Account Executive - Seattle, WA

Cars.com LLC; Washington; Hybrid; USD 119,000 - 148,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision plans

New Hire Home Office Stipend

Generous PTO

Paid Holidays

Job summary

Cars Commerce seeks an Account Executive in Seattle, WA, to own customer success and growth within an assigned territory. You will sell Cars Commerce products to existing customers, maintain relationships through regular visits, and respond to inquiries with recommended solutions.

You will drive strategy, close upsell opportunities, and deliver insights showing ROI and value. A strong background in automotive digital marketplaces and Salesforce is preferred.

Qualifications

• Excellent planning and solutions-selling experience with a structured, repeatable methodology — Sandler, Challenger, SPIN, or Consultative Selling.
• Motivated and comfortable working remotely from a home office as well as from the road and field.
• Ability to conduct in-depth sales presentations including product demonstrations that highlight key benefits, ROI, and the value of our solutions.
• Proven persuasion and negotiation skills, with the tenacity to re-engage stalled deals and push through friction.
• Experience in the automotive space or digital marketplace strongly preferred.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and customer relationship-building skills.
• Strong business acumen — knows their pipeline coverage ratio, conversion rates by stage, and forecast accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary point of contact for Cars Commerce customers, focusing on ongoing customer success, retention, and growth.
• Sell products and services to existing customers. Maintain relationships through regular in-person visits within an assigned geographic territory. Respond to client inquiries and recommend appropriate products and services.
• Execute sales strategy, identify and close upsell opportunities. Prepare reports and deliver insights that communicate measurable value to customers. Demonstrate expertise in Cars Commerce products, services, and the digital automotive marketplace.
• Manage pipeline with discipline — maintain daily Salesforce hygiene, track pipeline coverage ratios, forecast accurately, and apply a structured sales methodology at every stage.
• Travel (primarily driving but occasional flights) at least 75% of the time within the assigned territory for face-to-face customer engagement.
• Partner across selling and servicing roles at Cars Commerce to ensure customers receive maximum value from the Cars Commerce Platform.

Skills

Sandler

Challenger

SPIN

Consultative selling

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Be essential at Cars Commerce At Cars Commerce, we’re fanatical about simplifying everything about car buying and selling. We do right by our customers and consumers to better connect the industry with simplified and tierless technology to enhance, measure and drive local automotive retail. Whether through our No.1 most recognized marketplace, Cars.com, our industry-leading digital experience, Dealer Inspire, our trade and appraisal technology, AccuTrade, our reputation-based digital wholesale auction marketplace, Dealerclub, or our new Cars Commerce Media Network, Cars Commerce is essential for success in the automotive industry. No one ever travels alone here: at its core, Cars Commerce is collaboration. In fact, it’s built into the very fabric of our shared values. We like to say we Rise Together – putting people at the center of what we do, from consumer to customer to community. Life at Cars Commerce makes it easy when we share the ethos to be Open to All, encouraging open-minded communication because we know diverse thinking yields better outcomes. But critical to our success is Caring to Challenge and Taking Ownership, fueling a competitive spirit in a respectful environment where we think about tomorrow but act today. At our foundation, we have integrity, Doing the Right Thing, even when it’s hard. It’s our shared commitment to these values that makes Cars Commerce a place where growth becomes not only possible, but downright unavoidable. But don’t take our word for it. We are proud to be named one of Built In's 2026 Best Places to Work in Chicago and across the U.S. Ready to make your mark? Join a team that’s driving real change in the automotive industry. Cars Commerce is looking for a driven, disciplined Account Executive who embodies our DRIVE values: Disciplined, Results-Proven, an Interconnected Solution Seller, Voraciously Hungry, and Earning-Motivated. This is a field-based, quota-carrying role for a seasoned seller who runs their book like a business and is unapologetically motivated to win and earn. Territory: Seattle, WA - Candidates must reside in or in close proximity to the assigned territory and be able to travel by car for face-to-face visits with existing and prospective customers.

About the Role

• Act as the primary point of contact for Cars Commerce customers, focusing on ongoing customer success, retention, and growth.
• Sell products and services to existing customers. Maintain relationships through regular in-person visits within an assigned geographic territory. Respond to client inquiries and recommend appropriate products and services.
• Execute sales strategy, identify and close upsell opportunities. Prepare reports and deliver insights that communicate measurable value to customers. Demonstrate expertise in Cars Commerce products, services, and the digital automotive marketplace.
• Manage pipeline with discipline — maintain daily Salesforce hygiene, track pipeline coverage ratios, forecast accurately, and apply a structured sales methodology at every stage.
• Travel (primarily driving but occasional flights) at least 75% of the time within the assigned territory for face-to-face customer engagement.
• Partner across selling and servicing roles at Cars Commerce to ensure customers receive maximum value from the Cars Commerce Platform.

What We're Looking For

The DRIVE Profile Every successful Cars Commerce AE embodies all five dimensions of DRIVE: D - Disciplined: Pipeline rigor, Salesforce hygiene, forecasting accuracy, and use of structured sales methodology R - Results-Proven: Consistent, multi-year quota attainment — backed by specific numbers, deal sizes, and rankings I - Interconnected Solution Seller: Media/digital advertising or SaaS background; comfortable owning SMB and mid-market accounts V - Voraciously Hungry: Grit, tenacity, and fire — personal ownership of outcomes, self- driven activity beyond what's required E - Earning-Motivated: Financial drive is the engine — unapologetically money-motivated with a preference for uncapped commission

Qualifications

• Excellent planning and solutions-selling experience with a structured, repeatable methodology — Sandler, Challenger, SPIN, or Consultative Selling.
• Motivated and comfortable working remotely from a home office as well as from the road and field.
• Ability to conduct in-depth sales presentations including product demonstrations that highlight key benefits, ROI, and the value of our solutions.
• Proven persuasion and negotiation skills, with the tenacity to re-engage stalled deals and push through friction.
• Experience in the automotive space or digital marketplace strongly preferred.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and customer relationship-building skills.
• Strong business acumen — knows their pipeline coverage ratio, conversion rates by stage, and forecast accuracy.

Requirements

• 5–10 years of progressive B2B sales experience with a media, digital advertising, marketing SaaS, or automotive solutions background.
• Proven, multi-year quota attainment record — candidates must be prepared to share specific quota figures, attainment percentages, and team/regional rankings.
• Demonstrated Salesforce proficiency with strong CRM hygiene habits; daily updates and pipeline reviews are the norm, not the exception.
• Demonstrated track record of consistent quota attainment and a continuous, competitive drive to win.
• Experience selling advertising or complex SaaS/software solutions to business leaders in SMB or mid-market segments.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Financially motivated with a preference for uncapped, accelerated commission structures over high-base/low-variable plans.

Compensation

In the spirit of pay transparency, we are excited to share the compensation for this role. The range is expressed as total target compensation (base salary + variable). Actual compensation is determined based on skills and/or experience. In this spirit of pay transparency, we are excited to share the compensation for this role. The range is expressed as total target compensation (base salary + variable). If you are hired at Cars Commerce, your total target compensation will be determined based on factors such as skills and/or experience.

Total Target Compensation Range $118,600.00-148,250.00

Our Comprehensive Benefits Package includes:

• Medical, Dental & Vision Healthcare Plans
• New Hire Stipend for Home Office Set-Up
• Generous PTO
• Paid Holidays, Floating Holiday, Volunteer Day, Recharge Day

For US-based Positions

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. Please note that we are unable to sponsor employment visas at this time.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

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Welcome! At Cars Commerce, we think big, push boundaries, and rise together as a team. It’s all the challenge and energy of a job in the tech industry, backed by 25years of proven resilience and growth as a leading consumer brand. Imagine getting to work on a team with a bold mission to simplify everything about buying and selling cars. A culture that’s a unique mix of innovation and collaboration. Exciting training and development opportunities that empower you to take ownership of your career. For our employees, every day is an opportunity. We’re a remote-first workplace that embraces diversity at every level. Inspired by our values, we intentionally create opportunities for our employees to grow and make an impact in our industry and local communities. Let’s move your career forward together.

CarsCommerceis an audience-driven technology company empowering automotive that simplifies everything about buying and selling cars. The CarsCommerce platform includes the flagship automotive marketplace and dealer reputation site Cars.com, innovative digital marketing technology and services from Dealer Inspire, industry-leading trade-in and appraisal technology from AccuTrade, an exclusive in-market media network, and powerful and predictive AI technologies that enable more efficient and profitable retail operations. CarsCommerceis the essential partner to stay one step ahead in automotive.