10 Questions You Should Always Ask Your Next Sales Boss

From the juggernaut that is mailonline, a tip or ten this week on what to say to your interviewer to ensure the “money and respect you deserve” in your new job.

I wasn’t especially enamoured with their list:

1. Is the salary negotiable?
2. Aside from salary, what other workplace perks do you offer your staff?
3. What are the career development opportunities?
4. Can you provide me with an example of a team member who recently got promoted?
5. If I asked your employees to describe the company, what would they say?
6. What do you dislike the most about working at the company?
7. How was your weekend?
8. What does success look like to you in this role?
9. Who will I be reporting in to?
10. Can I have this in writing?

My weekend is always great, thanks.

And so it nagged away at me for a day or two. What are the vital questions a salesperson must ask someone seeking to hire us?

Parking spaces, perks and projections aside, here’s a – non-strategic, tactical – quickfire alternate sales specific selection;

1. How many years has the longest-serving salesperson been here, and can I chat to them?

2. Why did the last big deal that slipped away not come home?
(a more disarming alternative to move towards this subject; Who’s your big enemy?)

3. What input do I have over product make-up?

4. Who allocates pre-sales resource?

5. Can I speak to a favourite customer?

6. Who’s recently got a pay-rise/promotion and why?

7. (Without giving away the crown jewels before I start) What’s your sales process?
alt; How’s your sales process evolved over the past year or two?
(if uncomfy with this, you can lead into it with something like;) How’s the team’s forecasting accuracy?

8. When was the last deal discounted?

9. How often does the chief exec come in on a deal?

10. (And the one everyone loves to hate:) Leads….?

Selling’s a two-way dialogue, right? But don’t forget to go strategic too…