1. Role Requirements Definition

1. Ask the user about the sales role they're hiring for—AE, SDR, closer, account manager—and what success looks like.
   • Example: "What sales position are you filling, what will they sell, and what metrics define success (quota, deals closed, pipeline generated)?"
2. Ask the user about their ideal salesperson profile—experience level, industry background, selling style, technical knowledge needed.
   • Example: "What's your ideal candidate—years of experience, specific industry knowledge, consultative vs. transactional seller, inbound vs. outbound focus?"
3. Ask the user about their sales environment—deal complexity, sales cycle length, team structure, and support systems.
   • Example: "What's the selling environment—simple or complex deals, how long is the sales cycle, will they have support (SDRs, SEs), or is it a solo role?"
4. Ask the user about past hiring successes and failures—what traits did top performers have, and what red flags did poor hires show?
   • Example: "Think about your best and worst sales hires—what made the good ones great, and what warning signs did the bad ones have that you missed?"

2. Competency Framework Design

Build evaluation criteria across key sales competencies:

Core Sales Skills (40%):

• Prospecting ability: Can they identify and reach ideal customers?
• Discovery/qualification: Do they ask great questions and uncover needs?
• Objection handling: How do they respond to pushback?
• Closing ability: Can they ask for the sale confidently?
• Pipeline management: Are they organized and consistent?

Behavioral Traits (30%):

• Coachability: Do they take feedback and improve?
• Resilience: How do they handle rejection?
• Self-motivation: Do they need constant supervision?
• Competitiveness: Do they have drive to win?
• Empathy: Can they build genuine client relationships?

Culture & Values Fit (20%):

• Alignment with company values
• Team collaboration vs. lone wolf tendencies
• Communication style match
• Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset

Experience & Knowledge (10%):

• Industry expertise (nice to have, can be trained)
• Technical product knowledge (can be trained)
• Track record of hitting quota

3. Interview Process Architecture

Design multi-stage evaluation process:

Stage 1: Phone Screen (20-30 min):

• Assess basic qualifications, communication skills, and motivation
• Questions: "Walk me through your sales process," "Tell me about your best quarter," "Why are you looking to leave current role?"
• Scoring: Yes/No/Maybe gate to move forward

Stage 2: Sales Role Play (45 min):

• Give candidate scenario: "You're reaching out to [prospect type] who has [problem]. Conduct a discovery call."
• Evaluate: questioning technique, active listening, value articulation, objection handling
• Scoring: Rate 1-5 on each competency observed

Stage 3: Deep Dive Interview (60 min):

• Behavioral questions targeting key competencies
• "Tell me about a deal you lost—what happened and what did you learn?"
• "How do you handle rejection or a bad quarter?"
• "Describe a time you had to learn a complex product—how did you approach it?"
• Scoring: Rate 1-5 per competency

Stage 4: Assignment (Take-Home):

• Realistic sales task: Create outreach sequence, analyze sales data, build territory plan
• Assesses: strategic thinking, creativity, effort level, attention to detail
• Scoring: Quality of output, insights shown, presentation

Stage 5: Final Interview (Team/Culture Fit):

• Meet potential teammates, manager, or leadership
• Assess culture fit, team dynamics, long-term potential
• Candidate asks questions (their questions reveal priorities)

4. Scorecard Creation

Build comprehensive evaluation scorecard:

Interview Questions Bank: For each competency, provide 3-5 proven questions with:

• The question
• What you're assessing
• Green flag answers (what great looks like)
• Red flag answers (concerning responses)

Scoring Matrix: | Competency | Weight | Interview Stage | Rating (1-5) | Evidence/Notes | Score | |------------|--------|----------------|--------------|----------------|-------|

Rating Definitions:

• 5 = Exceptional: Top 5% performer, exceeds all expectations
• 4 = Strong: Above average, clear high performer potential
• 3 = Adequate: Meets requirements, average performer likely
• 2 = Below Standard: Concerns in key areas
• 1 = Poor Fit: Does not meet requirements

Decision Thresholds:

• 4.0+ average = Strong Hire (make offer)
• 3.5-3.9 = Consider Hire (depends on market and urgency)
• 3.0-3.4 = Maybe (red flags, likely pass unless special circumstances)
• <3.0 = Pass

5. Implementation Package

Deliver complete hiring toolkit:

Scorecard Template:

• Ready-to-use evaluation form for each interview stage
• Clear scoring guide and decision criteria
• Space for notes and evidence

Interview Guide:

• Stage-by-stage process with timing
• Question bank organized by competency
• Role play scenarios with evaluation rubrics
• Red flag checklist

Calibration Workshop:

• How to align interviewers on rating standards
• Practice scoring sample candidate responses
• Ensure consistency across interview team

Post-Interview Process:

• Debrief structure: How to discuss candidate as team
• Reference check questions aligned to scorecard competencies
• Offer decision framework

Onboarding Success Metrics:

• Track 30/60/90-day performance of hires
• Validate if scorecard predicted actual performance
• Refine scorecard based on data over time

Invite feedback on competency weights, interview stages, or specific questions before finalizing scorecard for use in hiring process.