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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Field Sales Account Executive

💰 $60,000 - $140,000 (base + OTE)

SalesField SalesAccount ManagementB2B

🎯 Role Definition

The Field Sales Account Executive is a frontline revenue generator responsible for building and managing a defined geographic territory or vertical. This role combines strategic territory planning, active prospecting, in-person customer engagement, and end-to-end sales execution. The Field Sales Account Executive represents the company in the market, qualifies opportunities, delivers product demonstrations, negotiates and closes multi-stakeholder deals, and drives consistent quota attainment while providing market feedback to Product and Marketing teams.

This position is ideal for a consultative seller with strong relationship skills, proven closing ability, a track record of meeting or exceeding quota, and willingness to travel frequently for face-to-face customer interactions.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Sales Development Representative (SDR) / Business Development Representative (BDR)
  • Inside Sales Representative
  • Territory Sales Representative

Advancement To:

  • Senior Field Sales Account Executive
  • Regional Sales Manager / Area Manager
  • Director of Sales / Head of Field Sales
  • Strategic Accounts Manager / Enterprise AE

Lateral Moves:

  • Customer Success Manager / Client Success
  • Solutions Consultant / Sales Engineer
  • Channel Partner Manager / Channel Sales

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Own a defined geographic territory and proactively develop a territory plan that prioritizes target industries, accounts, and high-value opportunities to consistently achieve or exceed quarterly and annual revenue quotas.
  • Build a strong pipeline through a mix of outbound prospecting (cold calling, targeted email campaigns, social selling), inbound lead follow-up, account targeting, and strategic networking to maintain a healthy funnel and predictable deal flow.
  • Conduct discovery meetings and consultative sales conversations with C-level, VP, and director-level stakeholders to uncover business drivers, technical requirements, budget cycles, decision criteria, and ROI expectations.
  • Deliver polished, tailored in-person and virtual product demonstrations and proof-of-concept sessions that translate product capabilities into measurable customer outcomes and expedite buying decisions.
  • Qualify opportunities using MEDDIC/MEDDICC or other qualification frameworks, accurately forecast deal stages and close dates in the CRM, and provide reliable pipeline health updates to sales leadership.
  • Negotiate pricing, commercial terms, and contractual details with customers and procurement teams to secure profitable deals while protecting margin and maintaining alignment with company discounting policy.
  • Close new business by navigating complex buying committees, overcoming objections, and coordinating cross-functional resources (legal, finance, solutions engineering) to accelerate contract execution.
  • Manage full sales cycle from initial outreach to signed contract and handoff to implementation or customer success, ensuring a seamless transition and high first-day customer confidence.
  • Maintain meticulous records of activity, opportunity updates, contact information, and deal notes in Salesforce (or equivalent CRM) to support data-driven territory management and accurate revenue forecasting.
  • Execute territory account plans for named and key accounts to grow revenue via upsell, cross-sell, renewals, and expansion opportunities while continuously nurturing long-term customer relationships.
  • Drive adoption of company marketing programs and events (local meetups, trade shows, industry conferences) by representing the brand, capturing leads, and converting event interactions into pipeline opportunities.
  • Leverage competitive intelligence to position our solution versus alternatives, articulate clear differentiators, and proactively neutralize competitor strengths during sales cycles.
  • Collaborate with Sales Engineering and Product teams to scope technical requirements, ensure solution fit, and influence product roadmap with real-world customer feedback and feature requests.
  • Prepare and deliver executive-level presentations, ROI models, and business cases that quantify value and expedite procurement and executive approval.
  • Implement and iterate on sales playbooks, messaging, and objection-handling techniques based on market feedback and win/loss analysis to improve conversion rates and shorten sales cycles.
  • Track and analyze territory KPIs — conversion rates, average deal size, sales cycle length, win rate — and apply insights to optimize daily activity, prioritize high-impact accounts, and meet quota.
  • Maintain active travel schedule for client meetings, on-site demos, and industry events, balancing face-to-face relationships with digital engagement to maximize sales productivity.
  • Mentor junior sales team members and share best practices for prospecting, pipeline management, demo delivery, and negotiation to raise overall team performance.
  • Partner with Customer Success to align renewal and expansion strategies, coordinate joint account reviews, and ensure customers achieve promised outcomes after purchase.
  • Prepare detailed RFP/RFI responses and commercial proposals, coordinating internal stakeholders to ensure accuracy, compliance, and timely submission.
  • Manage and escalate risks and stalled deals, designing action plans with cross-functional teams to remove blockers and reaccelerate momentum toward close.
  • Stay current on industry trends, regulatory changes, and buyer behavior in assigned verticals to better position solutions and anticipate customer needs.
  • Maintain a customer-centric approach, striving to deliver excellent service, responsiveness, and professional integrity in every customer interaction.

Secondary Functions

  • Collaborate with Marketing to shape local demand-generation campaigns, test messaging variants, and share insights on lead quality and buyer persona effectiveness.
  • Provide structured feedback to Product and Engineering about feature gaps, usability issues, and competitive requirements to influence the product roadmap and roadmap prioritization.
  • Support onboarding, enablement, and new-hire training by sharing territory playbooks, objection-handling examples, and live role-play sessions.
  • Participate in weekly sales huddles, forecasting meetings, and quarterly business reviews to align on priorities, share pipeline progress, and identify cross-sell opportunities.
  • Attend industry trade shows and networking events to represent the company, generate visibility, and collect market intelligence.
  • Assist with account renewals and escalation management when needed, collaborating with Sales Leadership and Customer Success to retain at-risk clients.
  • Create case studies and referenceable success stories for Marketing by documenting customer outcomes and measurable business impact after deployment.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Salesforce CRM (opportunity management, forecasting, activity logging) or equivalent (HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics).
  • Territory planning and segmentation, with ability to build account plans and prioritize target lists.
  • Pipeline management and forecasting methodologies (MEDDIC, BANT, Challenger).
  • Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel for sales metrics and modeling; PowerPoint for executive presentations).
  • Experience delivering product demos and technical presentations, coordinating Sales Engineering support when appropriate.
  • Contract negotiation and commercial deal structuring, including familiarity with basic legal and procurement processes.
  • Account-based selling and strategic account development techniques.
  • Experience with sales enablement tools (Outreach, SalesLoft, LinkedIn Sales Navigator) and sales analytics platforms.
  • Ability to build ROI / TCO models and business cases using data to justify investment decisions.
  • Knowledge of pricing strategy, discounting frameworks, and margin protection best practices.

Soft Skills

  • Consultative selling and active listening — ability to uncover needs, diagnose pain points, and position solutions that deliver measurable value.
  • Executive presence and strong presentation skills for C-level conversations.
  • Persuasive negotiation and influence across multi-stakeholder decision-makers.
  • Exceptional verbal and written communication, with professional email and proposal writing.
  • Resilience and perseverance in a quota-driven, outbound-heavy sales environment.
  • Time management, organization, and ability to prioritize high-impact activities across travel and meetings.
  • Relationship building and long-term account stewardship skills.
  • Strategic thinking combined with tactical execution — can both plan the territory and close the next deal.
  • Adaptability to changing market conditions and evolving product offerings.
  • Collaborative mindset and ability to work cross-functionally with Marketing, Product, and Customer Success.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree OR equivalent practical sales experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Finance, or related field.
  • MBA or advanced degree is a plus for senior or strategic territory roles.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Marketing
  • Finance / Economics
  • Communications / Public Relations
  • Information Technology (for technical product focus)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3 - 7 years of B2B sales experience, with 2+ years in field or territory-based roles.

Preferred:

  • 4+ years selling into mid-market or enterprise accounts with consistent quota attainment.
  • Prior experience in SaaS, technology solutions, hardware, or professional services depending on product vertical.
  • Demonstrated track record of developing territory plans, building pipelines, and closing multi-stakeholder deals.
  • Experience working with cross-functional teams (Sales Engineering, Legal, Finance, Customer Success) to deliver complex solutions.
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