What B2B tech sales roles pay.
Typical base salary and on-target earnings (OTE) for SDRs and AEs in the US, for writing an offer or weighing one.
| Role | Base salary | OTE (base + commission) | Base / variable |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDR / BDR0–1 year | $55K–$65K | $75K–$90K | 70 / 30 |
| SDR / BDR1+ years, senior SDR | $60K–$75K | $85K–$110K | 65 / 35 |
| Account ExecutiveSMB | $65K–$80K | $110K–$160K | 50 / 50 |
| Account ExecutiveMid-Market | $85K–$110K | $160K–$220K | 50 / 50 |
| Account ExecutiveEnterprise | $120K–$150K | $230K–$300K | 50 / 50 to 60 / 40 |
How to read this: US ranges, rounded, drawn from the reports below. Seed-stage companies often pay toward the lower end of base and add equity. Many reps earn less than OTE in a given year, because not every rep hits quota.
Sources (checked November 2026)
- The Bridge Group, Sales Development Models, Metrics & Compensation, 2025: SDR median $55K base, $80K OTE, 68/32 split.
- RepVue, SDR salary data: median $60K base, $85K OTE (Sept 2025).
- Betts Recruiting, SDR compensation trends for 2026: base $55K–$70K entry level, $60K–$75K with experience.
- ICONIQ Growth, cited in Everstage's sales compensation statistics: SDR OTE $70K–$110K, 30–40% variable.
- Optymyze, Sales compensation benchmarks (RepVue data): AE OTE $110K–$160K SMB, $160K–$220K mid-market, $230K–$270K+ enterprise, about 50/50.
- Visdum, What is OTE in sales: SMB AE median $70K base / $135K OTE; mid-market AE $90K base / $180K OTE.
For hiring managersWriting an SDR scorecard
Score every candidate on the same five things so interviews stay fair and fast.
Read the guide →
- Coachability: give feedback in a role-play, then see if they use it on the second try.
- Written outreach: ask for a cold email to one of your real buyers.
- Phone presence: a 3-minute mock cold call.
- Work ethic: past activity numbers and how they tracked them.
- Curiosity: do they ask good questions about your product and buyer?
For hiring managersOutbound vs. product-led AEs
Both close deals, but they spend their days very differently.
Read the guide →
- Outbound AEs build their own pipeline, run long discovery, and are comfortable with cold starts and rejection.
- Product-led AEs work warm users already in the product, read usage data, and move fast on expansion.
- Ask in interviews: “Walk me through where your last 5 deals came from.” The answer tells you which one they are.
For job seekersHow to read a sales comp plan
The OTE number on the offer is only half the story.
Read the guide →
- Ask what % of reps hit quota last year. If it's under half, OTE is mostly theory.
- Check the quota-to-OTE ratio. Around 4–5x OTE is common for AEs.
- Ask about ramp: how many months of reduced quota or guaranteed pay you get.
- Look for caps and clawbacks on commission, and when commission is paid.