Sales Development Representative
Cognism · Cologne, Germany
- Base
- Not disclosed
- OTE
- Not disclosed
- Quota attainment
- Not disclosed
- Posted
- 19d ago
Why it matters: OTE tells you what you could earn. Attainment tells you how realistic it is.
Ask: “What percentage of fully ramped reps hit quota last year?”
Still open · checked 1h agoon Cognism's careers page
The job
- What you'd do
- Reach out to businesses by phone, email and LinkedIn to find new customers, and follow up on people who get in touch. You'll find many of your own prospects through cold outreach.
- What you'd sell
Contact data that helps sales teams find European buyers
When a sales team wants to win new customers, they usually guess at who to call and email. The problem is, guessing wastes hours on people who aren't the right buyer. Cognism gives sales reps contact details for decision-makers across Europe, so they spend their time on the people most likely to buy.
In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell me · More Sales & marketing companies →
- Who you'd sell to
- Revenue teamsIn their words: “Cognism's contact data and contextual signals are trusted by thousands of revenue teams to eliminate the guesswork from prospecting.”
- Where deals come from
- A mix. Some leads come to you, some you find yourself.
The Braun Read
Ask hard questionsToo much is left unsaid. Make them answer before you invest.
- Pay
- No pay listed at all.
- Transparency
- Says nothing about quota, attainment, deal size, territory or sales cycle.
- Time on market
- Open 19 days.
- Company hiring
- 3 sales roles open, hiring at a steady pace.
Red lights
None spotted.
Yellow lights
- German required. The posting asks for fluent German. Worth knowing before you apply if you only sell in English.
Green lights
- SDR or inbound support. You won't be building all of your own pipeline from zero.
Based only on what the posting says. Lights 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 percentage of reps on the team have been here more than 18 months?
Tenure shows whether people stay long enough to get paid.
- 3.
Has the comp plan changed in the last 12 to 18 months? What changed?
A plan that changes every year means the goalposts keep moving.
- 4.
Who sits with reps and reviews calls each week?
Coaching is often what's behind a good or bad attainment number.
- 5.
What are the base and the OTE for this role?
No point investing hours before you know the number.
- 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.
Josh's top five questions for any sales interview →
Going for your first AE role? Get the free interview kit → 24 questions, what good and bad answers sound like, and an offer comparison sheet.