Enterprise Account Executive - Seattle
Kong · Olympia, WA
- Base
- $320K–$400K
- OTE
- Not disclosed
- Quota attainment
- Not disclosed
- Posted
- 4h 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 53 min agoon Kong's careers page
What Kong sells
Secures and manages traffic between apps and AI
Companies have many apps and AI models sending data back and forth, and it gets hard to keep that traffic safe, fast, and under control. Kong sells a product that handles this flow, so a company can secure it, manage it, speed it up, and set rules for it. Teams can then use their apps and AI tools with less worry about what goes where.
In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell us
More Developer & IT tools companies →The Braun Read
Ask hard questionsToo much is left unsaid. Make them answer before you invest.
- Pay
- Base is listed but not OTE. Ask what the variable is and how many people hit it.
- Transparency
- Says nothing about quota, attainment, deal size, territory or sales cycle.
- Pipeline
- Mostly self-sourced. Great if you like outbound, rough if you don't.
- Time on market
- Brand new.
- Company hiring
- Ramping up: posted 11 sales roles in the last 30 days.
Red flags
None spotted.
Green flags
- Real coaching. The posting commits to regular coaching or call reviews. A bad attainment number usually means no coaching and no standard, not bad reps.
Based only on what the posting says. Flags 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.
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.
- 2.
What percentage of reps on the team have been here more than 18 months?
Tenure shows whether people stay long enough to get paid.
- 3.
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.
- 4.
What's the OTE, and what did the median rep earn last year?
Base is what you're guaranteed. OTE and the median show the upside.
- 5.
Who's the economic buyer, and who else is in the deal?
Selling to a CFO and selling to a developer are different jobs.
- 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 →
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Got an offer from Kong? Not sure about it?Ask me. I read every message myself. · JoshAsk Josh
The role
Sell Kong's API and AI connectivity platform to large enterprises (5,000+ employees), owning the full cycle from prospecting to close, including C-level engagement and expansion.
Enterprise · Mixed · Outbound
Selling motion
Who you're selling to
- Buyer:
- Not stated in the posting.Ask: “Who's the economic buyer, and who else is in the deal?”
- Company size:
- Enterprise
Pipeline expectations
Compensation
What is not disclosed
This posting doesn't tell you:
- OTE
- Quota size
- Quota attainment
- Average deal size
- Territory
- Sales cycle length
The questions above cover the big ones.