Industry Background
An AE with the right industry background has a competitive advantage over those without one, as they're better equipped to navigate the complexities of the market and build meaningful relationships with clients.
Struggling to hire an Account Executive?
We find Account Executives that have the experience, tech stack, and quota attainment that make them the perfect fit for your company.
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Let us save you time & money by doing the grunt work for you.
Are you a sales leader? Has your internal team sent you overflowing resumes of unqualified candidates? Has your Account Executive role been open for 3 months?
Here's how we'll find your next Account Executive hire.
- 01
Understanding the position
From our kickoff call, we take the time to understand the ins and outs of the Account Executive position you're hiring for — their professional sales background, quota attainment, how they tailor their sales approach, and who they have experience selling to.
- 02
Sourcing top tier AE candidates
We source through various large databases of connections to find you the top talent in your industry, even those who aren't necessarily in the job market. Before you even see their resume, we'll interview & pre-qualify applicants.
- 03
Facilitating & Hiring
Our team will manage the entire staffing process, facilitate communications, and accelerate offer acceptance – all while briefing the hiring manager on all feedback.
What We Screen For
Account Executive characteristics we screen for:
Communication Skills
During the screening process, it is important to ask about specific situations where they had to communicate complex information to a client and how they approached the situation. We observe their presentation skills and active listening skills.
Quota Attainment
It's important to screen an AE about the types of quotas they have been assigned and the industries or markets they have worked in. Their ability to successfully sell in a variety of environments and to close deals of varying sizes and complexities is crucial.
Average Deal Size
Screening an AE about their average deal size can provide valuable insights into their sales performance and success in closing deals. This helps us determine if their sales approach aligns with the needs and goals of your organization.
Roles Filled
Recent Account Executive placements
3 Enterprise & 2 Mid-Market AEs hired at Enable
Collaborative B2B rebate management software that makes it easy to manage and scale rebate programs.
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2 Enterprise AEs hired at ListenFirst
Data, insights, and expert knowledge social media analytics platform.
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Enterprise & Mid-Market AEs hired at Nautical Commerce
Multi-vendor marketplace e-commerce platform empowering businesses to become a marketplace with headless multi-vendor infrastructure.
Learn moreCase Study
Series C B2B SaaS company leverages Sloane Staffing to place 15 employees in four months and secure next round of funding.
After receiving our Series B funding, our top priority was to grow our footprint in North America and expand our go-to-market & sales teams. We were working with over two dozen staffing firms and Sloane Staffing quickly emerged as our top partner. Their ability to come in and find top-tier talent in a short period of time has allowed us to meet and exceed our growth targets ahead of time.
Roles filled
- 3 Enterprise Account Executives
- Enterprise Sales Manager
- Commercial Sales Manager
- 4 Sales Enablement Managers
- 2 Business Development Representative Managers
Resources
Account Executive Hiring Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it cost to hire an enterprise account executive in 2026?
Budget against on-target earnings, not base salary. Median AE OTE is $200,000 in 2026, up from $190,000 in 2024, carried against a median quota of $960,000 — a quota-to-OTE ratio of 4.6×. Enterprise seats with longer cycles and larger deals sit above that median. Public aggregators quoting an “enterprise AE” average near $88,000 are reporting base-diluted data and understate the real cost of the seat.
How long does an account executive take to ramp?
6.2 months to full productivity — the highest figure on record, and up sharply over the past four years. That is the number to build into a hiring plan: a rep signed in Q1 is not carrying a full number until Q3. Our 2026 GTM hiring benchmarks break down ramp by segment.
What percentage of account executives hit quota?
48% in 2026, down from 51% in 2024 and below the long-run trend, across research covering 158 B2B companies. Median quota climbed to $960,000 over the same period while quota-to-OTE moved from 4.2× to 4.6× — quotas rose faster than pay, which is most of why attainment fell.
How much experience should we require when hiring an AE?
The market median is 3.7 years at hire, up from 2.7 in 2022. Employers have been buying down ramp risk by requiring more experience — reasonable, but it shrinks the pool and raises OTE expectations at the same time. Where the motion is teachable, a shorter-tenure hire with strong evidence of coachability often closes faster and cheaper.