6 templates for the companies hiring a closer without a sales org behind them: full cycle, subscription, field, inside, agency, and the first sales hire. Download as DOCX.
Most sales account executive job descriptions on the internet were written by companies with a sales organization. They assume a development rep books the meetings, a solutions engineer handles the technical questions, an account manager takes the customer afterward, and marketing supplies enough inbound to keep a pipeline full. If you have eleven employees and the founder has closed every deal so far, that posting describes a job you cannot offer.
The gap shows up fast. A seller reads a clean posting, joins, discovers there is no inbound and no case studies, and leaves in month seven. That is not a bad hire so much as a bad job description, and it costs a small company more than it costs anyone else, because the founder goes back to selling while also running everything else.
At FirstHR we write hiring templates for that reader. The six below cover a full cycle closer, a subscription seller, a field territory, an inside seat, an agency or professional services role, and the first sales hire taking over from the founder, each with the quota, classification, and commission language the generic versions leave out. More postings for adjacent roles sit in our hiring templates library.
TL;DR
A sales account executive owns the sale through signature. At a small company that also means sourcing the pipeline, because nobody upstream is feeding it. State the quota, average deal size, base and on-target earnings separately, and the classification. Desk-based closers are usually non-exempt. Six templates below, downloadable as DOCX.
What a Sales Account Executive Actually Does
A sales account executive owns the part of the sale that ends in a signature: discovery, demonstration, proposal, negotiation, and close. What varies between companies is how much of the front of the funnel comes with it, and that is the single most important thing your posting has to answer.
At a company with a full sales organization, the account executive receives qualified meetings and never cold calls. At a company of fifteen people, the same title means prospecting on Monday and closing on Friday. Both are legitimate. Advertising one and delivering the other is how a good seller becomes a bad hire in two quarters.
Sales stage
Large sales org
Small business reality
Prospecting
Development rep sources meetings
The account executive sources most of their own
Qualifying
Handled upstream against a written framework
The closer qualifies and disqualifies on their own call
Discovery and demo
Account executive, often with a solutions engineer
Account executive alone, technical questions included
Pricing and proposal
Deal desk approves discounts
Founder approves discounts, usually in a message thread
Negotiation and close
Account executive with legal support
Account executive with the founder on the call
Post-signature
Handed to onboarding and account management
Often the same person, at least for the first year
Write the right-hand column into the posting if it describes you. Sellers who have worked at a small company will recognize it and self-select in. Sellers who need a machine behind them will self-select out, which saves you both a hiring cycle. Our general guide to writing a job description covers the structure that carries across roles.
Which Seat You Are Actually Hiring
Account executive is four different jobs sharing one title, and the compensation, the exemption analysis, and the candidate pool differ across all four. Pick the one that matches the work before you write a line of the posting.
The closer who owns the whole cycle
The default at a small company
One person prospects, qualifies, demonstrates, quotes, negotiates, and signs. There is no development rep feeding them and no account manager waiting behind them. This is the seat most small businesses are actually hiring for when they write account executive.
The closer at the end of a pipeline
Only once you have a funnel
Development reps book meetings, the account executive closes them, and account managers keep the customer afterward. This split needs enough lead volume to keep a closer busy, which most teams under a dozen people do not have yet.
The agency account executive
A different job with the same title
At an advertising or public relations agency the title often means servicing a client account rather than closing new business. If the person you are hiring will run the relationship and not the sale, you want an account role, not a quota role.
The player coach
A trap in a job description
Carrying a quota and managing sellers at the same time is two jobs, and the posting that asks for both usually gets neither done well. If you need both, say which one comes first and pay against the higher benchmark.
Seniority Belongs in the Title, Not in the Requirements List
If you need a seller who can walk into a room with a chief financial officer and negotiate an annual contract, that is a senior seat and it should be priced and titled as one. If you need someone to work inbound and close smaller deals under supervision, that is a junior seat. Trying to buy the first with the second budget produces a posting that experienced candidates read as unserious. Set the level, then set the quota to match it.
If your deals sit between small business and enterprise, the mid-market account executive templates are the closer match, because the buying group and the cycle length change well before the title does.
Two adjacent roles are frequently confused with this one. A sales development representative books meetings and does not close, and an account manager keeps and grows accounts that are already signed. Hiring one when you meant the other is the most common sales mis-hire at small companies.
What Belongs in the Posting
A sales posting does four jobs: it states the numbers, it filters for the right kind of seller, it protects you legally, and it closes the candidate. Most small-company postings do only the fourth, which is why they attract enthusiasm and not experience.
The numbers a seller reads first
Quota, stated as a dollar figure and a period
Average deal size and typical cycle length
Base salary and on-target earnings, separately
Where pipeline comes from and what share is self-sourced
The parts that filter applicants
Which stages of the cycle this seat owns
Buyer titles and the market you sell into
Travel percentage, if any
CRM and forecasting expectations
The parts that protect you
FLSA classification stated on the posting
A written commission plan referenced by name
Essential functions written plainly
Equal opportunity statement
The parts that win the hire
Ramp schedule and any draw during ramp
Who the seat reports to and how often
Accelerators above quota
A named person and a real timeline to apply
The most common omission is quota. Small employers leave it out because they have not decided, and the vagueness reads exactly that way to a seller who has carried a number before. If you genuinely do not know yet, publish the revenue target for the year and the average deal size and let the candidate do the arithmetic with you in the interview.
6 Sales Account Executive Job Description Templates to Download
Download all six as one file or copy them individually. Each follows the same structure: company overview, position summary, key responsibilities, required qualifications, a classification note, an equal opportunity statement, and compensation with how to apply. The bracketed fields are the only parts you need to change.
Download All 6 Sales Account Executive Job Description Templates
Full cycle, software and subscription, field and territory, inside and remote, agency and professional services, and first sales hire. All in one download.
Full Cycle, B2B
The general version
The standard closer posting: own the cycle from first contact to signature, source part of your own pipeline, keep the forecast honest.
Software and Subscription
Recurring revenue
For a subscription product: annual contract value, multi-stakeholder buying groups, security and procurement review, and a non-exempt default.
Field and Territory
On the road
For a geographic territory built on in-person calls, with the outside sales exemption and the travel and vehicle terms spelled out.
Inside and Remote
Desk based
For a phone and video closer working volume, with response times, cadence expectations, and an honest overtime note.
Agency and Professional Services
Scoped work
For selling engagements rather than products: discovery, scoping with delivery, proposals and statements of work, and expansion.
First Sales Hire
Taking over from the founder
For the handoff from founder-led selling, with a ramped quota, a written ramp schedule, and the process-building work stated up front.
The general version: own the cycle from first contact to signature, source part of your own pipeline, and keep the forecast honest. Start here if you are unsure which variant fits.
Reports to: [Founder / Head of Sales / Sales Manager]
Employment type: Full-time
FLSA status: [Exempt / Non-exempt] (see classification note)
Compensation: $_ base plus commission, $_ on-target earnings
ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]
[Company Name] sells [product or service] to [customer type] in [market]. We are
a team of [number] and we close [number] new accounts a [month / quarter] at an
average deal size of $_. This seat owns the whole sale, from first contact
to signed contract.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Sales Account Executive owns a full sales cycle: sourcing and qualifying
opportunities, running discovery and demonstrations, building the proposal,
negotiating terms, closing the deal, and handing the account to [delivery /
customer success] with a clean record in the CRM.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Carry a quota of $________ in [new business / total] per [quarter / year]
•Source [percentage] of your own pipeline through outbound and referrals
•Work inbound leads within [number] hours of arrival
•Run discovery calls and product demonstrations for [buyer titles]
•Build proposals and pricing within approved discount limits
•Negotiate terms with [procurement / owner / department head] and close
•Keep the CRM current: stage, next step, close date, and forecast every week
•Hand each closed account to [team] with a written handoff summary
•Report forecast and pipeline movement at the weekly sales meeting
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years closing [B2B / B2C] deals at an average size of $________
•Track record of hitting quota in at least [number] of the last [number] periods
•Comfort running discovery without a script and handling pricing objections
•CRM discipline: you update records without being asked
•[Bachelor's degree preferred / degree not required: pick one and mean it]
•[Valid driver's license and willingness to travel _____ percent, if applicable]
CLASSIFICATION NOTE (read before posting)
Classification is not automatic for a sales seat. The outside sales exemption
applies only when the primary duty is making sales and the employee is
customarily and regularly away from the employer's place of business. A seller
who works the phone and video from a desk does not meet it. The administrative
exemption is a poor fit for a pure closer, whose primary duty is selling rather
than general business operations. The Section 7(i) commission exemption applies
only in a retail or service establishment and has three conditions that all must
be met. If none fits, the role is non-exempt: track hours and pay overtime past
forty in a week. This is general information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Base: $_ per year. Commission: [percentage of revenue / dollars per deal].
On-target earnings: $_. [Accelerators above quota]. [Commission is paid
______ after ______ and is subject to the written commission plan.]
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
To apply, email __ with your resume and your quota history.
Template 2: Software and Subscription
For a subscription product, with annual contract value, multi-stakeholder buying groups, security and procurement review, and a non-exempt default stated plainly.
Sales Account Executive, Software and Subscription Job Description
For a geographic territory built on in-person calls, with the outside sales exemption, the travel percentage, and the vehicle and expense terms written in.
Sales Account Executive, Field and Territory Job Description
•Maintain the vehicle, samples, and demonstration equipment in working order
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years of field sales experience in [industry]
•Willingness to travel [percentage] of the time, with [overnight] travel
•Valid driver's license and an acceptable driving record
•Ability to plan a week without daily supervision
•[Product or technical knowledge in ______]
•Ability to [lift ____ pounds of samples, if that is a real requirement]
CLASSIFICATION NOTE
The outside sales exemption is the one exemption written for this seat. It
applies when the employee's primary duty is making sales and the employee is
customarily and regularly engaged away from the employer's place of business.
Unlike other white collar exemptions, it carries no salary level or salary basis
requirement, so a commission-only or low-base structure does not by itself defeat
it. Two cautions. Sales by phone, mail, or internet do not count toward the
exemption unless that contact merely supports personal calls, so a hybrid seat
that mostly works from home may fail the test. And minimum wage still matters:
if the exemption does not apply, total pay in a week must clear minimum wage for
every hour worked. Document the territory and the call plan. This is general
information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Base: $_ per year. Commission: [percentage of gross profit or revenue].
On-target earnings: $_. [Vehicle allowance or mileage at the IRS rate,
expense policy, travel reimbursement.]
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
To apply, email __ with your resume and territory history.
Template 4: Inside and Remote
For a phone and video closer working volume, with response times, cadence expectations, and an honest overtime note. Pair it with a development rep posting if you are building the two-seat funnel.
Sales Account Executive, Inside and Remote Job Description
FLSA status: Non-exempt unless an exemption is confirmed (see note)
Compensation: $_ base plus commission, $_ on-target earnings
ABOUT THIS ROLE
[Company Name] sells [product or service] to [customer type], and this seat runs
the entire sale by phone, email, and video. Average deal size is $_ and a
typical cycle runs [number] days. You will handle [number] active opportunities
at a time and work from [office / home] on a set schedule.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Inside Account Executive works a high volume of opportunities to close:
responding to inbound demand quickly, qualifying against a written framework,
running remote demonstrations, quoting, and closing without an in-person visit.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Close $________ per [month / quarter] across [number] deals
•Respond to inbound leads within [number] minutes during business hours
•Make [number] outbound calls and send [number] emails per day
•Qualify against [framework] and disqualify early rather than late
•Run remote demonstrations and send a written recap the same day
•Send quotes within [number] hours of the demonstration
•Follow the cadence: [number] touches over [number] days before closing a lead
•Keep the CRM clean: no stale stages, no missing next steps
•Report daily activity and weekly pipeline to [manager]
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years in an inside sales or closing role
•Comfort with high call volume and structured cadences
•Clear written English for recaps, quotes, and follow-up
•Experience with [CRM] and [dialer or sequencing tool]
•[Reliable home internet and a quiet workspace, if remote]
CLASSIFICATION NOTE
An inside seller is almost always non-exempt. The outside sales exemption
requires the employee to be customarily and regularly away from the employer's
place of business, which a desk-based seat is not, and sales made by phone or
internet do not count toward it. The administrative exemption does not fit a
person whose primary duty is selling. The Section 7(i) commission exemption
applies only to employees of a retail or service establishment and requires all
three of its conditions to be met, including that the regular rate exceeds one
and one half times the applicable minimum wage in any overtime week and that more
than half of earnings in a representative period come from commissions. So
unless one of those clearly applies, track hours, pay overtime past forty in a
week, and remember that commissions and nondiscretionary bonuses have to be
included in the regular rate used for the overtime premium. This is general
information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Base: $_ per [year / hour]. Commission: [structure]. On-target earnings:
$_. [Overtime is paid at time and one half of the regular rate, which
includes commissions, if this role is non-exempt.]
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
To apply, email __ with your resume and quota history.
Template 5: Agency and Professional Services
For selling scoped engagements rather than products: discovery, scoping with the delivery team, proposals and statements of work, and expansion into retainers.
Sales Account Executive, Agency and Professional Services Job Description
SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE JOB DESCRIPTION (AGENCY / PROFESSIONAL SERVICES)
Firm: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Managing Partner / Business Development Director / Owner]
Employment type: Full-time
FLSA status: [Exempt / Non-exempt] (see classification note)
Compensation: $_ base plus commission, $_ on-target earnings
ABOUT THIS ROLE
[Firm Name] provides [marketing, design, accounting, IT, consulting] services to
[client type]. Engagements run $_ to $_ and last [duration]. This
seat sells the work and stays close enough to the client to sell the next phase.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Account Executive brings in new client engagements and expands existing ones:
qualifying opportunities, scoping the work with delivery, writing proposals and
statements of work, negotiating rates, and closing.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Sell $________ in new engagements per [quarter / year]
•Build pipeline through [referrals, partners, outbound, inbound, events]
•Run discovery to understand the client's problem before proposing a scope
•Scope engagements with [delivery lead] so the estimate can be delivered
•Write proposals and statements of work with clear deliverables and terms
•Negotiate rates and payment terms within approved limits
•Grow existing clients through additional scopes and retainers
•Coordinate the handoff to the delivery team and stay involved through kickoff
•Keep the pipeline and forecast current in [CRM]
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years selling professional services or agency work
•Ability to scope credibly rather than promise whatever closes the deal
•Strong written proposals: this role writes, it does not only present
•Comfort selling to [owner, marketing director, finance lead]
•[Industry knowledge in ______]
CLASSIFICATION NOTE
Classify honestly by primary duty. A seller whose primary duty is making sales
does not fit the administrative exemption, which is aimed at office work directly
related to management or general business operations. If the person genuinely
runs the account after the sale (planning, advising, exercising discretion on
significant matters), the analysis can change, but the title on the offer letter
does not decide it. The outside sales exemption applies only when the person is
customarily and regularly away from the firm's place of business making sales.
The Section 7(i) exemption is limited to retail or service establishments and
most professional services firms do not qualify. Where no exemption applies,
track hours and pay overtime, including commissions in the regular rate. This is
general information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Base: $_ per year. Commission: [percentage of contracted value or
collected revenue]. On-target earnings: $_. [Payment timing, clawback on
cancelled engagements, and treatment of renewals per the written plan.]
[Firm Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
To apply, email __ with your resume and a proposal sample.
Template 6: First Sales Hire
For the handoff from founder-led selling, with a ramped quota, a written ramp schedule, and the process-building work stated in the responsibilities instead of hidden.
Sales Account Executive, First Sales Hire Job Description
FLSA status: [Exempt / Non-exempt] (see classification note)
Compensation: $_ base plus commission, $_ on-target earnings
ABOUT THIS ROLE
Until now the [founder / owner] has closed every deal at [Company Name]. We sell
[product or service] to [customer type], we have closed [number] accounts at an
average of $_, and the founder no longer has the hours to keep doing it.
You would be the first person here whose only job is selling. There is no playbook
yet. You will help write it.
POSITION SUMMARY
The first Account Executive takes over the sales motion the founder has been
running: working the existing pipeline, closing new business, and turning what
has worked so far into a repeatable process other people can follow.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Close $________ in the first [six / twelve] months against a ramped quota
•Take over the founder's live pipeline within the first [number] weeks
•Sit in on [number] founder-led calls before running your own
•Write down the sales process as you learn it: stages, questions, objections
•Build the first version of the CRM setup, sequences, and templates
•Source your own pipeline: we do not have enough inbound to carry a quota yet
•Report weekly to the founder on pipeline, forecast, and what is not working
•Feed customer objections and lost reasons back to product and pricing
•Help hire and train the second seller once the process is written down
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years closing deals in [market], ideally at a small company
•Experience selling without a full marketing team behind you
•Willingness to prospect: a large share of pipeline will be self-sourced
•Comfort with ambiguity and with writing process down rather than inheriting it
•A quota history you can walk through number by number
RAMP AND EXPECTATIONS (state these in the posting)
•Month 1: shadow founder calls, learn the product, take over [inbound]
•Month 2: run your own discovery calls, [percentage] of quota
•Month 3: full cycle ownership, [percentage] of quota
•Month [4 to 6]: full quota
•Ramped commission or a [number] month draw applies during the ramp period
CLASSIFICATION NOTE
A first sales hire at a small company usually works from a desk, which means the
outside sales exemption is unlikely to apply, and a pure closer does not fit the
administrative exemption either. The Section 7(i) commission exemption is limited
to retail and service establishments. Assume non-exempt unless counsel confirms
an exemption: track hours, pay overtime past forty in a week, and include
commissions and nondiscretionary bonuses in the regular rate for the overtime
premium. Put the commission plan in writing before the start date, including how
commission is earned, when it is paid, what happens to deals that cancel, and
what happens if either side ends the employment. Several states regulate the
timing of commission payment and the treatment of unpaid commissions at
separation. This is general information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Base: $_ per year. Commission: [structure]. On-target earnings: $_.
[Draw amount and recoverability, ramp schedule, equity if offered.]
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
To apply, email __ with your resume and your quota history.
Quota, Commission, and On-Target Earnings
Quota is the number the seat has to produce; on-target earnings are what the seller takes home when they hit it. State both, and state the base separately, because a single blended figure tells a candidate nothing about the risk they are taking.
The common structures are a percentage of revenue, a flat amount per deal, a percentage of gross profit, or a tiered rate that accelerates above quota. Which one you pick matters less than writing it down. Our guide to commission pay works through the mechanics, including how commission interacts with the overtime calculation for a non-exempt seller.
Element
What to state in the posting
Why sellers screen on it
Base salary
A number or a narrow range
It is the part that does not depend on your product working
Variable at quota
The dollar amount earned at 100 percent
Tells them what good looks like here
On-target earnings
Base plus variable at quota
The headline number they compare across offers
Split
For example 60 percent base and 40 percent variable
Signals how much risk you are asking them to carry
Quota
Dollar figure with the period attached
Without it, on-target earnings is a guess
Average deal size
The real average, not the best deal you closed
Determines how many deals a year the number requires
Accelerators
The rate above 100 percent, if any
Decides whether the best sellers stay past quota
Ramp or draw
Length and whether the draw is recoverable
The first two quarters are the risky ones for them
Publish a good-faith range where pay transparency laws apply. Several states now require a range in the posting itself, and a sales role is not exempt from that because part of the pay is variable. State the base range and describe the variable structure alongside it.
Overtime and Which Exemption Actually Fits
A sales account executive is not automatically exempt from overtime, and at a small company the honest default is non-exempt. The word executive in the title carries no legal weight, and neither does paying a salary instead of an hourly rate.
The exemption that was written for sellers is the outside sales exemption, set out in the federal regulation on outside sales employees. It requires a primary duty of making sales and that the employee be customarily and regularly engaged away from the employer’s place of business. The Department of Labor’s fact sheet on the outside sales exemption is explicit that sales made by mail, telephone, or the internet do not count unless that contact merely supports personal calls on the customer.
Outside sales: the only exemption written for sellers
The outside sales exemption applies when the employee's primary duty is making sales and the employee is customarily and regularly engaged away from the employer's place of business. It is unusual in one important way: it carries no salary level and no salary basis requirement, so a low base with heavy commission does not defeat it the way it would defeat an executive or administrative claim. The limit is the travel test. Sales made by mail, telephone, or the internet do not count unless that contact merely supports personal calls on the customer. A seat that spends four days a week on video calls from a home office is not an outside sales seat, whatever the territory map says. Document the call plan and the actual pattern of customer visits. This is general information, not legal advice.
The administrative exemption rarely fits a closer
Employers reach for the administrative exemption when the outside sales test fails, and it usually does not hold. That exemption requires a primary duty of office or non-manual work directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer or its customers, plus the exercise of discretion and independent judgment on matters of significance. A person whose primary duty is selling the employer's own product is doing production work for a sales organization, not running its operations. The regulations do recognize that some employees who advise customers on their business needs can qualify, so the analysis is fact specific rather than automatic. What does not decide it: the job title, a salary instead of an hourly rate, or the word executive in account executive. This is general information, not legal advice.
The commission exemption is narrower than it sounds
Section 7(i) of the Fair Labor Standards Act exempts certain commissioned employees from overtime, and it is often misread as covering anyone paid on commission. Three conditions all have to be met. The employee must work for a retail or service establishment, defined as one where at least seventy five percent of annual dollar volume is not for resale and is recognized as retail in that industry. The employee's regular rate must exceed one and one half times the applicable minimum wage for every hour worked in any week with overtime hours. And more than half of the employee's earnings in a representative period must come from commissions. A software company, a wholesaler, or a professional services firm usually fails the first condition before the others matter. This is general information, not legal advice.
Non-exempt sellers change how you calculate overtime
If the seat is non-exempt, the overtime premium is not simply one and one half times the base hourly rate. Commissions and nondiscretionary bonuses have to be included in the regular rate for the weeks they cover, which means a commission paid quarterly gets allocated back across the weeks in that period and the overtime premium recalculated. That is the part small employers miss, because the payroll is usually set up to pay a flat base plus a separate commission line and nothing recalculates. Track hours for every non-exempt seller from the first day, keep the commission plan in writing, and confirm the overtime math with your payroll provider before the first commission run rather than after. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a payroll provider. This is general information, not legal advice.
The third route employers reach for is the commission exemption under Section 7(i) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which the Department of Labor explains in its fact sheet on commissioned employees of retail establishments. It reaches only retail and service establishments and requires all three of its conditions to hold, so most software companies, wholesalers, and professional services firms fail it at the first step.
If none of the three fits, treat the seat as non-exempt: track hours, pay overtime past forty in a week, and include commissions in the regular rate for the weeks they cover. Our breakdown of exempt versus non-exempt classification walks through the tests in order.
What to Pay a Sales Account Executive
There is no Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation titled sales account executive, so the honest benchmark is a range built from the classifications that contain the role. Which one applies depends on what you sell, not on what you call the seat.
Nearest BLS Classifications, National Medians
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), sales representatives of services had a national median annual wage of $69,990, with the 25th percentile at $47,670, the 75th at $100,480, and the 90th at $148,840. Sales representatives in wholesale and manufacturing of technical and scientific products ran a median of $104,920 and a 90th percentile of $200,440 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates).
Nearest BLS classification
Median / 75th / 90th (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
When it is the right benchmark
Sales representatives of services (41-3091)
$69,990 / $100,480 / $148,840
Agencies, managed services, staffing, and most business services selling
Wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific (41-4011)
$104,920 / $158,160 / $200,440
Technical software, equipment, and scientific products; the 10th percentile is already $52,600
Wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific (41-4012)
$72,080 / $99,640 / $137,550
Non-technical product selling; the 25th percentile is $50,470
First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers (41-1012)
$87,520 / $122,050 / $164,070
The player coach seat, not an individual contributor
Two adjustments before you use those figures. The survey reports wages including commissions, so read the upper percentiles as total on-target earnings rather than base salary. And the medians blend every level of seller in the country, so a first sales hire with five years of closing experience does not belong at the median of a category by default.
Scale is worth knowing too. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 1,226,700 people employed as sales representatives of services in 2024 and 1,310,500 in wholesale and manufacturing outside the technical and scientific category, with growth projected at 3 to 4 percent for the first group and little or no change for the second through 2034. This is a deep, competitive candidate pool where a vague posting simply gets skipped.
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Hiring the first account executive is not a smaller version of hiring the fifth. You are asking someone to take over a sales motion that lives in the founder’s head, without collateral, without a written process, and often without enough inbound to fill a week.
The failure mode is predictable: the seller is measured against the founder’s close rate, which was earned with founder credibility and founder pricing authority, and falls short by month four. The fix is a ramp that is written down and published in the posting, so the expectation is shared before the offer rather than argued about afterward.
Weeks 1 to 2
Product, pricing, and the customer. Shadow live calls, read closed-won and closed-lost notes, and sign the commission plan before the first opportunity is assigned.
Weeks 3 to 6
Run discovery with a safety net. The founder or manager joins calls, the seller owns the recap and the next step, and quota sits at a stated fraction of full.
Weeks 7 to 12
Full cycle ownership on smaller deals, with pricing approval still required. Quota steps up on a schedule the seller saw before accepting the offer.
Month 4 onward
Full quota, full pricing authority within limits, and a written process the next hire can follow. If ramp has slipped, the diagnosis happens here, not at month nine.
Do Not Hire a Closer Into an Empty Pipeline
If the founder is generating fewer than a handful of qualified conversations a month, a closer will spend most of their time prospecting, which is a different skill and often a different person. Either hire a seller who genuinely prospects and say so in the posting, or build the pipeline first with a development rep and hire the closer second. The expensive version is hiring a strong closer, giving them nothing to close, and concluding that sales hiring does not work at your size.
Hiring a Closer Without an HR Department
Small-company sales hiring fails in three predictable places: the posting hides the conditions, the commission plan never gets written, and onboarding is improvised. Each has a fix that costs an afternoon.
The founder is still the best seller, and the posting quietly assumes the new hire will not need help
At a company under about thirty people, the person writing the account executive job description is usually the founder, and the founder has closed every deal so far. That creates a specific failure: the posting describes the outcome (hit quota) without describing the conditions (no inbound, no case studies, no pricing page, no one to hand the account to afterward). Strong sellers read that gap immediately and price it into their decision. Write the conditions down. State how many inbound leads arrive a month, what share of pipeline the seat has to source, who handles the customer after signature, and how many founder calls the new hire will shadow before running their own. A posting that is honest about the mess attracts the kind of seller who has worked in one before.
The commission plan gets written after the offer is accepted, or never gets written at all
The most expensive small-company sales mistake is a handshake commission arrangement. Six months in, a deal cancels, a customer pays late, a contract renews, or the seller leaves, and nobody can point to a document that says what happens. Several states regulate the timing of commission payment and the treatment of commissions earned before separation, and in a dispute the absence of a written plan tends to be read against the employer. Write the plan before the start date: what triggers a commission, on what amount, when it is paid, what happens on cancellation or non-payment, how renewals are treated, and what happens to open deals if employment ends. Then have the seller sign it alongside the offer letter, not three weeks later.
Sales onboarding is a pile of introductions instead of a sequence, and ramp takes twice as long
A seller who ramps in three months instead of six is worth more than one who negotiates a smaller base. Yet at most small companies the first two weeks are improvised: a login here, a product walkthrough there, a call recording someone remembers to share. The fix is a written sequence with dates attached, and it is the same problem onboarding software exists to solve. FirstHR runs the same sequence for every new hire, with the AI onboarding wizard building the plan, e-signature handling the offer letter, the commission plan, and policy acknowledgments, training modules covering product and pricing before the first live call, and document management holding the signed plan against the employee profile. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Once the offer is signed, the work shifts to a repeatable onboarding checklist, and for sellers specifically our guide to sales onboarding covers the sequence from signed commission plan through the first solo close.
When the second and third sellers arrive, the next posting you need is the sales manager job description, because the person who built the process is rarely the person who wants to enforce it.
Key Takeaways
At a small company the account executive usually owns the whole cycle including prospecting, so state which stages the seat owns and what share of pipeline it has to source.
Publish the quota as a dollar figure with a period attached, plus average deal size and cycle length, because experienced sellers screen postings on numbers first.
State base salary and on-target earnings as separate figures; a blended number tells a candidate nothing about the risk they are taking.
The word executive carries no legal weight: outside sales requires customary and regular work away from your premises, the administrative exemption rarely fits a closer, and Section 7(i) reaches only retail and service establishments.
For a non-exempt seller, commissions and nondiscretionary bonuses go into the regular rate used to calculate the overtime premium, which most small payroll setups do not do automatically.
Nearest BLS classifications run a median of $69,990 for sales representatives of services and $104,920 for technical and scientific products (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and those figures include commissions.
Write the commission plan before the start date and have it signed alongside the offer letter, because several states regulate commission timing and payment at separation.
A seller who ramps in three months instead of six is worth more than one who negotiates a smaller base. FirstHR runs the same onboarding sequence for every new hire, with e-signature for the offer letter and the commission plan, training modules for product and pricing before the first live call, and document management holding the signed plan on the employee record. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a sales account executive do?
A sales account executive owns the part of the sale that ends in a signature. At a large company that means taking qualified meetings from a development rep, running discovery and demonstrations, building the proposal, negotiating, and closing, then handing the customer to an account manager. At a small company it usually means all of that plus sourcing the pipeline in the first place, because there is no one upstream feeding it. The distinction matters more than the title. Before you write the posting, decide which stages this seat owns: prospecting, qualifying, demonstrating, quoting, negotiating, closing, onboarding the customer, and renewing. Write those stages into the responsibilities section, and state what share of pipeline the seller has to source themselves. That single sentence tells experienced candidates more about the job than any list of soft skills.
What is the difference between a sales account executive and an account manager?
An account executive closes new business; an account manager keeps and grows business that is already closed. The account executive carries a new-revenue quota and is measured on deals signed. The account manager is measured on retention, renewal, and expansion within existing accounts, and often has no new-logo target at all. The two roles need different people: closing rewards urgency and comfort with rejection, while account management rewards patience and follow-through. Confusing them in a job description is one of the most common small-company hiring mistakes, because you attract closers to a service job or service people to a quota job, and both leave within a year. If one person has to do both at your size, say so explicitly in the posting and weight the compensation plan toward whichever outcome actually pays your bills.
Are sales account executives exempt from overtime?
Not automatically, and at a small company the honest default is non-exempt. Three exemptions get discussed for sellers and each is narrower than it looks. The outside sales exemption applies only when the primary duty is making sales and the employee is customarily and regularly away from the employer's place of business, and sales made by phone, mail, or internet do not count unless that contact merely supports personal calls. The administrative exemption is aimed at work directly related to management or general business operations, which a pure closer selling the employer's own product generally is not doing. The Section 7(i) commission exemption applies only in a retail or service establishment and requires three conditions to all be met. Where none applies, track hours, pay overtime past forty in a week, and include commissions and nondiscretionary bonuses in the regular rate you use for the premium. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a sales account executive make?
There is no Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation titled sales account executive, so any honest benchmark is built from the nearest classifications. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), sales representatives of services had a national median annual wage of $69,990, with the 25th percentile at $47,670, the 75th at $100,480, and the 90th at $148,840. Sales representatives in wholesale and manufacturing of technical and scientific products ran higher at a median of $104,920 and a 90th percentile of $200,440, while the non-technical category sat at a median of $72,080. Those survey figures include commissions, so read the upper percentiles as total on-target earnings rather than base salary. In a job posting, state the base and the on-target earnings as two separate numbers, because a candidate cannot evaluate a single blended figure.
What should a sales account executive job description include?
Seven things, in this order: the quota as a dollar figure with a period attached, the average deal size and typical cycle length, which stages of the sale this seat owns, where pipeline comes from and what share is self-sourced, the base salary and on-target earnings stated separately, the FLSA classification, and the ramp schedule with any draw. Add the travel percentage if the role is field based, the CRM and forecasting expectations, an equal opportunity statement, and a named person to apply to. What to leave out: adjective lists, a demand for a hunter mentality, and any responsibility you cannot measure. Experienced sellers screen postings on numbers, and a posting without numbers reads as a company that has not decided what the seat is for.
Do I need a written commission plan before hiring a sales account executive?
Yes, and it should be signed alongside the offer letter rather than sorted out later. A written plan has to answer what triggers a commission, on what amount it is calculated, when it is paid, what happens when a deal cancels or a customer never pays, how renewals and expansions are treated, and what happens to open deals if employment ends. Several states regulate the timing of commission payment and the treatment of commissions earned before separation, and in a dispute the absence of a document tends to be read against the employer. Beyond the legal exposure, the practical value is that a signed plan removes the argument that otherwise arrives in month six of every small-company sales hire. Keep the signed copy on the employee record with the offer letter, not in an email thread.
How do I hire my first account executive with no HR department?
Write the conditions down before you write the requirements. State how much inbound arrives monthly, what share of pipeline the seller must source, who owns the customer after signature, and how many founder-led calls they will shadow before running their own. Then run a short, structured process: a screen on quota history with real numbers, a working session where the candidate runs discovery on your actual product, a proposal or written recap exercise, and reference checks with a former manager who saw them carry a number. Make the offer quickly, because speed is one of the few advantages a small employer has. Then treat ramp as a sequence with dates rather than a pile of introductions: signed commission plan, product and pricing training, CRM setup, shadowed calls, and a stepped quota. FirstHR handles that onboarding sequence with e-signature, training modules, and document management. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
