The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Senior Account Executive (Enterprise/Strategic)
5-7 yearsSkills to master
- Deep understanding of complex sales cycles, negotiation tactics for large deals, client relationship management, and a strong commercial acumen from being on the front lines.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently exceeding individual quota on large, complex deals.
- Demonstrating an understanding of the 'why' behind sales processes, not just the 'how'.
- Informally mentoring junior AEs or leading internal sales initiatives.
- Showing strong analytical skills in reviewing your own pipeline and performance.
- 2
Sales Operations Specialist / Analyst
4-6 yearsSkills to master
- Mastery of CRM administration and reporting, data analysis and visualisation, process optimisation, and a solid grasp of sales performance metrics.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully leading projects to improve sales efficiency or reporting accuracy.
- Building complex dashboards and providing actionable insights to sales leadership.
- Proactively identifying and solving operational bottlenecks.
- Developing a strong understanding of sales strategy beyond just data management.
- 3
Commercial Analyst / Business Analyst
5-8 yearsSkills to master
- Financial modelling, market analysis, business case development, and translating complex data into strategic recommendations for commercial teams.
You're ready to move on when
- Developing robust financial models that inform commercial decisions.
- Presenting data-backed recommendations that have led to measurable business impact.
- Working closely with sales and marketing teams to understand their operational challenges.
- Demonstrating strong cross-functional communication and influence.