If you’re interested in becoming an account executive, you might ask, ”what does an account executive do exactly?” Learn about AE’s job description, skills, salary, and more.

What’s an Account Executive?

An account executive is an employee responsible for managing a client’s ongoing business relationship.

Account executives are most commonly employed in the advertising and public relations industries and financial services. Major customers are assigned account executives by technology companies that offer software and hardware support services.

What Does an Account Executive Do: AE Job Description

What does an account executive do? An account executive is a person who works in the marketing, digital, or advertising sectors. They ensure the smooth operation of campaigns by communicating the correct information to all team members, facing clients, and reporting to the account manager.

An account executive must be interested in them to build strong, meaningful relationships with clients. It is important to communicate promptly to complete projects on schedule and within budget.

Campaigns must run smoothly. Other team members depend on project organization to meet deadlines, understand client expectations, and ensure that campaigns are completed on time.

Account executives often receive a plan for campaigns from the account director. They must keep the campaign moving forward while maintaining a positive work environment.

After a trusted reputation has been established, and the account executive has honed their organizational skills, they can often move on to becoming an account director.

Common activities

• Arrange meetings and liaisons with clients to understand their needs.
• All work submitted to clients is subject to quality control.
• Transmitting campaign details to the client and team members.
• To ensure smooth operation, monitor all stages of campaigns.
• To keep clients and peers informed, you will need to write status reports throughout the project’s duration.
• Ensure that the project remains within the budget.
• Administrative tasks that will keep campaigns organized and well-managed.
• To encourage clients to embrace creativity in all aspects of their projects, offer creative ideas to their account manager.
• To maximize productivity, one must keep oneself motivated.

Skills Required

Each agency will require different skills, so account executives must have a broad range of abilities. These include:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• Superior organizational skills.
• Creative projects can be made more productive with a proactive approach.
• Working in a team.
• A keen eye for detail and an understanding of budget constraints.
• Full awareness of creative processes, techniques, and digital platforms.
• Ability to work under pressure while maintaining a cool outlook.
• You must be a personable, professional character that can help you build client relationships.
• Clients will trust you because you have the confidence to do a good job.

Account executives will be based in offices but may also spend time at briefings and meetings.

Account Manager Vs. Account Executive

If you’ve been looking at job listings, you may have wondered if an AE is the same as an AM. While they both work directly with customers and are often responsible for converting potential customers into customers, AEs are often more involved in clients’ conversion.

In some cases, Account Managers will take over customer support from an Account Executive. In other cases, however, an AE will continue to support prospects even after they become paying customers.

How to Become an AE

To become an Account Executive, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree. Most companies prefer a degree in Communications, Marketing, or Business.

If you want to work in an account management team, you’ll need to get some experience working in an advertising agency or marketing firm. You’ll also need some education to take courses online or at a university.

Marketing is all about telling your story and engaging with your customers. This is best done through content marketing.

To become an account executive, you must stay up-to-date with the latest marketing trends. This way, you’ll better understand how content marketing works and how it can benefit your brand. Be sure to read blogs like ours to learn more!

The Salary of an AE

The average annual salary for an account executive in the United States is $68,461 and $20,000, respectively. 32.7k salaries were reported, last updated on July 29, 2022.

Is it a full-time or part-time job to be an account executive?

Most account executives work full-time. Depending on the company they work for, they might have to work late or start work early depending on their clients’ time zones.

Can an account executive work remotely?

Account executives spend most of their time in the company’s offices so they can meet clients, team members, and management. They can work remotely if they have a quiet place to make phone calls and have a computer set up.

What are the different levels of account executives?

The company’s internal structure will determine the level of account executives. Each company will have its definitions of each level. Junior account executives can find new customers, while senior account executives work on maintaining and growing existing relationships.

Is it a good career to be an account executive?

Account executives are crucial to the success and growth of many companies, from tech firms to advertising agencies, because they build business relationships and manage clients. A great job can make you a successful account executive and earn you a healthy income.

Is it difficult to be an account executive?

Account executives must work hard to maintain a competitive sales environment. Every industry is more competitive due to new sales tools and changing buyer preferences. Account executives must have a broad range of skills to succeed.

How does an account executive differ from a sales representative?

Account executives are different than traditional sales reps because they manage existing client accounts and do not sell products or services to customers.

Conclusion

So, what does an account executive do? An account executive’s day-to-day responsibilities vary, but the bottom line is that they play a vital role in helping businesses achieve their marketing goals. If you’re interested in a career in marketing, then an account executive position may be right for you.