Every two years, we ask a simple question: how is the AE role changing?

For 2026, the answer is: in many ways. The market hasn't snapped back to the 2021/early-2022 peak. AEs are carrying more responsibility, selling into harder-to-move buying committees, and increasingly relying on self-sourcing, role consolidation, and AI-assisted workflows to make the number.

Kyle Smith and I preview the key findings in the video below. The full report draws on responses from 158 B2B companies and marks the 10th biennial edition of our AE research.

 

Here are a few standouts.

Quota attainment is under significant pressure

48% of reps achieved annual quota in 2026, down from 51% in 2024 and well below the long-term trend. The distribution has also shifted with fewer companies sitting in the 50–90% range, while more are in the 0–30% danger zone. That combination points to something more than a mild productivity dip: a fundamental mismatch between market conditions and the operating model.

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The Account Executive role is changing.

AI tools have entered the workflow. Sales cycles are under pressure. And leadership teams are watching pipeline efficiency more closely than ever. That raises a practical question: What does a high-performing AE model actually look like today?

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Today, we launch our 2025 SDR motions, metrics, and compensation research.

This is our 10th iteration of this project since 2007. This edition will take ~6 minutes to complete. If you lead a Sales Development group, please participate.

We've redesigned this year’s survey based on your feedback to dig into how things are changing. But, equally importantly, we want to focus in on what outperformance looks like in this environment. 

We’ll be sharing the results in the coming months. I appreciate that so many of you take the time to share. We couldn’t do it without you.

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The 2024 Benchmark Report is our latest dive into metrics and compensation for the AE role within SaaS companies. It summarizes the findings from leaders at more than 170 B2B SaaS companies regarding the current state of the Account Executive role. 

If you'd rather watch the report than read it, Kyle Smith and I recorded a video walkthrough and breakdown.

Here's a peek at what you'll find inside:

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