Braun Board

Sales Representative (Account Executive) - Tampa / St. Petersburg / Lakeland

Top Hat · Remote · US

Base
Not disclosed
OTE
Not disclosed
Quota attainment
Not disclosed
Posted
24d 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 Top Hat's careers page

What Top Hat sells

Digital textbooks and online tools for college classes

A college professor wants students to stay engaged and learn well during class. Top Hat sells digital textbooks and online tools that professors and students use together in the classroom. That helps students engage more and learn better.

In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell us

More Industry-specific software companies →

The Braun Read

Ask hard questions

Too much is left unsaid. Make them answer before you invest.

Pay
No pay listed at all.
Transparency
Shares 1 of 5: quota, attainment, deal size, territory, sales cycle.
Pipeline
Mostly self-sourced. Great if you like outbound, rough if you don't.
Time on market
Open 24 days. Normal, but not fresh.
Company hiring
This is their only open sales role.

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. 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. 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. 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. 4.

    Who sits with reps and reviews calls each week?

    Coaching is often what's behind a good or bad attainment number.

  5. 5.

    What are the base and the OTE for this role?

    No point investing hours before you know the number.

  6. 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. 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. 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. 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

Sell Top Hat's digital textbook content and SaaS classroom platform to professors and department leaders at colleges and universities in the Tampa Bay area, mainly through in-person prospecting on campus.

New Logo · Outbound

Selling motion

New Logo

Who you're selling to

Buyer:
Professors and department leaders at colleges and universitiesIn their words: “Effectively position & message Top Hat’s value proposition to professors or department leaders”
Industry:
Higher educationIn their words: “assigned a territory of colleges and universities”

Pipeline expectations

Mostly self-sourced. Expect a lot of outbound.

Compensation

The posting doesn't list pay.

What is not disclosed

This posting doesn't tell you:

  • Base salary
  • OTE
  • Quota size
  • Quota attainment
  • Average deal size
  • Sales cycle length

The questions above cover the big ones.

Full posting
Imagine someone gave you these three things: the opportunity to change the future of education, the autonomy to manage and grow your own territory, and all the necessary tools to be successful. If a job that combines all three of those things interests you, you may be a fit for our Sales Representative role here at Top Hat!   As a Sales Rep, you will be assigned a territory of colleges and universities where you’ll have the autonomy to develop professional relationships with professors, demonstrate the value of our platform and products, and convert them into clients. You will add value by working with professors to enhance their teaching methods and help bring the educational experience into the future. To do this, you will show how our products help both students and professors engage in the classroom experience and how they enable better learning outcomes. In essence, you will be making education better for students: one professor, one classroom, and one school at a time.   This in-territory sales representative position requires approximately 40%-50% of your time to be spent on campus annually. During the sales seasons (approximately mid-January through May and mid-August through mid-December), you may spend up to 75% of your time on campus. You will be responsible for travelling to campuses within your territory to prospect professors.   Due to travel requirements, we are only considering local candidates in the Tampa Bay area.   What You’ll Do: - You will find, create, facilitate, and close new business opportunities in your assigned accounts - Represent and sell the full suite of Top Hat and approved partner products and services, including Top Hat’s digital textbook content and SaaS platform - Effectively position & message Top Hat’s value proposition to professors or department leaders, using a mixture of inside and outside sales techniques - You will work closely with Customer Success Managers and internal product and marketing partners to ensure a great customer experience for professors and to maximize revenue growth   Who You Are: - You are highly motivated, achievement-oriented, and excited to join a team driving change in higher education! - You have 2+ years of experience in a sales role. Experience selling to professors in person on campus is highly preferred - This role requires 40-50% (up to 75%) of your time travelling to campuses for in-person sales. A valid Driver’s License is required - You have the sales skills, including the ability to identify, drive, and close large/complex deals, prospect effectively, and run the full sales cycle (including cold calling, demos, discovery, solution presentation, negotiation and closing) - You are ambitious and have the drive to succeed - You have experience working in a metrics-driven environment and remain positive when facing common objections - You have a strong ability to interpret and apply feedback/coaching quickly Why team members love working at Top Hat: - A noble mission that creates meaningful, fulfilling work - A team that cares deeply for customers and for each other - Flexible, remote first work environment - Professional learning and development for all role levels - An awesome and welcoming Toronto HQ - Competitive health benefits that start on day one - A management team focused on performance, growth, engagement and connection - Our winning strategy and market potential - Innovative PTO policy with lots of time and space for self-care - Passionate customers that believe in us—and what we do - A chance to work with new tech like generative AI—and see the customer impact Inclusion Statement: Inclusion at Top Hat goes beyond compliance; it’s how we build better teams and better technology. Our Equal Opportunity Employment policy helps ensure a workplace where people of all backgrounds are respected and empowered, regardless of culture, national or ethnic origin, race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, religion, family status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. Accessibility Statement: We want every candidate to have an equitable experience. If you require assistance or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please reach out to us at hr@tophat.com. By fostering an inclusive and supportive environment, we unlock collaboration, innovation, and personal growth across our global Top Hat community. AI in Hiring: To help streamline our hiring process, we may use AI-powered tools for tasks such as application screening, resume review, or response assessment. These technologies support our recruiters by improving efficiency, but human judgment remains central. Final hiring decisions are always made by people.
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