Why this matters:
From time to time, a member of a sales team may miss their projected sales goals. It’s important that sales development representative candidates be analytical and reflective in recognizing areas of improvement to meet goals the next time around.
What to listen for:
- Highly analytical and able to be critical of stagnant processes
- Willing to identify and incorporate ways to improve their sales techniques and workflows
- Able to incorporate feedback and criticism from coworkers and customers
Why this matters:
A sales development representative candidate should be vigilant about current trends in the sales world. If the candidate’s processes, knowledge base, and methodologies lag behind the competition, their sales pitch won’t sway many customers — and they may take their business elsewhere.
What to listen for:
- How and where the candidate identifies current sales trends
- An excitement for staying current in the world of sales
- Willing to incorporate other modern avenues for sales information from colleagues
Why this matters:
Sales development representatives generate leads, as opposed to closing them. A strong candidate should be capable of explaining their consistent and highly effective process for generating and qualifying strong new leads to send through the sales pipeline.
What to listen for:
- Awareness and understanding of best practices in generating leads
- Ability to demonstrate an effective lead generation process refined through experience
- Recognition of the distinction between generating leads and closing them
Why this matters:
Anyone who has worked in sales for long enough likely has a rejection story. A sales development representative candidate that has a story about being turned down shows their experience tracking down leads. After all, you’re not failing if you’re not trying at all. An ideal candidate should have the capacity to explain what they learned from their rejections, and how they impacted their sales approach going forward.
What to listen for:
- Demonstrable experience weathering a failed lead generation
- Able to analyze what went wrong in generating a lead, and can explain how that affected their process going forward
- Eager to positively and productively continue on with their work after a failed lead generation
Why this matters:
Any great sales development representative will have some particularly exciting leads under their belt, which were big wins for their company. A strong candidate should be able to understand what went right in generating these leads, while also being able to recognize areas for improvement.
What to listen for:
- Close, thoughtful analysis of what went right in a previous sales achievement
- Strong storytelling abilities that reflect positively upon the candidate’s ability to convince potential customers
- Able to acknowledge areas where the situation could have been improved
Why this matters:
It’s good to understand what spurred a candidate to enter the field, as this can indicate where their priorities and motivations lie. This question also gets the candidate to explain their demeanor as a salesperson.
What to listen for:
- Strong interest and excitement in the field of sales
- Able to demonstrate how this curiosity for the world of sales can lead to positive personal growth
- An understanding of where their interests align with your company’s culture, goals, and values
Why this matters:
With so many clients to attempt to manage at once, it’s inevitable there will be conflicts. A successful sales development representative candidate will be able to intuit which of their responsibilities to prioritize and what can be moved around without creating a problem.
What to listen for:
- An effective approach to time management shaped by past successful experiences
- The ability to intuit which responsibilities are most important to accomplish before others
- Willing to identify ways to improve scheduling processes that can lead to more productive work methods
Why this matters:
The candidate’s answer to this question demonstrates their proclivity for research and doing their homework. If the candidate doesn’t come prepared with information about what they might be selling, it’s not easy to see how they’ll succeed in pursuing leads for your sales funnel.
What to listen for:
- In-depth literacy with the company product lineup
- Excitement about discovering new, fresh ways to communicate the virtues of your organization’s products
- Personal history with some or all of your products to bolster their approach to telling your product lineup’s story
Why this matters:
This question demonstrates the candidate’s personality and their long-term career goals. It provides you an opportunity to see how their goals align with your organization’s goals, and demonstrates what excites the candidate about the role. If the candidate can see themselves at your company, you’ll know they’re a strong mutual fit.
What to listen for:
- Career goals and an understanding of what long-term success means for the candidate
- A firm understanding of what motivates the candidate to work for you specifically
- Deep interest in the broader field of sales
Contact a sales consultant.