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Dear Quota Team,
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I've been in Sales for almost 10 years, starting as a BDR at a small company and working my way up to an AE for a well known international software company. But the reality is that I suck at sales. I have been lucky enough to hide it for quite a while, especially given that I used to be very confident when talking to customers or to colleagues.
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Back then, no one could have guessed that deep down, I felt like I really didn't belong in sales. I’ve had some success, of course, but I'm pretty sure that 95% of the deals I closed were due to external factors.
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Lately, this has really affected me, and my confidence has vanished. The competition between reps, the dashboard (I'm definitely at the bottom), the (empty) pipeline reviews, chasing prospects (I'm the type to think "If you're not interested, I don't really care, it’s your problem), deals over which I have no control, people buying and then canceling their orders etc. All of it makes me sick, and I feel like I just don't want to do it anymore.
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But I have absolutely no idea what else I'd do. This is the biggest issue that I have. Bad results make me feel like I'm not good at anything. Not to mention the pay cut I’d have to take if I quit sales. It's hard to admit it, but I feel like whatever I do, the consequences will be negative.
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What’s your advice? I'm not even sure you can help, but maybe me asking this question might help all the underperforming reps out there and help them realize that someone in this world knows what they’re going through. Thank you either way.
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Conflicted in Europe
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Dear Conflicted
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Even though you’re all the way in Europe, and we’re in America, here’s some advice that we want to scream across the Atlantic Ocean:
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Quit.  
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Do it. Quit. Resign from your sales job. If possible, line something else up first. But even if you can’t, don’t spend another year doing something you so obviously hate. Life’s too short, and unless you have absolutely no other way to pay your bills (this is rare), then you shouldn’t spend your days hating what you do professionally.
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There are way too many sales reps who can’t stand the job, who grudgingly show up every single day, hoping something changes. There are, of course, different degrees of not liking your job, but you are most definitely too far off the charts to try to make it work.
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And as far as what else you can do: most software sales reps who transition out of sales find it easy to land roles in customer success. It’s a job that pays a decent salary and is in increasingly high demand. You could also try to get into marketing, though there will be more of a learning curve than in CS (not to mention the taunts from the sales team).
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As far as the pay cut, you should go ahead and adjust your lifestyle accordingly, because there’s a very high chance you’ll be a lot happier making less but not having to do a job you despise.
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So do it: quit. Don’t fear the unknown; you’ll figure it out. Start applying this week. Start applying this afternoon, after you see our response to your question. It’s perfectly fine to leave sales. It’s a much better alternative than being miserable for a third of your waking hours. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!