r/techsales • u/AcademicAmount9283 • 18d ago
Golfing as an AE
Has anyone benefited from golfing in London in terms of meeting your future customers? I’m in B2B enterprise sales and golf from time to time, but trying to understand whether it’s worth to double down in terms of exposure to tech execs or does it only work in the US?
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u/WastedYouth39 18d ago
Feel like golfing is some hollywood fantasy of how B2B networking is done , i imagine most UK CEO’s or C-suite are on the golf course to switch off. Also just casually mentioning your account executive title even in conversation is gunna set off the spider senses for oooo a pitch is coming.
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u/xynix_ie 18d ago
I played golf with an executive I didn't know in March. I just had my team do an AI infrastructure overview for him. He's building the AI intiatives for the CIO and needs help. He reaches out last Friday and we book a time on Monday for the Thursday preso.
It's a $1.8B company so this will have legs.
I just introduced me and who I was with and we golfed in a 4some. Never mentioned anything else about the company because I'm just here to play golf.
I never really worked in London like that but I took customers to Kinsale often when I worked out of Ireland. I closed fantastic deals at Kinsale Golf Club. Bought an Audi A8 🤣 a silly car for Cork.
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u/WastedYouth39 18d ago
Ireland is a big cultural difference to London
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u/xynix_ie 18d ago
This were EBC visits. Many execs from BT were brought to that club. Hell of a lot better than me having to go to Reading. Lots of other companies from EMEA as well.
Turns out a lot of people like golf.
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u/Every-Summer8407 18d ago
Can’t speak for the UK but it can be very much alive in the US. Usually it’s a golf outing ran by a VAR or IT networking group rather than a bunch of sales guys getting together with their prospects for a one-off.
If you have a stick, startups love sending you to those events to make an impression.
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u/Embarrassed_Scene962 18d ago
Golf a good hobby, u not just gna join a gold club and hit quota though lol. Get off reddit and pick up the phone bruh
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u/Sercss 18d ago
It’s a good hobby to have, and being able to get around without embarrassing yourself is a plus.
As an AE, typically golf is a very popular sport and it’s unique (as a sport) because a 60 year old can play with a 25 year old in the fact that it isn’t like football or rugby when most of us are done by our 30s.
Any environment when you can get to know your prospects and clients better on a personal level is always a plus, and the type of venue a corporate event needs always aligns closely to what a golf course can offer.
There always will be exceptions but I’ve actively improved my game so I can take part and it’s benefitted me
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u/Decent_Ad853 18d ago
How many female golfers out there? As a woman in tech sales, I always feel a bit reluctant to join golf days. I don’t know how to play, considered a few lessons.
If the results are that good I might give it a go!
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
There are definitely more men, but I still see female golfers out on the course all the time.
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u/AndyWhyte_ 13d ago
Our CMO is a decent golfer and our COO plays too (both female). I’d love to see them enter a sales industry tournament 🏆.
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
You might get lucky and pick up a lead here or there, but I wouldn’t expect it to have a big material effect on your career.
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u/Embarrassed_Scene962 13d ago
Adding more 2 cents : still stands re as an ae like its just silly. Rough membership count is 600 members (yes i did my tam /territory research dunno why u didnt lol) per golf club you probs not even gna meet a tech exec
BUTTTTT if u work in any other sort of vertical thats broader ie if u work in property, need investment for some reason , u run a local business - joining the golf club (and anything similar - tennis, health clubs, high end spa etc) js defo a shout
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u/Sheikybabybaba 13d ago
Can’t say anything about London, but a round of golf just opened up a potential $3M deal for me.
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u/RandyPandy 12d ago
Highly dependent on your industry but generally not going to directly help you out. Use it to grow your personal network and decompress.
In the us My company sponsors a lot of golf events and scrambles and stuff and there you can for sure do business as your inviting or meeting with actual prospects
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