A tech sales career moves in steps, and each step has a typical timeline and a typical pay. Here is the path with TrackRec's own numbers for each one.
1. Get in as a BDR
Most people start in a BDR role, and plan for a step back in title or base to get in. The way in is covered in How to break into tech sales. A first-year BDR prices around $110K OTE in the main Canadian and US cities, at roughly 70/30 base to variable.
2. Become an Account Executive
In the US, 66% of the TrackRec sellers who started as a BDR or SDR have since held an Account Executive role, and the median took 24 months. In Canada it is 41%. The detail is in How long does it take to go from BDR to Account Executive?
3. Move up the segments
About 1 in 6 TrackRec Account Executives who sold mostly SMB later held a mostly enterprise role, a median 31 months later in the US. The detail is in How many SMB Account Executives move to enterprise? The pay moves with it: an SMB Account Executive with 3 years and $12K deals prices at $200K OTE in New York, and an enterprise Account Executive with 8 years and $150K deals at $348K.
4. Lead a team, or keep closing
In the US, 39% of TrackRec Account Executives went on to a leadership role, a median 40 months after they started as an Account Executive. In Canada it is 34%. The detail is in What comes after Account Executive? A Sales Manager in New York prices at $365K to $525K OTE, depending on the company.
What carries you between steps
Numbers. Each move goes to the seller who can show revenue, quota attainment, deal size and sales cycle, backed by people who saw them do it. How do I prove my sales track record? shows how, and TrackRec records it role by role for salespeople in the US and Canada.
The pay for every step, by city, is in the sales salary guide.
Happy hunting.
