Skills
Account Executive Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in account executives, and how to build and show them.
What skills do account executives need?
Account Executives need technical skills such as prospecting, discovery and qualification, and product demos, plus people skills like persistence and listening. They also use tools such as CRM systems such as Salesforce or HubSpot and Sales engagement tools.
Technical (hard) skills
- Prospecting
- Discovery and qualification
- Product demos
- Negotiation
- CRM management
- Forecasting
People (soft) skills
- Persistence
- Listening
- Communication
- Resilience
Tools, equipment and technology
- CRM systems such as Salesforce or HubSpot
- Sales engagement tools
- Video meeting software
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- Proposal and e-signature tools
- Email and calendars
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how account executives put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Prospecting” and “Discovery and qualification.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “persistence,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as HubSpot Sales Software certification near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our account executive glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Account Executive training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.