The Quota Question. Is it Always a True Indicator of Performance?
"What was your quota and how did you perform against it?"
The most common question asked of a sales rep in their first interview. Is this a fair and accurate way to assess a salesperson’s success??Most of the time it is, but in some cases it is not.?I know of one large software company that has about 30 Account Executives in one of their product divisions.?In 2023, 3 out of 30 AE’s made or exceeded their number.?Did they truly have 27 AE’s, (90% of their salesforce) that were terrible???Of course not.?This is a great example of poor sales leadership, execution, and strategic vision.?If the percentage of AE’s not making their quota?is higher than 25% in any organization, it’s not the salespeople, it’s issues at the executive level. Some examples:
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These are just a few examples.?When you’re asked the “quota?question” in the interview process and you did not make your number, and you feel like there are valid reasons why you did not achieve. Be sure the recruiter or hiring manager understands your side of the story.
Major Account Manager @ ZScaler | Servant Leader | Fanatical Prospecting | Relationship & Trust Builder
4 个月Great read Kent, however, much of what’s mentioned can and should be vetted out by the candidate prior to accepting a role. Unless of course, that person is simply desperate to accept anything offered, it’s incumbent upon me to understand much of this going in.
Enterprise Sales Leader, Coach and Strategist
4 个月This is spot on.
Client Executive | Technology Solutions
4 个月Right on Kent! Learned many of these "lessons" the hard way.
Senior Vice President - Global Sales
4 个月HOOYAH! Great post Kent! 100% on target! ?? I have been on both sides of this conversation as I have hired 100s of sales reps and have leveraged this line of questioning to ascertain how the candidate performed. I have also had this question asked of me often times when I have interviewed for an IC role. I was hired at Talend specifically because they needed an Enterprise Account Executive to close much larger deals versus the sub $100K deals that were trickling in at the time. I crushed my number not because it was too low but because it was set properly, we had great marketing, SDRs, BDRs and solid very SUPPORTIVE sales management all the way to the top! Did I work long hours - RODGER THAT! But it was worth every second because I was committed to helping our prospects and customers, I believed in my team and they believed in me! It was a well-oiled machine with great infrastructure. This cannot be said for all organizations. Many are sorely underfunded and will attempt unnatural acts to get prospects or customers to act prematurely because of the inherent financial pressure induced by lack of funding and understanding of scope. Bottom line - one must always believe in themselves and that will shine through in any interview!