Commercial Sales Engineer
Cato Networks · Los Angeles, CA
- Base
- Not disclosed
- OTE
- $150K–$180K
- Posted
- 5h ago
Still open · checked 2h agoon Cato Networks's careers page
What Cato Networks sells
Networking and security combined in one cloud service
Companies have often kept their computer networks and their security as two separate jobs. Cato Networks combines both into one centralized service delivered from the cloud, so they are handled together instead of apart.
In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell us
More Security companies →The Braun Read
Worth a lookSolid on the basics. Use the first call to fill in the gaps.
- Pay
- OTE is listed. Ask what the base is.
- Transparency
- Shares 1 of 5: quota, attainment, deal size, territory, sales cycle.
- Pipeline
- Mostly inbound or an assigned book.
- Time on market
- Brand new.
- Company hiring
- Ramping up: posted 8 sales roles in the last 30 days.
Red flags
None spotted.
Green flags
- Publishes OTE. It tells you the on-target earnings up front. Most postings don't.
- SDR or inbound support. You won't be building all of your own pipeline from zero.
Based only on what the posting says. Flags are a starting point for your first call, not a final judgment.
Questions to ask on the first call
Built from what this posting leaves out. How they answer tells you as much as what they say.
- 1.
What percentage of fully ramped reps hit quota last year?
OTE is what you could earn. This is how likely you are to earn it.
- 2.
What's the base, and how is the rest paid out?
OTE without a base doesn't tell you what you can count on.
- 3.
Who's the economic buyer, and who else is in the deal?
Selling to a CFO and selling to a developer are different jobs.
- 4.
What's the annual quota, and how was it set?
A quota built from real data is a target. Otherwise it's a hope.
- 5.
How long is ramp, and what's the quota during it?
Full quota on day one means you start behind.
- 6.
Why is this role open? Did someone leave, or is it new?
New headcount is growth. A replacement means someone left. Ask why.
When the offer comes
Save these for later. They land better once they've said yes to you.
- 1.
Can I see the full comp plan in writing, including clawbacks and accelerators?
What's in writing is what gets paid. Read it before you sign.
- 2.
Can I see the actual comp distribution for the team last year, not just the OTE?
The spread shows what most reps really take home. OTE is just the target.
- 3.
I'd be walking away from earned commission to join. Is there room for a sign-on bonus to help cover that?
Leaving money behind is a fair reason to ask. The worst answer is no.
Got an offer from Cato Networks? Not sure about it?Ask me. I read every message myself. · JoshAsk Josh
The role
Technical pre-sales role supporting field reps in the West: you run product demos, validate solutions for prospects, and answer RFI/RFP technical sections for enterprise network and security deals.
Enterprise · Inbound
Selling motion
Who you're selling to
- Buyer:
- Not stated in the posting.Ask: “Who's the economic buyer, and who else is in the deal?”
- Company size:
- Enterprise
Pipeline expectations
Compensation
What is not disclosed
This posting doesn't tell you:
- Base salary
- Quota size
- Quota attainment
- Average deal size
- Sales cycle length
The questions above cover the big ones.