Braun Board

Account Executive, Corporate

Sprout Social · Chicago, IL

Base
Not disclosed
OTE
$150K–$187K
Quota attainment
Not disclosed
Posted
1mo 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 Sprout Social's careers page

What Sprout Social sells

Social media data turned into smarter business decisions

A business has a lot of social media data, but it's hard to tell what it means. Sprout's software helps the company make sense of that data. Teams can then make smarter decisions and build closer relationships with their customers.

In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell us

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The Braun Read

Worth a look

Solid 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
A mix of self-sourced pipeline and inbound or SDR help.
Time on market
Open 48 days. Ask why it's been hard to fill.
Company hiring
6 sales roles open, hiring at a steady pace.

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. 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. 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. 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. 4.

    Who sits with reps and reviews calls each week?

    Coaching is often what's behind a good or bad attainment number.

  5. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

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The role

Sell Sprout Social's social intelligence platform to large corporate prospects, converting them into customers. Work alongside BDRs and Solution Engineers; the role requires generating your own pipeline over time.

Mid-Market · New Logo

Selling motion

New Logo

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

A mix of self-sourced pipeline and inbound / SDR support.

Compensation

$150K–$187K OTE

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.

Full posting
Description Sprout Social is looking to hire an Account Executive, Corporate to join the Sales & Customer Experience team. Why join Sprout’s Sales & Customer Experience team? At Sprout Social, our Sales and Customer Experience team is the driving force behind how today’s most innovative brands use Sprout to power the future of customer connection. We sell and support the leading social intelligence platform for businesses, helping organizations unlock the full value of social data to drive strategic decisions. Through powerful social intelligence and trusted partnership, we enable teams to build authentic relationships and drive meaningful business impact. In this role, you will collaborate with the brightest minds in the industry to support global giants like Salesforce, Airbnb, and Equifax. Just as importantly, we believe in the power of our people. You’ll find a culture that honors your ambition, encourages you to explore new horizons, and provides the framework for you to build a career that matters. If you’re ready to champion innovation and accelerate your impact, this is where you can do your best work. What you’ll do - Drive new business in our corporate segment by converting our largest prospective corporate clients into customers - Collaborate with colleagues across our sales support team, including Business Development Representatives (BDRs), Solution Engineers, and more. What you’ll bring Sprout Social is looking for a highly driven, collaborative, and tech-savvy Account Executive with strong business acumen to join our Sales team. Ideally, you will be equally driven by a customer-centric mentality as well as a desire to close new business. These are the minimum qualifications that our hiring team is looking for in this role: - 3+ years of closing experience in B2B sales - Track record of overachieving against defined metrics - Proven success generating pipeline and partnering with Sales Development counterparts - Ability to work from Sprout’s Chicago office at least three days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) with the possibility of additional in-office days depending on business needs Additionally, these are the preferred qualifications that would indicate a particularly strong candidate: - SaaS experience preferred - Social media and/or marketing automation experience a plus - Exceptional organizational, presentation, and communication skills - phone, email and demonstrations/webinars - Experience working with Salesforce.com or other CRM platform How you’ll grow Within 1 month, you’ll plant your roots, including: - Complete Sprout Social’s new hire training & onboarding program alongside other new Sprout team members. You’ll gain a broader understanding of our products and how your role fits into the organization. - Partner with the Manager of Corporate Sales to define key success metrics for your role and how you will be measured against them. - Acclimate yourself with the day to day responsibilities of the Corporate Account Executive team by shadowing team members and listening to recorded customer calls and demos. - Learn Sprout’s go-to-market messaging, key differentiators, develop and personalize segment-specific value propositions. - Learn Sprout’s existing customer sales process by shadowing your peers and working closely with our Sales Enablement Specialists. - Complete a demo and written certification to ensure comprehension. Within 3 months, you’ll start hitting your stride by: - Become fully ramped in your role as a Corporate Executive. - Manage a strong pipeline of qualified leads and begin the process of self generating pipeline with key accounts and strategic stakeholders. - Meet and exceed monthly activity, pipeline and new business metrics - Conduct active research leveraging all available tools and data sources to understand your customers’ brand, culture, KPIs, partners, and success metrics so you can add value throughout your interactions and become a trusted advisor. Within 6 months, you’ll be making a clear impact through: - Own your numbers - consistently meet and exceed your activity goals to build a fruitful pipeline that will provide consistent quota attainment. - Become a Sprout Social and social media expert to confidently speak to ever-changing trends, new product features and platform enhancements to help our customers realize their full potential and accomplish their goals. Within 12 months, you’ll make this role your own by: - Consistently meeting and exceeding monthly activity, pipeline and new business metrics. - Stepping up as a leader to share best practices across the organization and help others grow from your experiences. - Obtaining and acting upon (solicited and unsolicited) peer and customer feedback. Of course what is outlined above is the ideal timeline, but things may shift based on business needs and other projects and tasks could be added at the discretion of your manager. Our Benefits Program We’re proud to regularly be recognized for our team, product and culture. Our benefits program includes: - Comprehensive Health & Wellness: Premium BCBSIL medical, dental (high/low plans), and vision (Eyemed) insurance for you and your eligible dependents. - Premium Mental Health Support: Full, free access to Modern Health for you and your dependents, including coaching, therapy sessions, and digital wellness resources. - Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with a 50% company match on your first 6% of contributions (a 3% total match). - Financial Security: 100% employer-paid Life and Disability insurance for your peace of mind. - Flexible Paid Time Off: A flexible PTO policy, supplemented with additional company-wide Rest & Recharge days throughout the year. - Paid Parental Leave: Up to 16 weeks of paid leave for new parents to support you in expanding your family. - Annual Lifestyle Stipend: A $1,000 USD annual Lifestyle Spending Account to spend on your physical, mental, and financial well-being. - Work From Home Support: A one-time $550 USD stipend to set up your home office, plus a monthly $50 USD stipend for internet. - Giving Back: 16 hours of paid volunteer time annually, plus a $100 annual match for your charitable donations. - Additional Financial Perks: Access to pre-tax commuter benefits, subsidized child/eldercare (Care.com), discounted pet insurance (Figo), and no-cost personalized financial wellness support through Your Money Line. - Office Environment: Beautiful, convenient, and state-of-the-art office in Chicago’s Loop. *This list is for informational purposes only. Benefit offerings are discretionary and subject to change and do not constitute a contract or guarantee of benefits. Our salary ranges reflect the expected earning potential for this role. Individual pay is based on geographic zone, relevant experience, and skills. Our current hiring range for this role: $149,600 – $187,000 OTE annually. OTE is governed by an incentive plan. It is the sum of a fixed base salary plus incentives at target performance. Incentive compensation will vary based on performance. Offers are made within this range, with opportunities to grow within the broader band based on performance and impact. We share both our current hiring range and our broader geographic salary bands to provide transparency into our compensation philosophy. This ensures you understand not only your starting potential but also the long-term growth potential available as you progress in your role. We have two geographic pay zones in the United States. The geographic pay zone for Chicago is: Zone 2: $149,600 – $224,400 These ranges were determined by a market-based compensation approach; we used data from trusted third-party compensation sources to set equitable, consistent, and competitive ranges. We also evaluate compensation bi-annually, identify any changes in the market and make adjustments to our ranges and existing employee compensation as needed. Sprout Social is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on identity- race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex (including sexual identity), age, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, veteran or military status, unfavorable discharge from military service, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, order of protection status, citizenship status, arrest record or expunged or sealed convictions, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local law. Because Sprout Social is a federal contractor, we affirmatively recruit individuals with a disability and protected veterans. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in our latest DEI Report. If you require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the interview process or to submit your application, please email us at accommodations@sproutsocial.com. Include the nature of your request and your preferred contact information. We'll do everything we can to support your success during our recruitment process while upholding your privacy. Please note that only inquiries regarding accommodations will receive a response from this email address; other inquiries will not be addressed (e.g., you send your resume but are not requesting an accommodation). For more information about our commitment to equal employment opportunity, please click here (1) Equal Opportunity Employment Poster and (2) Sprout Social's Affirmative Action Statement. Additionally, Sprout Social participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Sprout Social Inc. and its subsidiaries process personal data submitted through your application to assess your qualifications for employment and to inform our hiring decision and, where applicable, for required governmental reporting. For more information, please review Sprout's Global Applicant Privacy Notice.
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