Avoid unless a must - Business Development Executive GDS Group Employee Review

1.0
14 June 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Really friendly co-workers. Nice office views. Leave early on Fridays. Solid base salary.

Cons

High Turnover. Absolutely unrealistic expectations in terms of pitches per week. Days are structured for hours worth of calls blocks leaving little time for prospecting. Its a total smile and dial job. Its a little sketchy when cold call how forced to tell clients “projects we are working on” when we have never spoken to the person we are name dropping. It sets a bad precedent for when meetings do get set. Training is also a disaster, one weeks worth of training and you’re thrown into the pack and expected to be an expert. The salesforce system is a mess where leads can easily be taken away after two weeks and no structure in place for business rules. You will be lucky if you close a deal within your first 6 months as its a tough to sell product. Also terrible pto policy. GDS gives you the last week of the year off but counts it towards pto days and still forces you to come into the office and work a full day when they know no one will answer phones the days before major holidays. There should be a remote optin for that. Shady operation all around and incredibly draining position. Im glad I left.

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GDS Group Response
2y
Thanks for review and feedback. In line with your advice to management, we agree on the importance of training and over 2023 have doubled the training team, as well as ensuring all new sales starters have a 12 week training programme. We have also trained all our sales team on MEDDIC and Guided Needs methodologies. We do promote an office based working environment to ensure we can train, support and develop our teams. We are sorry the role was not for you and wish you well for the future.

Explore other reviews about GDS Group

5.0
21 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great pay Challenging Rewarding New daily activities Pressure but positive

Cons

Young office culture attitude sometimes

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GDS Group Response
4d
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your review! We are thrilled to hear that you find your work both challenging and rewarding, and that you enjoy the dynamic nature of your daily activities. It is also great to know that you feel the competitive compensation reflects your efforts and that the fast-paced pressure translates into a positive and motivating environment for you. Kepp up the great work!
1.0
5 Nov 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Met a few good people here, but none of them lasted. Everyone eventually quit or got pushed out.

Cons

This company is a perfect example of how to burn out employees, squander talent, and mismanage a sales org. Team members are often overlooked, talked down to, and treated more like call-center output than actual professionals. My manager consistently interacted with me and others in ways that were discouraging and demoralizing, and it was clear there was little interest in coaching or developing people. The culture feels more like a clique-driven high school environment than a workplace. Turnover is nonstop, and the atmosphere noticeably changes whenever senior leadership is around. KPIs are unrealistic, and the product is genuinely tough to sell in the current market. Hitting quota is rare, many reps only close a couple of small deals the entire year, and the commission structure doesn’t make it any easier. You’re closely monitored from the moment you log in, and by mid-morning you’re already being questioned about your activity. Late hours are common due to rigid activity requirements. Training is minimal, senior reps generally keep to themselves, and asking for help sometimes gets interpreted as not being capable rather than trying to improve. The day-to-day environment is loud, chaotic, and high stress. Headphones aren’t allowed. Standards are enforced unevenly. Some people are given a wide berth, while others are micromanaged over very small things. The culture leans heavily on pressure, constant urgency, and short-term reactions instead of any real long-term strategy or leadership approach. If you care about your mental health, professional development, or actually improving as a salesperson, I’d strongly recommend looking at other companies. Leaving this role was genuinely one of the best decisions I’ve made for my career.

8
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