How to hire an account executive/outside sales

How to hire an account executive/outside sales, step by step

Here's a step-by-step account executive/outside sales hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an account executive/outside sales job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new account executive/outside sales
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an account executive/outside sales do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the account executive/outside sales you need to hire. Certain account executive/outside sales roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an account executive/outside sales to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an account executive/outside sales that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of account executive/outside sales salaries for various roles:

   Type of Account Executive/Outside Sales	Description	Hourly rate
   Account Executive/Outside Sales	Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. They contact customers, explain product features, answer any questions that their customers may have, and negotiate prices.	$25-50
   Sales Development Representative	A sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team... Show more	$16-37
   Sales Agent	A sales representative is responsible for offering goods and services to potential and existing clients. Sales representatives must display a strong knowledge of the company's products to assist customers with their inquiries and concerns... Show more	$10-45

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Salesforce
   • Customer Service
   • Digital Marketing
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Facebook
   • Business Sales
   • Sales Process
   • Sales Territory
   • Customer Relationships
   • Business Development
   • SEO
   • Client Relationships
   • Social Media Marketing
   • Search Engine Marketing

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Hire and manage production, creative and copywriting team members who execute the development of say marketing platform.
   • Log CRM sales calls daily to keep accurate account of progression.
   • Develop and execute pipeline sales funnel utilizing CRM tool while consistently exceeding organizational revenue expectations.
   • Prepare and present professional corporate business proposals and executive presentations to purchasing manager, directors and c-level suite.
   • Prepare, deliver and sell custom multi-media integrate cross promotion presentations to key decision makers at brand management and advertising agencies.
   • Present Groupon as a unique way for businesses to acquire new customers.

   More account executive/outside sales duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your account executive/outside sales job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An account executive/outside sales salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, account executive/outside sales' average salary in hawaii is 54% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level account executive/outside sales earn 50% less than senior-level account executive/outside sales.
   • Certifications. An account executive/outside sales with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an account executive/outside sales's salary.

   Average account executive/outside sales salary

   $75,033yearly

   $36.07 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level account executive/outside sales salary

   $53,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average account executive/outside sales salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$89,174	$43
   2	Washington	$87,070	$42
   3	Delaware	$83,375	$40
   4	New Jersey	$82,849	$40
   5	New Hampshire	$81,744	$39
   6	Massachusetts	$81,066	$39
   7	Oregon	$77,995	$38
   8	Nevada	$77,777	$37
   9	North Dakota	$75,857	$36
   10	Pennsylvania	$75,532	$36
   11	Maryland	$74,291	$36
   12	Utah	$73,059	$35
   13	Minnesota	$72,315	$35
   14	Wisconsin	$71,486	$34
   15	District of Columbia	$69,645	$33
   16	Ohio	$69,125	$33
   17	Iowa	$68,342	$33
   18	Illinois	$68,079	$33
   19	Louisiana	$67,690	$33
   20	Georgia	$66,180	$32

   Average account executive/outside sales salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Concentra	$94,062	$45.22	6
   2	BMC Group	$89,551	$43.05	2
   3	iHeartMedia	$86,704	$41.68	227
   4	Limelight Networks	$86,043	$41.37
   5	Aramark	$78,075	$37.54	52
   6	Republic Services	$78,063	$37.53	80
   7	GBS	$74,006	$35.58
   8	Atlantic, Tomorrow's Office	$73,156	$35.17	8
   9	Atlantic Companies Holding Corporation	$72,227	$34.72	2
   10	Heartland Payment Systems	$71,668	$34.46
   11	Sharp	$70,594	$33.94	41
   12	Jani-King	$70,476	$33.88
   13	Woodward Communications	$68,466	$32.92	5
   14	Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply	$64,457	$30.99	12
   15	AFR Furniture Rental	$64,374	$30.95	8
   16	ADP	$63,112	$30.34	260
   17	Pilot Freight Services	$63,083	$30.33
   18	Delta Defense	$61,222	$29.43	7
   19	Toshiba America Business Solutions	$59,633	$28.67	39
   20	AmeriPride Services	$57,269	$27.53

4. Writing an account executive/outside sales job description

   A good account executive/outside sales job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an account executive/outside sales job description:

   Account executive/outside sales job description example

   Every day, Global Payments makes it possible for millions of people to move money between buyers and sellers using our payments solutions for credit, debit, prepaid and merchant services. Our worldwide team helps over 3 million companies, more than 1,300 financial institutions and over 600 million cardholders grow with confidence and achieve amazing results. We are driven by our passion for success and we are proud to deliver best-in-class payment technology and software solutions. Join our dynamic team and make your mark on the payments technology landscape of tomorrow.
   Summary of This Role
   The Outside Sales Account Executive is responsible for driving new business within an assigned territory. This position requires sales expertise with large complex organizations and experience working with executive management.
   
   Responsibilities:
   Entrepreneurial mentality with focus on sourcing new business through relationships, cold calling and strategic business development campaigns Promote and sell enterprise software applications Act as a primary contact and advisor for prospects throughout the sales cycle Design customer presentations, proposals, and web demonstrations in order to meet the direct needs of the prospective client Manage the complete sales cycle with strategic urgency Strong consultative face-to-face relationship building with new clients to develop positive, long-term relationships Understand current and prospective customers' business issues and buying motives by conducting a “needs analysis” for clients Be an industry expert and provide insightful, strategic technical recommendations to clients Deliver the right solution for clients' evolving business requirements Leverage partner networks to build market knowledge Meet and exceed assigned target quotas and activity targets (i.e. Cold Calls, Calls, Emails, Meetings, Demos, Presentations).Work with cross functional groups in developing formal proposal responses Follow and aid in the evolution of cross functional processes
   
   Qualifications:
   Bachelor's degree required2-5+ years of experience in a B2B sales role or related role At least 20% field work with customers in a sales capacity required Proven track record of success as an individual contributor Experience working with government and nonprofit organizations and purchasing processes preferred Previous experience selling Software-as-a-Service solutions Utilizes consultative solution selling methodologies Ability to deliver on growth, selecting and qualifying opportunities, and achieving sales objectives with new business prospects Strong entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to do what it takes to get the job done Exceptional interpersonal skills, customer-focused, strong communication and organizational skills, goal oriented, and self-motivated team player Ability to learn, use, and understand technology applications
   
   Additional nice to have skills:
   Skills / Knowledge - Developing professional expertise, applies company policies and procedures to resolve a variety of issues.Industry Knowledge - Expert knowledge as it pertains to government entities and/or non profit organizations.Communication - Effective listener and communicator who is able to establish long lasting customer relationships
   
   Global Payments Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.
   Global Payments provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other basis protected by law. Those applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application and/or interview process should notify a representative of the Human Resources Department.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find account executive/outside sales for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any account executive/outside sales they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level account executive/outside sales with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your account executive/outside sales job on Zippia to find and recruit account executive/outside sales candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting account executive/outside sales requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new account executive/outside sales

   Once you've found the account executive/outside sales candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new account executive/outside sales. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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