Hiring: Scorecard and Interview Guide

Building a Team That Sells the Way You Do

Great sales teams are built on selection, not rescue. Hire for traits you cannot train, curiosity, coachability, and resilience, and train the rest. Score every candidate on the same competencies so the decision is evidence-based, not a gut feeling.

The Rep Scorecard

Rate each competency from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong). Be honest; a candidate who is a 5 on charisma but a 2 on coachability is a long-term problem.

Competency	What great looks like	Score
Curiosity	Asks sharp questions, digs beneath answers	1-5
Coachability	Seeks feedback, applies it fast	1-5
Resilience	Recovers from rejection without spiraling	1-5
Process discipline	Follows the system, logs work, forecasts honestly	1-5
Communication	Clear, concise, listens more than talks	1-5
Ownership	Takes responsibility, doesn't blame	1-5

Interview Questions by Competency

Curiosity: "Tell me about a deal where you discovered the real problem was different from what the buyer first said."
Coachability: "Describe feedback that stung but that you acted on. What changed?"
Resilience: "Walk me through your worst quarter. What did you do differently after?"
Process discipline: "How do you decide which deals get your time each week?"
Communication: "Sell me on something you love in 60 seconds." Then watch whether they ask questions first.
Ownership: "Tell me about a deal you lost. Whose fault was it?" Listen for accountability, not blame.

The 30-60-90 Ramp Plan

Days 1-30, learn: product, ICP, and the buyer's world. Shadow calls. Master the demo.
Days 31-60, do with support: run discovery and demos with a manager listening, build early pipeline.
Days 61-90, own: carry a reduced quota, run full cycles, forecast their own deals.
Full productivity typically lands between months 3 and 9, depending on deal complexity.

Red Flags

Blames past managers, territories, or products for poor results.
Cannot describe a repeatable process, only "hustle."
Talks over the interviewer; never asks a question.
Vague about their own numbers and quota attainment.

Quick Reference

Hire for curiosity, coachability, and resilience; train the rest.
Score every candidate on the same competencies.
Use behavioral questions; ask for specific past examples.
Plan a real 30-60-90 ramp; expect full output in 3 to 9 months.
Watch for blame, vagueness, and the inability to listen.

The Rep Scorecard

Rate each competency from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong). Be honest; a candidate who is a 5 on charisma but a 2 on coachability is a long-term problem.

Competency	What great looks like	Score
Curiosity	Asks sharp questions, digs beneath answers	1-5
Coachability	Seeks feedback, applies it fast	1-5
Resilience	Recovers from rejection without spiraling	1-5
Process discipline	Follows the system, logs work, forecasts honestly	1-5
Communication	Clear, concise, listens more than talks	1-5
Ownership	Takes responsibility, doesn't blame	1-5

Interview Questions by Competency

Curiosity: "Tell me about a deal where you discovered the real problem was different from what the buyer first said."

Coachability: "Describe feedback that stung but that you acted on. What changed?"

Resilience: "Walk me through your worst quarter. What did you do differently after?"

Process discipline: "How do you decide which deals get your time each week?"

Communication: "Sell me on something you love in 60 seconds." Then watch whether they ask questions first.

Ownership: "Tell me about a deal you lost. Whose fault was it?" Listen for accountability, not blame.

The 30-60-90 Ramp Plan

Days 1-30, learn: product, ICP, and the buyer's world. Shadow calls. Master the demo.

Days 31-60, do with support: run discovery and demos with a manager listening, build early pipeline.

Days 61-90, own: carry a reduced quota, run full cycles, forecast their own deals.

Full productivity typically lands between months 3 and 9, depending on deal complexity.