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The differences between heads of sales and account executives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a head of sales has an average salary of $166,100, which is higher than the $69,618 average annual salary of an account executive.
The top three skills for a head of sales include CRM, sales strategy and sales organization. The most important skills for an account executive are customer service, CRM, and healthcare.
| Head Of Sales | Account Executive | |
| Yearly salary | $166,100 | $69,618 |
| Hourly rate | $79.86 | $33.47 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 112,592 | 205,561 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 8 | - |
The head of sales is primarily responsible for overseeing the sales performance of a company and devising strategies to optimize practices. Their responsibilities typically revolve around monitoring the progress of every sales effort, setting objectives and deadlines, performing research and analysis to identify sales opportunities, and coordinating with different departments to improve procedures and reach sales targets. Furthermore, as the head of sales, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
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.
Heads of sales and account executives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Head Of Sales | Account Executive | |
| Average salary | $166,100 | $69,618 |
| Salary range | Between $110,000 And $248,000 | Between $44,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | Portland, OR |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Flexport | Hitachi Vantara |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a head of sales and an account executive in terms of educational background:
| Head Of Sales | Account Executive | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between heads of sales' and account executives' demographics:
| Head Of Sales | Account Executive | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.5% Female, 33.5% | Male, 57.2% Female, 42.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 5% |