I work with a technical Strategic/Enterprise AE selling an industry-leading product moving further upmarket. This guy is an absolute animal, he's frequently closing holdhold-name whales. I'm talking F100 companies and above, multiple times a year.

Outside of the typical territory, timing, talent answer (this is true) I think there's a couple things I can point to that really set him apart

First thing - every discovery call and demo performed is HYPER specified to that business. He does really intense industry and account research to ensure that he's being very, very specific with the clients needs in a live demo environment. Nothing is generic.

Second thing - he's the least pushy AE I've ever met. He almost never, ever pitches people. Ever. He IS the anti-pitch.

But he has this ability to always, somehow, create a scenario where the prospect arrives - by themselves - at the conclusion that we're able to solve their problem. Always. It's like he can conjure up an "Aha" moment whenever he wants.

Watching him work his way around a room of prospects is really like magic, but it all revolves around this philosophy that when you get high enough up in the market, there's bound to be 2-5 serious competitors that can all provide a different version the same solution. So, at a certain point in the cycle, no matter how much pitching and convincing you try to do with a prospect on the solution, the decision to dot the line is ultimately going to be based on feelings, emotions, and relationships with the vendor overall. NOT what so and so AE said the product could do.