Commercial Account Executive, DACH
Algolia · Remote · Germany
- Base
- Not disclosed
- OTE
- €120K–€160K
- Quota attainment
- Not disclosed
- Posted
- 6mo ago
Why it matters: OTE tells you what you could earn. Attainment tells you how realistic it is.
Ask: “What percentage of fully ramped reps hit quota last year?”
Still open · checked 1h agoon Algolia's careers page
The job
- What you'd do
- Sell search software to online shops and retailers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, winning new customers and selling more to existing ones. You'll book many of your own meetings, plus work leads that come in.
- What you'd sell
Fast search and product discovery for online stores and apps
When a shopper visits an online store or a company's website, they need to find the right product or page fast. The problem is, a search box that only matches exact words often misses what people actually mean, and they leave without buying. Algolia turns a company's products, content, and business rules into data that its search can act on, so visitors see relevant results in milliseconds.
In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell me · More Sales & marketing companies →
- Who you'd sell to
- Still reading the posting. Check back within the hour.
- Where deals come from
- Mostly you. Expect a lot of outbound: cold calls, emails and LinkedIn.
The Braun Read
Worth a lookSolid on the basics. Use the first call to fill in the gaps.
- Pay
- OTE is listed. Ask what the base is.
- Transparency
- Shares 1 of 5: quota, attainment, deal size, territory, sales cycle.
- Time on market
- Open 208 days. Ask why it's been hard to fill.
- Company hiring
- Pulling back: closed 3 sales roles in 30 days and posted 1. Ask what changed.
Red lights
None spotted.
Yellow lights
- German required. The posting asks for fluent German. Worth knowing before you apply if you only sell in English.
- Open 90+ days. This role has been posted for three months or more. Ask why it's been hard to fill, and whether anyone left it.
Green lights
- Publishes OTE. It tells you the on-target earnings up front. Most postings don't.
Based only on what the posting says. Lights are a starting point for your first call, not a final judgment.
Questions to ask on the first call
Built from what this posting leaves out. How they answer tells you as much as what they say.
- 1.
This role has been open a while. What's made it hard to fill?
The answer tells you what candidates saw that made them walk.
- 2.
I noticed fewer open sales roles lately. What changed?
Fewer openings can mean cuts. Better to hear it now.
- 3.
What percentage of fully ramped reps hit quota last year?
OTE is what you could earn. This is how likely you are to earn it.
- 4.
What percentage of reps on the team have been here more than 18 months?
Tenure shows whether people stay long enough to get paid.
- 5.
Has the comp plan changed in the last 12 to 18 months? What changed?
A plan that changes every year means the goalposts keep moving.
- 6.
Why is this role open? Did someone leave, or is it new?
New headcount is growth. A replacement means someone left. Ask why.
› When the offer comes
Save these for later. They land better once they've said yes to you.
- 1.
Can I see the full comp plan in writing, including clawbacks and accelerators?
What's in writing is what gets paid. Read it before you sign.
- 2.
Can I see the actual comp distribution for the team last year, not just the OTE?
The spread shows what most reps really take home. OTE is just the target.
- 3.
I'd be walking away from earned commission to join. Is there room for a sign-on bonus to help cover that?
Leaving money behind is a fair reason to ask. The worst answer is no.
Josh's top five questions for any sales interview →
Going for your first AE role? Get the free interview kit → 24 questions, what good and bad answers sound like, and an offer comparison sheet.