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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for B2B Account Executive

💰 $ - $

SalesB2BAccount ExecutiveSaaSEnterprise Sales

🎯 Role Definition

The B2B Account Executive is a quota-bearing sales professional responsible for acquiring new customers and expanding revenue within assigned territories or segments. This role combines consultative selling, strategic account planning, stakeholder management, and executional discipline across the full sales cycle — from prospecting and qualification through product demonstration, commercial negotiation, and close. Successful candidates are experienced in enterprise or mid-market B2B sales (frequently SaaS), have a demonstrated ability to build pipeline, forecast accurately, and consistently exceed revenue targets (ARR / ACV / quota).

Core keywords/SEO targets: B2B Account Executive, enterprise sales, SaaS sales, quota attainment, pipeline management, consultative selling, CRM (Salesforce), account planning, upsell, cross-sell, contract negotiation.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Sales Development Representative (SDR) / Business Development Representative (BDR) transitioning to closing role
  • Inside Sales Representative or Sales Associate with proven quota achievement
  • Account Manager moving from renewals/expansion into net-new acquisition

Advancement To:

  • Senior Account Executive / Enterprise Account Executive (larger ACV & longer cycles)
  • Sales Manager / Team Lead overseeing AEs and quota delivery
  • Account Director or Head of New Business for a region or vertical

Lateral Moves:

  • Customer Success Manager (focused on post-sale retention & expansion)
  • Solutions Consultant / Sales Engineer (technical pre-sales)
  • Product Marketing or Revenue Operations roles

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Own full sales cycle responsibility for assigned mid-market or enterprise accounts: research, prospect, qualify, demo, negotiate, and close new business to achieve and exceed monthly and annual quota (measured in ARR/ACV).
  • Build and maintain a robust pipeline using multi-channel outreach (cold calling, email, LinkedIn, events, referrals) and ensure consistent pipeline coverage that supports quarterly revenue targets.
  • Conduct compelling discovery conversations to uncover business pain points, quantify value, build ROI/TCO business cases, and map product fit to customer objectives.
  • Deliver persuasive product demonstrations and proof-of-concept activities (virtual and onsite) in partnership with Sales Engineering or Product Specialists to accelerate deal velocity.
  • Create and execute account plans for named accounts and territories—prioritizing highest-opportunity targets, setting milestones, and aligning internal resources to win deals.
  • Qualify opportunities using MEDDIC/MEDDICC, BANT, or company-specific qualification frameworks to focus effort on deals with high close probability and healthy margins.
  • Negotiate commercial terms, pricing, and contract language with procurement, legal, and finance stakeholders to secure win-win agreements while protecting company margin.
  • Manage complex, multi-stakeholder buying groups, build consensus across technical and executive buyers, and navigate long sales cycles typical of enterprise B2B deals.
  • Partner with Marketing to leverage demand-generation programs, webinars, and content to accelerate lead-to-opportunity conversion.
  • Use CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, or equivalent) to track activity, update opportunity stages, maintain accurate forecasts, and provide weekly pipeline health reports to leadership.
  • Deliver accurate monthly and quarterly sales forecasts and participate in win/loss analysis and deal reviews to improve forecast reliability and sales playbooks.
  • Drive expansion and account growth by identifying upsell and cross-sell opportunities within existing customers and coordinating with Customer Success for renewal timing.
  • Achieve consistent quota attainment through disciplined time management, prioritization of high-value activities, and continuous prospecting to offset attrition and pipeline churn.
  • Collaborate with Customer Success and Implementation teams to ensure smooth handoffs, minimize customer time-to-value, and set expectations for post-sale engagement and adoption.
  • Lead pricing and contract negotiation strategies for enterprise procurement cycles, including managing RFP/RFI processes and responding to formal procurement requirements.
  • Maintain deep knowledge of product roadmap, competitive landscape, and industry trends to position product value and differentiate from competitors during sales conversations.
  • Participate in strategic account reviews and executive business reviews (EBRs) with C-level sponsors to align product value with long-term customer goals and drive renewal/expansion.
  • Mentor junior sales colleagues and SDR/BDR teams by sharing best practices in outreach, qualification, demo techniques, and objection handling.
  • Collaborate with RevOps to refine sales processes, update CRM data hygiene standards, and implement tools (CPQ, e-signature, sales engagement platforms) that shorten sales cycle and reduce friction.
  • Manage and prioritize inbound leads, partner referrals, and channel-sourced opportunities to maximize conversion rates and partnership ROI.
  • Prepare clear, persuasive proposals and commercial documentation (SOWs, SLAs) that reflect negotiated scope, deliverables, pricing, and acceptance criteria.
  • Track and analyze key sales metrics (win rate, average deal size, sales cycle length, churn risk) to identify trends, improve conversion, and inform leadership decisions.

Secondary Functions

  • Support quarterly sales enablement initiatives by documenting winning pitch decks, case studies, and objection handling playbooks for the field.
  • Contribute to product feedback loops by collecting customer feature requests, use cases, and competitive intelligence for Product and Marketing teams.
  • Participate in trade shows, industry events, and customer advisory boards to expand professional network and generate strategic pipeline.
  • Assist in development of territory segmentation and ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) refinement to increase targeting effectiveness and close rates.
  • Coordinate with Finance and Legal to ensure compliant contracting, timely payment terms, and accurate revenue recognition handoffs.
  • Help run pilot programs and proofs of concept by defining success criteria, metrics, and timelines with customer stakeholders and internal delivery teams.
  • Provide ad-hoc sales reporting and deal documentation for M&A diligence, investor relations requests, or executive briefings.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proven proficiency with CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) for opportunity management, activity logging, and forecast accuracy.
  • Strong pipeline management and forecasting skills with experience using forecasting methodologies and sales analytics.
  • Demonstrated experience selling SaaS or technology solutions with knowledge of ARR, ACV, MRR, churn, and renewal economics.
  • Advanced negotiation and contract management experience, including experience with SOWs, MSAs, and procurement processes.
  • Ability to build ROI/TCO models and create value-based selling presentations and business cases for C-level sponsors.
  • Experience running product demos, POCs, and proof-of-value engagements; comfortable coordinating technical resources.
  • Familiarity with sales engagement and enablement tools (Outreach, SalesLoft, Gong/Chorus, LinkedIn Sales Navigator).
  • Competency with spreadsheet and reporting tools (Excel, Google Sheets) for pipeline analysis and commission modeling.
  • Working knowledge of CPQ, e-signature tools (DocuSign), and quoting systems to accelerate deal closure.
  • Understanding of integrations, APIs, and typical technical buyer concerns in enterprise environments (security, compliance, SSO).
  • Experience with account-based marketing (ABM) tactics and collaborating with RevOps and Marketing to execute named-account plays.

Soft Skills

  • Consultative selling mindset with the ability to ask diagnostic questions, listen actively, and translate customer needs into solutions.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills for executive-level presentations and negotiation.
  • Relationship-building and stakeholder management skills to influence cross-functional buying committees.
  • High emotional intelligence and resilience for navigating rejection, long sales cycles, and complex negotiations.
  • Strategic thinking and planning capability to prioritize opportunities and scale territory coverage efficiently.
  • Excellent time management and organizational discipline to balance prospecting, closing, and account management activities.
  • Coachability and continuous learning orientation: seeks feedback, iterates on approach, and adopts new sales methodologies.
  • Problem-solving and creative thinking to structure custom commercial agreements and mitigate customer objections.
  • Team collaboration skills to partner effectively with Sales Engineering, Marketing, Product, and Customer Success.
  • Results-driven and metrics-oriented with a track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets consistently.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in sales or related fields.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Computer Science, or related field.
  • MBA or advanced degree is a plus for enterprise or strategic account roles.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Marketing
  • Computer Science / Information Systems
  • Finance
  • Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3–7 years of B2B sales experience for mid-market roles; 5+ years preferred for enterprise AE roles.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years closing SaaS or technology deals with proven quota attainment.
  • Experience managing sales cycles ranging from 3–12+ months and closing deals with ACV typically $25k+ (mid-market) or $100k+ (enterprise).
  • Track record of pipeline generation, multi-stakeholder negotiations, and collaborating with cross-functional teams (Sales Engineering, Customer Success, RevOps).
  • Demonstrated success with outbound prospecting, account-based selling (ABM), and leveraging CRM and sales engagement platforms to scale results.
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