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
High-Performing Account Executive (L2)
3-5 yearsSkills to master
- Consistently exceeding quota, managing full sales cycles independently, developing strong negotiation skills, building deep product knowledge, and showing early signs of mentorship or leadership potential.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently hitting >110% of individual quota for 2+ years.
- Successfully closing complex deals (e.g., £100K+ ARR) with multiple stakeholders.
- Proactively helping junior reps with deal strategy or best practices.
- Receiving positive feedback from peers and managers on collaboration and knowledge sharing.
- Demonstrating strong forecast accuracy for your own pipeline.
- 2
Sales Team Lead (Informal L3)
4-6 yearsSkills to master
- Mastery of personal sales execution, strong informal coaching and mentoring abilities, ability to lead by example, contributing to team strategy, and taking ownership of specific team initiatives (e.g., new playbook development).
You're ready to move on when
- Recognised as a top performer and go-to expert within the team.
- Actively sought out by junior reps for advice and guidance.
- Successfully leading small projects or initiatives for the sales team (e.g., competitive analysis, new tool evaluation).
- Demonstrating strong commercial acumen and strategic thinking beyond just your own deals.