The job interview: a high-stakes date where your livelihood is on the line and you don't kiss at the end ... obviously and hopefully (for personal, professional, and legal reasons).
Your sales process only goes as far as your people can take it, so sound interviews are foundational for any high-functioning org.
That's why we surveyed over 300 sales leaders for their perspective on the issue.
Here's some of what we found.
Candidates should show they really want a role before asking about comp (frustrating as that may be).
Our survey found that several sales leaders see prioritizing concerns about a role's compensation over interest in its responsibilities as the main trait that can disqualify an otherwise qualified candidate — pulling 18% of the vote, nearly tying with poor preparation (19%) as the second most popular choice.
Here's a neat statistic: Zero out of every 100 billion-trillion job seekers like pay secrecy.
No one wants to go through five rounds of interviews for an offer letter that says, "We'll give you exactly enough money not to starve (plus dental … maybe)."
At the same time, candidates pursuing roles exclusively for the money present churn risk and might undermine organizational morale. That puts both sides in a tough spot when it comes to compensation transparency.
The remedy? If a position seems interesting, candidates might want to defer comp discussions until they feel they've conveyed sincere, enthusiastic interest in the job.
And hiring managers should gauge an interviewee's passion for a role and be proactive with pay discussions — especially for "Oh wow, they'll buy all the way in," candidates.
Sales leaders want hard workers, not throat cutters.
When asked to pick the top three candidate attributes that most strongly predict long-term success in sales, 52% chose work ethic — over three times as many as competitiveness (17%).
That might sound counterintuitive. Sales is a naturally competitive line of work.
After all, the company in Glengarry Glen Ross didn't send Alec Baldwin to tell an office of underperforming marketers they suck at their jobs, don't deserve to drink coffee, and have to participate in a competition where second prize is a set of steak knives and third prize is, "You're fired."
Still, that 35-point gap is pretty telling. It shows sales leaders value motivation, but they want their salespeople to apply that motivation productively — not throat-slitting-ly.
Drive is a major plus, but a diligence-driven candidate is more attractive than a similarly qualified ego-driven one.
What can you do with this next-level, revelatory insight?
For reps: Have stories that show productive, collaborative motivation — and distance yourself from competitive aggression. For instance, consider referencing experience like participating peer mentorship or times you helped a colleague over the finish line after you hit quota early.
For managers: Actively screen for toxic competitors when hiring. Ask them to give context about times they helped peers, and keep tabs on the ones who struggle with their answers. They might see their colleagues as competition and be a cultural net negative.
For leadership: Bite the bullet, and lead with compensation transparency. Get ahead of the compensation versus passion issue by including salary ranges on job listings and discussing comp structure early — removing uncertainty and weeding out unmotivated candidates, right off the bat.
"What's my favorite Science of Scaling send I've written? The next one ... but also this one and all the other ones."
Jay Fuchs. Managing Editor, The Science of Scaling Newsletter
The data in question
We sourced the data we used here through Panoplai: The panoramic research platform your children and your children's children will be using every day within the next 5-10 years.
Select the top three candidate attributes that most strongly predict long-term sales success in your organization.
- Coachability - 38%
- Curiosity - 11%
- Work Ethic - 52%
- Intelligence - 31%
- Prior Success - 13%
- Passion - 33%
- Preparation - 32%
- Adaptability - 38%
- Competitiveness - 17%
- Brevity - 2%
- Humility - 8%
- Resilience - 17%
What's the primary factor limiting cold calling ROI in your current sales process?
- Inability to articulate specific examples when asked about past achievements or failures - 16%
- Poor preparation or lack of research about your company and industry - 19%
- Overconfidence or reluctance to acknowledge areas for improvement - 25%
- Focus on compensation and benefits rather than role responsibilities and growth - 18%
- Inconsistent stories or gaps when discussing their professional background - 14%
- Lack of genuine questions about the role, team, or company culture - 8%
Team Dynamics