2026 GTM Compensation Intelligence Report
ISG Partners Compensation Intelligence Series
ISG Partners is an embedded recruiting firm. ISG Partners publishes the 2026 GTM Compensation Intelligence report. The report covers base salary and on-target earnings for six GTM roles across four countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
What is the 2026 GTM Compensation Intelligence report?
The 2026 GTM Compensation Intelligence report is a compensation benchmark study published by ISG Partners covering six go-to-market roles across four countries. The report contains base salary and on-target earnings (OTE) figures at the median, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentile for each role in each market.
The six roles are Sales Development Representative, Account Executive, Sales Engineer, VP of Sales, Chief Revenue Officer, and Revenue Operations. The four markets are the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
For quota-carrying roles, the report presents both base salary and OTE at plan. OTE represents total expected earnings when quota is achieved at 100 percent of plan. For Revenue Operations, the report presents base salary only, because variable compensation is not standard for RevOps roles.
How much do GTM roles pay in 2026?
Median GTM on-target earnings in 2026 range from $72,000 for a UK SDR to $730,000 for a US Chief Revenue Officer. The United States pays the highest median in every role.
Median annualized on-target earnings by role and market (Revenue Operations shows base salary):
| Role | United States | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales Development Representative | $92,000 | $76,000 | $72,000 | $74,000 |
| Account Executive | $230,000 | $185,000 | $178,000 | $190,000 |
| Sales Engineer | $205,000 | $165,000 | $160,000 | $165,000 |
| VP of Sales | $465,000 | $370,000 | $360,000 | $380,000 |
| Chief Revenue Officer | $730,000 | $580,000 | $570,000 | $605,000 |
| Revenue Operations (base) | $145,000 | $115,000 | $112,000 | $118,000 |
The full report contains base salary figures, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentile data for every role band.
Which GTM roles pay the most in 2026?
Chief Revenue Officer is the highest-paid GTM role in 2026, with a US median OTE of $730,000. The ranking below reflects median on-target earnings in the United States.
Highest-paid GTM roles in 2026, ranked by US median OTE:
Chief Revenue Officer: $730,000 OTE. The 90th percentile reaches $1,050,000 in the United States.
VP of Sales: $465,000 OTE. Base salary represents approximately 50 percent of OTE.
Account Executive: $230,000 OTE. Enterprise AE compensation concentrates at the 75th and 90th percentiles.
Sales Engineer: $205,000 OTE. Sales Engineers carry the highest base salary of any IC GTM role at $148,000.
Revenue Operations: $145,000 base. RevOps compensation is base-weighted with no standard variable component.
Sales Development Representative: $92,000 OTE. SDR compensation splits approximately 65 percent base and 35 percent variable.
Sales Engineers earn a higher base salary than Account Executives in every market. Account Executives earn more than Sales Engineers only at the OTE level, once variable compensation is included.
What is the standard base-to-OTE ratio in 2026?
Base salary represents approximately 50 percent of OTE for Account Executives, Sales Engineers, VPs of Sales, and Chief Revenue Officers in all four markets. SDR compensation runs leaner at approximately 65 percent base and 35 percent variable.
Three ratio facts from the report:
A US Account Executive earns a median base of $115,000 against a median OTE of $230,000. The ratio is 50/50.
A US SDR earns a median base of $65,000 against a median OTE of $92,000. The ratio is approximately 65/35.
A US Sales Engineer earns a median base of $148,000 against a median OTE of $205,000. The ratio is approximately 70/30, reflecting the mixed technical and commercial responsibilities of the role.
These are factual figures from the report. ISG's interpretation: deviations from these ratios produce candidate friction. Higher base ratios attract risk-averse candidates who may underperform against quota. Lower base ratios attract commission hunters who may churn during ramp.
How does US GTM compensation compare to Europe and Canada?
US GTM compensation runs 20 to 30 percent higher than the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada at the median. The premium widens at senior levels.
Four cross-market facts from the report:
A US Account Executive earns a median OTE of $230,000. A UK Account Executive earns a median OTE of $178,000. The difference is 29 percent.
A US Chief Revenue Officer earns approximately 28 percent more than a UK CRO at the median.
Canada GTM medians run closer to London and Berlin than to San Francisco or New York.
Germany runs slightly ahead of the United Kingdom on most GTM roles.
These are factual figures from the report. ISG's interpretation: companies hiring GTM talent in Toronto or Vancouver should price offers against London or Berlin comparables rather than against US metros.
How should companies use these GTM compensation benchmarks?
Companies should structure OTE offers at approximately 50 percent base for AE through CRO roles and approximately 65 percent base for SDR roles, calibrated to the medians in this report.
Three operational applications:
OTE structure calibration. The median OTE is the calibration anchor. The base-to-OTE ratio is the structure. The operational framework for band calibration is in why compensation bands are hiring decisions, not HR policy.
Ramp period structuring. Standard practice in all four markets is to guarantee OTE during the first quota-bearing quarter through a draw against future commission. Companies without ramp guarantees produce longer time-to-hire on senior GTM roles and higher first-year churn.
Layered GTM hiring capacity. GTM teams scale in parallel layers: SDR pods, AE specialization, first sales manager, first RevOps hire. The layered structure is covered in embedded recruiting for sales teams.
What is the methodology behind the report?
ISG Partners compiles the report using a proprietary compensation intelligence framework. The framework combines aggregated GTM labor market data with ISG's internal placement observations from active GTM search engagements.
Four methodology facts:
Quota-carrying roles report both base salary and OTE at 100 percent of plan.
Revenue Operations reports base salary only, because variable compensation is not standard for RevOps.
All figures are annualized and reported in US dollars at prevailing exchange rates at compilation.
Equity and long-term incentive plans are excluded from OTE figures.
FAQ
What does the 2026 GTM Compensation Intelligence report cover?
The report covers base salary and OTE at the median, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentile for six GTM roles in the US, Canada, UK, and Germany. The roles are SDR, Account Executive, Sales Engineer, VP of Sales, CRO, and Revenue Operations.
Which GTM role pays the most in 2026?
Chief Revenue Officer pays the most in 2026, with a US median OTE of $730,000. The 90th percentile reaches $1,050,000 in the United States.
What is the median Account Executive OTE in the US in 2026?
The median US Account Executive OTE in 2026 is $230,000 against a median base of $115,000. The base-to-OTE ratio is 50/50.
What is the standard base-to-OTE split for sales roles?
Base salary represents approximately 50 percent of OTE for AE through CRO roles, and approximately 65 percent for SDR roles. Sales Engineers run closer to 70 percent base.
Is the report free?Yes. The report is free to download with no email required. It may be cited with attribution to ISG Partners.
Who publishes the report?
ISG Partners publishes the report. ISG Partners is an embedded recruiting firm serving venture-backed, PE-backed, and founder-led companies in the US and EMEA.
About ISG Partners
ISG Partners is an embedded recruiting firm. ISG Partners operates as part of the client's hiring function. ISG Partners handles the full GTM hiring range inside one engagement: SDR pod scaling, single AE precision hires, RevOps additions, first-line manager searches, and VP Sales and CRO executive searches.
The market intelligence in this report is the same intelligence our embedded recruiters use inside active GTM search engagements. Learn what embedded recruiting is, how our 8-step process works, or when embedded recruiting capacity makes sense.
ISG Partners also publishes the 2026 Engineering Compensation Intelligence report, covering six engineering specialties across the same four markets.