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The differences between account executives and business development executives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a business development executive has an average salary of $97,871, which is higher than the $69,618 average annual salary of an account executive.
The top three skills for an account executive include customer service, CRM and healthcare. The most important skills for a business development executive are business development, digital transformation, and customer service.
| Account Executive | Business Development Executive | |
| Yearly salary | $69,618 | $97,871 |
| Hourly rate | $33.47 | $47.05 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 205,561 | 189,950 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | - | 10 |
An account executive is responsible for supporting existing clients, closing client deals, and developing sales strategies to increase the company's sales and satisfaction. An account executive must be competitive enough to keep up with the constant changes in the sales industry, including the high demands of digital marketing, a different approach to product advertising, effective negotiation, and presentation skills. An account executive also requires excellent communication skills for the successful acquisition of client accounts and immediately resolve possible complaints as they arise.
A business development executive serves as a senior manager who drives company sales. Business development executives convince existing clients to buy more offerings and also source new clients. The focus of their job is on lead generation, prospect management, and customer acquisition. They collaborate with management in terms of sales objectives, planning, and prediction. The skills necessary for this job include customer service and relations, time management, strong written communication, and sales process experience.
Account executives and business development executives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Account Executive | Business Development Executive | |
| Average salary | $69,618 | $97,871 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $109,000 | Between $64,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | Phoenix, AZ |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Arizona |
| Best paying company | Hitachi Vantara | Clifford Chance |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between an account executive and a business development executive in terms of educational background:
| Account Executive | Business Development Executive | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between account executives' and business development executives' demographics:
| Account Executive | Business Development Executive | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.2% Female, 42.8% | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 5.6% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 10% |