Junior · Selling · also called AE, Account Manager (new business)

Account Executive (SMB and mid-market)

Owns a quota and runs deals from discovery to close with smaller and mid-sized customers.

No credential gets anyone a job or a salary, and ASTRA does not promise either. An ASTRA credential attests that the holder passed an examination; it does not certify performance in a job. External programmes and certifications are listed because people in these roles commonly hold them. ASTRA is not affiliated with their issuers and does not endorse them; names are trademarks of their owners. Details change, so check the issuer's site before you buy. Last reviewed 12 October 2026.

What you do

• Run discovery and build proposals
• Price and structure the deal
• Coordinate presales, security review and legal
• Forecast accurately

What you need to be able to show

• Multi-stakeholder discovery
• Reading SLAs, order forms and cloud quotes
• Triaging security questionnaires
• Keeping AI claims inside the evidence
• Renewal and expansion planning

Where ASTRA fits

Credentials people in this role commonly hold

• Sales methodology training (MEDDICC, Sandler, Challenger, Command of the Message and similar) · Various training companies; usually bought by employers · Usually free through your employer
  A shared language for qualifying and running deals. Valuable inside the company that uses it; not a standardised credential.
• AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner · Amazon Web Services · Paid exam
  Plain-language understanding of cloud services, billing and shared responsibility on AWS.
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) · Microsoft · Paid exam
  Cloud concepts, Azure services and pricing basics.
• Vendor partner sales accreditations · Cloud and software vendors through their partner programmes (for example AWS, Microsoft, Google Cloud, Cisco) · Usually free through your employer
  Vendor-specific selling knowledge required to keep partner status. Usually free to partner staff.

Where this role usually leads