Overview
You manage a sales team selling commercial waste and recycling services to businesses in the Santa Fe Springs, CA area. You're responsible for your team hitting their numbers while also carrying 3-5 strategic accounts yourself. Most deals involve taking business from competitors (Waste Management, local haulers) by undercutting price or offering better service guarantees.
Role Snapshot
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Role Type | Player-coach sales manager |
| Sales Motion | Outbound-heavy with some inbound from web inquiries |
| Deal Complexity | Consultative (multi-location, custom service levels) |
| Sales Cycle | 3-6 months for new logos, 1-2 months for takeovers |
| Deal Size | $2K-50K annual contracts (varies by customer size) |
| Quota (est.) | $2-3M team annual revenue + personal accounts |
Company Context
Stage: Public company (NYSE: RSG)
Size: 20,717 employees
Growth: Stable industry, growth through acquisitions and municipal contract wins
Market Position: #2 player nationally behind Waste Management in environmental services
GTM Reality
Pipeline Sources:
- 70% Outbound - reps cold calling businesses, driving routes to identify prospects, knocking on doors
- 20% Competitive takeaways - businesses unhappy with current hauler, contract renewals
- 10% Inbound - website form fills, customer referrals
SDR/AE Structure: No SDRs - reps self-source and close their own deals
SE Support: No SEs - operations team helps with custom routing/pricing for large accounts
Competitive Landscape
Main Competitors: Waste Management (main national competitor), Waste Connections, regional haulers, local mom-and-pop operators
How They Differentiate: Nationwide coverage for multi-location customers, sustainability programs, better technology/billing systems than local players
Common Objections: "Current provider is cheaper", "We've been with them for 10 years", "Contract doesn't expire for 18 months"
Win Themes: Price undercutting (especially vs WM), better route reliability, consolidated billing for multi-site customers, recycling/sustainability reporting
What You'll Actually Do
Time Breakdown
Team Management (40%) | Personal Accounts (30%) | Internal/Admin (30%)
Key Activities
- Weekly 1-on-1s and pipeline reviews: You're going through each rep's deals, pushing them on why things are stalled, coaching on objection handling. Most reps struggle with pricing negotiations and knowing when to walk away from bad-margin deals.
- Ride-alongs: 2-3 days per week you're in the passenger seat while reps meet with prospects or current customers. You jump in when deals are stuck or the customer wants to talk to "the manager."
- Your own strategic accounts: You carry 3-5 large accounts (manufacturing plants, retail chains, etc.) that your reps can't handle. These are usually complex multi-location deals with custom service agreements.
- Pricing approvals and margin management: Reps bring you deals that need pricing below standard rates. You're constantly balancing winning business vs maintaining margins that operations and your VP will accept.
- Recruiting and training: You're always hiring because turnover is 25-30% annually. You spend time interviewing, onboarding new reps, and riding with them their first month.
The Honest Reality
What's Hard
- Waste services are commoditized - most deals come down to price, so margins are thin and you're constantly fighting with operations over what pricing you can approve
- High rep turnover means you're always rebuilding part of your team. New reps take 6-9 months to ramp and many wash out before then
- Deals drag because customers often have existing contracts with 90-180 day out clauses. You win the business in March but can't start service until July
- Your compensation is tied to both team performance and your own accounts, which means you're juggling management duties with closing your own deals
- Municipal regulations and permitting can kill deals you thought were locked in
What Success Looks Like
- Team hits 95-100%+ of annual revenue target ($2-3M typical)
- Rep turnover under 20% (better than company average)
- Your personal accounts renew at 90%+ and you add 1-2 new strategic logos per year
- Margin targets met (typically need to maintain 35-40% gross margin on new business)
Who You're Selling To
Primary Buyers:
- Facility managers and operations directors at mid-size businesses
- Procurement teams at larger companies and retail chains
- Business owners at small businesses (restaurants, strip malls, medical offices)
What They Care About:
- Price per pickup (most important for small businesses)
- Route reliability (will the truck actually show up on schedule?)
- Consolidated billing and reporting for multi-location businesses
- Sustainability reporting and diversion rates (increasingly important for corporate buyers)
- Responsiveness when service issues happen
Requirements
- 5+ years in commercial waste/environmental services sales or related field service sales
- 2+ years managing sales teams (3-7 reps typical)
- Track record of hitting team revenue targets in competitive markets
- Comfortable with field sales (you're in the car/on-site 3-4 days per week, not remote)
- Experience with pricing/margin management and P&L accountability
- Ability to manage up (VP of Sales) and across (Operations, Customer Service, Finance)
- Valid driver's license and clean driving record (required for ride-alongs)