Q: How much money does an account executive make?

An account executive makes approximately $65,000 a year. Many factors can impact what an account executive earns annually, as this number only includes base salary. Entry-level account executive positions earn an average of $44,000 per year. This salary reflects the education and experience of the candidate as well as the size of the company and city of employment.

Q: Is an account executive a good job?

Yes, being an account executive is a good job. High-energy individuals with natural social skills will find the career both exciting and fulfilling. Plus, a strong job outlook indicates a positive future for account excutives.

Q: Is an account executive a manager?

No, an account executive is not a manager. While account executives oversee team members tasked with acquiring new clients, they are not considered part of the management team. An account executive is responsible for recruiting new customers and following up on leads for potential new business. This often results in account managers working with others in the sales department to present a proposal to a potential client.

Question 1

How long does it take to become an Account Executive?

Accepted Answer

It takes 5 years of professional experience to become an account executive. That is the time it takes to learn specific account executive skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 8 to 10 years years to become an account executive.

Question 2

Do you need a degree to be an account executive?

Accepted Answer

No, you do not need a college degree to become an account executive. To become an account executive requires, at minimum, a high school diploma.

Over 70% of account executives have a bachelor's degree, and most have their bachelor's degrees in business administration, finance, business management, and marketing.

Question 3

How much money does an account executive make?

Accepted Answer

An account executive makes approximately $65,000 a year. Many factors can impact what an account executive earns annually, as this number only includes base salary.

Entry-level account executive positions earn an average of $44,000 per year. This salary reflects the education and experience of the candidate as well as the size of the company and city of employment.

Question 4

Is an account executive a good job?

Accepted Answer

Yes, being an account executive is a good job. High-energy individuals with natural social skills will find the career both exciting and fulfilling. Plus, a strong job outlook indicates a positive future for account excutives.

Question 5

Is an account executive a manager?

Accepted Answer

No, an account executive is not a manager. While account executives oversee team members tasked with acquiring new clients, they are not considered part of the management team.

An account executive is responsible for recruiting new customers and following up on leads for potential new business. This often results in account managers working with others in the sales department to present a proposal to a potential client.

Question 6

What level is an account executive?

Accepted Answer

An account executive is considered a lower-level position in the business sales profession. Although very important, the position of account executive ranks near the bottom of the business sales hierarchy.

Question 7

What qualifications do I need to be an account executive?

Accepted Answer

Account executives must meet certain education and job-specific qualifications, including a bachelor's degree, business or sales experience, and strong communication skills.

A four-year degree in business administration, accounting, or marketing is typical of someone pursuing this career path. Some candidates earn an MBA, and all coursework should focus on consumer research, marketing, and communication methods.

Question 8

What's the difference between an account executive and an account manager?

Accepted Answer

The difference between an account executive and an account manager is their involvement with the client. Account managers are responsible for ensuring client satisfaction once the client is already on board with the company. An account executive is tasked with finding and signing new clients to the company.

Question 9

Account Executive vs. Account Manager

Accepted Answer

An account executive is responsible for finding and signing new clients to the company, while the account manager is responsible for ensuring client satisfaction after they have signed the sales contract.

Question 10

What is a good starting salary for an Account Executive?

Accepted Answer

A good starting salary for an account executive is $42,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for an account executive in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for account executives is $66,604, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for an account executive can vary by state.

Question 11

Do account executives make a lot of money?

Accepted Answer

Yes, account executives make a lot of money. Aside from base salaries that can reach six figures, account executives can make additional income from incentives such as sales commission and performance bonuses.

Question 12

How much does an entry level Account Executive make?

Accepted Answer

An entry-level account executive makes approximately $44,000 annually. Entry-level positions can pay as little as $21,000 a year and as much as $63,000 annually.

Some areas of the country pay above the national average for entry-level account executives. New York, Chicago, and multiple cities in California pay larger salaries to entry-level executives.

Question 13

Where do account executives make the most money?

Accepted Answer

Account executives working in larger cities earn a higher salary than those in less populated areas. New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago represent cities where executive salaries exceed the national average.

Question 14

Can an account executive make 100k?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can make $100,000 per year as an account executive. The chances of earning over $100k for an account executive are actually pretty good because the highest-paid account executive positions typically pay at least $103,000 per year. The average annual salary is $66,604 for account executive jobs. For example, account executives in Connecticut whose salaries are in the 90th percentile earn an average salary of $124,000.

Question 15

How much does an account executive get paid?

Accepted Answer

An account executive gets paid around $97,000 annually. The national average starting salary is $65,000, plus a commission or bonus around $20,000 to $40,000 annually.

The average entry-level position for an account executive is $43,000 plus commission. An account executive with a master's degree earns more money ($73.000) compared to someone with just a bachelor's degree ($65,000). Only 7.3% of account executives, however, have a master's degree.

Question 16

Is it hard to be an account executive?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it is hard to be an account executive. To become an account executive requires some educational credentials and work experience. More importantly, an account executive is expected to have exceptional communication skills, a large social network, and a drive to stay relevant and up-to-date on the latest trends.

Question 17

What is an account executive job description?

Accepted Answer

The job description for an account executive hinges on the ability to acquire and maintain new business. An account executive relies on numerous skills from communication to budgetary concerns to sign new customers.

Question 18

What percentage of Account Executives are female?

Accepted Answer

43.3% of account executives are female in the United States. This is 2.8 percentage points higher than last year. Additionally, the percentage of female account executives has decreased by -2.5 percentage points since 2010. That means there are a total of 476,284 female account executives in the U.S. and 623,680 male account executives in the United States. Note that Zippia's estimate accounts only for the 1,099,964 people with the specific job title of account executive and doesn't include grouping similar job titles, or people with potentially similar credentialing.

Question 19

What do account executives do?

Accepted Answer

Account executives manage an existing client base, find prospective clients, and bring new business to the company. Being an account executive is all about relationship-building, confidence, persuasion, and time management.

Question 20

What is a short executive summary of a resume?

Accepted Answer

A short executive summary of a resume is a short paragraph that appears at the top of your resume, which summarizes the most important elements of your qualifications or experience.

It's a 'snapshot' into a candidate that provides hiring managers a quick reference into who they are and what they can offer by calling out the most important aspects of your resume. However, not every resume needs an executive summary.

Question 21

What should be on an account executive's resume?

Accepted Answer

What should be included on an account executive's resume are highlights of examples of where you helped build customer relationships, quantifiable measurements, technical expertise, and soft skills. As with most resumes, you'll want to include contact information, an objective summary, work experience, education credentials, and skills/qualifications.

Frequently asked questions about account executives

Questions about becoming an account executive