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Sales titles are confusing. SDR, BDR, AE, AM, CSM, SE. Add manager, director, and words like associate or senior, and a job board starts to look like a different language.
Part of the problem is that companies don't agree. The same job can have two names, and two jobs with the same name can be quite different. That makes it hard to know what you're applying for, especially if you're coming from sport and haven't seen these titles before.
This guide explains what the common titles usually mean, how they connect to each other, and how to read a posting so you know what the day-to-day will be. It's general information. Titles vary by company, so treat these as common meanings and confirm the details in each posting and in the interview.
The Basic Picture
Most sales organizations do four jobs, and each title maps to one of them.
Finding people who might buy. This is development: the SDR and BDR roles.
Closing the deal. This is the account executive.
Keeping customers and growing the account. This is account management and customer success.
Supporting everyone else. This includes sales engineers, sales operations, enablement, and partnerships.
Managers and executives sit above all of these. With that map in mind, each title is easier to place.
The Entry-Level Roles: SDR and BDR
Sales development representative (SDR) and business development representative (BDR) are the most common entry-level sales titles. The job is to start conversations with potential customers and book meetings for someone more senior to take over.
At many companies the two titles mean the same thing. At others, one focuses on people who already showed interest, called inbound, and the other on reaching out to people who didn't, called outbound. Which is which depends on the company, so check the posting.
Pay is usually a base salary plus commission, and success is measured by things like meetings booked. Our guide to what a BDR is covers the day-to-day, and our guide to sales roles without cold calling covers the versions with less outbound work.
One warning. Outside of tech, business development can mean something quite different, such as finding partnerships or strategic deals. If the posting doesn't mention booking meetings or working with a sales team, ask what the role actually does.
The Closing Role: Account Executive
An account executive (AE) runs the sales process from the first real conversation to the signed deal. That usually includes demos, proposals, negotiation, and closing. AEs normally carry a quota, which is a sales target for a period of time.
AE roles are often grouped by the size of customer. Small business roles tend to have shorter sales cycles and more deals. Enterprise roles tend to have longer cycles, fewer deals, and bigger customers. Mid-market sits between them. These are tendencies, not rules.
Many AE postings ask for sales experience. A common way to get it is a development role first. Our guide to moving from BDR to account executive covers how people make that jump.
After the Sale: Account Manager and Customer Success Manager
Once a customer buys, someone has to keep them. Two titles usually do that.
Account manager (AM). Looks after existing customers, with a focus on renewals and on helping them buy more. It's closer to sales, and pay often includes a bonus tied to renewals or growth.
Customer success manager (CSM). Helps customers get results from the product, so they stay and expand. It's closer to coaching and problem-solving. Our guide to customer success careers covers it in detail.
At some companies these are one job. At others they're separate teams. If a posting names one, ask whether it includes renewals and who owns them.
The Supporting Roles
Sales engineer or solutions consultant. A technical specialist who joins sales calls to demonstrate the product and answer detailed questions. It often asks for technical comfort or training.
Sales operations, sometimes called revenue operations. The people who manage the data, tools, and processes the team relies on. It suits people who like numbers and systems.
Sales enablement. Trains and coaches the sales team through onboarding, playbooks, and materials.
Partnerships or channel roles. Build relationships with other companies that can bring in customers.
Not all of these are entry points. Each is a real career, though, and some can suit you if you like the sales world without being the person closing deals.
The Leadership Roles
Above the individual roles, titles usually run like this: team lead, sales manager, director, vice president of sales, and chief revenue officer. A team lead or manager coaches a group of reps and is responsible for the group's results. Directors and vice presidents oversee several teams and the plan for the whole department. A chief revenue officer oversees sales and often other revenue teams as well.
The exact steps differ by company, and small companies skip several of them.
Inside Sales, Field Sales, and Territory Roles
Inside sales means selling by phone, email, and video, usually from an office or a home. Field sales, also called outside sales, means meeting customers in person. A territory manager is a salesperson responsible for a geographic area, a title common in industries like medical devices. Our guides to medical device sales explain how that world works.
Neither style is better. Some people like the variety of travel and in-person meetings. Others prefer the structure of a desk.
Titles Change With Company Size
At a small startup, one person may do the work of an SDR, an AE, and a CSM, and the title may not tell you which. At a large company the roles are narrow and specialized, and a title like senior account executive may describe a very particular job.
Neither is wrong. In a small company you learn more areas quickly. In a large one you often get more training and a clearer path. Ask which one you're walking into.
Pay Terms, Explained
Sales postings use pay words that are rarely explained.
Base. The fixed salary you're paid regardless of results.
Commission. Extra pay tied to what you sell or renew.
Quota. Your sales target for a period of time.
OTE, or on-target earnings. The expected total pay, base plus commission, if you hit your target. It isn't a guarantee.
Uncapped commission. No upper limit on how much commission you can earn. Ask how it's calculated.
Ramp. The period when a new rep is building up to a full target. Many companies set a lower target during this time.
Before you accept an offer, ask what share of the team reaches quota. The answer tells you more than the OTE figure does.
More Words You'll See in Postings
Hunter. Someone who finds new business.
Farmer. Someone who grows existing accounts.
Self-starter. Someone who works without close supervision.
Fast-paced. Things change often. Ask for an example of what that looks like.
Pipeline. The set of deals currently in progress.
Lead. A person or company that might buy.
Churn. When customers leave. The opposite is a renewal, when they stay.
CRM. The software where sales teams track their work. HubSpot and Salesforce are common examples.
Mix-Ups to Watch For
Account executive versus account manager. One closes new business. The other looks after existing customers. They sound alike, and at some companies the meanings are reversed.
Customer support versus customer success. Support answers questions when customers reach out. Success reaches out first, to help customers get results.
Associate, junior, and senior. These words shift by company. A senior role at a small firm may match a mid-level role somewhere else.
Representative or specialist. Often entry-level, but check the tasks.
Two Postings, Same Title
Imagine two postings that both say account executive. The first mentions inbound leads, demos, and a mid-market team, and says deals usually close within weeks. The second mentions enterprise customers, long sales cycles, and a team of technical specialists.
Same title, very different jobs. The first suggests faster deals and more of them. The second suggests fewer, larger deals and more patience. Neither is better. Read the details, and you'll see which one you're looking at.
How the Titles Connect
Common paths exist, though none is a rule. An SDR or BDR may become an AE, or move into account management. A CSM may move to account management or into leadership. An AE may become a team lead or manager. A person with technical skills may move into sales engineering.
The skills carry over: communication, follow-through, and learning from feedback. Pick a start that teaches you something you want to keep.
How to Read a Posting
Ask five questions of every posting. Who will I talk to: new people or existing customers? How am I measured? How is pay structured, and what is the base? What does a normal day look like? Where does this role lead?
If the posting doesn't answer them, ask in the interview. Specific answers are a good sign. Vague ones are worth following up on.
Which Might Fit You?
Think about what you liked in sport. If you liked daily practice and a visible scoreboard, development and AE roles may suit you. If you liked helping teammates improve, customer success and management may fit. If you liked understanding the technical side of your sport, sales engineering is worth a look. If you liked building relationships over seasons, account management may fit.
These are starting points, not rules. Plenty of people end up somewhere they didn't expect.
If You're Not Sure Where to Start
Write down three tasks you'd be happy doing every day, such as talking to new people, solving customer problems, or learning how a product works. Then search for roles that include those tasks.
Starting from the task, not the title, keeps you from being steered by a name that means something different at another company.
Where Free Agent Fits
Free Agent is a private network that connects verified athletes with companies that want to hire them. If you're looking at sales roles and want to know what you're reading, Free Agent is a good place to start looking.
Join Free Agent at gofreeagent.com
FAQs About Sales Job Titles
What is the difference between a BDR and an SDR?
At many companies they're the same job under different names. At others, one focuses on inbound leads and the other on outbound outreach, though which is which differs by company. Check the posting.
What does an account executive do?
An account executive runs the sales process from the first real conversation to the signed deal, usually including demos, proposals, negotiation, and closing. AEs normally carry a quota.
What does OTE mean?
OTE stands for on-target earnings. It's the expected total pay, base salary plus commission, if you hit your target. It isn't a guarantee, so ask what share of the team reaches quota.
What is the difference between customer success and account management?
Customer success focuses on helping customers get results from the product so they stay. Account management focuses more on renewals and growing the account. At some companies they're one job.
Which sales job is best for beginners?
Development roles such as SDR and BDR are common starting points, and some companies hire for inbound versions, customer success, or support as well. The best fit depends on what you want to do all day, so read each posting closely.