The 2025 Q4 Sales Salary Guide

Published: Wed, 10/01/25

Updated: Sat, 10/04/25

October 1, 2025

TOGETHER WITH

Congratulations, you made it to October, otherwise known as The Most Important Quarter of the Year. In this week’s issue, we’ll take a look at sales salary data for Q4. After that, we’ll share a Sales Fail about eyebrows, and give some advice to a rep with overlapping territories. Enjoy!

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

69% of buyers have accepted cold calls from new providers in the past year

Source: Demand Gen Report

SALES ROUNDUP

Here’s what’s happening in the sales world this week:

Automaker Ford saw a “remarkable” surge in electric vehicle sales in August, surpassing last year’s August totals by 19%. Most of that growth came from the Mustang Mach-E, which sold 7,226 units — up more than 35% year-over-year and the highest monthly total since the crossover debuted in 2020. Ford has tried to make ownership easier, offering complimentary home chargers and installation with every new EV. "We're the only ones doing this," said Becca Anderson, senior director of customer experience at Ford Model e. You can read more about it here.
Although workplace adoption of artificial intelligence tools is accelerating, only 28% of sales and revenue leaders say it improves revenue-driving sales performance, according to a Sept. 9 report from Highspot, an AI-based platform for go-to-market performance. In particular, organizations that lack the systems to turn insight to action — dubbed “AI Leapers” — appear to have widespread breakdowns in execution, effectiveness and alignment, the report found. You can read more about it on HRDrive here.

FEATURE

The 2025 Q4 Sales Salary Guide

You’re probably busy closing deals to hit your Q3 goals (or maybe you hit them a month ago). But have you stayed up to date with the latest salary benchmarks for the sales industry?

We’ve got some good news. Our friends at RepVue just dropped their latest salary data, and it’s looking good overall. Sellers reported higher base salaries across all roles compared to a year ago. And the news gets better—on-target earnings have climbed for almost every position (except one role, but we'll get to that).

If you weren’t planning to ask for a raise or look for a better-paying gig, you might change your mind after seeing what other sales professionals are earning: (Data current as of September 11, 2025)
‍

Sales Development Reps / Business Development Reps

Median Base Salary: 60K
Median OTE: 85K
Top Earners: 128K+
Quota Attainment: 56.7%

SMB Account Executives‍

Median Base Salary: 70K
Median OTE: 130K
Top Earners: 265K+
Quota Attainment: 43.7%
‍

Mid-Market AEs‍

Median Base Salary: 90K
Median OTE: 170K
Top Earners: 385K+
Quota Attainment: 42.3%
‍
Enterprise AEs‍

Median Base Salary: 135K
Median OTE: 260K
Top Earners: 620K+
Quota Attainment: 39.4%
‍
Account Manager

Median Base: 95K
Median OTE: 170K
Top Earners: 399K+
Quota Attainment: 49.9%
‍
Solutions Consultant / Sales Engineer

Median Base: 142K
Median OTE: 200K
Top Earners: 321K+
Quota Attainment: 59%
‍

Customer Success Manager

Median Base: 95K
Median OTE: 130K
Top Earners: 217K+
Quota Attainment: 60.4%

Of course, a number of other factors will affect your ultimate earning potential, such as industry and location. For more details and the most up-to-date information, follow the links above or check out RepVue’s free salary calculator.

Signal-Based Selling That Works: 20 Plays You Can Run Today

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You’ll get:

20 ready-to-deploy plays
Outreach you can copy-paste: emails, LinkedIn DMs, call openers
A breakdown of key buying signals and why they matter

These plays are used by the best modern GTM teams to turn intent into meetings and revenue. With Avina, you can run all of these plays in a single platform - it captures signals, enriches data, and automates outbound.

Get the free guide!

MEME OF THE WEEK

Source: Instagram -- Sales Humor

QUIZ

How much did HubSpot make in its first full year in business?

A. $1.4m
B. $1.12m
C. $489,000
D. $255,000

SALES FAILS

Each week, we bring you the most cringe-worthy sales moments from across the web. To submit your sales fail story for consideration, click here. (Don't worry, you'll remain completely anonymous).

I sell marketing automation software to SMBs. I had landed an in-person meeting with a director of a mid-sized retail chain. I showed up and met the guy in his small office. I was immediately shook. He had the most impressive unibrow I'd ever seen in person. It was like a caterpillar had set up permanent residence across his forehead. I kept trying not to stare, but my eyes kept drifting up there.

The guy seemed interested as I walked through the platform, asking good questions about integrations and reporting capabilities. But honestly, I was having trouble focusing.

About fifteen minutes in, he paused and looked at me. "You keep staring at my eyebrow," he said flatly. I felt my face go hot. I started stammering some excuse, but he cut me off and told me it was fine, that people noticed it all the time. Then he leaned back in his chair and started explaining how the unibrow made him powerful. How it was his signature. His brand. He talked about how it showed he didn't conform to society's arbitrary grooming standards, how it made him memorable in a sea of forgettable people.

I just sat there nodding, convinced this was some rehearsed bit he did with every salesperson to throw them off their game. But he kept going, getting more philosophical about it, talking about disruption and authenticity. I completely lost control of the meeting. When I finally left, I sat in my car in the parking lot for a solid five minutes, just staring at the steering wheel. He never returned my follow-up calls.

Anonymous Location Withheld

GRAPH OF THE WEEK

Source: LinkedIn Poll -- September 2025

WORTH A PEEK

After weeks of chasing your prospect, they respond and agree to meet. But, within minutes of walking through the door, you’re going to blow the meeting. Why? Because you’ve been told that first meetings are discovery meetings. Discovery meetings are egocentric sales events. What salespeople should aspire to have are consultations. Consultations are mutually beneficial interactions. Consultations start with a collaborative question: “For this to be a great use of your time, what do you want to make sure we talk about today? This is just a small taste of what you’ll learn in The First Meeting Differentiator, a new sales book by our friend Lee Salz. On sale at Amazon now—grab your copy here!

ASK THE QUOTA

Want to submit a question and be featured in our advice column? Click here. (Don't worry, you'll remain completely anonymous).

Dear Quota Team,

I sell enterprise software, and our accounts are often worked by more than one rep since deals touch multiple regions. This overlap has created tension with a colleague who seems more interested in undermining me than collaborating.

In a recent pipeline review, my manager blindsided me by asking about a “client concern” I’d never heard of. Later, I learned my colleague had told him the client was unhappy with how I was handling the deal. That wasn’t true — the client is moving forward — but it planted doubt. Since then, I’ve heard through the grapevine that this rep has been whispering to leadership that I’m “dropping the ball” on other accounts.

My numbers are fine, but I’m worried the damage is being done behind closed doors. How do I defend myself without looking paranoid or accusatory?

Second-guessed in Michigan

Dear Second-guessed,

Don’t let whispers go unchallenged, but don’t frame it as office drama. Instead, focus on visibility. Share clear, proactive updates with your manager on deal progress, client sentiment, and next steps — ideally supported by emails or call notes. This creates a paper trail that undercuts any narrative of “dropping the ball.” If the colleague continues undermining you, calmly address it with your manager. That way, you look professional, not paranoid — and your results remain your loudest proof.

Quiz Answer: D. HubSpot made $255,000 in its first full year in business (You can read the source article here).

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Today's email was written by Ken Kupchik, Erica Furgiuele, Steve Rado, and Emily Hill.

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