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Spoke with someone who spent more than a decade in inside sales & recruiting and decided to leave it all behind given the turmoil the recruiting industry has experienced over the last few years.

They transitioned to the world of commercial asphalt sales and absolutely LOVE their job and new lifestyle.

This newsletter will dive into their experiences, day-in-the-life, and pros/cons from their experiences thus far.

Let’s dive in!

Overview of the commercial paving industry & their company

The commercial asphalt and paving industry involves the construction and maintenance of surfaces like roads, parking lots, driveways, and walkways which is critical to ensuring a strong infrastructure that doesn’t pose hazards to people and vehicles.

This person works for a small, family-owned company that’s been in business for 20+ years that operates in Massachusetts & surrounding states. They specialize in asphalt repairs, full-depth reconstruction, and ADA access and have clients ranging from commercial property managers, apartment complexes, government, retail stores & shopping centers, and hospitals.

It was amazing to hear how many different variations/options they have to solve a problem for a client depending on their budget and needs. The role and industry is MUCH more technical than I imagined which I loved hearing (and can tell that it makes the role very interesting & every job truly can be different).

Day-in-the-life as a commercial asphalt sales estimator

This person is mainly responsible for new business development, however as their client base grows, they will also be responsible for new jobs that come up over time with clients they’ve already sold to.

Some of this role involves trying to drive conversations over the phone/from an office, however, the EASIEST way to create opportunities is by getting in a car and driving around looking for poor roads, eyesores, and other areas that they can address at strip malls, hospitals, apartment complexes, and other commercial businesses.

The fun begins when those opportunities are spotted because the next step is to take pictures and create a physical needs analysis outlying the problem and the potential solution they could offer and then delivering them to the potential client.

This person LOVES targeting commercial property managers because they are the ones who constantly receive pain from tenants/other people using the properties and are in charge of fixing issues. One wrinkle is they are almost always NOT the decision makers but they can take proposals to the owners of the properties to get the quotes approval.

It’s been a great strategy for them to mix small, quick flat-cost proposals with larger jobs that would need to be slotted into a 2025 (or beyond) capital improvement budget. Overall, jobs can range <$5k to $250k and this person has a goal of submitting $150k of opportunities every week (which they’ve been able to do on a VERY consistent basis) which roughly equates to 7-10 opportunities.

When clients accept a proposal, they hand the relationship off to their foreman (and their client will hand their relationship over to a facilities director or someone who holds those responsibilities). The salesperson I spoke with loves this part because both they (and their main point of contact) are no longer involved and can commiserate/work together to ensure the job is done properly & to everyone’s expectations.

In terms of work schedule, this person is in total control (aside from a recurring weekly sales meeting in their physical office). They often start their day EARLY to avoid traffic (like 6-7am) but get to finish early so this is a great potential industry for someone who loves working early (and potentially a BAD fit for someone who doesn’t).

Compensation

Their annual revenue target is $1M in closed business and they receive a base salary they can live on + commission on their completed jobs.

Overall total compensation can range over $200k/yr (superstars could probably bring home $250k) so this role could rival what a mid market or enterprise SaaS account executive earns.

What this person likes the BEST about their job

• The most autonomous job they’ve ever had (no one is looking over their shoulder. As long as they are submitting enough opportunities, they’re good!)
• Loves working for a family-owned business. This person is treated very well, goals are realistic, and most employees have been there for 5-10 years (or more) which shows how well they enjoy working for this company
• They get TWO MONTHS off in the winter (PAID!!!) when it’s not possible to complete asphalt & paving jobs
• They’re able to sell deals of all sizes to balance quick wins with more strategic ones

Some challenges they’ve experienced

• Family business (in this case) means the business is fairly old school (minimal documentation & structure) which they are ok with but was something they adjusted to
• It’s been a tough year for CAPEX projects given the economy/interest rates/an election year so there’s a lot out of their control
• This person loves their job and is very motivated but given the level of autonomy they have, some people would need more structure/guidance to thrive