No matter what industry you are in, if your business has to deal with several clients, you will most likely need an Account Executive in order to best manage your relationships with your clients and maximize your chances of sealing deals. But what exactly is does an Account Executive do?

For a comprehensive overview of the different sales positions in tech, check out our Guide to Sales Positions in the Tech Industry 2021.

What is the role of an Account Executive?

Account Executives are sales people. They manage relationships with clients on a daily basis. In some cases it’s only one client, in some other cases, several clients. This usually depends on the size of the deal and how important a client is. They are also here to find new clients for your company, and generate revenue by negotiating, renewing, and closing deals.

Account Executives act as a bridge between their clients’ desires and needs, and how to best answer these with the services and goods their company provides. Going one level further, they also help their clients figure out what their needs are, and what they could need help with, based on what their objectives are.

What are the responsibilities of an Account Executive?

Typical responsibilities for Account Executives usually include:

• Traveling to meet clients

• Cold calls (soliciting potential customers who have not expressed interest for the service or product)

• Closing deals

• Completing demos, and presenting their solutions to potential clients who have previously shown interest in their service or product.

• Negotiations (of the terms of a contract, the value proposition, etc)

Opportunities for Account Executives during their career

Due to the nature of their job, Account Executives tend to meet quite a few people throughout their career. This allows them to develop strong relationships with their clients and gain their trust as individuals. They also sometimes have the chance to travel in their country or across countries to meet clients. They enjoy a lot of freedom and can usually work independently. Their position allows them to foster their business development skills as well.

What are the requirements to become an Account Executive?

Requirements for AE vary across companies but if you plan on pursuing that career path, you will most likely need the following:

• A Bachelor degree in business administration, marketing or communications in most cases

• Good writing skills

• Customer service knowledge

• Good speaking abilities

• Time management and prioritization skills

• Project management expertise

If you’re looking for an Account Executive position or any other position in the tech industry in Japan, we’d be more than happy to help you in your job search. Feel free to reach out to us, and we will help you find your ideal position!

If you like our content, join our mailing list and receive our latest startup stories, market insights and job trends for Japan’s tech market.

More Tech Jobs