Many officers and NCOs with four-year degrees target positions in the civilian sector as account or sales executives. Sales personnel have the highest earning potential of almost any position in leading companies across the nation. These positions are especially well suited to competitive personalities who like the idea of performance (and salary) being directly tied to compensation and recognition. In essence, sales-professionals find new customers for a business and/or help them maintain durable relationships with existing customers. More startup founders and senior executives come from a sales background than from any other discipline because they understand acutely how to discover and meet the needs of customers.
Account/sales executives are responsible for directly supporting company revenue objectives by capturing business from new and existing customers. Account executives are responsible for meeting individual and/or team revenue goals and collaborating with the sales and marketing teams to target specific markets and record prospecting and sales activity.
Most sales roles have a base salary in the $50k-$80k range and offer commissions on sales, typically calculated as a percentage of sales volume. This figure may or may not include company benefits and performance bonuses, be sure to ask a prospective employer for a potential earnings breakdown. Applicants should be open to traveling, sometimes extensively to meet clients.
Typically reports to: Sales Manager or Senior Account/Sales Executive
Similar job titles: Account/Sales Specialist; Account/Sales Leader
Recent Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Marine Corps placements for this position have included: