Sales salaries in Europe (2026)

Sales salary bands by role

Gross annual base salary in EUR. Excludes bonus, equity and benefits.

City-by-city matrix

Skills that move the number

• Enterprise (€250k+ ACV) closing track record — +15–25%
• MEDDIC / MEDDPICC certified process discipline — +5–10%
• Native-level German, Dutch or Nordic language — +10–20%
• Technical or solution-selling background — +8–15%
• Documented 3+ years above quota — +10–20%
• Public sector or regulated-industry experience — +5–12%

How to negotiate in Europe

Negotiate the quota and territory, not just the money

An achievable quota on a healthy territory is worth more than €5k of extra base. Ask what percentage of the team hit target last year and what happened to the reps who did not.

Anchor on a range, never a single number

Give the band you researched for that exact city and seniority, and place your target at the lower third of it. A range signals you know the market; a single number invites a counter that lands below it.

Quote the city, not the country

National averages hide 40–60% spreads. Saying 'the Amsterdam band for this scope is €X–€Y' is far harder to dismiss than 'the Dutch average is €Z'.

Negotiate the whole package

Base, bonus, equity, signing bonus, pension contribution, remote allowance, training budget and holiday days are all negotiable — and often easier to move than base when a company runs strict pay bands.

Let the employer name a number first

If asked for expectations early, answer with the market band and ask what range is budgeted for the role. Most European postings now have an internal band even when the ad does not show it.

Bring evidence, not need

Tie the ask to scope and results — headcount managed, revenue influenced, systems owned — not to rent or personal costs. Hiring managers can defend results to finance; they cannot defend need.

Get it in writing before you accept

Confirm base, bonus mechanics, review timing and start date in the offer letter. Verbal promises about a raise 'after six months' rarely survive a manager change.

Sales salary FAQ

What is a normal base-to-OTE split in Europe?

50/50 for Account Executives, 60/40 or 70/30 for Account Managers and Customer Success, 80/20 for sales engineers and most sales leadership roles. Anything below a 50% base share is aggressive by European standards.

Which European city pays sales roles best?

London, Zurich and Dublin lead on base. Because commission is tied to territory and deal size rather than location, total earnings in Madrid, Barcelona or Warsaw can match northern hubs for reps selling into high-value markets.

Should I negotiate base or commission?

Base first — it is guaranteed and compounds into future offers. Then negotiate quota, territory quality and accelerators above 100%, which affect real earnings more than the headline OTE.

Are these figures base or OTE?

Base. For quota-carrying roles multiply by roughly 1.8–2.0 for AE OTE and 1.3–1.5 for AM and CS OTE.

Sales salaries by city

• Sales salaries in London
• Sales salaries in Zurich
• Sales salaries in Dublin
• Sales salaries in Copenhagen
• Sales salaries in Amsterdam
• Sales salaries in Munich
• Sales salaries in Frankfurt
• Sales salaries in Stockholm
• Sales salaries in Berlin
• Sales salaries in Paris
• Sales salaries in Brussels
• Sales salaries in Vienna
• Sales salaries in Milan
• Sales salaries in Madrid
• Sales salaries in Barcelona
• Sales salaries in Lisbon
• Sales salaries in Warsaw

Other job families

• Marketing salaries in Europe
• Software engineering salaries in Europe
• Data and analytics salaries in Europe
• Finance salaries in Europe
• Product manager and designer salaries in Europe
• HR and people salaries in Europe
• Operations salaries in Europe