26 CV Action Verbs for Sales and Account Management
Sales CVs are the easiest to quantify and the most likely to hide behind "managed a pipeline". Twenty-six verbs that force the number out.
Sales is the easiest function to quantify and one of the most likely to hide behind vague phrasing. *Managed a pipeline of enterprise accounts* is the sales equivalent of saying nothing. A hiring manager wants attainment, deal size, and cycle length.
The verbs below are grouped by stage of the cycle, because the stage you are strongest at is usually the thing the posting is hiring for.
26 verbs, grouped by stage
| Stage | Verbs |
|---|---|
| Prospecting and top of funnel | Prospected, Sourced, Generated, Penetrated, Booked, Revived |
| Qualification and discovery | Qualified, Diagnosed, Scoped, Mapped, Disqualified |
| Advancing the deal | Negotiated, Positioned, Differentiated, Championed, Accelerated |
| Closing | Closed, Won, Converted, Secured, Exceeded |
| Retention and growth | Expanded, Renewed, Upsold, Recovered, Retained, Onboarded |
Verbs to stop using
- Managed a pipeline: everyone in sales manages a pipeline.
- Responsible for a territory: restates the job title.
- Built relationships: pleasant and unmeasurable. Say what the relationship produced.
- Assisted with deals: the fastest way to sound junior.
- Worked with clients: attendance again.
Before and after
Responsible for managing a pipeline of enterprise accounts and building relationships with clients.
• Closed £1.4m new ARR against a £1.1m quota (127%) across 19 mid-market deals, lifting average deal size from £52k to £74k by leading with the multi-team use case.
Worked with existing customers to keep them happy and renew.
• Owned 42 accounts worth £3.2m ARR; recovered 6 at-risk renewals through a structured exec-sponsor programme and grew net revenue retention from 97% to 112% over four quarters.
The pattern
Verb → the specific motion you ran → attainment, deal size, or retention. The middle clause is what separates a rep who hit quota from one who can explain why, and it is the part hiring managers probe in interviews.
Which stage leads should follow the posting. A new-logo hunting role wants *prospected*, *penetrated*, and *closed* first; a farming role wants *expanded*, *renewed*, and *recovered*. Reordering to match is the whole point of tailoring your CV to the job description.
Lead with the motion this role hires for
Paste the job link and FitMyCV puts the right stage of your sales experience at the top.
