Software sales have become one of the most lucrative industries for both beginner and experienced sales professionals, with on-target earnings hitting well over six figures for even first-year Account Executive positions. Meanwhile, SDRs and other entry-level salespeople often earn around 80k/yr.
And those with enough experience to become Enterprise Account Executives are averaging a base salary of $110,740. With commission and bonuses, they often make around 250k. For example, EAEs at Salesforce average take-home pay of $247,297.
But Salesforce isn’t the only SaaS company paying high rates. There are countless: Oracle, Microsoft, Slack — just to name a few. In this article, we’ll share 25 companies paying tech salespeople the most.
1. Salesforce
Salesforce is a CRM software company with one of the most robust, customizable, and beloved CRM technologies in the field. Salesforce’s Account Executives take home an average of $115,889/yr, $60,000 of which is their base salary.
If however, you have more experience in sales, you can try for an Enterprise Account Executive job, in which you’ll take home average earnings of $247,297/yr.
2. Oracle
Oracle is a leading software and IT hub with locations across the globe. Its Account Executives bring in an average of $107,316/year, $61,000 of which is a comfortable base salary.
The typical business development rep, an entry-level position, earns $65,004/yr, though they have the ability to earn much more if they consistently beat their quota.
3. Microsoft
Microsoft is a leader in computer software systems and applications including email service and a CRM. They pay their Account Executives an average of $180,223/yr. Amazingly, the base salary is a whopping $130,000/yr.
On the client management side of things, Account Managers average $141,420/yr, making it one of the highest paying AM positions we’ve come across.
4. Slack
Slack is a messaging app for business people that enables them to communicate quickly to groups or individual peers. Their Account Executives earn a median compensation of $205,000/yr, while Enterprise Account Executives bring in an average of $242,617/yr.
Through our research, we found that one Account Executive, with 12 years in sales and 1 at the company, is earning $607,500/yr.
5. SAP
SAP sells software that helps businesses handle and organize large quantities of data quickly and easily. Its Account Executives make on average $165,000/yr with a base of $96,510, which is above average for AEs.
Meanwhile, their business development reps average out at $94,158/yr with a starting salary of about $76,000/yr — also high for the position.
6. Cisco
Cisco software is a multinational conglomerate that, among many things, sells a security, networking, and communication software solutions to other businesses. According to 36 reported earnings, the average Account Executive earns 140,000/yr (107,000 base).
7. Dell
Along with its popular desktops and electronics, Dell also provides enterprise software solutions for data storage and networking. It pays its Account Executives an average compensation of about $176,000/yr with an average base salary of around $111,000.
For those looking to work with large companies, take note that Enterprise Account Executives earn an average of $232772/yr, making it one of the companies paying software salespeople the most.
8. IBM
The IBM cloud contains 170 software products and services encompassing data, security, AI, blockchain, and more. The average Account Executive at IBM rakes in a solid $148,676/yr ($111,000 base), while the typical BDR earns a total of $88,109/yr.
9. Asana
Asana sells work management software that helps teams stay organized and communicate about and manage ongoing projects. Asana’s Account Executives earn an average of about $161,000/yr, $99,609 being the base salary.
They pay their sales managers handsomely as well, including commission sharing in their compensation plan. Sales managers average about $160,000/yr in total earnings.
10. Zendesk
Zendesk is another one of the companies paying tech salespeople the most. It is a provider of customer support software that helps users organize and field complaints, issues, and questions. The average Account Executive will make $122,000/yr at ZenDesk. Enterprise AEs meanwhile make about $150,000/yr. As the popular company grows so too should its salaries.
11. Adobe
Adobe sells a cloud of apps and services that help businesses with graphic design, video editing, photography, and more. Adobe’s Account Executives earn an average of around $160,000/yr according to Glassdoor, and $91,000 of that is just their base.
If you’re looking to get your foot in the door at a SaaS brand, this is a good place to start, as its BDRs earn an average of $85,000/yr. That’s especially true if you’re the creative type looking to help other creators do their best work.
12. Lever
Lever is a recruiting software that helps businesses find and hire better employees in less time. Their Account Executives’ estimated yearly earnings of around $122,000/yr. Meanwhile, their Customer Success Managers bring in anywhere from 100k to 130k a year. If you’re looking for stellar leadership, Lever is the place to go, with a CEO approval rating of 97%.
13. Sumo Logic
Sumo Logic sells a cloud-native machine learning data analytics platform to businesses. The typical AE at Sumo Logic will earn $128,134/yr, with a comfortable base of about 100k, according to 35 current or former employees.
Their SDRs on the other hand have an average compensation of around $72,000/yr, even if this is their first year in a sales job. Meanwhile, sales engineers, the tech-savvy problem-solvers of the team, bring in an average of $169,902/yr. This is why it is one of the companies paying software salespeople the most.
14. Copper
Copper CRM is a customer relationship management software that is popular among G-Suite users because of its robust integrations with Google. Copper Account Executives earn an average of around $130,000/yr (76,000 base salary). Meanwhile, SDRs at Copper make an average of about $80,000/yr.
15. Tibco
Tibco is a leader in data management solutions that help businesses store, organize, and analyze data and handle APIs and integrations. Tibco’s Account Executives earn an average of around $175,000/yr, the base salary being near $125,000/yr.
A Solution Engineer, a more technical sales role, at the company can expect to earn a base salary of $144,000, one of the highest bases we’ve come across in sales positions.
16. ServiceNow
ServiceNow is a B2B software company that helps companies manage their operations with digital workflows. An Account Executive working at ServiceNow can expect to earn around $166,000 annually, the base being about 103k.
Their SDRs average around $80,000/yr, while their Sales Engineers make a happy living of $136,000/yr, most of which is a base salary.
17. Atlassian
Atlassian is known for its software application Jira, which is used by software development teams for issue tracking and project management. Its Technical Account Managers, who work closely with clients, earn an average of $157,829/yr. Enterprise Development Reps make about 80k, a more than satisfactory start for an entry-level software salesperson.
18. DocuSign
DocuSign is a contract management system with e-signature software that helps businesses manage, amend, and sign contracts throughout their lifecycle. Account Executives typically earn around $122,000/yr total at DocuSign.
However, their Enterprise Account Executives, a rung up from AEs, bring in just shy of 200,000 a year. Unfortunately, their SDRs earn only about 54,000/year on average, so it’s likely a better place to go if you already have sales experience and can land an AE position.
19. Sisense
Sisense is a business intelligence software that helps companies make data-driven decisions. Based on 71 reported salaries on Glassdoor, Account Executives here average $158,176 a year in total earnings and a base salary of about $88,000.
Meanwhile, Sales Development Reps earn around $74,000/yr on average, and Sales Engineers bring in a healthy average of $153,000/yr. Sisense is a great place to start if you’re interested in learning about how businesses can draw insights from data to become more effective.
20. HubSpot
Besides having one the best blogs in the marketing space, HubSpot also sells CRM and marketing automation software to both small and large businesses. Their Account Executives average about $127,000/yr, 65k of which is a base salary.
On the account management side of sales, their CSMs earn an average of $82,000/yr, but with 4-6 years of experience in customer success or a similar role you can expect to earn upwards of $90,000 per year, making it one of the best companies paying software salespeople the most.
21. Veeva Systems
Veeva Systems is a cloud enterprise content management platform and hub of applications meant to help those in the life sciences. AEs at Veeva Systems take home an average of $171,317/yr, with 80k of that being their base salary.
SDRs however make about 67,000/yr, but with some hard work and time you can work your way up to the AE position and bring in about 100k more per year. This is a great company to work for if you have an interest in the life sciences and want to help researchers and developers make scientific progress.
22. Workday
Workday offers an enterprise management cloud that includes solutions for HR, finance, spend management, and planning. Account Executives at Workday have one of the highest base salaries at $132,761/yr. The same goes for total compensation, which averages at a not too shabby $214,526/yr.
A Presales Engineer makes about $142,000 and their Corporate Sales Development Reps bring in an average of $78,637/yr. Aside from paying salespeople well, the company is also well-known as an advocate of work/life balance, as noted in the 282 reviews from current or past employees:
23. Snowflake
Snowflake is a fast-growing software company that offers a data cloud that gives businesses data storage, processing, and analytics solutions that are faster and simpler to use than comparable software solutions. Their Account Executives earn an average of around $123,000/yr and a base salary of about 64k.
If you’d prefer to work with customers and help them get the most out of the software, you can work as a Technical Customer Support Engineer and earn about $112,089/yr. For newer salespeople, the SDR role pays on average 60k/yr.
24. Block
Block (formerly Square) is a merchant services and mobile payment platform. Although they offer the lowest AE compensation on the list at $93,300/yr, it’s still a relatively high compensation compared to sales jobs in other industries. Plus, reps with 4-6 years of experience hit that 6-figure mark.
Block’s Account Managers make slightly less, bringing in about $77,000/year on average, mostly, if not all, from their base salary. Although their pay isn’t as high as the others on the list, the company does boast a 92% CEO rating (Jack Dorsey), and 83% of employees would recommend working there to a friend:
25. Twilio
Twilio is a customer engagement platform used by businesses to build personalized and satisfying online experiences for their customers. Twilio’s Account Executives typically earn around $152,000/yr in total compensation. And their base is a notable $123,000/yr.
AEs with 4-6 years of experience in sales see a dramatic increase in earnings to $217,000/yr, making this a good place to look for jobs if you’ve been in the sales profession for some time.
Find the Perfect High-Paying Tech Sales Job
The best part about software sales is that regardless of the company you’ll likely have the opportunity to earn a high compensation. It’s a profession that takes serious skill, hustle, and intellect, and companies pay to attract and retain salespeople with such traits.
That said, you should look at other factors besides pay, like whether you’d find the product interesting or enjoy the company culture. Without those two things, you run the risk of burning out.
To find the right tech sales position for your needs, check out the TechSalesJobs.com job board, where hundreds of software companies post well-paying jobs, from entry-level to executive positions.