Market data
2026 GTM salary and hiring benchmarks
What go-to-market roles pay in the UK and US, how long each one takes to fill, and where quota attainment actually sits. Free to quote, with sources listed.
Headline numbers
- AEs hitting quota
- 48%
- Median AE OTE
- $200k
- Median AE quota
- $960k
- Average ramp
- 6.2 mo
down from 51% in 2024
up from $190k in 2024
4.6x quota-to-OTE
highest on record
Last updated 13 August 2026.
Pay by role
Base and OTE, UK and US
| Role | UK | US | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDR / BDR | £38k–£50k base · £50k–£68k OTE | $65k–$80k base · $90k–$115k OTE | Enterprise outbound pods pay at the top of range |
| Mid-market AE | £70k–£85k base · £140k–£170k OTE | $120k–$140k base · $240k–$280k OTE | 50/50 split standard, quota 4–5x OTE |
| Enterprise AE | £90k–£110k base · £180k–£220k OTE | $140k–$170k base · $280k–$340k OTE | Large-ACV roles run 5.5–6x quota-to-OTE |
| Sales Engineer / SA | £85k–£110k base · £105k–£140k OTE | $150k–$185k base · $190k–$240k OTE | 80/20 split; cyber and AI infra pay a premium |
| Customer Success Manager | £60k–£80k base · £70k–£95k OTE | $110k–$135k base · $130k–$165k OTE | Renewal-owning CSMs carry a larger variable |
| Channel / Alliances Manager | £85k–£105k base · £150k–£185k OTE | $140k–$165k base · $250k–$300k OTE | Partner-sourced quota, longer ramp |
| Sales Director / RVP | £120k–£150k base · £240k–£300k OTE | $180k–$230k base · $360k–$450k OTE | Team quota 5–6x, equity meaningful |
| VP / CRO (EMEA or NA) | £170k–£230k base · £320k–£430k OTE | $200k–$300k base · $400k–$600k OTE | Equity typically 0.5–1.5% at Series B |
Time to hire
Median days from kick-off to signed offer
Based on GTM Search placements across cloud, cyber, DevOps and AI vendors. Shortlists land inside 14 days on every engagement; the rest is interview process and notice.
SDR / BDR
21 days
Cohort hiring; largest available pool
Mid-market AE
32 days
Deep pool, decided on assessment speed
Enterprise AE
44 days
Territory and logo fit narrow the list
Sales Engineer / SA
52 days
Scarcest IC pool in GTM
Customer Success Manager
35 days
Faster where no quota is carried
Channel / Alliances
48 days
Relationship mapping drives the timeline
Sales Director / RVP
56 days
Multi-stage panel, references in depth
VP Sales / CRO
71 days
Retained, confidential, board involvement
Quota and ramp
Attainment norms
- AEs hitting quota48%Down from 51% the prior year
- Median AE quota$960kRoughly 4.6x quota-to-OTE
- Average ramp6.2 monthsHighest on record for enterprise AEs
- Enterprise quota-to-OTE5.5x–6xLarge-ACV seats run higher
- SDR ramp to full quota3–4 monthsEnterprise outbound pods
- Channel ramp6–9 monthsPartner cycles extend productivity
Put these numbers against your own plan in the quota loss vs hiring fast calculator, or read the role-by-role hiring guides.
FAQ
Benchmark questions, answered
- How long does it take to hire a go-to-market role?
- Across our 2025 to 2026 searches, median time from kick-off to signed offer is 21 days for an SDR, 44 days for an enterprise AE, 52 days for a sales engineer and 71 days for a VP Sales or CRO. Shortlists are delivered within 14 days regardless of role.
- What percentage of AEs hit quota in 2026?
- About 48% of B2B software account executives hit quota, down from 51% the previous year. Median AE quota sits near $960k against a median $200k OTE, a ratio of roughly 4.6x, and average ramp has stretched to 6.2 months.
- How much revenue does an open sales seat cost per day?
- Divide annual quota by expected attainment and 260 selling days. A £1m quota at 75% attainment leaks about £2,900 in expected bookings for each day the seat is empty, which is why a 60-day reduction in time to hire usually dwarfs the search fee.
- Where do these benchmarks come from?
- Public compensation research from The Bridge Group, RepVue and UK SaaS salary reports, combined with GTM Search placement data across cloud, cyber, DevOps and AI vendors. Figures are reviewed monthly and last updated in August 2026.
Sources
- The Bridge Group 2026 AE report
- RepVue 2026 sales salary guide
- h2 Recruit 2026 SaaS sales salary report
- Gangly SaaS compensation benchmarks
- GTM Search placement data, 2025 to 2026.
Quoting these figures? Please credit GTM Search and link to this page.
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