Jan 25th 2023
Green flags to look for during sales interviews
If you’re looking for a job in sales, you probably know that interviews are a necessary evil. You want to put your best foot forward and get hired, but this can be hard to do when the interviewer is asking questions that seem like they’re designed to trip you up.
Don’t panic! There are some simple things you can look for during interviews that will help you figure out whether or not this might be the right place for you. We’ve put together this list of green flags so you know what to look for during your next sales interview.
They have a well defined target market
It’s incredibly important in sales to know your market like the back of your hand. One of the most important parts of this is knowing the ICP (ideal customer profile). This is a document that describes all of the different aspects of its ideal customers, and the companies they work for.
Having a well defined ICP means the company has moved beyond the experimentation phase and really understands how their product benefits a specific group of companies or people. This makes your life as a salesperson much easier! Attributes such as industry, stage of growth (e.g. small and medium-sized companies or enterprise), location, headcount, revenue, and how those things relate to what you do on a day-to-day basis, should be considered within an ICP.
Another key part of a well defined target market is that the company really understands their target customers’ pain points. You should hear people you’re interviewing with say things like “Our customers really struggle with X, so we help them solve that by doing Y”.
Making sure everyone in the team is consistent about this is an incredibly important step in the sales process, and it’s one that many companies don’t take seriously enough. You can’t sell a product or service unless you know exactly what the problem is.
💡 Questions to ask in your next sales interview 💡
They’ve invested in good sales technology
In a sales role, you’re very likely to wear many different hypothetical hats – communicator, problem-solver, negotiator – to name just a few. You then have to use multiple channels to communicate with prospects – whether it’s on the phone, email, LinkedIn, events and even WhatsApp!
As you can tell, there’s a lot to juggle in sales! That’s why it’s so important to have a good technology stack in place that helps you to be more efficient. The tech stack can include systems that can help you to organise your sales outreach (CRMs), obtain information on new leads (i.e.. ZoomInfo, Cognism), or record sales calls for analysis and retrospective note taking (i.e. Gong, Aircall).
This way, the sales team can focus on what they do best: selling!
💡 Questions to ask in your next sales interview 💡
The commission structure is easy to understand
A massive benefit of working in sales is getting extra money based on your performance; it’s a win-win!
Whilst salaries shouldn’t necessarily be the focus of a conversation throughout the hiring process, the commission structure should be outlined to you. A simple commission structure that’s easy to understand is a green flag.
Some commission structures will be uncapped. This means that there is no limit to how much commission you can earn on the deals you close. It’s a huge incentive for the sales team to sell as much as they can. Some will come with caps or thresholds, so you have to sell a certain amount before you start earning commission.
Having a simple commission structure allows you to have much more control over your income, meaning there will be no confusion at the end of each month and you can maximise your earning potential!. It also makes your job easier because there are no complicated rules or regulations to worry about.
💡 Questions to ask in your next sales interview 💡
You meet people from different teams
A sales team will interact with a lot of different functions within a business, such as marketing and customer success. You spend a lot of your life at work. So you want to make sure your possible coworkers are people you can get on with.
You should be meeting people from different teams throughout sales interviews. It’s a good indication of how these teams work together day-to-day, and it will also give you an indication of the company culture.
💡 Questions to ask in your next sales interview 💡
Other sales people are happy in their roles
Naturally, companies want to keep their employees happy so they can retain them. That seems obvious, right? However, a recent study found that 25% of sales people were diagnosed with depression or generalised anxiety disorder in 2021. This was mainly down to a lack of compassion from management. This is a huge red flag!
Thankfully, everything doesn’t have to be doom and gloom. You should get a chance to speak to other members of the sales team throughout various interview stages. This is a good time to ask them about their processes, targets etc. This conversation will help you to gauge if they seem happy in their role and if they are hitting targets.
This way, you can get the feel of how you will cope in the company with the workload, and the kind of support you can get from your colleagues and management.
💡 Questions to ask in your next sales interview 💡
There’s opportunities for progression
One of the best things about starting your career in sales is how quickly you can progress. You’ll want to know that your skills and experience will be rewarded and that you’ll have opportunities to learn new things. At the end of the day, why would anyone want to work somewhere where they don’t get to grow?
Companies should have processes in place to help you develop your skills and allow you to climb up that professional ladder. You should have regular meetings with your line manager to discuss career goals and aspirations, with ideas of how you can get there. This could include taking extra courses to improve your skill set, setting new targets to aim for, or taking on more responsibility within your role.
💡 Questions to ask in your next sales interview 💡
They are getting to know the real you
Throughout an interview process, hiring managers will look for you to talk about your previous experience and the skills you have that are relevant to the role. In sales, things like resilience, motivation and a target driven mindset are just as important as professional experience so companies should make an effort to get to know you.
They should ask you questions about challenges you’ve overcome, what motivates you, times you’ve failed or to describe an achievement you’re really proud of. All of these questions are big green flags!
These questions give you an opportunity to talk about all the skills and attributes that, combined with experience and training, will make you a brilliant sales person.
Companies should want to know who you are as a person, not just as a salesperson.
💡 Questions to ask in your next sales interview 💡
We hope you are now armed with more knowledge on what to look out for in future sales interviews.
Speaking of sales… we have lots of job opportunities available on Tempo! Start your search for your new sales role here.