Sales Representatives of Services Salary

Bureau of Labor Statistics title: Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel

The median sales representatives of services salary in the United States is $69,990 per year ($33.65/hour). Salaries range from $37,980 at the entry level to $148,840+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 1,256,010 sales representatives of services jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 3.1% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Median Salary
$69,990
per year
Hourly Rate
$33.65
per hour
Employment
1,256,010
jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile
$37,980
25th percentile
$47,670
Median
$69,990
75th percentile
$100,480
90th percentile
$148,840

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+3.1%
As fast as average

Annual Openings

123,000
jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

High school diploma or equivalent

Training Needed

Moderate-term on-the-job training

Sales Representatives of Services Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for sales representatives of servicess.

Services sales reps are the B2B-services frontline: SaaS Account Executives (AEs), staffing agency reps, telecom business sales at Verizon/AT&T/Spectrum, waste management sales at WM/Republic, uniform services at Cintas, payroll sales at ADP/Paychex, food service sales at Aramark/Sysco, and security-services sales. Comp is almost always OTE-based with a 50/50 base-to-variable split as the default (some tech AEs land at 60/40, some transactional services roles land at 40/60). Entry $37-65k OTE; established $65-110k OTE; senior $110-190k OTE; enterprise AE / strategic $190-315k+ OTE. Median across BLS is $69,990 with p10 $37,980 and p90 $148,840 β€” top decile is dominated by SaaS enterprise AEs and specialty B2B services (payroll, cloud services, security-adjacent). Understanding quota-carrying comp structure and pipeline coverage is the difference between hitting quota and burning out.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Discovery frameworks (MEDDIC / MEDDPICC, SPIN, BANT)
Uncover Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Paper process, Identify pain, Champion, Competition. MEDDIC / MEDDPICC is standard at SaaS AEs; SPIN and BANT dominate transactional services (payroll, telecom, waste).
CRM discipline (Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics)
Salesforce is table stakes at any B2B services company past 200 employees. Track every stage, log every activity, forecast weekly. Reps who don't update CRM lose deals and get cut from the top quartile.
Pipeline coverage + forecasting
Maintain 3-4x pipeline coverage of quota. Know your commit, best case, and pipeline numbers cold. Forecast accuracy inside +/-10% is the differentiator between a Sr AE and a scrubbing rep.
Quota / OTE / commission math
Understand your quota, quota-attainment payout curve, accelerators (usually 1.5x above 100%, 2x above 130%), commission clawbacks, and SPIF (Sales Performance Incentive Fund) mechanics. A rep who can't math their commission plan loses money to the plan.
ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) identification
Not every prospect is worth a discovery call. Know your ICP by industry, employee count, tech stack, or geography. Disqualify fast β€” the calendar is the constraint, not the leads.
Written prospecting + cold outreach (sequences)
Multi-channel sequences (email + phone + LinkedIn + video) run through Outreach, Salesloft, or Apollo. Personalization at scale β€” the balance between templated efficiency and human relevance.
Objection handling + negotiation
'Too expensive,' 'we're happy with the incumbent,' 'we're not ready.' Named objections have named responses. Never discount without a concession β€” always trade a discount for term length, expansion commitment, or reference.
Closing + procurement management
The technical win happens in month one; the deal closes in month three because of procurement, legal, and finance. Own the paper process end-to-end. Know when to bring in your VP for executive-to-executive alignment.

How to Become a Sales Representatives of Services

  1. 1
    Bachelor's is common but not required in most services sales
    B2B services sales is one of the last knowledge-worker seats without a strict degree requirement. Business, communications, or a liberal-arts degree is common; a communications or psychology background often outperforms a business degree in the actual selling role.
  2. 2
    Start as an SDR / BDR (Sales / Business Development Representative)
    $45-70k OTE. Prospecting-only role: outbound calls, emails, LinkedIn to book meetings for AEs. Six to eighteen months. Best training ground for services sales β€” you learn pipeline, CRM, and objection handling before you carry quota.
  3. 3
    Move to Full-Cycle AE / Account Executive
    $65-115k OTE at 50/50 split ($40-60k base + $25-55k variable). Own discovery through close. Two to five years here. Focus on hitting quota consistently (100%+ every quarter is the bar) β€” that becomes the rΓ©sumΓ© signal.
  4. 4
    Specialize (SMB β†’ Mid-Market β†’ Enterprise) OR (transactional services β†’ specialty B2B)
    $115-195k OTE. Mid-Market AEs handle $50k-$500k ACV deals with 3-6 month cycles. Enterprise AEs handle $250k-$5M+ ACV deals with 6-18 month cycles. Alternatively, specialize by industry: payroll (ADP / Paychex), security, cloud services, HR outsourcing.
  5. 5
    Advance to Strategic / Enterprise AE, then Sales Manager or Sales Director
    $195-315k+ OTE (Enterprise AE) or $215-465k+ OTE (Manager / Director). Fork by preference: strategic IC role owning 3-8 named accounts, or first-line manager running a team of 6-10 AEs. Both are legitimate ladders at ADP, Cintas, Salesforce, Comcast Business, Verizon Business, and Insight Global.
  6. 6
    Optional: transition to VP Sales / CRO track
    $465k-$1.2M+ total comp. Requires quota-attainment history + management scope. VP Sales at a mid-market SaaS or Fortune 500 services company. This is the top of the ladder for most services sales reps.

Career Progression

SDR / BDR (Sales Development Rep)
0-2 yrs$45-70k OTE (60/40 split β€” $30-45k base + $15-25k variable)
  • β€’80-120 outbound activities/day β€” calls, emails, LinkedIn
  • β€’Book qualified meetings for AEs against a monthly quota (typically 15-30 meetings/month)
  • β€’Log every activity in Salesforce / HubSpot
  • β€’Learn discovery framework and objection handling on the phone
Next: AE / Account Executive at 12-18 months if you hit quota.
AE / Account Executive (SMB / Mid-Market)
2-5 yrs$65-115k OTE (50/50 split β€” $40-60k base + $25-55k variable)
  • β€’Own discovery through close for 20-80 opportunities in the pipeline at any time
  • β€’Hit a monthly or quarterly quota ($40k-$150k in bookings/month at SMB, $150k-$500k at MM)
  • β€’Maintain 3-4x pipeline coverage; forecast weekly to your manager
  • β€’Manage a book of 40-200 named accounts (services) or a territory (geographic)
Next: Sr AE / Mid-Market AE at 4-6 years, once you're at 110%+ quota attainment.
Sr AE / Mid-Market AE
5-8 yrs$115-195k OTE ($60-95k base + $55-100k variable + accelerators)
  • β€’Own $500k-$1.5M annual quota with $50k-$500k ACV deals
  • β€’6-9 month sales cycles at Mid-Market; multi-stakeholder deals
  • β€’Coach 1-2 SDRs on your team; contribute to the team playbook
  • β€’Bring in specialists (SEs, security, product) at the right time in the deal
Next: Enterprise AE / Strategic AE at 7-10 years β€” or fork into sales management.
Enterprise AE / Strategic AE
8-12 yrs$195-315k OTE ($95-135k base + $95-180k variable + accelerators)
  • β€’Own $1M-$3M+ annual quota with $250k-$5M+ ACV deals
  • β€’6-18 month sales cycles; multi-stakeholder including CxO
  • β€’Named-account strategy β€” deep multi-thread selling into 8-25 accounts
  • β€’Run POCs (with SE partner), RFPs, executive briefings, and procurement negotiations
Next: Strategic AE, First-Line Manager, or Sales Director at 11-15 years.
First-Line Manager / Sales Manager / Sales Director
10-15 yrs$215-465k+ OTE (base + variable tied to team quota + accelerators + equity)
  • β€’Run a team of 6-10 AEs; own team quota (typically $6M-$20M annually)
  • β€’Weekly 1:1s, deal reviews, pipeline reviews, forecast calls
  • β€’Hire, ramp, coach, and PIP underperformers
  • β€’Own segment strategy and partner with marketing on demand generation
Next: Sr Sales Director / VP Sales / RVP / CRO at 13-18 years.

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 18 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk me through your last deal β€” from prospect to closed-won.behavioral
Structure: (1) how you sourced the opportunity β€” inbound, SDR-generated, self-prospected; (2) discovery β€” the pain, the metrics, the economic buyer, the timeline; (3) mid-funnel β€” POC, demo, technical fit, competitive; (4) procurement β€” legal, security review, negotiation; (5) close β€” final ACV, term, close date, ramp. A weak answer talks about the product. A strong answer names the champion, quantifies the pain in dollars, and states the ACV clearly.
Q2. How do you build and manage a pipeline?technical
Coverage ratio: 3-4x quota in the pipeline at any time. Split by stage: 30% early-stage (discovery / demo), 40% mid-stage (POC / eval), 30% late-stage (procurement / close). Weekly review β€” every deal gets a next-step and next-date in Salesforce. Any deal without a scheduled next step within 14 days gets flagged. Kill dead deals fast β€” a stuck deal is a phantom deal that inflates your forecast and steals time from a real one.
Q3. Tell me about a prospect that told you 'we're happy with our current provider.'situational
STAR. Situation: prospect using an incumbent payroll provider (ADP-adjacent) for 5+ years. Task: create enough urgency to run a discovery call. Action: I acknowledged the incumbent explicitly, then asked one specific question β€” 'What's one thing you'd change about how they handle multi-state tax filings?' That opened a real pain conversation. I offered a 15-minute readout of their current implementation with an outside eye. Result: closed a $145k ACV deal in month four. Interviewers screen for whether you can create urgency without trashing the incumbent.
Q4. What's the difference between OTE, base, variable, and accelerators?technical
OTE = on-target earnings = base + variable at 100% quota attainment. Base = fixed salary paid regardless of attainment. Variable = commission paid based on quota attainment. Accelerators = a payout multiplier that kicks in above 100% attainment β€” typically 1.5x above 100%, 2x above 130%. A rep who can't math their comp plan gets undersold by the plan. Ask about clawbacks (commission reversed on churn) and SPIFs (short-term bonuses for specific products) before signing.
Q5. Why sales β€” and why services sales specifically?culture
The honest answer: you like the direct feedback loop (win/lose weekly, not once a year), the ownership of a number, and the earnings ceiling that scales with performance. Services sales specifically because β€” pick your reason β€” long-tail relationships, recurring revenue, cross-industry exposure. Avoid saying 'money' as the top reason; hiring managers screen for reps who genuinely enjoy the customer conversation. Name a specific sales methodology (MEDDIC, SPIN, Challenger) you've been building on, and name a concrete rep you've studied.

Resume Template β€” Account Executive (2-5 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Account Executive (2-5 yrs)
  • β–ΈClosed $1.6M in bookings against a $1.4M quota (114%) in FY24; ranked #3 of 22 AEs in mid-market segment.
  • β–ΈManaged a book of 145 named accounts; maintained 3.6x pipeline coverage across all four quarters.
  • β–ΈRan full-cycle sales β€” self-prospected 40% of pipeline, ran 8 POCs, closed 22 new-logo deals with ACV averaging $72k.
  • β–Έ$95k OTE ($55k base + $40k variable) + $12k President's Club trip. HubSpot + Outreach + Gong power user.

What Gets You Rejected

  • βœ—Did not hit quota last year and can't articulate why β€” signals coasting or a persistent skill gap.
  • βœ—Blames leads / territory / product for missed quota β€” every rep gets a bad territory sometime; the top reps prospect their way out.
  • βœ—Cannot name a discovery framework (MEDDIC, SPIN, BANT) or a champion by name from a recent deal.
  • βœ—Doesn't update CRM in real time β€” signals sloppy forecast and dead deals hiding in the pipeline.
  • βœ—Discounts to close without a concession β€” signals weak negotiation and trains procurement to expect discounts.
  • βœ—No self-prospecting β€” depends entirely on SDR-generated pipeline. Fine at enterprise; a dealbreaker at SMB/MM.
  • βœ—Forecast accuracy outside +/-15% β€” signals either sandbagging or pipeline inflation.
  • βœ—Job-hopping every 12 months without a promotion β€” signals not hitting quota and leaving before PIP.

Salary Negotiation Levers

  • βœ“Base:variable split β€” 60/40 protects downside; 40/60 gives more upside. Higher-tenured reps negotiate up base.
  • βœ“Draw (guarantee) for the first 3-6 months on a new role β€” most companies grant this to cover ramp; ask explicitly.
  • βœ“Accelerators β€” negotiate the accelerator curve, not just OTE. 1.5x above 100% is standard; ask for 2x above 130%.
  • βœ“Sign-on bonus of $10-75k is common at Sr AE and above to offset unvested pipeline / commission at prior employer.
  • βœ“Quota assignment β€” the number matters. Negotiate the quota and the ramp curve as hard as you negotiate the OTE.
  • βœ“Territory / account list β€” for enterprise AEs, the account list is worth more than the base. Ask which named accounts you'll cover before you sign.

Sales Representatives of Services Resume Review β€” $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired sales representatives of servicess. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

  • βœ“ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
  • βœ“ Rewrite suggestions for weak bullets
  • βœ“ Missing skills / keywords flagged
  • βœ“ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
  • βœ“ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Sales Representatives of Services Career Kit β€” $19

  • βœ“ All 18 interview questions with expert answers
  • βœ“ 11 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
  • βœ“ Interview format intel for 8 top employers
  • βœ“ 4 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
  • βœ“ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
  • βœ“ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
  • βœ“ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
  • βœ“ Detailed salary negotiation script
  • βœ“ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
  • βœ“ Downloadable PDF for offline access
  • βœ“ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription
βœ“ 7-day money-back guarantee β€” no questions asked

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Sales Representatives of Services Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) β†’

Salary Map β€” Click a state for details

$48K
$92Kβ–  No data

Top Paying States

New York
$92K
+32%
Massachusetts
$84K
+20%
Rhode Island
$81K
+16%
California
$81K
+16%
Washington
$80K
+14%
Colorado
$80K
+14%
New Jersey
$79K
+13%
Vermont
$78K
+11%
Connecticut
$77K
+10%
District of Columbia
$77K
+10%
Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.
StateMedianvs. National
New York$92,190+31.7%
Massachusetts$83,760+19.7%
Rhode Island$81,450+16.4%
California$80,850+15.5%
Washington$79,920+14.2%
Colorado$79,810+14.0%
New Jersey$79,200+13.2%
Vermont$77,530+10.8%
Connecticut$76,940+9.9%
District of Columbia$76,770+9.7%
1–10 of 51

Sales Representatives of Services Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs. National
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$116,510+66.5%
Boulder, CO$99,990+42.9%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$96,960+38.5%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$93,750+33.9%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$83,420+19.2%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$82,540+17.9%
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$80,650+15.2%
Midland, TX$80,460+15.0%
Burlington-South Burlington, VT$79,680+13.8%
Pittsfield, MA$79,530+13.6%
1–10 of 394
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.
How does this compare to pro athletes?
A sales representatives of services earning $69,990/year would need 852 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 914 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.
See all sports & celebrity salaries β†’
πŸ“ˆ See how sales representatives of services salaries have changed over the past decade.
View Sales Representatives of Services salary trend (2011–2024) β†’