Pros
AOS is not the place where you can come in, kick your heels up on your desk, and wait for the deals to start rolling in. I'm amazed at the number of new account managers that are supposed to be experts in their field, that don't understand the basics of the technology that they are trying to sell, and yet aren't willing to learn. I don't expect them to have the level of knowledge as a Design Architect or Systems Engineer, but at the same time, I expect the salesperson at the car dealership to be able to explain the basics of the distinctive features of that new car that I'm buying. Wouldn't you? Now don't get me wrong, there are some rock-star sales people that we have lost along the way, and it's truly a sad day to see that happen, but at the end of the day, it's business. Things are outside of our control on a daily basis, but it's the risk we take every day. Gary has been ultra aggressive at trying to grow the business and at times it hasn't worked out at as planned, but it happens to all great technology companies. Anyone that thinks Gary wanted to exit any market is foolish, if you owned something that was costing you more money than it was worth month after month wouldn't you try to sell or unload it? If you're a smart business person you would. There is tons of room to grow at AOS, but you have to be driven to own your career. If you're just waiting for it to be handed to you then you will be on the short list for removal.
Cons
Now to be fair, there are things about AOS to don't thrill me, but at the end of the day, they aren't a deal breaker for me. * Work from home is pretty much non-existant for the sales team. My previous sales experience was 100% work from home, so this was a little bit of a shock, but over time I've come to realize that the AOS culture isn't ready to accept this yet. * Mileage reimbursement is a little low. With 16 customer appointments a week you put a lot of miles on your personal vehicle. While it's not the end of the world, it makes people consider driving a family sedan versus a luxury sedan to customers sites since the mileage reimbursement barely cover the cost of depreciation. * The sales dress code is a little dated. I can understand the System Engineers wearing AOS branded polo's, but having the sales team wear branded clothes seems a little outdated. It seems that we have a dress code to have a rule because people can't use common sense.
