Make the leap: how to transition from Sales to Marketing

Spiders. Heights. Public speaking. Lukewarm food from Doordash.

Above are four of the most commonly-held fears that hold steady across age groups, geography, socio-economic statuses, etc. While I happen to harbor all four of the fears listed, none are my biggest.

No: that ignominious honor goes to running into any and all mothers of folks I knew in high school at insert local business from my hometown.

The possibility of running into these well-meaning, middle-aged Midwestern women makes the prospect going home akin somewhat of a covert operation. Traveling to the local CVS or Chipotle must occur under the shroud of darkness with ample headgear and disguise to support; family outings are designated for establishments firmly outside of my hometown’s geographical boundaries so as to minimize chances of running into The Enemy.

Yet, the Mrs. Smiths or Mrs. Robinsons I so desperately try to avoid are simply a vessel, a distillation, a lightning rod for the larger issue at hand:

I can’t stand being home.

Yes, I love my family and friends. Yes, I have mostly fond memories of my privileged, insulated, idyllic childhood.

Yet, when I turned 18, it was clear that, just like Elizabeth Holmes, I had to go away.

I know what you’re probably thinking: why run from something that treated you well? If it ain’t broke, why try to fix it? Why can’t you just tell Mrs. Robinson you’re doing well and pretend you have to rush home?

Great questions Imaginary Reader! At the time, my reasons essentially boiled down to:

Needing a new challenge to accelerate personal development.
Desiring new perspectives in all senses of the word.
Seeking to outrun demons that came with my hometown (sad but true).
Having absolute certainty in where I wanted to head due to exploring Reasons 1-3.

The list above led me on a collision course with where I am today: Ohio University —> Bay Area internship the summer before senior year —> post-college job as a BDR with Sumo Logic in Redwood City, CA —> pivot to a Marketing role after ~1 year in-seat —> making the move to Lattice as ABM employee #2.

Anything stand out above? So subtle, I know.

In all seriousness, the same line of thinking that predicated and guided my transition away from my hometown was the line of thinking that led to and guided my transition from Sales to Marketing. Yet, simple and linear as the process outlined above may look, rarely does it seem that way for BDRs looking to shift out of the Sales org. Whether it be 1) a lack of access to external GTM departments, 2) a lack of non-Sales promotion-based infrastructure at many a company, 3) Imposter Syndrome telling them their not worth it…the path for curious BDRs looking to pivot to a Marketing role is anything but clear.

In the spirit of late-fall raking + shoveling in the Midwest, this blog attempts to clear up that path by outlining the steps that BDRs can employ to successfully pivot to a Marketing career path.

(I’m doing well Mrs. Robinson.)

Step #1: Shake hands & kiss babies

While world-class BDR orgs do a decent job in abating this symptom, sadly, most BDRs go through their careers in-seat in a bit of a departmental vacuum. Rather than interface with folks cross-functionally in any intimate way, their cross-functional interactions are typically limited to a weekly team slide/newsletter from Marketing that they briefly discuss in team syncs (or read async.).

This would (technically) be more than adequate for BDRs who want to continue down a Sales path. Why learn how to write with your left hand when you’re a righty?

However, for folks looking to cross the Nile into Marketing World (trademarked), exposure to internal Marketing folks is the best medicine to take when considering a career pivot.

By connecting with folks across their Marketing department, BDRs will:

Make connections that will benefit them, if not directly should they look to promote internally, on getting their next-next job.
Understand both their roles in a vacuum (AKA, what does a Product Marketing Manager do independent of the company they currently work at) and at their company — and the devil’s in the details.
Receive first-hand direction as to how to work towards landing a position in their field (should they ask the right questions).
Improve as a BDR while they’re still in-seat.

Brad Pitt = young BDR. Morgan Freeman = grizzled Marketing vet

There’s the why connect; what about the how?

Luckily for BDRs, Marketers (including myself) love to talk about themselves, so more often than not, a simple Slack or email asking for 30 min. of their time to learn should do the trick!

And while they’re there, they should volunteer themselves to be a…

Step #2: Not a rat, not a hamster, not a ferret, but a…

…Guinea pig!

While BDRs are not literally able to work as if they were Marketers under that department’s umbrella, they can — and should — absolutely make themselves A+ partners to Marketing, especially if a career pivot is on the horizon, as doing so will:

Further acquaint them with the functions of Marketing before officially transitioning.
Continue to gain them supporters in Marketing.
Accelerate their success and earnings as a BDR given the greater access to Marketing materials — maybe the most crucial element to have down should a transition be in their future (sadly, nobody’s hiring quota-missers. ABC!).
Gain them tangible experience with Marketing that can be spoken of on resumes & during interviews.

While all four bullets listed above are important, the fourth is yet another not-so-subtle indicator of what matters most. If BDR A, who has no experience being a Marketing guinea pig, goes up against BDR B, who happens to be a Marketing-fan-favorite at their company, for an ABM specialist role at a large tech company, who has the edge? Crappy rhetorical question aside, the answer is clear: BDR B, as they can speak to Marketing from a real place.

What does being a Friend of Marketing (second trademark incoming) look like for BDRs looking to make the move?

Examples will vary, but here are a few that I’ve come across in my 3+ years working with both Sales & Marketing, broken down by Marketing functions:

Content Marketing — BDRs can act as an on-the-ground informant by letting Content Marketers know what messaging/marketing assets are needed to resonate better with prospects.
Event Marketing — where possible, BDRs can volunteer to work tradeshows, prospect-dinners, etc. In addition, they could even offer to help write invitation messaging!
Product Marketing — +1 to what was said about Content Marketers. Furthermore, BDRs can offer, where applicable, to help present and/or formulate PMM slides in internal meetings.
Demand Generation — possibilities for volunteering here are endless. Whether it be recommending programs for Marketing to run; helping to create messaging for said-programs; being part of Pilot groups for programs being beta-tested, etc., there’s always a need for volunteering here!

Now that you know what’s available to you, get out there and start racking up “service hours” like you’re on Sales house arrest!

But first, a condition…

Step #3: The Marketing world is almost your oyster

First of all, I’ve gone way over my “…” quota in this blog…too late to turn back now (there’s one more for good measure).

Anyways, for BDRs in the loop, notice anything about the Marketing roles laid out above?

Anyone? Bueller?

Ok fine, I’ll bite: they’re only a subset of the full breadth of Marketing roles/functions at large companies. Missing is everything from 1) Marketing Operations (MOPs), 2) Advertising, 3) Communications, 4) Social Media, 5) Lifecycle and more.

Why the omissions?

Granted, this is partially from personal opinion/observation, but the fact of the matter is that not all positions in Marketing are accessible to BDRs looking to pivot. Whether there be technical limitations (MOPs & Lifecycle) or experiential limitations (Ads, Comms + Social Media), some jobs are simply out of reach for first-time Marketers out of the Sales org.

To reduce chances of running up against this unavoidable friction, I’d advise BDRs to choose from the still-extensive menu of options that are within reach.

Thankfully, after a year+ in those, the roles that were previously unobtainable will start to come into view!

The door’s open!

Contrary to what I had originally thought when in-seat, the BDR <> Marketing funnel is wide-open. Whether it be…

The inherent reliance Marketing has on BDRs to achieve it’s objectives
The respect most Marketers have for the role of BDRs
The much-needed Sales perspective Marketers crave that BDRs can provide

…BDRs, should they chose it, have both an opportunity and an ability to make the move to Marketing if they play their cards right.

Whether it be through the steps outlined above or a course of your own, if you’re a BDR sick of seeing your proverbial Mrs. Robinsons & Smiths (quota) around and need a change of scenery, Marketing will welcome you with open arms!