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The sales career ladder
Most sales careers start as an SDR, booking meetings and learning the product, then move to Account Executive once you can run a full deal from first call to close. Senior AE is where you get the bigger accounts and the harder deals, and where the money starts to follow the results.
Above senior the path forks. You can keep selling as an Enterprise or Strategic AE, owning the largest, most complex deals for the biggest commissions. Or you can move into leadership as a Sales Manager, Director, VP, and eventually CRO, trading your own quota for the team's number.
The pivot point: Senior Account Executive
Senior AE is where sellers choose. If you love the deal and want the biggest commissions, the Enterprise and Strategic track keeps you selling. If you would rather build and coach a team, the Manager and Director path is yours. The pay can be strong on either side.
What changes as you climb
- Pay is mostly commission, so a great IC seller can out-earn their own manager. The best reps often stay in the seat on purpose.
- The leadership ladder narrows fast. There are far more AE roles than VP or CRO ones.
- Enterprise and strategic selling is a different skill from mid-market, not just a bigger version. The deals are longer and have more stakeholders.
- Many sales leaders were top reps first. Carrying a bag well is the usual proof before you get to lead one.
Where everyone starts
Illustrative titles and pay. Real ladders vary by company. Counts are live open roles matching each level.
IC vs. Management, side by side
| Individual Contributor | Management | |
|---|---|---|
| Core work | Running the biggest, most complex deals yourself | Coaching reps, forecasting, and hitting the team number |
| Judged on | Your own quota and the deals you close | The whole team's pipeline and attainment |
| A normal day | Calls, demos, negotiation, and closing | 1:1s, pipeline reviews, forecasting, and hiring |
| Scope grows by | The size and complexity of the deals you own | The size of the team and territory you run |
Kinds of sales
Sales is a wide field. Most people specialize in one area over time, and the day-to-day work looks different in each. Here are the main tracks and what they cover.
Sales jobs: common questions
What does a salesperson do?
A salesperson finds buyers and runs deals from first contact to signed contract. Early on that means an SDR booking meetings; an Account Executive then owns the full cycle: discovery, demos, negotiation, and the close. The work is part relationship, part process, and the results are measured in revenue.
How do I get into sales?
Most people start as an SDR or BDR, which is the common entry point and needs drive more than experience. From there you earn your way to Account Executive by proving you can qualify and book real pipeline. Sales hires on results, so a track record of hitting numbers matters more than a specific background.
What is the sales career path?
The usual path is SDR to Account Executive to Senior AE, taking bigger deals at each step. Above senior it forks: you can keep selling as an Enterprise or Strategic AE for the largest commissions, or move into leadership as a Sales Manager, Director, VP, and eventually Chief Revenue Officer.
Which skills and tools should a salesperson learn?
The core skills are discovery, running a clean deal process, handling objections, and closing. Most teams run on a CRM like Salesforce or HubSpot, prospecting tools like Outreach or Apollo, and conversation intelligence like Gong. Knowing how to forecast your pipeline honestly is what separates good reps from great ones.
Do you need a degree to work in sales?
No. Sales is one of the most open fields for people without a specific degree, because it hires on results. What matters is whether you can build rapport, run a process, and close, all of which show up in your numbers rather than your resume.
How much do salespeople make?
Sales pay is mostly commission, so total earnings (OTE, or on-target earnings) swing with performance. A strong Account Executive can earn well into six figures, and top enterprise reps often out-earn their own managers. The OTE bands shown here are illustrative; the open roles listed are real postings.
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Sales jobs by location
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