online advertising, bear stearns, brock purpura, etology, yahoo

Ad network CEO: hiring greedy ex-Yahoos costs too much

Brock Purpura, the CEO of ad network Etology, says it's easier to staff his sales team with Wall Street's leavings than to hire ex-Yahoos. Purpura told SAI that since you can't outsource ad sales like you can tech, ad-supported startups have begun offering ex-Yahoos equity. If shares aren't available, Purpura says ex-Yahoos demand between $200,000 to $250,000 to sign. It's more than Purpura, for one, is willing to pay. Especially since ex-Bear Stearns employees and other bankers, well-suited enough to the numbers-based ad game, have shown an eagerness to take on more work for less pay. We've heard they like the punishment.(Photo by Mr.Thomas)

8:20 AM on Thu Mar 27 2008
By Nicholas Carlson
1,580 views
13 comments

Comments

kompression at 08:41 AM on 03/27/08
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Beggars don't choose.
LongAgoYahoo at 08:44 AM on 03/27/08
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Sales people with a 200K base? Sales people should be paid subsistence wages and given a very aggressive commission and incentive plan. Good sales people will be all over that. Sales people who are merely floaters and order takers will object.

I've found that there are a whole lot of early day Y! sales and BD staff who got a little over impressed with their closing skills. A start up doesn't need a sales person who can only close with the Y! or GOOG name behind them.

You need someone who can close without the brand leverage.
ck209 at 09:09 AM on 03/27/08
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Why aren't shares available?
Kravis at 09:12 AM on 03/27/08
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@LongAgoYahoo: Bingo. I'm pretty sure the +$200k figure being thrown is for exec positions and not the sales foot soldiers.
LongAgoYahoo at 09:24 AM on 03/27/08
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@Kravis A start up shouldn't hire an ad exec. They should hire a guy who can directly bring in revenue, not a guy who can hire guys to bring in revenue.
nukeydog at 09:50 AM on 03/27/08
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Sales is Sales. Good salespeople look at total package oppty and weigh risk/reward. you get what you pay for. btw - anyone GOOD salespeople looking i pay small base and HUGE upside!
DeanMartin at 10:23 AM on 03/27/08
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"greedy" ex-Yahoos? It is greedy to try and maintain your income levels? It's not ex-Yahoos fault that Yahoo overpaid them. I think it is quite logical that they would not take a salary cut!
sample032 at 10:26 AM on 03/27/08
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Connectedness Index: 74
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Fuck engineering. Sales, here I come!
It Must Be Take a Worm... at 10:49 AM on 03/27/08
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@DeanMartin: Let me know when you're holding your iJustine celebrity spit roast.
Tiki Tonga at 10:53 AM on 03/27/08
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Good sales people cost money and if they come from an industry gorilla, then they really get greedy. I've found the circumstances where sales (or marketing, engineering etc.) ask for an upfront sign-on "bonus" is when they leave money on the table in the form of stock from their current employee. Sometime those unvested shares are in the $200K - $300K range. This is not uncommon in the valley.
DonV at 02:02 PM on 03/27/08
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By good sales people, do you mean "salespeople that got laid off from a company that had low sales"? Because I doubt many other people think that's a valid definition of a good salesperson.
matto at 05:00 PM on 03/27/08
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Connectedness Index: 186
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I hate those douchebags so much more all of a sudden.
mediawhoremeow at 06:56 AM on 03/28/08
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The economy's so bad people will soon be paying these companies to work for them.