21 Better AE Screening Questions
Share your personal definition of “sales”. How has that definition changed from the beginning of your career, to now?
What is a product that most people consume that is not perceived as “being sold”? How does that phrase “I got sold” make you feel? Why?
Are there specific words or phrases that you or your friends use that you have learned to avoid using by talking to people at scale?
How has working in sales impacted your personal life, in both a critical and accretive way?
What is the most important question you ask on your very first interaction? Why is it so important?
What makes your sales process unique? Is there a special visual aide, a secret step? How is that edge advantageous?
How do you explain your product to your family, at least the members that are not software salespeople? What do you also avoid talking about?
Is there an operational tactic that you have used to increase your output? Have you ever bought leads, paid-for software out of pocket, etc. ?
What kind of products would you be awful at selling? What kinds of products are you well suited for? Why?
Rewind to a month or a quarter where you knocked it out of the park. What was frustrating about the final days or weeks of that period of time? Have you won any awards?
Who has impacted your sales career the most? How?
Describe what your non-sales friends think you do vs. what you actually do…
Is there an inferior competitor that you lose to? Why? Who is your most fierce competition? How do you win?
Can you elaborate on common, pre-close buying signals? How do you know a potential person is inclined?
What’s tricky about talking about pricing? What price points/ ACV’s are you familiar with selling? Which factors affect the price of the last product you sold?
Is there an isolated, sales-related moment that has made you laugh and/or cry?
What do and don’t you want out of the next step in your career?
How do you handle questions you can’t answer?
A very savvy buyer asks, “What am I forgetting to ask?” How do you answer?
Describe the most 11th hour, “oh my god that worked” maneuver that you’ve ever pulled off. What did you learn from that?
If you could do your best year ever, over again, what would you do differently?
This is a preview of a product I’m working on to source the top 10% of sales talent. It will be paired with a remote mock interview with me, where I play good cop and bad cop to spruce candidates up, prior to introducing them to curated hiring partners.
If you just want to steal these questions, I insist.
It’s the answers I’m after.