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The differences between commercial account executives and business development executives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a commercial account executive, becoming a business development executive takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a business development executive has an average salary of $97,871, which is higher than the $75,624 average annual salary of a commercial account executive.
The top three skills for a commercial account executive include cloud, customer service and CRM. The most important skills for a business development executive are business development, digital transformation, and customer service.
| Commercial Account Executive | Business Development Executive | |
| Yearly salary | $75,624 | $97,871 |
| Hourly rate | $36.36 | $47.05 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 137,143 | 189,950 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 10 |
A commercial account executive is responsible for income growth in new trademark and existing accounts within an assigned area and ensuring all key measures are delivered. Commercial account executives are primarily responsible for the principal generation and opportunity formation. They work with Marketing, Sales Development, Customer Success, and Professional Services departments to proactively develop and implement an area plan. Also, they work with accounts via telephone, email, in person, and other online means. Additionally, they provide direction and guidance to the extended territory team and leadership to ensure individual and team success. Candidates for this position must have executive-level selling skills.
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.
Commercial account executives and business development executives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Account Executive | Business Development Executive | |
| Average salary | $75,624 | $97,871 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $113,000 | Between $64,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Phoenix, AZ |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Arizona |
| Best paying company | VMware | Clifford Chance |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a commercial account executive and a business development executive in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Account Executive | Business Development Executive | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between commercial account executives' and business development executives' demographics:
| Commercial Account Executive | Business Development Executive | |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.3% Female, 40.7% | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 6% | 10% |