What is a commercial account executive and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Kaustav Misra Ph.D.

A commercial account executive manages relationships with clients and generates revenue for a company by selling products or services. They may work in finance, insurance, and advertising settings. Commercial account executives develop and execute sales strategies, identify business opportunities, and negotiate contracts. They also collaborate with internal teams to ensure customer satisfaction and meet revenue goals. Success in this role requires strong communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills in addition to education and experience requirements.

What general advice would you give to a Commercial Account Executive?

Kaustav Misra Ph.D.

Associate Dean, Central Connecticut State University

I have spent almost two decades in the higher education industry and about a decade in administration. I often advised students, and it is astonishing to see how many of these students do not plan for their future. A good plan is a starting point to lead a good and successful career and life. Hence, by all means, it is worth noting that developing a future-oriented focus is important, so taking time to streamline the plan should be an important exercise for every graduate before they begin to do anything.

ScoreCommercial Account ExecutiveUS Average

Salary

5.9

Avg. Salary $75,624

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.1

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 5.10%

Black or African American 3.79%

Hispanic or Latino 13.97%

Unknown 3.71%

White 73.20%

Gender

female 40.73%

male 59.27%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress Level

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.9

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Commercial Account Executive?

Pros

Opportunity for high earning potential
Flexibility in schedule and work location
Opportunity for career advancement within the company
Ability to work independently and take ownership of projects
Potential for travel and attending industry events

Cons

Long hours and high stress during busy periods
Limited job security due to dependence on client retention and sales performance
High competition within the industry for new business
Possibility of a stagnant or slow period of business
Potential for ethical dilemmas or conflicts of interest with clients

Key steps to become a commercial account executive

Explore commercial account executive education requirements

Most common commercial account executive degrees

Bachelor's

73.5 %

Associate

12.4 %

Master's

7.3 %

Start to develop specific commercial account executive skills

Skills	Percentages
Cloud	8.55%
Customer Service	7.94%
CRM	7.29%
Salesforce	6.82%
Customer Satisfaction	6.32%

Complete relevant commercial account executive training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New commercial account executives learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a commercial account executive based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real commercial account executive resumes.

Research commercial account executive duties and responsibilities

Support sales team by providing leads and tracking activity in SalesForce.
Manage and develop relationships with existing clients and new business using a CRM.
Achieve all sales targets for SaaS product targeting service-base businesses requiring an automate customer retention and relationship management tool.
Manage day-to-day activity of client relate projects including IP voice, MPLS infrastructures and CPE implementations in a deadline-orient high-pressure environment.

Prepare your commercial account executive resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your commercial account executive resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a commercial account executive resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Commercial Account Executive Resume templates

Build a professional Commercial Account Executive resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Commercial Account Executive resume.

Apply for commercial account executive jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a commercial account executive job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average commercial account executive salary

The average Commercial Account Executive salary in the United States is $75,624 per year or $36 per hour. Commercial account executive salaries range between $50,000 and $113,000 per year.

Average Commercial Account Executive Salary

$75,624 Yearly

$36.36 hourly