Roles · Account Executive
Account Executive recruiting for SaaS companies
President’s Club on a resume means almost nothing to us. We’ve seen 3x winners who inherited a monster book and coasted, and reps who missed by a hair in the hardest territory in the company. We find the second kind.
The screen
What we screen for
- Quota, attainment, and stack rank for the last 2–3 years
- Self-sourced pipeline as a share of closed revenue
- Two or three deals walked end to end
- Sales cycle length and deal size that match your motion
- Why they’re leaving, in their own words
The tells
Red flags we catch
- Hit President’s Club off an inherited book
- Can’t name who signed their last three deals
- Every number is “team” performance
What it pays right now
| Role | Base | OTE | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founding AE | ~50% of OTE | $180K–$220K | Seed & Series A, fully remote. NYC & SF run higher |
| Mid-market AE | $100K–$120K | $200K–$240K | Cybersecurity SaaS, Southeast & Central |
From ZRG’s live searches, September–October 2026. Updated quarterly.
Questions
What does a good AE cost?
A founding AE runs $180K–$220K OTE for a fully remote seat, usually a 50/50 base/variable split. New York and San Francisco run higher. Mid-market AEs in our current searches: $100K–$120K base, $200K–$240K OTE.
How do you know they can actually sell?
We audit the numbers before you meet them: quota, what they closed against it, where they ranked, and two or three real deals.
What if they churn out in six months?
Usually it’s the seat: a comp plan nobody can win or a manager nobody can stand. We’ll pressure-test that before we start. CONFIRM: guarantee terms.
Do you hire AEs outside Atlanta?
Yes. We’re running AE searches across the Southeast, Central US, Northeast, and fully remote.
See also: Hiring in Atlanta · Case studies · How we work
Your move
Hiring Account Executives?
Fifteen minutes and we’ll tell you what it should pay and how long it’ll take.
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