• Despite industry headwinds, sales of new cars in the United States are expected to have risen modestly in 2025, to about 16.3 million. According to Cox Automotive, Americans with well-paying jobs and robust savings have continued to buy new cars at a decent clip. And they're more than making up for the cars that lower-income Americans are no longer buying. Families with a household income of $150,000 a year or more now buy 43 percent of the new cars sold in the country, up from one-third of all cars sold before the Covid-19 pandemic. You can read more about it here.  
   
• Salesforce is pulling back from its heavy reliance on large language models after encountering reliability issues that have shaken executive confidence. Sanjna Parulekar, Senior Vice President of Product Marketing, acknowledged that trust in AI models has declined over the past year, according to a report by The Information. "All of us were more confident about large language models a year ago," Parulekar stated, revealing the company's strategic shift away from generative AI toward more predictable automation in its flagship product, Agentforce. You can read more about it here.

• Median Base Salary for SDRs: 60,000
• Median OTE for SDRs: 85,000
• Top Performers: 127,955
• % of Reps Hitting Quota: 57.3%
   

Sales Development Manager

• Median Base Salary for Sales Managers: 100,000
• Median OTE for Sales Managers: 155,000
• Top Performers: 205,244
• % of Reps Hitting Quota: 71.6%

SMB Account Executive

• Median Base Salary for SMB AEs: 70,000
• Median OTE for SMB AEs: 130,000
• Top Performers: 269,489
• % of Reps Hitting Quota: 44.8%
   

Mid-Market Account Executive

• Median Base Salary for Mid-Market AEs: 90,000
• Median OTE for Mid-Market AEs: 175,000
• Top Performers: 391,399
• % of Reps Hitting Quota: 43.9%
   

Enterprise Account Executive

• Median Base Salary for Enterprise AEs: 135,000
• Median OTE Enterprise AEs: 265,000
• Top Performers: 627,527
• % of Reps Hitting Quota: 40.9%
   

Strategic Account Executive

• Median Base Salary: 150,000
• Median On-Target Earnings (OTE): 300,000
• Top Performers: 705,215
• % of Reps Hitting Quota: 47.0%
   

Sales Engineer / Pre-sales

• Median Base Salary for Sales Engineers: 145,000
• Median OTE for Sales Engineers: 200,000
• Top Performers: 327,388
• % of Reps Hitting Quota: 56.8%
   

Account Manager

• Median Base Salary for Account Managers: 100,000
• Median OTE for Account Managers: 180,000
• Top Performers: 409,111
• % of Reps Hitting Quota: 49.9%
   

Sales Manager

• Median Base Salary for Sales Managers: 150,000
• Median OTE for Sales Managers: 280,000
• Top Performers: 508,044
• % of Reps Hitting Quota: 51.3%
   

Factors Affecting Sales Salaries

When it comes to sales compensation, multiple variables come into play. From the depth of your professional background to the dynamics of the broader economy, these factors collectively shape how much you can earn in a sales role.

1. Experience

Your level of experience in sales directly influences your earning potential — up to a certain point. While a sales rep with five to ten years of experience typically earns more than someone just starting out, additional years beyond that don’t always translate into higher pay.
Once you’re well-established, the quality and relevance of your experience become more critical than simply accumulating additional years. Proven results, strong industry relationships, and a track record of consistently meeting or exceeding targets will often matter more than hitting a specific tenure milestone.

2. Industry

Not all industries compensate sales professionals equally. High-margin and specialized sectors, such as software and medical devices, tend to offer more lucrative salary packages due to the complexity of their products and the substantial value each sale can deliver. In contrast, sales roles in lower-margin sectors like retail generally come with more modest pay.
Ultimately, the level of product specialization, the complexity of the sales cycle, and the profit margins in the market segment all influence how much you can expect to earn.

3. Location

Historically, geography played a pivotal role in determining sales salaries. High-cost metropolitan areas such as New York City, San Francisco, and London often offered premium compensation packages to attract top-tier talent who faced steep housing and living expenses. Over the last few years, the rise of remote work began to chip away at these regional disparities, allowing companies to base pay on skill, performance, and market rates rather than a salesperson’s ZIP code.

However, with a growing number of organizations now issuing return-to-office mandates — even if on a hybrid schedule — location is regaining its influence. Companies that require a physical presence may revert to regional compensation models, particularly if their offices are based in high-demand, high-cost areas.

4. Economic Conditions

Broad economic trends can significantly influence sales salaries, and these effects aren’t static. Following the post-2020 boom and the tech layoffs of 2023-2024, compensation growth has slowed dramatically. The hiring freeze that characterized much of 2025 has left many sales professionals navigating a cautious job market.
Looking ahead to 2026, expect modest improvement but not a return to the explosive growth of the early 2020s. Companies are loosening budgets selectively, prioritizing roles that demonstrate clear ROI.
We expect the defining factor reshaping sales in 2026 will be artificial intelligence. While AI is transforming sales roles by automating tasks like data analysis and lead qualification, human judgment, creativity, and emotional intelligence remain irreplaceable.