Solutions Engineer
Column · San Francisco
- Base
- $145K–$200K
- OTE
- Not disclosed
- Posted
- 2mo ago
Still open · checked 1h agoon Column's careers page
What Column sells
Banking for apps, with fewer middlemen
A company building a money app has to team up with a bank, and getting there means passing through many middlemen. That chain is slow and costs a lot. This product is a bank and a software company in one, so builders can connect straight to it and skip most of the extra middlemen.
In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell us
More Finance & payments companies →The Braun Read
Ask hard questionsToo much is left unsaid. Make them answer before you invest.
- Pay
- Base is listed but not OTE. Ask what the variable is and how many people hit it.
- Transparency
- Says nothing about quota, attainment, deal size, territory or sales cycle.
- Pipeline
- Mostly inbound or an assigned book.
- Time on market
- Open 76 days. Ask why it's been hard to fill.
- Company hiring
- This is their only open sales role.
Red flags
None spotted.
Green flags
- 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 OTE, and what did the median rep earn last year?
Base is what you're guaranteed. OTE and the median show the upside.
- 3.
What's the annual quota, and how was it set?
A quota built from real data is a target. Otherwise it's a hope.
- 4.
How long is ramp, and what's the quota during it?
Full quota on day one means you start behind.
- 5.
Is the territory new or existing? Who had it before?
An existing book is a head start. Greenfield means building from zero.
- 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 Column? Not sure about it?Ask me. I read every message myself. · JoshAsk Josh
The role
Technical pre-sales and implementation role helping fintech builders use Column's banking APIs, plus growing existing customers' activity. Focus is on implementations, product feedback, and internal tooling, not prospecting.
Mixed · Inbound
Selling motion
Who you're selling to
- Buyer:
- Fintech companies and developers building financial productsIn their words: “partner with tech-forward companies to build financial products and solutions using Column's APIs”
- Industry:
- Financial technologyIn their words: “For companies building financial technology and transforming the financial services space”
Pipeline expectations
Compensation
What is not disclosed
This posting doesn't tell you:
- OTE
- Quota size
- Quota attainment
- Average deal size
- Territory
- Sales cycle length
The questions above cover the big ones.