Senior SMB New Business Account Executive
Okta · Chicago, IL
- Base
- Not disclosed
- OTE
- $136K–$204K
- Quota attainment
- Not disclosed
- Posted
- 12d 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 1 min agoon Okta's careers page
What Okta sells
Checks who you are before any app opens
Companies have workers who need to sign into many apps on many devices, and they must keep the wrong people out. Okta acts like a trusted doorman that checks who each person is and lets them into only the apps they should use. Workers can get in safely from almost anywhere, and the company stays in control of who has access.
In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell us
More Security companies →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
- 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
- Open 11 days.
- Company hiring
- Ramping up: posted 25 sales roles in the last 30 days. That many open roles can also mean churn. Ask how many reps are still there from last year.
Red flags
None spotted.
Green flags
- Publishes OTE. It tells you the on-target earnings up front. Most postings don't.
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.
Who sits with reps and reviews calls each week?
Coaching is often what's behind a good or bad attainment number.
- 5.
What's the base, and how is the rest paid out?
OTE without a base doesn't tell you what you can count on.
- 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.
Got an offer from Okta? Not sure about it?Ask me. I read every message myself. · JoshAsk Josh
The role
Sell Okta's identity and access management software to new SMB customers (under 300 employees), building your own pipeline through outbound, networking and events alongside marketing, SDR and partner leads.
SMB · New Logo · 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:
- SMB
Pipeline expectations
Compensation
What is not disclosed
This posting doesn't tell you:
- Base salary
- Quota size
- Quota attainment
- Average deal size
- Territory
- Sales cycle length
The questions above cover the big ones.