Google a sales salary guide and you get one average per job title, a range so wide it means nothing, and a line telling you to research the market.
Here are real numbers instead.
TrackRec prices every seller on the platform with its own pay estimator. It is built on the rate card I send clients when we place salespeople, eight years and more than 400 placements in. Every figure below comes straight out of that estimator, city by city, for BDRs, Account Executives and sales leaders in Canada and the US.
How to read these numbers
- Every figure is OTE. Base plus variable when you hit 100% of quota, before equity.
- Software, new business. The Account Executive rows assume a software product, 80% new business and 60% of the pipeline sourced by the rep.
- Each row is one profile. Years in the role and average deal size are part of the price. Change them and the number moves.
- City matters. Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary price the same. Ottawa and the rest of Canada sit lower. In the US, New York, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago are at the top, then Austin, Denver, Atlanta and Miami, then everywhere else.
- These are estimates, rounded to the nearest thousand. The bold figure is the middle of the estimate and the line under it is the range around it.
BDRs and Account Executives in Canada
OTE in Canadian dollars.
| Profile | Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary | Ottawa |
|---|---|---|
| BDR1 year | $110K$99K to $121K | $90K$81K to $99K |
| Account Executive, SMB3 years, average deal size $12K | $186K$163K to $208K | $157K$138K to $176K |
| Account Executive, Mid-Market2 years, average deal size $25K | $152K$133K to $170K | $128K$113K to $144K |
| Account Executive, Mid-Market5 years, average deal size $50K | $317K$279K to $356K | $268K$236K to $300K |
| Account Executive, Enterprise8 years, average deal size $150K | $324K$285K to $363K | $273K$241K to $306K |
Halifax and the other Canadian cities price within $1,000 of Ottawa.
BDRs and Account Executives in the US
OTE in US dollars.
| Profile | New York, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago | Austin, Denver, Atlanta, Miami | Smaller markets, like Omaha |
|---|---|---|---|
| BDR1 year | $110K$99K to $121K | $95K$85K to $104K | $80K$72K to $88K |
| Account Executive, SMB3 years, average deal size $12K | $200K$176K to $224K | $171K$151K to $192K | $143K$126K to $160K |
| Account Executive, Mid-Market2 years, average deal size $25K | $163K$144K to $183K | $140K$123K to $157K | $117K$103K to $131K |
| Account Executive, Mid-Market5 years, average deal size $50K | $341K$300K to $382K | $293K$257K to $328K | $244K$215K to $274K |
| Account Executive, Enterprise8 years, average deal size $150K | $348K$306K to $390K | $298K$263K to $334K | $249K$219K to $279K |
What sits behind the jump
Look at the two mid-market rows. A Toronto Account Executive goes from $152K to $317K. Three more years and an average deal twice the size, and the pay more than doubles.
That is how the market prices Account Executives. The rep who has closed bigger deals for longer gets paid for the risk they take off the hiring manager's plate.
The split moves too. BDR roles pay about 70% base and 30% variable. Account Executive roles pay 50/50. So the $317K Toronto Account Executive is roughly $159K base and $159K variable at target.
Sales leaders
Leaders are priced on a card of their own, by level, city and company. Two figures per level:
- The first is a Series B or C company.
- The second is a leader running an enterprise team, with an average deal of $250K or more, at a late-stage company: Series D or later, private equity owned or public.
Seed and Series A companies pay less. So does a first leadership role, for the first two years. Sales leaders take a little over half their OTE as base, around 55/45. Sales development leaders sit closer to 70/30. Each figure is the middle of the estimate.
OTE in US dollars.
| Level | New York, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago | Austin, Denver, Atlanta, Miami | Everywhere else |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDR Manager | $220K to $316K | $175K to $252K | $175K to $252K |
| Director of Sales Development | $260K to $374K | $208K to $299K | $208K to $299K |
| VP of Sales Development | $340K to $489K | $272K to $391K | $272K to $391K |
| Sales Manager | $365K to $525K | $290K to $417K | $290K to $417K |
| Director of Sales | $435K to $625K | $345K to $496K | $345K to $496K |
| Senior Director or RVP | $495K to $712K | $475K to $683K | $395K to $568K |
| Head of Sales* | $475K to $594K | $410K to $513K | $340K to $425K |
| VP of Sales | $565K to $812K | $540K to $776K | $450K to $647K |
| SVP of Sales | $650K to $934K | $625K to $898K | $520K to $748K |
| CRO | $675K to $970K | $650K to $934K | $540K to $776K |
OTE in Canadian dollars.
| Level | Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary | Rest of Canada |
|---|---|---|
| SDR Manager | $190K to $273K | $175K to $252K |
| Director of Sales Development | $230K to $331K | $208K to $299K |
| VP of Sales Development | $300K to $431K | $272K to $391K |
| Sales Manager | $320K to $460K | $290K to $417K |
| Director of Sales | $380K to $546K | $345K to $496K |
| Senior Director or RVP | $435K to $625K | $395K to $568K |
| Head of Sales* | $375K to $469K | $340K to $425K |
| VP of Sales | $495K to $712K | $450K to $647K |
| SVP of Sales | $570K to $819K | $520K to $748K |
| CRO | $595K to $855K | $540K to $776K |
* Head of Sales is the first sales leader a company hires. Company stage does not move that row, so the second figure is the enterprise team alone.
How to negotiate
- Know your number before the first call. Walk in with the figure for your city, your level and your deal size.
- Talk OTE and split together. A $300K OTE at 50/50 and a $300K OTE at 70/30 are two different jobs. Ask for both numbers.
- Ask how many reps hit quota last year. An OTE the team never reaches is a base salary with a story attached. If the answer is vague, ask again.
- Ask what happens above 100%. Accelerators are where top reps make their money. Get the rate in writing.
- Bring proof. Your quota attainment, your deal sizes and your sales cycle, backed by the people who saw you do it. That is what a verified TrackRec profile is for.
Price your own role
These tables are profiles. Your number depends on your city, your years, your deal size, your segment and how much of your pipeline you source yourself.
TrackRec prices exactly that. Build your profile, open My Market, and you see what your role is worth today and what another role would pay you.
Happy hunting.
