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3 Questions to Ask Before Deciding on a Job Offer

Over my recruiting career I have observed that most sales professionals do a poor job of evaluating an opportunity before deciding to accept (or reject) a job offer. I’ve also learned that it’s far easier to achieve success by picking the right sales job than by grinding out sales at a job that doesn’t quite fit. As much as we’d like to believe that employers know who to pick; the onus is on you to make sure that the position will be a good fit. To that end, I’d like to share 3 questions to ask before deciding on a job offer.

“Look twice before you leap.”

Charlotte Bronte

What does a job well done look like?

Do you have a clear idea of what will be expected of you AND what it takes to achieve it? Here’s a few questions that should help you answer that question.

Are there any challenges with this territory?

What are the hardest parts of the job?

Can you break down for me what it takes to achieve quota? Metrics? Activity level? # of Deals?

Are there any internal obstacles or politics that can get in the way?

Aside from raw sales performance, what are you looking for from your sales reps?

As a manager do you have any pet peeves?

Aside from activity levels, what are your top reps doing differently?

Is there a sales playbook?

Does your potential employer have a proven sales playbook? What I mean by this is simple. Are there clear metrics, clear messaging and a clearly outlined path to help guide you through the sales process? The less they have outlined, the more you’ll have to figure out. If that’s a strength of yours, this will be of less importance to you. If it’s not, buyer beware. A fantastic culture, great benefits and a friendly boss won’t be enough to keep you happy if you’re struggling to hit quota.

What’s my carrot?

Do you understand the compensation plan? Have they shared it with you? It’s not enough to know what the base salary and @ quota earnings #s are. There’s probably a few more questions to answer such as…

How many reps are at quota?

How long have they been with the company?

You might not need to understand every detail of the comp plan but you should have a strong grasp of the basics. Finding this out later might be a recipe for disappointment.

Look before you leap.

In 3 Tips to Reduce Turnover I share more tips on how to evaluate a potential opportunity. Much like in investing, avoiding big career setbacks is just as important as picking winners. It’s your sales career, take charge of it.

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Chris Carlson

My name is Chris Carlson and I’m the founder and President of Sales Talent. This blog grew out of my desire to document and share what I’ve learned in my two plus decades of sales recruiting and leading Sales Talent. Our posts are aimed at sales professionals and leaders that speaks to talent selection, team building, or career advancement. If you have a topic that you’d like my take on, please reach out to me.

You can find Chris Carlson on LinkedIn or contact him directly at:
chris@salestalentinc.com.