Account Executive - Ohio Territory

Overview

You sell Verkada's cloud-based physical security platform—video cameras, access control systems, alarms, intercoms, and environmental sensors—to mid-market and enterprise accounts across Ohio. You spend significant time in the field doing site walks and live demos, then work through 2-4 month sales cycles navigating IT, facilities, security, and procurement stakeholders.

Role Snapshot

Company Context

Stage: Late-stage private (2,645 employees, likely Series D+)

Size: 2,645 employees

Growth: Actively expanding territory coverage (hence Ohio hiring), serving 30,000+ organizations

Market Position: Challenger to legacy systems (Axis, Avigilon, traditional DVR/NVR setups) with cloud-first approach

GTM Reality

Pipeline Sources:

• 40% Inbound - marketing-qualified leads from web inquiries, demo requests, some product-led interest from free trials
• 40% Outbound - cold calling facilities managers, security directors, IT leaders; territory farming
• 20% Referrals/Existing customers - expansion within accounts or word-of-mouth in industries like education, retail, manufacturing

SDR/AE Structure: Likely a mix—some inbound leads come pre-qualified, but AEs do their own outbound prospecting in territory

SE Support: Shared SE pool for complex technical demos and custom integrations (PACS integrations, VMS migrations)

Competitive Landscape

Main Competitors: Traditional players (Axis, Avigilon, Hanwha), legacy on-prem systems, DIY solutions (Ubiquiti for smaller orgs)

How They Differentiate: Cloud-based, no NVR/servers needed, easier deployment, single pane of glass for multiple security products, AI search features

Common Objections: "We already have cameras," concerns about cloud security/bandwidth, upfront hardware cost vs. DIY, "our current system works fine"

Win Themes: Faster deployment, lower IT burden, scalability across locations, unified platform (video + access + alarms)

What You'll Actually Do

Time Breakdown

Prospecting (25%) | Active Deals (45%) | Site Visits/Demos (20%) | Internal (10%)

Key Activities

• Cold outreach: Call facilities managers, security directors, and IT leaders at hospitals, schools, retail chains, manufacturing plants. Most calls go to voicemail. You're trying to get site visits booked.
• Site walks: Drive to customer locations (could be 1-3 hours each way) to walk the facility, count camera/door needs, understand their current setup. You take notes on coverage gaps and pain points.
• Live demos: Show the Verkada platform on-site or via Zoom. You walk through AI search (finding a person in red shirt across 50 cameras), access control integration, mobile app. Demos are usually 45-60 minutes.
• Multi-threading: Chase down multiple stakeholders—facilities wants it, but IT needs to approve network requirements, procurement wants quotes, legal reviews cloud data agreements. You're constantly following up to keep deals moving.
• Proposal and pricing: Configure camera/door counts in your quoting tool, present pricing (hardware + licensing), negotiate on deployment timelines and payment terms.
• Internal coordination: Work with SEs on technical questions, loop in customer success on implementation timelines, get approvals from sales leadership on discounting.

The Honest Reality

What's Hard

• Long sales cycles with stalls: Deals that look hot go quiet for weeks because budgets aren't approved or a stakeholder goes on vacation. You spend a lot of time re-engaging cold opportunities.
• Driving/travel: Ohio is a big territory. You might drive 2-3 hours to do a site walk for a deal that doesn't close. Lots of windshield time.
• "We already have cameras" objection: Many prospects don't see urgency to replace working systems. You're selling a migration, which is harder than selling to greenfield.
• Hardware dependency: You can't close deals without hardware availability. Shipping delays or stock issues can push deals.
• Multi-stakeholder complexity: Facilities loves it, IT is skeptical about bandwidth, procurement wants lower pricing, legal needs data residency answers. Closing requires alignment across all of them.

What Success Looks Like

• You close 2-4 new logos per quarter and expand 1-2 existing accounts
• You maintain a 3-4x pipeline coverage and consistently forecast accurately
• You have 8-12 active opportunities at various stages (demo scheduled, proposal out, contract review, verbal commit)
• You hit 85-100% of quota consistently by balancing new business and expansions

Who You're Selling To

Primary Buyers:

• Facilities Managers / Directors of Security (often the champion, cares about coverage and ease of use)
• IT Directors / Network Admins (technical buyer, cares about bandwidth, cloud security, integrations)
• CFOs / Procurement (economic buyer, cares about total cost vs. on-prem alternatives)

What They Care About:

• Facilities: Easy deployment, better coverage, AI features to find incidents quickly, mobile access
• IT: Cloud reliability, bandwidth requirements, integration with existing systems (Active Directory, VMS), data security compliance
• Finance: Total cost of ownership (hardware + licensing), ROI vs. existing systems, payment terms

Requirements

• 2-4 years of B2B sales experience, ideally selling hardware/software solutions
• Comfortable with field sales—driving to customer sites, doing live demos, site walks
• Experience selling to multiple stakeholders (IT, facilities, procurement)
• Ability to understand technical concepts (networking, cloud architecture) enough to have credible conversations with IT buyers
• Willingness to travel regularly within Ohio territory (50%+ of your time)
• Track record of hitting quota in a consultative or solution sales role