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HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS
TO HIRE 1 SALES REP
SAURABH SENGUPTA
SALES DESIGNER
READ THIS BEFORE YOU MOVE AHEAD...
If you're reading this, you're probably trying to build or help build a sales team in your organization. God bless
you. You've got a f**king tough task at hand. No advice or framework prepares you better than going through
with it. The framework shared in this document has some stuff that might help you in your journey. But again, it
might not.And you might end up totally f**ked up in your head. Such is business.
This handbook describes my approach to individual contributor hiring, not leadership roles.
HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS TO HIRE 1 SALES REP SAURABH SENGUPTA, SALES DESIGNER
READ THIS BEFORE YOU MOVE AHEAD...
THE 4 STAGES OF GRIEF IN HIRING
OH F**K F**KALL WHAT THE F**K HOLY F**K
That feeling when one first
realises that one needs to
hire sales reps. But one has
little f**king clue where to
start
That feeling when one
interviews a lot of
candidates but Prince
Charming doesn't show up
When one finds good
people but runs into all
sorts of trouble while
making an offer. And after
that too
That feeling when the
candidate joins and one
gets the feeling within a
few days that one has
made a wrong hire
HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS TO HIRE 1 SALES REP SAURABH SENGUPTA, SALES DESIGNER
Example: If the candidate has a few years experience across 2 organizations, then the one where the candidate has spent
more time tends to be the dominant one.
Since this way of spotting the dominant experience is not entirely foolproof, it helps to perform a second-level check. I’ve
noticed that this experience gets more airtime when the candidate is speaking to recruiters during screening. Candidates
tend to take a lot of f**king pride in their dominant experience.
THE DOMINANT PAST EXPERIENCE IS THE JOB EXPERIENCE THAT HAS TAKEN UP MOST OF THE CANDIDATE’S
CAREER TIME AND IS FAIRLY RECENT. IT CAN BE EASILY SPOTTED ON THE RESUME.
DOMINANT PAST EXPERIENCE DETERMINES THE EASE OR DIFFICULTY OF RE-CONDITIONING A CANDIDATE'S
MIND TO THEIR NEW JOB.
DOMINANT PAST EXPERIENCE
OH F**K
HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS TO HIRE 1 SALES REP SAURABH SENGUPTA, SALES DESIGNER
CUSTOMER TYPE
(ENTERPRISE/
CONSUMER)
SALES CYCLE TIME
(SHORT / LONG)
TOUCH LEVEL
(INSIDE / FIELD
SALES)
PRODUCT TYPE
(PRODUCT /
SERVICES)
ROUTE
(DIRECT/
CHANNEL)
BRAND
(CELEBRITY /
UNDERDOG)
LONG CYCLE TIME SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS PATIENCE AND
TRUST IN PROCESS.
SHORT CYCLE TIME SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS NIMBLENESS
AND MANOEUVRABILITY.
INSIDE SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS DISCIPLINE AND PRODUCT
BASED SELLING.
FIELD SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS COURAGE AND
RELATIONSHIP BASED SELLING.
ENTERPRISE SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS STAKEHOLDER
MANAGEMENT SKILLS.
CONSUMER SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS PURCHASE
ASSISTANCE SKILLS.
DIRECT SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS TRADING SKILLS.
CHANNEL SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS SCOPING AND
CONTRACTING SKILLS.
PRODUCT SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS STRONG DEMO SKILLS.
SERVICES SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS STRONG OBJECTION
HANDLING SKILLS.
CELEBRITY BRAND SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS GREAT
CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS.
UNDERDOG BRAND SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS GREAT
PROSPECTING SKILLS.
SPECTRUM SKILLS SPECTRUM SKILLS
SPECTRUMS
YOUR BUSINESS LIES SOMEWHERE ON EACH OF THESE SPECTRUMS. YOU'RE IN FOR A TOUGH TIME HIRING PEOPLE FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THESE
SPECTRUMS AND RECONDITIONING THEM TO YOURS. ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON'T HAVE A KICKASS SALES ONBOARDING PROGRAM. CHOOSE WISELY.
OH F**K
HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS TO HIRE 1 SALES REP SAURABH SENGUPTA, SALES DESIGNER
INSIDE SALES FIELD SALES
DIRECT SALES CHANNEL SALES
ENTERPRISE SALES CONSUMER SALES
PRODUCT SALES SERVICES SALES
SHORT CYCLE SALES LONG CYCLE SALES
CELEBRITY SALES UNDERDOG SALES
MUST HAVE DOMINANT
EXPERIENCE
ROLE: AGENCY SALES
TOTAL SALES EXPERIENCE: 5-7 YEARS
LOCATION: MUMBAI
BUDGET: FIXED 12-15 LACS PER ANNUM + VARIABLE
GOOD TO HAVE
DOMINANT EXPERIENCE
BENEFITS OF
CANDIDATE SKETCH
ARTICULATE JOB
DESCRIPTIONS BETTER
RECRUITERS
UNDERSTAND HIRING
REQUIREMENT BETTER
CRAFT SHARP
REFERRAL
COMMUNICATION
EVALUATE CANDIDATES
BETTER
CANDIDATE SKETCH
This model obviously doesn't apply to hiring freshers. If anyone writes a handbook for that, please let me know. I would love to know a scientific way of taking a shot in the dark.
OH F**K
HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS TO HIRE 1 SALES REP SAURABH SENGUPTA, SALES DESIGNER
OUTCOME
HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS TO HIRE 1 SALES REP SAURABH SENGUPTA, SALES DESIGNER

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How to avoid 100 interviews to hire 1 sales rep

  • 1. HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS TO HIRE 1 SALES REP SAURABH SENGUPTA SALES DESIGNER
  • 2. READ THIS BEFORE YOU MOVE AHEAD... If you're reading this, you're probably trying to build or help build a sales team in your organization. God bless you. You've got a f**king tough task at hand. No advice or framework prepares you better than going through with it. The framework shared in this document has some stuff that might help you in your journey. But again, it might not.And you might end up totally f**ked up in your head. Such is business. This handbook describes my approach to individual contributor hiring, not leadership roles. HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS TO HIRE 1 SALES REP SAURABH SENGUPTA, SALES DESIGNER
  • 3. READ THIS BEFORE YOU MOVE AHEAD... THE 4 STAGES OF GRIEF IN HIRING OH F**K F**KALL WHAT THE F**K HOLY F**K That feeling when one first realises that one needs to hire sales reps. But one has little f**king clue where to start That feeling when one interviews a lot of candidates but Prince Charming doesn't show up When one finds good people but runs into all sorts of trouble while making an offer. And after that too That feeling when the candidate joins and one gets the feeling within a few days that one has made a wrong hire HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS TO HIRE 1 SALES REP SAURABH SENGUPTA, SALES DESIGNER
  • 4. Example: If the candidate has a few years experience across 2 organizations, then the one where the candidate has spent more time tends to be the dominant one. Since this way of spotting the dominant experience is not entirely foolproof, it helps to perform a second-level check. I’ve noticed that this experience gets more airtime when the candidate is speaking to recruiters during screening. Candidates tend to take a lot of f**king pride in their dominant experience. THE DOMINANT PAST EXPERIENCE IS THE JOB EXPERIENCE THAT HAS TAKEN UP MOST OF THE CANDIDATE’S CAREER TIME AND IS FAIRLY RECENT. IT CAN BE EASILY SPOTTED ON THE RESUME. DOMINANT PAST EXPERIENCE DETERMINES THE EASE OR DIFFICULTY OF RE-CONDITIONING A CANDIDATE'S MIND TO THEIR NEW JOB. DOMINANT PAST EXPERIENCE OH F**K HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS TO HIRE 1 SALES REP SAURABH SENGUPTA, SALES DESIGNER
  • 5. CUSTOMER TYPE (ENTERPRISE/ CONSUMER) SALES CYCLE TIME (SHORT / LONG) TOUCH LEVEL (INSIDE / FIELD SALES) PRODUCT TYPE (PRODUCT / SERVICES) ROUTE (DIRECT/ CHANNEL) BRAND (CELEBRITY / UNDERDOG) LONG CYCLE TIME SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS PATIENCE AND TRUST IN PROCESS. SHORT CYCLE TIME SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS NIMBLENESS AND MANOEUVRABILITY. INSIDE SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS DISCIPLINE AND PRODUCT BASED SELLING. FIELD SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS COURAGE AND RELATIONSHIP BASED SELLING. ENTERPRISE SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT SKILLS. CONSUMER SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS PURCHASE ASSISTANCE SKILLS. DIRECT SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS TRADING SKILLS. CHANNEL SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS SCOPING AND CONTRACTING SKILLS. PRODUCT SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS STRONG DEMO SKILLS. SERVICES SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS STRONG OBJECTION HANDLING SKILLS. CELEBRITY BRAND SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS. UNDERDOG BRAND SALES EXPERIENCE BUILDS GREAT PROSPECTING SKILLS. SPECTRUM SKILLS SPECTRUM SKILLS SPECTRUMS YOUR BUSINESS LIES SOMEWHERE ON EACH OF THESE SPECTRUMS. YOU'RE IN FOR A TOUGH TIME HIRING PEOPLE FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THESE SPECTRUMS AND RECONDITIONING THEM TO YOURS. ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON'T HAVE A KICKASS SALES ONBOARDING PROGRAM. CHOOSE WISELY. OH F**K HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS TO HIRE 1 SALES REP SAURABH SENGUPTA, SALES DESIGNER
  • 6. INSIDE SALES FIELD SALES DIRECT SALES CHANNEL SALES ENTERPRISE SALES CONSUMER SALES PRODUCT SALES SERVICES SALES SHORT CYCLE SALES LONG CYCLE SALES CELEBRITY SALES UNDERDOG SALES MUST HAVE DOMINANT EXPERIENCE ROLE: AGENCY SALES TOTAL SALES EXPERIENCE: 5-7 YEARS LOCATION: MUMBAI BUDGET: FIXED 12-15 LACS PER ANNUM + VARIABLE GOOD TO HAVE DOMINANT EXPERIENCE BENEFITS OF CANDIDATE SKETCH ARTICULATE JOB DESCRIPTIONS BETTER RECRUITERS UNDERSTAND HIRING REQUIREMENT BETTER CRAFT SHARP REFERRAL COMMUNICATION EVALUATE CANDIDATES BETTER CANDIDATE SKETCH This model obviously doesn't apply to hiring freshers. If anyone writes a handbook for that, please let me know. I would love to know a scientific way of taking a shot in the dark. OH F**K HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS TO HIRE 1 SALES REP SAURABH SENGUPTA, SALES DESIGNER
  • 7. OUTCOME HOW TO AVOID 100 INTERVIEWS TO HIRE 1 SALES REP SAURABH SENGUPTA, SALES DESIGNER