Salesloft, a top sales engagement platform, has been changing the way businesses do sales and interact with customers since it launched in 2011. Salesloft has been ranked as one of the fastest-growing tech companies in North America for a number of years. Its clients include big names like Google, Cisco, and IBM. Salesloft has become a popular place to work in the tech industry because of its creative solutions and great company culture. This article will talk about some of the most interesting and thought-provoking interview questions that Salesloft uses to find the best people to join their fast-paced team.
It’s known that Salesloft’s hiring process is thorough and aims to find the best match between the candidate and the company. The process usually includes more than one interview stage, starting with a phone interview with a recruiter and continuing with interviews with hiring managers, peers, core values and top-grade employees, and sometimes even a final interview with an executive-level employee. Throughout the process, candidates have praised the company for its transparency, responsiveness, and emphasis on cultural fit. Some candidates, though, have had problems with delays or not getting in touch, so it’s important for them to be well-prepared and proactive in how they apply.
Getting hired at a fast-growing company like Salesloft requires being well-prepared for their rigorous interview process. With an impressive client list including Google, Cisco and IBM, Salesloft only hires the best of the best.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll share the most common Salesloft interview questions and examples of strong answers to help you stand out. With the right preparation you’ll be ready to ace any Salesloft interview and land your dream job!
Overview of the Salesloft Interview Process
The Salesloft interview process typically involves
- Initial phone screening with a recruiter
- 1-2 interviews with hiring managers
- Peer interviews with team members
- Values fit and cognitive ability assessments
- Final executive interview
Throughout the process they assess for cultural fit, strategic thinking, communication skills, and ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
Some candidates have said the process is too long, but candidates like Salesloft’s open and thoughtful approach. Proactivity and preparation is key.
Let’s talk about the most common questions and how to answer them perfectly!
1. Why do you want to work at Salesloft?
This is your chance to show passion and enthusiasm for the company. Research Salesloft’s products, mission, values and culture to craft an authentic answer.
I’m really excited about Salesloft because you’re working hard to change the way salespeople interact with each other. Products like Cadence create more human connections between businesses and customers. This aligns perfectly with my values. A culture that encourages people to do their best work has won Salesloft many awards, which I also love. I could learn and improve my skills every day if I worked at a fast-growing company with a long list of great clients. Overall, Salesloft’s goal to change sales through technology motivates me, and I’d love to be a part of the team and make a difference.
2. What makes you the best candidate for this position?
Highlight your most relevant soft and hard skills. Provide specific examples of how you’ve applied these skills previously.
Example: With 5 years of SDR experience hitting quota at a fast-paced SaaS startup, I have the right blend of hard sales skills and the soft skills needed to thrive in this role. Specifically, my prospecting and cold calling skills consistently help me hit quota. I’m also an empathetic, curious listener which builds trust and relationships with customers. Finally, I’m highly organized and efficient. For example, at my current company I created an opportunity tracking system that increased visibility into our pipeline by 25%. I’m confident these attributes make me the ideal candidate to drive success as a Sales Development Rep at Salesloft.
3. How do you stay motivated when prospects say no?
Demonstrate resilience, persistence and a growth mindset. Share tactics you use to maintain motivation when facing rejection.
Example: Rejection is inevitable in sales, so I prepare mentally to not take “no’s” personally. When I get rejected, I take a step back to evaluate if there are ways I could refine my pitch or approach to create a better outcome next time. This growth mindset helps me learn from the experience.
I also lean on other SDRs to commiserate and exchange ideas on how to engage different prospects. Taking breaks, exercising, reading positive materials also help me reset mentally. At the end of the day, I remember that each “no” gets me one step closer to the next “yes.” Maintaining this optimism and continuously improving is key to succeeding long-term even when rejection happens.
4. How do you go about engaging with a prospect who is not responding to your outreach?
Show persistence paired with creativity. Share strategies you’ve used successfully to re-engage unresponsive prospects.
Example: When prospects don’t respond, I politely follow up over a mix of channels – email, phone, LinkedIn, etc. However, I’m mindful not to come across pushy or salesy. Instead, I focus on adding value with each message. For example, I may share a relevant industry report, product update or invite them to a webinar.
If there is still no response, I step back and re-evaluate my outreach strategy. Perhaps they weren’t the right contact or I didn’t communicate the value proposition effectively. Then I look for triggers to re-engage – for instance after they release a new product or announce a funding round. Adding personalization and changing up my approach tends to eventually get unresponsive prospects to open up. Persistence pays off but it must be paired with creativity.
5. Tell me about a time you successfully onboarded a new client.
Share a story that demonstrates your project management, communication skills and ability to set client expectations.
**Example: Early on at my last company, I was assigned to onboard a large new enterprise client. To ensure a smooth transition, I put together a detailed project plan for the 12-week implementation including milestones and owners across sales, product, engineering and support.
Given the complexity of integrating our product with the client’s systems, I knew clear communication would be critical. I scheduled regular calls with our engineers and the client’s IT team to align on requirements and monitor progress. Whenever issues came up, I immediately notified the client and worked cross-functionally to create solutions.
Finally, I managed expectations by providing realistic timeframes based on the project plan. Despite tight timelines, we ultimately completed the onboarding successfully and under budget, largely due to proactive planning, coordination and transparency with the client throughout the process. The client continues to be one of our most satisfied long-term customers.
6. How do you go about developing an account strategy for a new prospect?
Walk through your process for researching a new account and crafting a tailored strategy. Demonstrate your preparation and critical thinking.
Example: When I first get a new prospect, I dedicate time upfront to deeply research their company, industry and specific pain points. I leverage resources like their website, news articles, LinkedIn and more to understand what they care about most.
Next, I analyze if our product uniquely solves their challenges. I’ll create customized pitch decks and value props tailored to their situation. For larger prospects, I research the buying committee stakeholders and decision-making processes to inform my engagement strategy.
I also evaluate their current solutions to determine our competitive positioning. This could inform potential negotiation strategies down the line. Basically, developing an informed, tailored strategy early on based on in-depth research of each account sets me up for success through each stage of the sales process.
7. Tell me about a time you lost a deal and what you learned from it.
Share a specific example demonstrating self-awareness, accountability and ability to grow from mistakes. Position the experience as a valuable learning opportunity.
**Example: Early in my career, I lost a sizable deal with a prospect who ended up choosing a competitor’s product. In hindsight, I made a few missteps.
First, I didn’t spend enough time uncovering their unique business goals and challenges. So when it came time to present our solution, I relied too heavily on generic messaging instead of tying it back to their specific needs.
Second, I presented our solution before fully addressing all of their concerns. They had brought up compliance as a potential roadblock but I breezed past it, missing a crucial objection.
Looking back, I learned just how critical it is to invest significant time in the discovery stage, dig into the prospect’s priorities, and address every concern head-on. I also learned not to get fixated on my solution before proving it truly solves their problem. Losing this deal taught me invaluable lessons that ultimately made me a much stronger salesperson.
8. How do you go about developing relationships with customers?
Share your approach to building strong customer relationships based on trust and adding value. Give examples of how you maintain enduring connections.
Example: In my experience, there are a few key strategies to develop lasting relationships with customers:
First, I focus on truly understanding their business, goals and pain points versus just trying to pitch our product. I ask thoughtful questions and intently listen to understand their perspective.
Second, I look for organic ways to add value like sending insightful articles or connecting them with other individuals in their network.
Third, I make myself readily available by being responsive and following up in a timely manner.
Finally, I look for opportunities to create personal connections that build rapport. For example, congratulating them on promotions, acknowledging work milestones, or simply asking how their family is doing.
Using these approaches, I’ve been able to organically nurture strong relationships with customers that extend beyond just the sales process. The trust and goodwill created ultimately leads to fruitful long-term partnerships.
9. How would you handle a pricing objection from a prospect?
Demonstrate confidence in communicating value, as well as creativity in negotiating and problem-solving. Share specific examples or hypothetical scenarios.
Example: Pricing objections are understandable, so when they arise I first seek to understand the prospect’s perspective on where they see a gap in the value we provide versus the price. I ask open-ended questions to learn more.
Once I understand their viewpoint, I walk through how our product drives ROI for customers by reducing churn, boosting productivity, etc. I equip them with metrics and case studies demonstrating
