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Job Search Strategies: How can I, a 35 year old sales professional and small business owner, find a job at a startup?
SB
SB
Sarah Brody, Digital Ads Expert | Former Marketer @ HubSpot answered:

It's great that you have a ton of experience in sales and business growth, and this will likely boost your credibility in many ways. However, startups are often looking to hire folks who can be extremely agile and switch to a new strategy as soon as they learn that the current one isn't working.

I'd be careful, in communicating your background and deep experience in the industry, that you don't go saying something like, "I know exactly what tactics will and won't work," (because at a startup, you really don't know til you try) but rather, "Because I've done sales at companies of different sizes, in different industries, some of which have failed and some of which have succeeded, I know how to quickly identify when a given sales approach is or isn't working, and shift to a new approach to better target that particular audience and increase close rates." Give examples. Talk about deals you've saved, times you've had to change your approach.

Also, chances are - if you're joining an early-stage startup, you'll play a key role in helping define their sales strategy as the company grows. Have you done this before? Talk about how you've approached this at other companies.

Hope this gives you a better framework for thinking about how to communicate your value. Best of luck!

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