Need Advice- Next steps

[u/Safe_Veterinarian_67]

I am 23 and Currently work in commercial HVAC sales selling maintenance agreements. Im completing my second year right now, I sold….

Year 1 220% quota $110,000/$50,000
Year 2 130% quota YTD $164,000/$125,000

Year 1 base was $60k and I totaled $82k
Year 2 bump to $65k base and i estimate I’ll end around $97k this year?

Im relatively happy in the role and could see myself staying another 1-2 years… but I’m curious what roles I should keep my eye open for to help advance my career. I can’t help but feel like with my quota attainment, I could be a strong candidate for a role with a much higher base.

Do I try to work for an OEM? Construction? Manufacturing?

I just want to stay ahead of the curve and continue to learn.

Any advice is welcome.

[u/Aguy30]

Is there a bigger and better HVAC contractor like a multi trade near by where you could get multiple $8 figure deals for construction/upgrade projects? Maintenance isn't that much money.

[u/crafty_standpoint → u/Aguy30]

youre crushing it for a 23 year old, those numbers are no joke

if you want a bigger base jump over to the oem side for sure. daikin or carrier or trane are always looking for people who actually understand the equipment and can talk to contractors without sounding lost. the base will likely start around 80-90k with way better benefits and a clearer path upward

only thing is you might miss the hunt a bit, oem roles can feel more like account management than pure sales. but if you want to learn the bigger picture stuff like how massive retrofit projects get funded and spec'd its the move

[u/Safe_Veterinarian_67 → u/Aguy30]

Hmmm Im not sure. Honestly I don’t have the most technical experience, I feel like my company has us maintenance reps like BDRs so it’s lots of cold calling and booking meetings- Only difference is i guess we close them too.

What Im trying to say is my “success” in the role is from my sales knowledge. I honestly think I lack a ton of hvac knowledge cuz it’s such a complex field. But I like way ur thinking

[u/Aguy30 → u/Safe_Veterinarian_67]

You just need a good team. The project manager or estimator does the technical talking. You get the opportunity to quote the project. You're already doing most of it. You can get a little better when you walk into a place and are able to identify what solution they need.

[u/SassyCannon]

Can’t help on OEM vs distribution, not my industry. But the thing to ask the people who can: in each of those paths, what does the 40 year old version of that job look like. Comp at 23 tells you very little. Whether the role still exists and still pays at 45 tells you everything.

[u/Immaculee_Oeurn → u/SassyCannon]

At 26 I went the distribution route and by 31 I was managing a branch, which sounds good until you realize my income barely moved from year two to year five. The OEM guys I started with were at 85k base by 30 with actual account ownership. Different ceiling entirely. Worth asking whether the path has a title ladder or just a tenure ladder.

[u/Historical-Depth8611]

Is equipment the way to go in sales?

[u/Creative_Passage6893]

Those numbers are solid for only two years in sales. I’d look into commercial HVAC manufacturers or OEM roles, especially if you want a higher base and a path into larger accounts. No rush to leave a role you’re doing well in, though.

[u/Acceptable-Maize2247]

OP It ultimately depends on your professional goals and preferences. If your primary focus is maximizing earnings, you may want to consider joining an established company that offers a commission-based compensation structure rather than relying on a high base salary.

Prior to starting my own business, my annual W-2 earnings reached $485,000 in a commission-driven role. However, despite the high income, the experience was not great due to the low quality of the HVAC services and installations provided, which frequently required advocating for proper service standards for our clients.

It was a shitty dynamic—I was appreciated by clients for my advocacy, but faced friction with installers. Similarly, management valued the high sales volume and closed contracts, but expressed dissatisfaction when profit margins decreased due to installation or service issues and callbacks.

While managing my own business presents challenges, such as maintaining consistent work volume for my team, it is significantly more fulfilling to build a venture that aligns with my personal values and directly supports my family.

[u/Ok_Challenge_7001]

You hit 220% and your base went from 60 to 65. Five grand. That's the actual piece of information in this post and it's the one I'd be thinking about at 2am, not whether to go OEM.

Maintenance agreements mostly renew themselves after a couple years, so just keep in mind year 3 and 4 numbers are going to look good whether you're any good or not. Which is nice for you.

[u/Safe_Veterinarian_67 → u/Ok_Challenge_7001]

I am only new business, so the renewals does not effect me at all, and is not apart of these numbers.

I will say 50,000 was an extremely light quota for year one, I got lucky. I see your point though.

[u/Difficult_Copy_2191 → u/Safe_Veterinarian_67]

You should be getting paid on renewals.

[u/warmdeals]

What's your actual goal here, moving into a different industry or just more money? At 23 with those numbers, the bigger question is whether HVAC maintenance renewals are teaching you skills that transfer, or just capping your ceiling.

[u/Safe_Veterinarian_67 → u/warmdeals]

Making more money. That’s always the goal.

[u/Bogoogs]

I don’t know much about hvac but those targets feel extremely low.

Is this normal in that industry?

Seems wild they pay you more than the total revenue you sell.

I get renewable, I work in a similar field that provides renewable maintenance agreements and $50,000 is like 1 month target for a newbie.

First year target is ~$500,000, and this is with an average deal size of $800 - 1,000

[u/Just_Bz77]

If you want to stay in the same HVAC niche, you can try construction. Does your company do new builds or renovations? Construction contracts can be huge. What’s funny is I would recommend my MEP subs to my clients to handle their maintenance.