Moving from transactional to value-led sales is an HR challenge before it's a sales one. It demands hiring new profiles who can translate tech into business language. For existing teams, it's not just about training; it requires a deep assessment of whether current employees have the right skills and are in the right roles for the future.

To enforce role clarity, the second-line manager should assess each rep's skills and co-create their development plan. Accountability is key: during a QBR, the CRO should question the second-line manager first about a struggling rep’s development plan, shifting their focus from pure forecasting to strategic talent growth.

To become a more effective leader with a holistic business view, deliberately seek experience across various interconnected functions like operations, marketing, and sales. This strategy prevents the narrow perspective that often limits specialized leaders, even if it requires taking lateral or junior roles to learn.

Tying SDR promotions to time-in-seat fosters stagnation. Instead, create a clear, multi-level roadmap where advancement is based solely on hitting performance thresholds. This model rewards high-achievers, provides constant motivation, and gives reps control over their career trajectory.

To move from engineering to product, don't just ask for the role. Proactively demonstrate PM skills by systemizing learnings from customer interactions. Starting an internal 'customer insight newsletter' based on your debugging work proves your value and builds an undeniable case for the transition.

A zigzag career path across diverse but adjacent roles (e.g., sales, operations, project management) provides a broader, more holistic business awareness. This cross-functional experience is more valuable for senior strategic roles than a narrow, linear progression up a single ladder.

Where the SDR/BDR team reports has significant cultural and career-pathing consequences. When Snowflake moved SDRs under marketing, they began aspiring to be marketers, not salespeople. This created a hiring bottleneck for the sales organization, which needed that talent pipeline to fuel its growth.

Don't wait for a promotion or new job opening to grow. Proactively identify other teams' pain points and offer your expertise to help solve them. This proactive helpfulness builds relationships, demonstrates your value across the organization, and organically opens doors to new skills and responsibilities.

For early-career professionals, success isn't just about task mastery. It's about understanding how your specific role contributes to the firm's broader commercial engine. This holistic view allows you to spot opportunities and develop a unique, value-added perspective on solving client problems.