Our client, a Bay Area AI SaaS startup, had recently raised a Series A and was experiencing a surge in inbound interest. To keep up with demand and drive expansion, they needed an Enterprise Customer Success Manager.
Our client was in search of CSMs with a specific profile:
- experience managing technical users and large Enterprise accounts,
- track record of exceeding upsell, expansion, and renewal targets,
- and the ability to negotiate pricing and close deals independently.
Here are the top 4 candidates we presented:
The Deal Deliverer – $105k Base + $180k OTE
- Spent the last 4 years at a scaling SaaS org, owning 125 global enterprise accounts
- Consistently overachieved on retention (103% of quota) and upsell (105% of quota)
- Previous experience in an HR SaaS company, climbing up the ranks from Tech Support to Customer Success
The Enterprise Expert – $130k Base + $200k OTE
- Spent the last 3 years at an AI data platform startup selling into Big Tech
- Consistently overachieved on 20% expansion target and frequently led negotiations for upsell
- 8+ years of experience as an enterprise CSM managing Fortune 500 clients across North America
The Sales Solutioner – $120k Base + $200k OTE
- Spent the last 2 years as an outbound sales rep at a leading global SaaS security firm
- Consistently overachieved on quota (108%) and was ranked #2 out of 40 AEs
- Previous experience at another brand-name developer platform SaaS, where they also overachieved on quota
The Hire
- Spent the last 4 years at a secure collaboration SaaS that had a similar ICP to our client’s
- Consistently overachieved on retention and upsell targets
- 6+ years of experience as a mid-market and enterprise CSM managing Fortune 500 global accounts
To secure this candidate, our client offered a $110k base and $180k OTE uncapped.
As you can see, compensation for these candidates varies significantly based on the length and scope of experience, as well as their ability to thrive in similar environments.
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For organizations and job seekers alike, it can be challenging to understand what a particular position should pay. Often, it’s a calculation based on salary surveys that lack context, what a person has earned in the past, and ad hoc conversations with others in the field.
We’re sharing market insights into current compensation packages for key roles in the tech industry. Our recruiters conduct targeted searches on behalf of our clients, seeking out candidates who meet the role’s requirements and diligently qualifying them to present only the very best talent.
These posts are meant to highlight the contextual elements that make up compensation, and to help our clients and candidates better understand the current market forces that affect earning potential.
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