Account Executive
Expert-level sales execution for revenue growth.
Core Competencies Pipeline management Discovery and qualification Solution selling Negotiation Deal closing Account planning Forecasting Relationship building Sales Process Sales Stages STAGE 1: PROSPECT (10%) ├── Lead identified ├── Initial outreach └── Meeting scheduled
STAGE 2: DISCOVERY (20%) ├── Pain points identified ├── Budget confirmed ├── Decision process understood └── Timeline established
STAGE 3: DEMO/EVALUATION (40%) ├── Solution presented ├── Technical validation ├── Value proposition aligned └── Stakeholders engaged
STAGE 4: PROPOSAL (60%) ├── Proposal delivered ├── Pricing discussed ├── Terms negotiated └── Champion confirmed
STAGE 5: NEGOTIATION (80%) ├── Contract reviewed ├── Legal/procurement engaged ├── Final terms agreed └── Signatures pending
STAGE 6: CLOSED WON (100%) ├── Contract signed ├── Payment terms confirmed └── Handoff to CS
Stage Criteria Stage Entry Criteria Exit Criteria Prospect Lead meets ICP Meeting scheduled Discovery Meeting held BANT qualified Demo Technical fit Demo delivered Proposal Budget approved Proposal accepted Negotiation Terms discussed Contract agreed Closed Signed Payment received Discovery MEDDIC Framework M - Metrics What measurable outcomes does the customer want? "What would success look like? How would you measure it?"
E - Economic Buyer Who has the budget authority? "Who ultimately approves this purchase?"
D - Decision Criteria What factors will drive the decision? "What are your must-haves vs nice-to-haves?"
D - Decision Process How will they evaluate and decide? "Walk me through your evaluation process."
I - Identify Pain What problem are they trying to solve? "What's the impact of not solving this?"
C - Champion Who will advocate for you internally? "Who else shares your vision for this?"
Discovery Questions
Situation:
Tell me about your current process for [X] What tools/systems are you using today? How is your team structured?
Problem:
What's working well? What's not? What happens when [problem] occurs? How often does this happen?
Impact:
What's the cost of this problem? How does this affect your team? What happens if you don't solve this?
Need:
What would an ideal solution look like?
What's most important to you?
By when do you need this solved?
Qualification Scorecard
Criteria Score (1-5) Notes
Budget
Authority
Need
Timeline
Champion
Competition
Total /30
Score Interpretation:
25-30: Strong opportunity 18-24: Work on weak areas <18: Needs more qualification Pipeline Management Pipeline Hygiene
Weekly Review:
Update all opportunity stages Verify close dates Confirm next steps Remove stale deals Add new opportunities
Monthly Review:
Analyze win/loss reasons Review pipeline coverage Assess forecast accuracy Identify coaching opportunities Pipeline Coverage PIPELINE COVERAGE = Total Pipeline Value / Quota
Targets: - Early quarter: 4-5x coverage - Mid quarter: 3x coverage - Late quarter: 1.5-2x coverage
By Stage: - Commit: 1x quota minimum - Best Case: 1.5x quota - Pipeline: 3x quota
Forecast Categories Category Definition Probability Commit Will close this period 90%+ Best Case Strong chance to close 60-90% Pipeline In active evaluation 20-60% Upside Early stage, possible <20% Negotiation Negotiation Principles
- Never Negotiate Against Yourself
Wait for their counter Silence is powerful Don't offer discounts unprompted
- Trade, Don't Give
Always get something in return "If I do X, will you do Y?" Maintain value perception
- Understand Their Constraints
Budget limits Approval thresholds Timing pressures
- Create Win-Win
Find creative solutions Expand the pie Long-term relationship focus Common Objections Objection Response "Too expensive" "Compared to what? Let's look at the ROI..." "Need to think about it" "Of course. What specific concerns should we address?" "Competitor is cheaper" "What are you comparing? Let's look at total value..." "Bad timing" "I understand. What would need to change?" "Need more features" "Which ones? Let's discuss what you're trying to achieve..." Discount Guidelines DISCOUNT TIERS
Standard (0-10%): - AE authority - No approval needed
Moderate (10-20%): - Manager approval - Requires justification
Deep (20-30%): - Director approval - Strategic justification - Quid pro quo required
Exception (30%+): - VP approval - Executive sponsor - Documented business case
Account Planning Account Plan Template
Account Plan: [Account Name]
Account Overview
- Industry: [Industry]
- Revenue: $[Amount]
- Employees: [Number]
- Current ARR: $[Amount]
Relationship Map
| Name | Title | Relationship | Influence |
|------|-------|--------------|-----------|
| [Name] | [Title] | Champion | High |
| [Name] | [Title] | Economic Buyer | High |
Opportunity Assessment
- Whitespace: $[Amount]
- Current products: [List]
- Expansion opportunities: [List]
Account Strategy
Short-term (90 days)
- [Goal 1]
- [Goal 2]
Long-term (12 months)
- [Goal 1]
- [Goal 2]
Action Plan
| Action | Owner | Date | Status |
|--------|-------|------|--------|
| [Action] | [Name] | [Date] | [Status] |
Risks
Sales Metrics Activity Metrics Metric Target Calls/day 50+ Emails/day 100+ Meetings/week 15+ Demos/week 5+ Proposals/week 2+ Outcome Metrics Metric Target Win rate 25%+ Average deal size $[X] Sales cycle [X] days Quota attainment 100%+ Pipeline coverage 3x+ Reference Materials references/discovery.md - Discovery framework references/negotiation.md - Negotiation tactics references/objections.md - Objection handling references/forecasting.md - Forecasting best practices Scripts
Pipeline analyzer
python scripts/pipeline_analyzer.py --data opportunities.csv
Forecast calculator
python scripts/forecast.py --pipeline pipeline.csv --quarter Q4
Win/loss analyzer
python scripts/win_loss.py --deals closed_deals.csv
Account planner
python scripts/account_plan.py --account "Account Name"