An account executive sells products or services to select customers.
Account executives are sales professionals who work in the advertising, computer software, marketing consultant, wireless and financial services industries. Most account executives sell to specific customers or accounts. For example, an advertising account executive may sell to small businesses on the west side of a major city. Account executives will usually earn a salary and/or bonuses, commissions and profit sharing.
Average Salary
Account executives earn an average of $36,927 to $60,299 per year, according to January 2011 information from Payscale.com. Including all bonuses, commissions or profit sharing payments, an account executive earns a total income of $40,410 to $72,415 per year. Comparably, StateUniversity.com reports that the average annual median salary for account executives is $40,300. Glassdoor.com lists salaries for over 1,572 account executive positions, most of which range from $35,000 to $80,000.
Years of Experience
Like other professionals, most account executives earn merit raises each year. Therefore, an account executive's salary will usually increase proportionately with his experience level. For example, account executives with less than one year of experience earn annual salaries of between $30,036 and $41,477, per Payscale.com. After one to four years, an account executive can expect to earn a salary between $33,451 and $49,416 per year. With five to nine years of experience, account executives earn annual salaries of $40,039 and $62,279. Account executives with 10 or more years of experience can earn salaries of $44,035 to $81,140 per year.
Type of Industry
An account executive's annual salary can also vary by industry. Following are the annual salary ranges by industry for account executives, per Payscale.com: Insurance--$44,039 to $64,846; marketing/advertising/media management--$33,904 to $47,934; insurance--$45,162 to $73,140; advertising agency--$36,965 to $48,125; commercial insurance--$43,339 to $65,240; information technology services--$38,915 to $80,904; beauty/skin care/cosmetics--$46,565 to $65,737.
Salaries by City
Account executives can expect to earn the highest salaries in San Francisco at $44,493 to $73,743 per year, according to Payscale.com. Account executives' salaries in Los Angeles are a close second at $43,952 to $66,432 per year. In New York City, an account executive can expect to earn a salary of $40,559 to $64,168 per year. The average annual salary ranges for account executives in Chicago are $35,624 to $63,793. In Atlanta, an account executive can earn between $38,369 to $60,323 in salary each year. Additionally, account executives earn average salary ranges of $39,489 to $63,422 and $37,179 to $55,444, in Dallas and Seattle, respectively.
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