueled by a consistent "operating rhythm" and discipline. Resilience—the ability to view 70,000+ cold calls as a way to learn rather than just experiencing rejection—and the discipline to maintain consistent prospecting habits are what ultimately determine a leader's career trajectory.
💬 Notable Quotes
"You can easily make six figures right out of college as a successful BDR and it just goes up from there".
"PG is life. It sets you free".
"You don't determine your fate. You determine your habits and your habits ultimately play a huge part in determining your fate".
"I made somewhere in the neighborhood of 70,000 plus cold calls in my life... that teaches you a certain level of resilience".
"There is no AI without APIs... AI is not going to have that first conversation and really do phenomenal qualification".
🙌 Thanks for listening!
This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!
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