Business Development Representative
Cohere · Hybrid · Toronto, ON, Canada
- Base
- Not disclosed
- OTE
- C$115K–C$170K
- Quota attainment
- Not disclosed
- Posted
- 1mo 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 Cohere's careers page
What Cohere sells
AI that runs on a company's own servers
Big companies want to use AI, but they worry about where their private information ends up and who can see it. Cohere builds AI models that can run on a company's own servers or inside its own country. The company gets the AI help while its data stays under its control.
In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell us
More AI & data companies →The Braun Read
Ask hard questionsToo much is left unsaid. Make them answer before you invest.
- Pay
- OTE is listed. Ask what the base is.
- Transparency
- Says nothing about quota, attainment, deal size, territory or sales cycle.
- Pipeline
- Mostly self-sourced. Great if you like outbound, rough if you don't.
- Time on market
- Open 50 days. Ask why it's been hard to fill.
- Company hiring
- 9 sales roles open, hiring at a steady pace.
Red flags
None spotted.
Green flags
- Publishes OTE. It tells you the on-target earnings up front. Most postings don't.
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 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's the base, and how is the rest paid out?
OTE without a base doesn't tell you what you can count on.
- 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 →
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The role
You'll prospect net-new enterprise accounts in finance, healthcare, public sector and other industries, making 40+ outbound calls and emails daily to CTOs, CIOs and business unit leads to qualify with BANT.
Enterprise · New Logo · Outbound
Selling motion
Who you're selling to
- Buyer:
- CTOs, CIOs and business unit leadsIn their words: “engage decision-makers (e.g., CTOs, CIOs, and Business Unit leads)”
- Industry:
- Finance, technology, manufacturing, healthcare, public sectorIn their words: “industries such as finance, technology, manufacturing, healthcare, public sector, etc.”
- 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
- Territory
- Sales cycle length
The questions above cover the big ones.