How to Get a Sales Job Without Applying for One

Good Morning. Meta just announced they’re building a realistic AI version of Mark Zuckerberg so employees can interact with it instead of their real CEO. Can you imagine sitting down for your quarterly review and your manager walks in, except it's not actually your manager, it's an AI version that sounds just like them, telling you you're at 60% of quota and being put on a PIP? What a time to be alive. Now, let's get into today's Follow Up. (:

Ask about their last buying process 🗣
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Get a sales job without applying 🤝
The best recruitment pitch for sales managers right now 👀
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Sales Tip of The Day 💡

When your prospect is evaluating multiple vendors, ask them what their decision process looked like the last time they bought something.

❌ "So what does your evaluation process look like from here?"
✅ "How did you guys make this decision the last time around? Who was involved, how long did it take, and was there anything that almost derailed it?"

You’d be surprised how many buyer’s will give you their roadmap for how they’re going to buy.

If legal killed the last deal, get legal involved early. If a specific executive always pumps the brakes, find out what it takes to get them comfortable. If the process always takes three months, probably don’t forecast it for next quarter.

The more you know about how they buy, the easier you can make it for them to say yes.

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How to Get a Sales Job Without Applying for One

Every week, I see a new Reddit thread or LinkedIn post about how brutal the sales job market is.

Reps with years of experience are applying to hundreds of roles, making it through three rounds of interviews, and then getting ghosted.

Some are even taking roles at 40% pay cuts just to get a job.

The job market is rough right now. So if you're trying to land a new sales gig by uploading your resume to LinkedIn Easy Apply and waiting, don’t be surprised when you never hear back.

I firmly believe that the best sales jobs are almost always found through a back door.

Here are four ways to get one without ever filling out an application.

1. Cold Call or Cold Email the Hiring Manager

This is the most direct path.

Figure out who the actual hiring manager is. This will likely be a sales manager, VP of Sales, or Sales Director who owns the team you want to join.

Then, cold call or cold email them.

Cold calling is harder, and most reps won't do it, which is exactly why it works better. It also happens to be part of the job you're applying for. If you can get through to a VP of Sales with a compelling 30-second pitch about why you should be their next hire, you've already proven you can do the job.

Cold email works too. Keep it short, reference something specific about their company, and explain why you want to be a part of it. Then make a clear ask.

Try to put yourself in their shoes, and write something that would get your attention.

2. Use Your Network

I've worked for multiple companies and clients in the last three years.

Yet I haven't submitted a single resume or filled out a single application in any of them.

Every job came through someone I knew.

Here's a personal example: Back in 2020, I applied to Amazon directly, multiple times, and heard nothing back. Litteral crickets. Eventually, I saw a guy I knew from college on LinkedIn and noticed he was a recruiter at Amazon. I messaged him, asked him to submit my application as a referral, and wallah. I heard back within a week, then got the job.

But don’t get bogged down in the details. Your network doesn't have to be huge. Similar to most people I know, my network was basically 0 when I started applying for my first sales role.

Start with people you went to high school or college with, and friends of family. Look them up on LinkedIn. See where they work. Send a message, ask how they like working there, and if they'd be open to making a referral.

If you're just starting now, and your network feels small, that’s ok. Every new person you meet is a potential back door to your new job.

3. Send Something They Can't Ignore

Physical, creative, memorable. That’s what we’re aiming for here.

People have gotten jobs by printing their resume on a cake and having it delivered to the office. And there’s a ton of creative ideas just like that.

Print your resume or message on a t-shirt.
Send a box with a QR code inside that links to a personal video pitch.
Mail a pair of running shoes with a note saying, "thought I'd get a head start on the competition."

The specific gimmick matters less than the effort behind it. When a package shows up at someone's desk with their name on it, they have to open it. Right?

And if what's inside is clever, they have to talk about it.

This works especially well at smaller companies that are in-office, of course.

4. Do the Job Before You Have It

This one works best for SDR and AE roles where you can show the work you’d do on the job.

Pick a company you want to work for. Research their product, their ICP, and their current customers. Then build them a list of 20 prospects you'd go after in your first two weeks. Map out your plan and how you’d get started. Then send it over in an email or a LinkedIn message with a short note.

Or better yet, record a short Loom video covering the whole plan.

You're essentially auditioning for the role by doing the role.

The common thread across all four is that they require effort and a little bit of nerve.

And that’s exactly why they work.