Account Executive, Startups (Grower)
Stripe · Chicago, IL
Full health. Just posted.
Account Growth: you grow customers the company already has (upsell, cross-sell, renewals).
- Base
- Not disclosed
- OTE
- $191K–$286K
- 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 3h agoon Stripe's careers page
The job
- What you'd do
- Sell Stripe's payment tools to startups and small and medium businesses, from first call to signed deal, and sell more to existing customers. You'll generate most of your own leads through cold calling and networking.
- What you'd sell
Helps businesses take payments online and in person
When a business wants to get paid online, it usually has to piece together a bank, a card processor and fraud checks. The problem is, that takes months to set up and breaks as it grows into new countries. Stripe handles payments, billing and payouts in one place, so businesses start selling sooner and get paid anywhere.
In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell me · More Finance & payments companies →
- Who you'd sell to
- Startups and small and medium businessesIn their words: “Own the full sales cycle from lead to close for startups and small and medium businesses”
- 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
- Says nothing about quota, attainment, deal size, territory or sales cycle.
- Time on market
- Brand new.
- Company hiring
- 101 sales roles open, hiring at a steady pace. Ask how many reps they hired last year and how many are still there.
Red lights
None spotted.
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.
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 →
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