Interview Tip

Kelsey Burdett - VP, Revenue - Stamped

Having started at Shopify Plus as an AE, Kelsey has worked her way to being a VP of Revenue. Interestingly, this wasn't a traditional straight path as she's worked in Sales, Marketing and Partnerships at different companies. Let's see what she asks and looks for in interviews.

3 Questions She Asks In Interviews:

1. How many people were on your previous team, where did you stack rank and if you weren't number one, why?
2. Who is your current Manager and if I was to ask them what your biggest gap is or what you need the most training on, what would they say?
3. What are the top 3 traits in a successful sales person?

What She Looks For In Answers:

1. How many people were on your previous team, where did you stack rank and if you weren't number one, why?
-> If someone looks around the room or doesn't have an answer, they haven't thought about it
-> I want someone who takes accountability, not make excuses
-> Self reflection, critical thinking, "This person is better than me because XYZ"
-> Here's what good looks like
--> "They have longer hours in their cal link so they're getting more customers"
--> "They're doing double the activity as me or better at not discounting"

2. Who is your current Manager and if I was to ask them what your biggest gap is or what you need the most training on, what would they say?
-> This catches people off guard, if you haven't thought about your gaps, are you working on them to get better?
-> Don't tell me the basic stuff, go a layer deeper
-> I'm looking for behaviors I can coach (technical gap in the product or booking next steps)
-> What have you been doing to get better?
-> I'm looking for the impact of the work you've put in to get better

3. What are the top 3 traits in a successful sales person?
-> After they say their traits I ask them to rank them in order of importance
-> Then I ask them where they think they're the strongest and weakest
-> This helps me understand what my training and onboarding would look like
-> Would this be a good fit, can I set them up for success in the 1st 90 days

A Tip For Candidates Out There:

 "Asking the best questions possible during your interview is critical. Preface your questions with research you did and always try to go a layer deeper. Do your homework."