Lucy Ye

In my experience, the best sales candidates are not necessarily people with the most years of sales experience. I've noticed the best sales candidates all have these qualities in common: * Insanely Driven and Hard-Working (folks who are intrinsically motivated to double down on KPIs to exceed their goals if that's what it takes) * Adaptable (people who can think on their feet, and adjust their sales motion/process to best hit their sales targets) * Inquisitive (excellent salespeople know that the key to selling is listening, not talking. So people who are naturally curious about their clients' pain points are generally much better at prescribing solutions and highlighting impact for the client) * Self-Sufficient with Outbound (the top 1% sales talent I've seen will always find ways to exceed their number beyond what's given to them. They know how to go creatively source for leads and go outbound to feed themselves, and not just rely on an inbound pipeline)

One of my favorite sales interview questions to ask is "Tell me about a time something did not go according to plan in your personal or professional life. What happened and what would you do differently, if anything?" This one's great because it helps the interviewer see if the interviewee is just as comfortable talking about their failures as they are about their successes. It allows the interviewer to see how the person handles setbacks, what they do when setbacks occur and what their overall ability to handle unexpected curveballs is like. The best answers are usually authentic, vulnerable and showcase a growth/abundant mindset. Abundant mindsets allow people to see setbacks as opportunities for further improvement rather than limitations. 

I'm going to include some red flags on resumes since I have already talked about common mistakes people make in sales interviews. Some resume red flags: * Resume is multiple pages long (people pay most attention to the first half of the resume so if it's very dense, you will lose your audience) * Having every single job the person's ever had listed on there (relevant job experiences only please) * Having little-to-no quantitative results (e.g. % attainment, conversion rates, etc.) on the resume, especially for sales roles * Basic spelling or grammar mistakes (shows that there was no detail to attention if you have a lot of them)

I always recommend that candidates study the job description carefully. Take a look at the qualifications and skills/experience that the hiring manager wants. Do your best to come up with examples/stories to showcase those desirable skills/experiences in the interview. If you have time, it never hurts to connect with someone who is doing the role today and pick their brain on what they like, don't like, and do to succeed in the role. You should be able to find them on LinkedIn. This type of insight is invaluable as you will be learning from someone who is doing the job you want. If you're talking to a cross-functional partner that you're not as familiar with, get curious. For example, I really appreciate it when candidates take the time to ask me, "how can I make your life easier in this role? how can this role help contribute to your team?" This type of question is a launchpad and invitation to discuss future collaboration opportunities. Remember it's just as important for you to evaluate if this role or company is a right fit for you as it is for the hiring manager and company to evaluate if you are a right fit for them. So be sure to throw in one or two questions to help you evaluate your decision as well. 

Common mistakes include: * Focusing on why you want to work at X company, but not why you want Y job (it's arguably more important to show why you're drawn to the role that you will be doing every day rather than just the company you will be joining) * Not having any questions whatsoever for your interviewer at the end (it's important to show that you took some time to think through thoughtful questions) * Spending more than half the interview going through every single job you've ever had (essentially, reading off the resume). Perfect your elevator pitch for yourself. In just a few minutes, how can you tell your story effectively and succinctly? * Indicating that you've never had any setbacks, failures, or difficulties in your previous roles (no one is perfect so being able to speak to setbacks and what you've learned from them is important) * Not knowing much about the company, its products/services, value props of what you would be selling, etc. (little-to-no research done before the interview shows a lack of Investment on the interviewee's end)

I believe you're referring to assessing the level of autonomy you will get in the sales role you're interviewing for. In most instances, autonomy and flexibility are given to top performers who consistently hit or exceed their numbers in Sales. It is expected for a manager to be way more prescriptive if you are underperforming. That said, here are some questions you can ask the hiring manager to assess their management style and to see how much autonomy other top performers are currently getting: * How does your approach to managing bottom performers differ from your approach to managing top performers, if there is a difference at all? * What will your daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly expectations be of me aside from hitting my targets? What level of accountability is there to ensure these expectations are met? * What does a day in the life of a top performer look like? How do they determine how to structure their day or schedule? * To what extent is there room for creativity to get to goal? What strategies do most people follow to hit goals? Are there examples of people who use very different strategies to get to goal, compared to most other salespeople? 

Some questions I like to ask are: * Tell me about a time you missed your goals. What happened? (Answer should explain why the person missed goal, what lessons they learned from it and how they've been performing since) * What is a piece of critical feedback you've received from a client, colleague or manager in the past? (Answer should show the person's ability to be coached and take action on feedback) * Tell me about a time you had to re-motivate yourself during a difficult time. How did you do it? (Answer should show the interviewer what the person is motivated by and how they continue to keep themselves motivated when they encounter roadblocks in the role) * What approach would you take in the first 30/60/90 days to ramp up? (Answer should show how the person is thinking about setting themselves up for success. Are they just depending on onboarding and training to get them there? Do they have other ideas on how to prepare for success?) * What is something you don't enjoy doing? Can you give me an example of what your pitch for this thing would be? (How the person reacts to this spur-of-the-moment exercise is very telling. Are they able to go with the flow and think on their feet? Are they able to reframe their thinking?) 

There are many ways to crush your sales interview, but an excellent sales interview usually comes down to 3 core elements -- #1) Preparation #2) Storytelling 3) Self-Reflection. The best candidates I've interviewed will always come PREPARED to: * Answer why they are interested in the company and the role * Answer what they know and don't know about the industry/role (having thoughtful questions for your interviewer shows you're curious and eager to learn) * Pitch the service/product you're trying to sell (assuming this is a quota-holding sales role) But it is not enough to come prepared, you must also showcase your STORYTELLING skills. Selling is storytelling at its best, and the best way to highlight your strengths is through concise and effective examples from the past to show, not tell your interviewer how you're qualified for the role. Here are some stories (real-life examples) you should have in your back pocket: * Think of a time you successfully overcame an obstacle (how did you do it?) * Think of a time you unsuccessfully overcame an obstacle (what happened and how did you deal with it after?) * Think of a time you worked collaboratively with teammates or other teams (what worked well and didn't work well in that example?) * Think of a time you had to resolve a conflict or misunderstanding between a client or colleague (what approach did you take?) Remember that true storytelling means painting a picture for the interviewer of what you would be like in certain scenarios. So be sure to do more than just give an example -- be sure to explain why this story is important and what you learned from it. Try to always tie the lesson back to a relevant skill for the role. Finally, the ability to SELF-REFLECT can help you stand out from the crowd. Everyone always talks about how great they are in an interview, but not everyone has the self-awareness to speak about their areas of development. We all have things we need to work on. So the more aware you are of the good, the bad and the ugly that you may bring to this role, the more you appear to be self-aware and coachable. Here are some good self-reflection questions: * What may some challenges be for you in this role, and more importantly, how will you address them? * What is your plan to ramp up and set yourself up for success when you start? (What is your 30/60/90 day plan?) * What are one or two things that may set you apart from all the other candidates? What is your secret sauce? * How will you stay motivated in this role during difficult times? Do you have examples of self-motivation in the past? If you can come PREPARED, STORY-TELL and SELF-REFLECT in your interview, you will surely impress your interviewer. I know I'm always looking for sales candidates who have done their homework, know how to paint a picture or highlight their strengths effectively, and be vulnerable about what they need to work on.