Sales & Customer Success SMB (51-200 employees)

Account Executive at SMB

OCEAN+ profile for Account Executives: managing complex enterprise deals, negotiating with C-level stakeholders, and sustaining long-term relationships.

In LATAM SMBs, the Sales Manager reports directly to the owner or CEO

Regional economic cycles directly affect deal closings

Network within the vertical industry has tangible value

Generic profile Startup (1-50 employees) Enterprise (201-1000 employees) Global (1001+ employees)

Ideal OCEAN+ Profile

Ideal range

Openness

65 85

At SMBs (51-200 employees), openness to trying new channels and sales strategies

Conscientiousness

67 85

At SMBs (51-200 employees), discipline in pipeline management and follow-up

Extraversion

75 93

At SMBs (51-200 employees), the energy to build relationships and close deals

Agreeableness

47 67

At SMBs (51-200 employees), the balance between assertive persuasion and active listening

Emotional Stability

73 90

At SMBs (51-200 employees), resilience in the face of constant rejection and long sales cycles

Structure & Rhythm

45 65

At SMBs (51-200 employees), building long-term relationships with clients

Strengths and Red Flags

Strengths

Navigating complex enterprise buying processes
Building trust-based relationships with C-level executives
Managing long-term relationships where personal trust matters more than the formal contract
Generating expansion revenue from existing accounts without a dedicated customer success team

Red Flags

Focusing only on the champion while ignoring other decision-makers
Closing pressure that damages the long-term relationship
Doesn't document pipeline or activities in a CRM; everything lives in their head
Avoids conflict with problematic clients instead of renegotiating terms

Interview Questions

Tell me about the most complex enterprise deal you closed. How many stakeholders were involved, how long did it take, and how much did you follow a defined process versus adapt your strategy on the fly?

Evaluates: Conscientiousness and Structure & Rhythm

How do you handle a sales process where your internal champion loses influence mid-cycle? What do you do to protect the deal?

Evaluates: Openness and Emotional Stability

How do you balance attention to existing accounts with opening new ones?

Evaluates: Time management and pipeline prioritization

Tell me about an account at risk of churn. What did you do?

Evaluates: Emotional intelligence applied to retention