How to hire a VP of Sales in SaaS - Part 2

I am going to be honest with you. There are a million things that I can say on this topic, which is part of the reason why I split it into two parts.

But even then there is more I can say. So, if you have specific questions about your VP of Sales, sales tactics, or sales function, reach out to my team and me.

Otherwise, keep reading this article, focusing more on the interview process and the questions, and see if it helps.

INTERVIEW PROCESS & QUESTIONS

The interview process can be long and arduous. Expect to interview your candidates formally, informally, and thoroughly courtship. Since when have you learned everything you have needed to know about someone in one hour.

Take them to lunch… take them for a drive… get them out of their comfort zone.

Interview questions

SALES TALENT

First and foremost, your sales manager must be able to sell. Your sales leader is the best salesperson on the team – no question.

So, what questions do you need to ask yourself and the candidate? These are my top five areas:

1. Discovery process
2. Pitch & Positioning
3. Closing
4. Negotiating

Ask yourself:

• Will the candidate ask questions that get the prospect talking about the challenge you solve?
• When the candidate completes their discovery process, is it clear what the prospect’s challenges are and what solution should be proposed to earn the prospect as a client?
• Will they tie your SaaS solution back to specific pain points?
• Do you believe the candidate can position your SaaS solution where your prospect perceives your solution as more valuable than any competitor?
• Does your candidate pitch? Do they motivate and inspire the prospect to WANT to move forward?
• How frequently will the candidate “wait” for the prospect to make a decision?
• When the candidate has a prospect choice to go with a competitor, will you have a tangible reason why you could not work with the prospect?
• Will the prospects be able to negotiate the price down?
• How frequently do you believe the candidate will sell deals above the listed price?
• Will this candidate be the ‘go-to’ person in the office for dealing with client concerns?
• Will this candidate be able to approach clients with complex requests and get them resolved in favor of the company without any ill will towards the company?

These are just some questions you may ask yourself and your candidate to prove. Always consider, how do you know this to be true?

STRATEGIC & CREATIVE THINKING

Can your next VP of sales find a window when a door is closed? And you must test their ability to produce creative solutions when all else fails.

So, what questions do you need to ask yourself and the candidate? These are my top four areas:

1. Behavioral
2. Decision making
3. Feedback loop
4. Structural

Ask yourself:

• How frequently will the candidate look at a salesperson’s mistakes as an opportunity for growth?
• When a prospect cancels a meeting, is this candidate’s initial reaction to reschedule the call?
• Will the candidate want the revenue difference subtracted from the monthly goal when a salesperson quits?
• When a challenge is posed to the candidate, can they decide when all the facts aren’t available?
• When they have two options in front of them that seem desirable, do they select the option that requires more work?
• Does the candidate watch/listen to their own sales calls? What was an example of a wrong sales call, and why?
• How frequently do you feel the candidate admits they were wrong about a decision?
• How often will the candidate test incorrect hypotheses to validate their current known system?
• How frequently will the candidate look to improve methods to see if they can find a new edge?

Lastly, before answering any of these questions, consider how you know this to be true?

SALES CULTURE DEVELOPMENT

Great sales leaders value sales culture and actively build an accountable and transparent culture in sales teams.

So, what questions do you need to ask yourself and the candidate? These are my top five areas:

1. Clear expectations
2. Accountability
3. Crucial conversions
4. Forcing Functions
5. X-Factor

Ask yourself:

• Will the candidate make it clear what kind of sales culture they want?
• Will the candidate communicate the repercussions of not adhering to the required results?
• Will the candidate hold everyone accountable to the same standard (Results, KPIs, Activity, Policies + Procedures, etc.)?
• Will the candidate show sympathy (not empathy) when a salesperson is struggling?
• When the candidate has to correct a salesperson’s behavior, will the candidate come back with a “middle-ground” solution?
• When the candidate is asked to handle a difficult conversation, are you confident that they will do as well as, if not better than you, in that conversation?
• Will the candidate tie in incentives to extraordinary efforts and results?
• Will the candidate communicate that the required tasks are the ‘price of admission’ to work there?
• Will the vibe/intensity/mood be more vibrant and upbeat when the candidate is in the office?
• Will everyone in the company (not just the sales team) respect and want to impress the candidate?

Lastly, before answering any of these questions, consider how you know this to be true?

RECRUITMENT & DEVELOPMENT

The sales hiring process is the VP of Sales responsibility: they recruit to fill gaps and attract and retain top talent.

So, what questions do you need to ask yourself and the candidate? These are my top five areas:

1. Sales team vision
2. Hire the right people for the right seats
3. Developing the talent
4. Retaining the talent
5. Transitioning the low & unimproved salespeople

Ask yourself:

• Will the candidate consistently go back to their plan of what the team should look like in job functions?
• Does the candidate have a track record for hiring successful salespeople?
• Will the candidate use behavioral, functional, or personality assessments to vet candidates before hiring?
• Will the candidate spend one-on-one time with the new hires on their team?
• Will the candidate clearly understand each salesperson’s strengths and weaknesses on their team?
• Does the candidate have a systematic way of measuring who is happy, fulfilled, and engaged in their role?
• Does the candidate provide every person a reasonable path to succeed?
• Will the candidate have difficulty terminating a sales team member who isn’t putting in the necessary efforts to improve?
• Will the candidate take decisive action when a salesperson’s attitude harms the morale of the rest of the team?

Lastly, before answering any of these questions, consider how you know this to be true?

READ: WHEN YOUR TOP SALES PERFORMER WANTS TO QUIT ??

Interview questions

3 VP SALES TRAITS YOU WANT

Here are some things to look for in a VP of Sales who may work out:

Has a humble cocky attitude

Stick with me because there is a clear distinction between cocky and humbly cocky.

The critical difference is that they don’t brag about themselves.

Ask a bunch of questions

They ask you a bunch of questions from the start. It may seem like they are uninterested in the position and more interested in what the company is doing now: a genuinely positive sign.

They don’t ask you what or why you are looking for someone. They don’t need to twist themselves into something that will satisfy the role: they are the role.

Makes you feel good while evoking pain

Highlighting flaws is good because it evokes pain; you never get the sale without it.

But the best salespeople are those that expose you raw but make you feel good about it.

It’s a type of sex appeal and finance – a particular type of gift in a sales leader.

If they don’t have it in the interview, they won’t have it in front of the client.

SCALE YOUR SAAS SALES DEPARTMENT RIGHT

There are probably a million more things I could tell you to look for and watch out for, but I’m getting lazy.

If you still have many questions on the subject, it’s time to call in some outside to help shake things up.

Rose Garden Consulting?will light a fire under your team and redefine your process into a SaaS sales experience.

The?Rose Garden Sales Leader Hiring Rubric?categorically unroots the best for the job from the best available interview process. You don’t want the best known because good enough isn’t good enough.

So sit down. Be disciplined. And understand that this is not an easy process.

But when you do find the right person, you’ll understand why you waited.