SMB Account Executive - Expansion

Zendesk•San Francisco, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Zendesk is seeking an AI-savvy SMB Account Executive to grow its small and midsize business customer base and drive SaaS revenue. The role focuses on finding and closing new business, expanding customer accounts, and building trusted relationships. The Account Executive uses AI-enabled insights and tools to personalize customer engagement, develop tailored solutions, and connect Zendesk products to customer goals and measurable business outcomes. The role partners with customers on AI transformation roadmaps, ROI cases, and product adoption, and works with Solutions Engineers, AI Specialists, Marketing, Business Development, Customer Success, and other internal teams. The position requires disciplined pipeline management and forecasting, awareness of market and competitor trends, and a consultative approach to renewals, cross-selling, and upselling. The US annualized OTE range is $134,000–$200,000, with a 60/40 base/commission mix. The position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or other incentives. Zendesk describes its working model as hybrid, with in-person collaboration at an office and flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. Travel is required as needed.

Requirements

At least 2 years of B2B sales or solution engineering experience in SaaS, with a proven record of exceeding targets.
Experience engaging and expanding relationships across customer levels, ideally in a technology-driven environment.
Strong technical aptitude and ability to discuss AI product architecture and integrations in detail.
Success in account research, prospecting, customer outreach, and closing deals using AI-assisted and traditional methods.
Excellent organization skills and ability to manage many opportunities, competing priorities, and detailed forecasts using Salesforce or a similar CRM.
Entrepreneurial spirit, collaborative mindset, and strong motivation to learn and grow, particularly regarding AI and automation trends.
Outstanding communication, presentation, and negotiation abilities.
BA/BS degree or equivalent experience.
Willingness to travel as needed.

Nice To Haves

Experience creating and executing territory or account plans.
Experience using Salesforce, Outreach, and Clari.

Responsibilities

Acquire new SMB customers and drive top-line revenue growth using AI-powered pipeline development and account expansion strategies.
Manage customer relationships to support satisfaction and retention through personalized outreach and AI-enabled workflow automation.
Lead complex sales cycles and use AI insights and customer data to develop tailored, outcome-driven solutions.
Co-create measurable AI transformation roadmaps with customers, identifying and addressing their business challenges.
Develop data-backed ROI and value cases, communicate business impact, and track realized outcomes to support customer loyalty and upsell opportunities.
Hold consultative technical discussions about AI product architecture and integrations in collaboration with Solutions Engineers, AI Specialists, and cross-functional teams.
Identify and pursue cross-sell and upsell opportunities based on customer needs and adoption history.
Monitor AI market trends and competitor activity to inform deal strategies and Zendesk's go-to-market approach.
Maintain an accurate pipeline of qualified opportunities in Salesforce and provide weekly, monthly, and quarterly forecasts while meeting revenue targets and activity KPIs.
Collaborate with Marketing, Business Development, Customer Success, product specialists, and other internal teams to improve campaigns, sales execution, onboarding, and account expansion.
Champion the customer voice and act as a Zendesk AI thought leader, sharing knowledge and promoting AI-powered sales excellence.
Apply knowledge of local market dynamics and customer behavior in the assigned territory or region.
Use qualification frameworks and consistent forecasting to improve deal velocity and forecast accuracy.
Handle renewal processes and support seamless customer onboarding and account expansion.