sales business developmentdemo deliverypre salessaas discoverysolution consulting
Complete evaluation framework
What to assess and how to score it
Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.
01
Evaluation factor
Track record
35% weight
Check deal sizes influenced, win rates on supported opportunities, and named platforms sold (Salesforce, ServiceNow, SAP, Azure); ask for quota attainment and a specific implementation they scoped.
Explains the market and buyer they sold to, not just the product
Distinguishes what they closed from what the team closed
Can describe a deal they lost and why
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
No numbers; cannot describe what they actually sold or to whom.
2
Needs Improvement
Vague attainment; credit for team results is unclear.
3
Satisfactory
Real record with some numbers; attribution occasionally fuzzy.
4
Very Good
Clear numbers and ownership, including honest losses.
5
Excellent
Cites concrete numbers: ARR influenced, win rate on demos led, named accounts, and the technical scope they personally shaped.
02
Evaluation factor
Method and qualification
25% weight
Probe their discovery process: how they run requirements workshops, build proof-of-concept plans, map integrations, and qualify with MEDDICC or similar before committing engineering time.
Evidence to listen for
Has a repeatable approach to qualifying and progressing deals
Can walk a real deal from first contact to close
Handles objections with questions rather than scripts
Knows when to disqualify
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
No method; pitches at everyone and hopes.
2
Needs Improvement
Weak qualification; deals stall with no diagnosis.
3
Satisfactory
Workable method; inconsistent on complex or long cycles.
4
Very Good
Clear repeatable method; disqualifies early and deliberately.
5
Excellent
Describes a repeatable discovery-to-POC method with clear exit criteria, and names deals they disqualified early for good technical reasons.
03
Evaluation factor
Relationships and trust
25% weight
Assess how they hold credibility with client IT and procurement: handling security reviews, RFP responses, and pushback when a requested feature does not exist.
Evidence to listen for
Has clients or talent who came back or referred them
Manages a difficult conversation without damaging the relationship
Represents the client's interest, not only the commission
Builds rapport across seniority levels
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Transactional; burns relationships for a close.
2
Needs Improvement
Builds rapport but does not sustain relationships.
3
Satisfactory
Solid relationships; less tested in conflict.
4
Very Good
Repeat business and referrals; handles conflict without damage.
5
Excellent
Gives examples of telling a client no on a capability gap, then keeping the deal alive through a workaround or roadmap conversation.
04
Evaluation factor
Drive and resilience
15% weight
Look for stamina across long enterprise cycles: reworked RFPs, stalled pilots revived, and how they respond when a POC fails on the client's own data.
Evidence to listen for
Handles rejection and a bad quarter without unravelling
Self-directed on pipeline rather than waiting for leads
Coachable on feedback
Honest in how they represent the product and themselves
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Gives up easily; blames leads, product, or market.
2
Needs Improvement
Motivation depends on momentum; resistant to coaching.
3
Satisfactory
Steady; recovers from setbacks with support.
4
Very Good
Self-motivated, coachable, and steady through bad stretches.
5
Excellent
Recounts a multi-quarter pursuit they kept moving after a failed pilot or lost champion, with the specific action that reset it.
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