Account Executive — Sales Agent
Department: Sales
Level: Operational
Primary objective: Close deals — from qualified opportunity to signed contract and issued invoice
What this role does
The Account Executive takes qualified opportunities from the SDR and drives them to completion. They build commercial proposals, negotiate, issue sales orders, convert to invoices, and maintain the post-sale relationship. They are directly responsible for generated revenue.
Modules used daily
| Module | Where to find it | What you use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Opportunities | CRM → Opportunities | Primary queue — active deals |
| Clients | CRM → Clients | Full relationship history |
| Proposals | Sales → Proposals | Create and send commercial offers |
| Proformas | Sales → Proformas | Pre-invoice documents for advance payments |
| Sales Orders | Sales → Orders | Confirm the accepted order |
| Contracts | CRM → Contracts | Sign and archive the agreement |
| Sales Commission | Sales → Commission | Track your own earnings |
| Price Lists | Sales → Prices | Check prices applicable to the client |
| Loyalty | CRM → Loyalty | Check client membership level |
| SmartCRM | CRM → SmartCRM | Data sync with external systems |
Daily routine
Morning — pipeline review
- Open Opportunities → filter by owner = you → sort by estimated close date
- Identify deals closing this month — what's still missing to advance them?
- Check sent proposals not viewed after > 3 days → follow up
During the day — advancing deals
- Update the opportunity stage after each significant interaction
- Create new proposals for opportunities that reach the "Proposal" stage
- Convert the accepted proposal to Sales Order → convert to Invoice
Weekly — account review
- Check the history of each active client: overdue invoices, contracts expiring in 60 days
- Identify upsell opportunities based on previous orders
Key workflows
Workflow 1 — Opportunity to invoice (standard cycle)
Opportunity received from SDR
→ Requirements analysis + price check (Price Lists)
→ Create Proposal → Send to client
→ Client views → follow up by phone/email
→ Proposal accepted → Convert to Sales Order
→ Order confirmed → Convert to Invoice
→ Invoice sent → Monitor payment
Workflow 2 — Complex deal with contract
High-value opportunity (e.g. > 10,000 RON)
→ Detailed proposal with cover letter
→ Negotiate terms → Issue Proforma (if advance requested)
→ Advance received → Create Contract → Sign
→ Delivery → Sales Order → Final invoice
Workflow 3 — Existing client, repeat order
Client calls/writes with a new order
→ Check history in Clients (what they've bought before)
→ Check the price list applied to the client
→ Create Sales Order directly (no proposal needed)
→ Confirm → Invoice
Key metrics
| Metric | What it means | How to track |
|---|---|---|
| Active pipeline value | Sum of open opportunities | Opportunities → Value column |
| Win rate | % of opportunities won from total closed | Sales reports |
| Average deal size | Average value per won opportunity | Sales Overview |
| Sales cycle duration | Days from opportunity creation to win | Pipeline reports |
| Commission accrued this month | What you've earned so far | Sales → Commission |
How commission works
Commission is calculated automatically based on the Commission Policy set by your manager:
- Calculation basis: value of the issued or paid invoice (depends on policy)
- Types: fixed percentage, tiered, accelerators over quota
- Visibility: you can see accrual in real time in Sales → Commission
- Payment: manager approves and exports the payroll at month-end from Commission → Commission Payment
Practical tips
Update the stage immediately after every meeting. A pipeline that reflects reality lets you prioritise correctly. Unupdated stages impair your forecast and your manager's.
Use the proposal view notification. When the client opens the proposal, you get a notification — that's the optimal moment for a follow-up call, not the next day.
Check the price list before the proposal. Each client may have a different price list. A quote with the wrong price creates problems at invoicing.
Don't issue an invoice directly from the proposal if you also have a contract. The correct flow is: Proposal → Sales Order → Contract (if applicable) → Invoice. Traceability matters at audit.
Follow up immediately when you receive a proposal view notification — the moment a prospect opens the proposal is the optimal window for a call while you are fresh in their mind and the content is still on their screen.
Do not issue an invoice directly from a proposal when a contract is also involved. The correct flow is Proposal → Sales Order → Contract → Invoice — skipping steps breaks the audit trail and creates reconciliation problems at month-end.