Account Executive

Sage; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) matching up to 5% of pay

Tuition reimbursement for bachelor’s/°

Hybrid or remote work availability

Annual company trip every 5 years

Job summary

Sage Publishing seeks an Commercial Sales Account Executive to own a growth territory in the United States, selling print and digital advertising, sponsored content, and event opportunities. You will build client relationships, drive revenue, and collaborate across teams to craft integrated campaigns aligned with client goals.

You will manage the full sales cycle from discovery to renewal, leveraging market knowledge, CRM tools, and persuasive communication to achieve revenue targets and expand

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience preferred.
• At least three years of relevant B2B sales experience in media/advertising or related fields.
• Experience selling digital and integrated solutions.
• Experience using CRM and sales enablement tools; Dynamics 365 Sales a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own and grow an assigned territory and portfolio to hit sales targets.
• Research prospects, identify decision makers, and generate qualified opportunities.
• Conduct consultative discovery to understand client objectives, audiences, budgets, and success metrics.
• Build strong client and agency relationships to uncover new business opportunities and renewals.
• Develop and present integrated solutions across products, including print, digital, sponsored content, and events.
• Navigate objections, negotiate within pricing/terms, and move opportunities to close.
• Use audience insights to demonstrate value and align recommendations with client goals.
• Plan outreach, meetings, and travel to maximize selling opportunities.
• Collaborate on territory strategy, pipeline health, and forecast with management.

Skills

B2B sales

Digital & integrated solutions

CRM proficiency

Microsoft 365

Prospect research

Sales enablement tools

Consultative selling

Cross-team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

CRM

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales

Microsoft 365

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to own and build an emerging-growth territory, representing established brands including Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News and Inside Precision Medicine and offering clients a broad portfolio of advertising, sponsored content, and lead generation solutions. With a diverse mix of print, digital, content, and virtual event-based offerings, you’ll have the opportunity to develop new business, grow existing accounts, and create integrated solutions that connect clients and agencies with highly relevant technical professional audiences.

As a Commercial Sales Account Executive, you’ll be responsible for delivering revenue goals within an assigned territory and account portfolio across Sage Professional Media. Taking a consultative and proactive approach, you’ll build strong client and agency relationships, understand their objectives, audiences, budgets, and measures of success, and translate those needs into compelling commercial solutions.

You’ll have the autonomy to develop your territory and account strategy while partnering with Sales Management and colleagues across the business. Success will come through persuasive communication, strong market and product knowledge, disciplined prospecting, and effective collaboration from initial discovery through campaign delivery and renewal.

Sales

• Own and grow an assigned territory and account portfolio, achieving sales targets through strategic territory planning, consistent prospecting, renewals, cross‑selling, and account expansion.
• Research prospects, identify decision makers, and generate qualified opportunities through tailored outreach, telephone and video conversations, presentations, client meetings, and conferences.
• Conduct consultative discovery to understand client objectives, target audiences, budgets, timing, success measures, and decision‑making processes.
• Build strong relationships with clients and agencies to uncover new business opportunities and identify ways to expand existing partnerships.
• Develop and persuasively present integrated solutions across assigned products, including print and digital advertising, newsletters, targeted email, sponsored content, webinars, podcasts, eBooks, and event exhibits or sponsorships, as available.
• Respond to RFPs, navigate objections, negotiate within approved pricing and terms, and confidently progress opportunities through to close.
• Use audience insights and campaign measures to demonstrate the value of Sage solutions and align recommendations with client objectives.
• Plan client outreach, meetings, conference activity, and travel to maximize selling opportunities.
• Collaborate with Sales Management on territory strategy, pipeline health, performance, and actions needed to achieve sales goals.
• Use Sage’s approved sales technology and enablement tools to support prospecting, client engagement, opportunity development, and selling effectiveness.

Customer and Client Delivery

• Partner with sales support and delivery teams to provide smooth handoffs, ensuring specifications, materials, deadlines, and client commitments are clearly communicated.
• Respond promptly to client needs and proactively help resolve campaign, delivery, or billing concerns.
• Review campaign performance with clients and internal partners to demonstrate value, identify opportunities for improvement, and support renewals and account growth.
• Collaborate across teams to provide a consistent, positive client experience throughout the sales and campaign lifecycle.

Product and Market Knowledge

• Develop a strong understanding of assigned Sage publications, professional audiences, advertising formats, sponsored content, and sponsorship opportunities.
• Clearly articulate the value of Sage’s audiences, brands, and integrated commercial solutions in relation to client goals and the competitive marketplace.
• Stay informed about assigned markets, client priorities, industry trends, and competitive offerings to strengthen prospecting and account strategy.
• Share client feedback, campaign insights, and market intelligence with Sales Management and internal partners to help improve positioning and identify new revenue opportunities.
• Participate in product training and sales coaching and apply that learning to strengthen discovery conversations, presentations, and recommendations.

Territory Planning and Pipeline Management

• Build and regularly update strategic territory and account plans in partnership with Sales Management, using CRM data, Power BI, sales trends, and account insights to identify growth opportunities and prioritize activity.
• Maintain a healthy, qualified pipeline aligned with sales targets and regularly review opportunities, risks, next steps, and forecast expectations with management.
• Keep CRM records current and accurate, including key contacts, opportunity stages, expected close dates, values, client commitments, and next steps.
• Maintain realistic rolling 30-, 60-, and 90-day forecasts and proactively adjust prospecting and account-development activity when pipeline or revenue gaps emerge.
• Complete required sales reporting and expense submissions accurately and on time.

Business Travel and Conference Attendance

• Travel to client and agency meetings, industry conferences, and relevant events based on territory and business needs, including overnight travel when necessary.
• Use conferences and in-person meetings to generate qualified leads, deepen client relationships, understand market needs, and progress advertising and sponsorship opportunities.
• Establish objectives and arrange prospect and client meetings in advance of events, then complete timely follow-up to move opportunities forward.
• Attend required sales meetings, training, and other company meetings as needed.

Can you be our new Account Executive? Do you have:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience preferred.
• At least three years of relevant B2B sales experience, preferably within media, publishing, advertising, sponsorship, or association/exhibit sales, with evidence of both new business development and account growth.
• Experience selling digital and integrated solutions or programs.
• Experience using CRM, Microsoft 365, virtual collaboration, and prospect research or sales enablement tools. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales experience is a plus.
• The ability to learn new markets and products, work independently, build strong client relationships, and collaborate effectively across teams.
• A consultative and commercially focused approach, with the ability to understand client needs and translate them into compelling solutions.
• The ability to apply coaching and feedback and use approved automation and AI‑assisted tools accurately and in accordance with company policies.

Pay Transparency & Benefits Package

Sage Publishing is committed to being an inclusive employer where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect. Sage is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.

Compensation at Sage is influenced by several factors, including but not limited to skill set, nature and level of experience, qualifications, and other relevant considerations. Please note that the compensation details listed in U.S. role postings reflect the base salary only and do not include bonuses or benefits. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range and additional aspects of the compensation/benefits package for this position during the hiring process. If your desired salary falls outside of this range, we hope you'll still apply as there may be other positions that better align.

In addition to compensation, Sage offers a highly competitive and comprehensive PPO medical, dental, and vision care benefits package with SAGE covering most of the premium costs. Unique program benefits that support a healthy life, a company-sponsored anniversary trip every 5 years, a 401(k)-matching program of 100% up to 5% of pay, and other significant meaningful benefits. In alignment with our value for education, Sage offers financial support for bachelor's and graduate-level degree programs as well as learning for personal interest.

Sage offers freedom and autonomy in your day-to-day with hybrid or remote work, depending on the role. Join the nearly 2,000 Sage employees worldwide who deliver products and services that serve to fulfill our noble goal of education and dissemination of knowledge globally. We’d love to meet you!

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Sage Publishing is committed to being an inclusive employer where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marriage and partnership status, pregnancy and parental responsibilities, race, religion and belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

We believe that diversity is a cornerstone of a vibrant culture. We want Sage to be an organization where the most talented staff and high‑potential staff are recruited, have the opportunity to grow, and want to work. We strive to achieve a better representation of diverse talent at all levels, including leadership, across our workforce.

Sage is a global academic publisher of books, journals, and library resources with a growing range of technologies to enable discovery, access, and engagement. Our mission is building bridges to knowledge — supporting the development of ideas through the research process to scholarship that is certified, taught, and applied.

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Sage is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified applicants. Accommodations will be made for any part of the interview process.