Account executive

What does an account executive do?

An account executive closes new business.

You take a qualified lead, find out what the buyer needs, show how the product fits, and agree the contract. Some account executives also handle renewals or upsells for existing customers.

In a Singapore company, the role sits in the sales team, usually under a sales manager or head of sales. Many account executives sell software, services or equipment to local businesses and regional offices. Some sell to government agencies.

You work with sales development reps who pass you leads, solutions engineers who support demos, and legal and finance staff who review terms. After the sale, you hand the customer to customer success or account management.

What the work involves

• Run discovery calls to learn a buyer's goals, problems, budget and approval process.
• Give product demos that match the buyer's use case instead of touring every feature.
• Update the CRM after each contact and keep deal stages and next steps accurate.
• Research target companies and contacts on LinkedIn Sales Navigator and send tailored follow-ups.
• Write proposals and quotes, and negotiate price, scope and contract terms with the buyer.
• Review the pipeline with your manager and give a forecast of what you expect to close.

Pay in Singapore

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Skills an account executive needs

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Account executive job description

We are hiring an account executive to win new customers in Singapore.

You will own deals from first meeting to signed contract. You will run discovery calls and demos, manage your own pipeline, and work with sales development, solutions engineering and customer success colleagues. You will report to the sales manager and carry a sales target.

Responsibilities

• Own a pipeline of opportunities from qualification to close.
• Run discovery calls to understand the buyer's needs, decision makers and timeline.
• Deliver product demos and presentations tailored to each customer.
• Prepare proposals, quotes and pricing, within the discount limits your company sets.
• Negotiate contract terms and work with legal and finance on approvals.
• Record all activity in the CRM and keep forecasts accurate and up to date.
• Prospect into target accounts with outreach tools and LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
• Work with solutions engineers, marketing and sales development reps to move deals forward.
• Hand over won customers to customer success with clear notes on goals and promises made.
• Report on pipeline, win rate and progress against target in regular sales reviews.

Requirements

• A diploma or degree is common, often in business, marketing or a related field. Some employers accept strong sales results instead.
• Typically 1 to 4 years in sales, business development or a similar customer-facing role.
• Working knowledge of a CRM such as Salesforce or HubSpot.
• Experience with outreach and prospecting tools such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Outreach, Apollo or Salesloft is often preferred.
• Clear spoken and written English. Mandarin, Malay, Tamil or other regional languages help for some accounts.
• A record of meeting or beating a sales target, backed by examples.

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Account executive career path

Most account executives start in a sales development or junior sales role and move up through larger deals and then team management.

Titles differ by company, so treat this as a typical order.

1. Sales development representative

   Entry

   You find and qualify leads, book meetings and pass opportunities to account executives.

2. Account executive

   Mid

   You run deals from discovery to close and carry your own sales target.

3. Senior account executive

   Senior

   You handle larger or more complex deals, often with several decision makers, and coach newer colleagues.

4. Sales manager

   Lead

   You lead a team of account executives, set targets, review forecasts and help close key deals.

5. Head of sales

   Head

   You own the sales strategy, hiring and revenue results for a market or region, and report to senior leadership.

The titles are ones commonly used in Singapore; employers may name the levels differently.

Related jobs and their pay

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Account executive interview questions

We wrote these questions from the skills this job needs. They are not an official question bank.

1. How do you qualify a new lead before you spend time on a full sales process?

   What a good answer covers

   • Checks for a real business problem, beyond simple interest
   • Confirms budget, or a clear way the buyer will get it
   • Identifies who signs off and who else influences the decision
   • Asks about timeline and what happens if the buyer does nothing
   • Names a framework such as BANT or MEDDICC and says when to drop a lead

2. Walk me through how you would structure a first discovery call.

   What a good answer covers

   • Sets an agenda and checks how much time the buyer has
   • Asks open questions about goals, current process and pain points
   • Digs into the cost or impact of the problem
   • Maps who is involved in the decision
   • Ends with a clear next step and date

3. What is the difference between solution selling and feature selling? Give an example.

   What a good answer covers

   • Solution selling starts from the buyer's problem instead of the product list
   • Links each feature to a result the buyer cares about
   • Uses an example with a measurable outcome, such as less manual work
   • Explains how discovery answers shape what you show

4. How do you prepare a demo for a buyer who has only 30 minutes?

   What a good answer covers

   • Reviews discovery notes and picks the two or three use cases that matter
   • Opens with the buyer's problem, then shows the fix
   • Skips features that do not fit
   • Leaves time for questions and next steps
   • Asks a solutions engineer to join when the product is technical

5. How do you build a forecast you can trust, and what makes a deal "commit"?

   What a good answer covers

   • Uses clear stage definitions with exit criteria instead of gut feel
   • Checks for a confirmed buyer, agreed need, budget and a mapped approval path
   • Tracks deal age and the last buyer-side activity
   • Is willing to move a deal out when evidence is thin
   • Compares past forecasts with actual results to improve

6. What do you record in the CRM after each call, and why does it matter?

   What a good answer covers

   • Contacts, roles, pain points, next step and date
   • Updates the stage and close date honestly
   • Notes competitors and objections for the team to learn from
   • Explains that clean data helps forecasts, handovers and managers' coaching

7. How do you use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to enter a target account with no existing contact?

   What a good answer covers

   • Builds a list of the right companies using filters
   • Finds the likely buyer, user and influencer
   • Looks for shared connections for a warm introduction
   • Uses recent news or posts to personalise the first message
   • Tracks replies in the CRM or sales engagement tool

8. How would you use ChatGPT in your sales work, and what would you not put into it?

   What a good answer covers

   • Uses it to draft outreach, summarise public company information or prepare call questions
   • Checks and edits all output before sending
   • Keeps customer personal data and confidential deal terms out of public tools
   • Follows the company's policy on approved AI tools

9. A buyer asks for a bigger discount near the end of the quarter. How do you negotiate?

   What a good answer covers

   • Asks what is behind the request before giving anything
   • Trades concessions for something, such as a longer term or faster signing
   • Stays within approved discount limits and escalates when needed
   • Reinforces value instead of cutting price first
   • Keeps the relationship in mind for renewals

1. A prospect loved your demo, then went silent for three weeks. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Reviews the deal for gaps, such as no confirmed decision maker
   • Tries a different channel and a different contact
   • Sends a short message with new value, such as a relevant case or a question
   • Sets a clear deadline or offers a closing note
   • Moves the deal out of the forecast if there is still no response

2. Late in the process, the buyer says a competitor is cheaper. How do you respond?

   What a good answer covers

   • Stays calm and asks which parts of the offer they are comparing
   • Revisits the business problem and the cost of getting it wrong
   • Clarifies differences in scope, support and total cost
   • Brings in a solutions engineer or a reference customer if useful
   • Accepts that some deals are a poor fit and avoids discounting by reflex

3. Your forecast shows a large deal closing this month, but you learn the buyer's finance team has not seen the proposal. What now?

   What a good answer covers

   • Tells your manager early and updates the forecast
   • Asks the buyer to introduce finance and explains the approval steps
   • Offers to prepare a summary that the champion can share internally
   • Resets the close date based on the real process

1. Tell us about a quarter when you missed your target. What did you change?

   What a good answer covers

   • States the result plainly and owns it
   • Finds specific causes, such as thin pipeline or late discovery
   • Describes the change made and the result
   • Shows how you asked for coaching or feedback

2. Describe a deal you lost that you thought you would win.

   What a good answer covers

   • Explains what happened and what signals you missed
   • Shows that you asked the buyer for feedback
   • Names one lesson and how you applied it in a later deal
   • Keeps a professional tone about the buyer and competitor

1. You want to cold-call and email prospects in Singapore. What do you need to think about under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)?

   What a good answer covers

   • Knows that the PDPA covers how companies collect, use and share personal data
   • Knows there are rules on marketing messages and consent, including the Do Not Call Registry for some channels
   • Checks where a contact list came from before using it
   • Follows company policy and asks the compliance or legal team when unsure
   • Makes it easy for people to opt out and records the request

2. You sell to small and medium-sized businesses in Singapore that worry about cost. How do you handle that conversation?

   What a good answer covers

   • Links the product to a clear business result, such as time saved or fewer errors
   • Offers phased rollout or a pilot to lower the risk
   • Is open to mentioning that government support may be available, and tells the buyer to check current eligibility with the agency
   • Respects how local owners often decide, which may involve family or a few senior staff
   • Keeps promises realistic and follows up after the sale

Common questions about an account executive job

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