Finally got an offer after 3 months of interviewing. VP asked what I hit last year, I said 80%. He was like “cool” and I start in two weeks. But fr, why did it take THREE MONTHS? Every recruiter before this hit me with the same things: “Only looking for overachievers” “Everyone we’re moving forward with did 140%+” “One guy hit 160% three years in a row” ok congrats to him I guess??? None of them asked for proof. No W2s, no pay stubs. Just vibes. So now I’m sitting here wondering… am I a moron for telling the truth? Like should I have just said “yeah I was at 135%, big deals, big logos” and called it a day? Is this just how it works now? Lie or get filtered? Idk man maybe I’m bad at sales or maybe the interview game is rigged. Someone tell me.
In my experience, the people who shine in interviews often don’t perform well in actual sales roles, and they rarely stick around for long. I say that as someone who was directly involved in the hiring process for several years. The top sales reps I’ve worked with aren’t about hype or empty promises. They know their value, and they let their results and experience speak for themselves. The challenge is, many recruiters and hiring managers haven’t actually done the job they’re hiring for. That disconnect leads them to rely on surface-level traits and generalizations about what makes someone “look” successful, rather than understanding what truly drives performance in the role.
Preach! I've been in interviews and passed over (sales and non-sales roles) because of some of the most random things...every single time I've had a role play or business case style interview, you know where they actually validate what you say you're capable of, I've gone the distance and made it to final rounds....haven't always gotten an offer, but at least I knew the process wasn't just a beauty contest...and transparently, the WORST by far role I've ever had was one that had the simplest and quickest interview process - 3 ppl, all within a week all surface level questions...nothing deep - pay was high, so ignored the red flags....was gone in under a year bc it was so awful
Agree! The top sales rep on our team that made presidents club year after year is actually quite an introvert that doesn't have the gift of gab. He's extremely strategic, organized and does his due diligence on timing things just right before executing his plan.
Yeah honestly 3 months isn't that bad. As for quota attainment, I honestly think that it's more likely that a <100% number might get you screened out in this market - but if you get to have a real conversation with a hiring manager, you can actually flip it to your advantage. Instead of just giving the number - also give context that shows that you get that sales is still a math game. I hit 80% - which was #3 on a team of 25 I managed my pipeline like this... I knew that my close rate was 40%, so at the beginning of each quarter my goal was to have half of that already in the pipeline, and to add X new opps per week - at an avg value of $Y. I closed my target number of deals, but due to a few different factors my AOV was lower than I had planned, which is why I ended the year at 80%. Here are the adjustments that I'd make... No one does that - and as a hiring manager myself I can tell you that if someone took that approach I'd hire them. But it sounds like you managed to find a role regardless - which is great to hear! Good luck out there.
"I knew that my close rate was 40%, so at the beginning of each quarter..." 40% close rate? Starting from what stage of the funnel? I must be awful at closing, bc there is no way I'm hitting a 40% win rate from top of funnel...if we're talking about being mid funnel - pricing discussions on the verge of proposal/engagement letter, then sure...but from initial disco call, nope
Agree. Mines probably about 10%
yeah 100% - if i closed 40% of my opps I'd definitely be making 7 figures this year (note: i am not making 7 figures)
Everyone exaggerates their numbers. Quota is a made up number after all. Honesty is the best policy but in this competitive market people do what they have to – myself included lol. Congrats on the new role though and 3 months is not bad all things considered, it's been taking me months.