Account Executive - Local Travel Only

Kong; Alton (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Kong seeks a Commercial Sales Executive to drive growth, land new clients, and expand existing accounts in an entrepreneurial setting. You will tailor demonstrations to C-level executives and collaborate with product, marketing, and customer success to ensure a seamless experience.

With 5+ years in sales and a track record of closing mid-market deals, you will build and manage a strategic pipeline, forecast accurately, and act as a trusted advisor to customers while representing Kong at industry

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in sales.
• 2+ years closing deals independently, preferably in Commercial & Mid-Market.
• Strong consultative selling and stakeholder management.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Experience with CRM platforms and data-driven forecasting.
• Knowledge of open-source software or APIs is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sales strategies to target commercial customers and build a robust pipeline.
• Own the full sales cycle from prospecting to closing and revenue attainment.
• Collaborate with product, marketing, and customer success to align on customer needs.
• Deliver customized product demos and presentations tailored to each business need.
• Lead account planning, research potential customers, and grow existing accounts.
• Forecast opportunities and maintain detailed CRM records; represent Kong at events.

Skills

Sales leadership

Account management

Open-source knowledge

CRM (Salesforce)

Prospecting

Negotiation

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Are you ready to unlock intelligence? We are seeking a committed Commercial Sales Executive with a successful background in sales and account management, ideally within open source or similar enterprise software environments.

This position is ideal for a sales professional who has experience in landing new clients, retaining existing customers, and driving account expansion for early-stage enterprise products in a dynamic, entrepreneurial setting.

Develop and execute sales strategies to target commercial customers, focusing on building and maintaining a robust pipeline that drives long-term growth.

Own the entire sales cycle, from prospecting and initial outreach to contract negotiations and closing deals, while consistently meeting or exceeding revenue targets.

Collaborate with internal teams, including product, marketing, and customer success, to ensure a seamless sales experience and alignment on customer needs.

Identify customer pain points and align our solutions to address these, delivering customized product demos and presentations tailored to their specific business needs.

Build and nurture relationships with C-level executives and key decision-makers within target accounts, establishing yourself as a trusted advisor and ensuring customer satisfaction and retention.

Lead account planning efforts by researching potential customers, understanding industry trends, and developing strategies to win new business and grow existing accounts.

Monitor and manage sales activities and results, accurately forecasting opportunities and keeping detailed records of interactions and progress in CRM systems.

Represent Kong with professionalism, acting as a brand ambassador at industry events, conferences, and customer meetings.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in sales (
• 2+ years closing deals independently, preferably in Commercial & Mid-Market.
• Strong consultative selling skills, with the ability to understand customer needs and present compelling solutions that drive business outcomes.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, capable of managing high-stakes conversations and building lasting relationships with stakeholders.
• A results-driven mindset, with a passion for meeting and exceeding sales goals and revenue targets.
• Experience working with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce) and leveraging data to forecast accurately and track sales metrics.
• Knowledge of open-source software, APIs, or infrastructure software is highly advantageous.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment, taking ownership of your sales territory and adapting to changing market dynamics.
• Analytical and strategic thinking, with a knack for identifying business growth opportunities and devising plans to capitalize on them.

#the AI Connectivity Company, is building the connectivity layer of AI. Trusted by the Fortune 500® and AI-native startups alike, Kong’s unified API and AI platform enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI traffic — on any model, any cloud.