Breaking Into Tech Sales & Partnerships in 2024

Breaking Into Tech Sales & Partnerships

Your Strategy Guide for Landing Roles in Today's Market

The Market Reality: A Tale of Two Sectors

Enterprise SaaS seeing 40% hiring reduction but still actively recruiting top talent

AI/ML companies expanding sales teams by 60% year-over-year

Post-IPO companies freezing headcount but creating internal mobility

Series A-C startups offering equity-heavy packages to attract veterans

Partnerships roles emerging as critical growth driver across all stages

The key insight: It's not about fewer opportunities, it's about different opportunities requiring different strategies.

Who's Hiring: Startup vs Post-IPO Landscape

Startups (Series A-C)

AI/ML companies (OpenAI, Anthropic, Runway)

Cybersecurity (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne partners)

Fintech infrastructure (Stripe, Plaid, Modern Treasury)

Developer tools (Vercel, Linear, Retool)

Healthcare tech (Ro, Headway, Carbon Health)

Post-IPO Companies

Snowflake partnerships expansion

MongoDB enterprise sales growth

Datadog channel partner program

Zoom enterprise solutions

Atlassian marketplace partnerships

Your Competitive Advantage Matrix

Who Has the Best Shot Right Now?

Former founders with exit experience (partnerships roles)

Enterprise AEs from Salesforce, Oracle, Microsoft (startup VP Sales)

Technical sales engineers from AWS, Google Cloud (AI company sales)

Channel managers from established SaaS (partnership roles)

SDRs/BDRs with 2-3 years willing to relocate (startup AE roles)

The sweet spot: Technical background + enterprise sales experience + willingness to join early-stage companies.

The New Role Entry Strategy

Map your target companies using [Wellfound](https://wellfound.com) and [The Org](https://theorg.com)

Identify 2-3 decision makers per company (Head of Sales, VP Partnerships, hiring manager)

Create company-specific value propositions showcasing relevant experience

Leverage warm introductions through [Luma](https://lu.ma) events and [On Deck](https://beondeck.com) communities

Follow up with proof of work: case studies, partnership frameworks, or sales methodologies

Skip traditional job boards. 70% of roles are filled through referrals and direct outreach in this market.

Positioning Yourself for Partnership Roles

Study ecosystem mapping for your target vertical (fintech, healthcare, etc.)

Build relationships with VCs who invest in your target companies

Create content around partnership strategy on LinkedIn

Attend industry conferences as a representative of your current company

Offer to do partnership audits for startups pro bono

Market Intelligence: The Numbers

85% of tech sales hires come from referrals

3-6 months avg time to land new role

40% salary premium for partnership roles

60% of startups hiring sales in Q1 2024

Your Next Steps

Audit your LinkedIn profile for technical credibility and partnership wins

Identify 10 target companies and research their go-to-market strategy

Schedule coffee chats with 3 people in your target roles this week

Create a case study showcasing your sales or partnership methodology

Join [RevOps Co-op](https://revops.coop) and [GTM Partners](https://gtmpartners.com) for insider access

The market rewards those who adapt quickly. Start building relationships before you need them.