How to Interview a Sales Rep Candidate for Coachability

Coachability is one of the most important predictors of a sales rep‘s success, yet it‘s often overlooked in the hiring process. According to a study by Objective Management Group, salespeople who are highly coachable generate an average of 39% more revenue than those who are uncoachable. Furthermore, research by the Sales Management Association found that firms that provide optimal coaching to salespeople realize 16.7% greater annual revenue growth.

So what exactly is coachability and how can you assess it during a sales interview? Coachability is the ability to seek out, receive, and implement feedback to improve sales performance. It has three key components:

1. Self-awareness: Recognizing one‘s own strengths and weaknesses
2. Openness to feedback: Being receptive to input and advice from others
3. Adaptability: Being able to adjust one‘s approach based on feedback

Coachable salespeople are continual learners who are eager to develop their skills. They view feedback as a gift that helps them get better, rather than criticism or a threat to their ego.

Unfortunately, many sales hiring processes fail to rigorously test for coachability. Hiring managers often focus on a candidate‘s experience, industry knowledge, or charisma. While these factors matter, they are not sufficient to predict long-term success and growth potential.

The good news is that with the right interview techniques, you can gain valuable insights into a sales candidate‘s coachability. Here‘s a proven method for assessing coachability during the interview process:

The Coachability Interview Process

The key to evaluating coachability is to put the candidate in situations where they have to demonstrate their ability to receive and implement feedback. The best way to do this is through a series of role-playing exercises.

1. Set Up Multiple Role-Plays

To fully assess a candidate‘s coachability, set up two or three different role-playing scenarios that reflect common selling situations they would encounter in the role. For example:

• A discovery call with a new prospect
• A demo with a skeptical buyer
• A negotiation with a price-sensitive customer

Provide the candidate with background information on the hypothetical buyer and company. Then have them sell to you as if you are that buyer.

2. Provide Specific Feedback

After each role-play, share your feedback with the candidate. Provide a mix of positive comments and constructive criticism.

For instance:

• "You asked great questions to uncover the customer‘s needs. Nice work building rapport with your opening small talk."
• "I liked how you connected our product‘s benefits to the customer‘s priorities. Next time, I‘d recommend quantifying the potential ROI with more specific numbers."
• "Your product demo was very thorough. However, you didn‘t check in to gauge the buyer‘s reactions. I‘d suggest pausing periodically to ask for their thoughts and feedback."

Be as specific as possible in your feedback so the candidate has actionable guidance on how to improve. Pay attention to how the candidate responds to your coaching, both verbally and nonverbally. Do they seem open and receptive or defensive and closed-off?

It‘s important to create a psychologically safe environment where the candidate feels comfortable receiving feedback. Emphasize that the purpose of coaching is to help them develop and that perfection isn‘t expected. You want to see a willingness to learn, not flawless performance.

3. Evaluate Ability to Implement Feedback

After sharing your feedback, have the candidate re-do parts of the role-play to implement your coaching. Ask them to try out the specific techniques or talk tracks you recommended.

Don‘t expect a complete behavioral change, but look for clear signs that the candidate is attempting to incorporate your feedback. Even if the execution is imperfect, you want to see effort and progress.

Some things to look for:

• Does the candidate check for understanding to ensure they absorbed your feedback accurately?
• Do they take notes or reference your suggestions during the second role-play?
• Can you see them deliberately trying to adjust their approach based on your coaching?
• Do they ask for additional guidance or examples of how to implement the feedback?

These behaviors demonstrate that the candidate values coaching and has the ability to translate feedback into action.

What to Look For

To help you objectively assess coachability, use a rubric to rate candidates on key coachability criteria. Assign scores (e.g. 1-5) for each category:

Coachability Criteria	1 (Low)	3 (Moderate)	5 (High)
Self-awareness	Lacks insight into strengths/weaknesses	Some awareness but lacks specificity	Clearly articulates strengths/gaps
Openness to feedback	Dismissive or defensive	Receptive but doesn‘t probe for details	Asks clarifying questions and takes notes
Ability to implement	No discernible change in approach	Attempts to incorporate feedback	Clearly adjusts approach based on coaching
Effort and improvement	Same performance in 2nd role-play	Minor tweaks but overall similar	Obvious effort to integrate feedback
Attitude and body language	Closed off, disengaged	Attentive but not fully present	Leans in, makes eye contact, nods

Look for candidates who score consistently high across these coachability dimensions. But a word of caution: don‘t confuse coachability with experience or raw sales talent. An experienced rep may perform well in the initial role-plays but score lower on coachability, while a more junior candidate may have less polished skills but be extremely hungry for feedback.

Ultimately, coachability is about a candidate‘s trajectory, not their starting point. A highly coachable rep may take longer to ramp up, but they have the potential to outperform their peers in the long run because they will constantly be improving. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, "The only constant in life is change." In sales, the reps who embrace change through constant learning and development will thrive.

Coachability and Sales Performance

Coachability isn‘t just a nice-to-have; it has a direct impact on sales results. For example, a case study by SalesLoft found that reps who received consistent coaching from their managers had 40.2% higher quota attainment than reps who didn‘t.

Highly coachable salespeople are more likely to:

• Stay up-to-date on evolving buyer needs and market trends
• Master new sales methodologies, tools, and processes
• Bounce back from failed deals and slumps
• Proactively seek feedback from managers and peers to sharpen their skills

In contrast, uncoachable salespeople often:

• Resist adopting new techniques and rely on outdated methods
• Struggle to adapt when their usual approach isn‘t working
• Get defensive when deals are lost instead of objectively analyzing what went wrong
• Stagnate in their development and fall behind peers

A Sales Readiness Group study found that over 60% of salespeople are more likely to leave their job if their manager is a poor coach. In contrast, companies that offer employees ample development opportunities have 34% higher retention. Hiring coachable salespeople not only drives revenue, it also boosts rep satisfaction and tenure.

Developing a Coaching Culture

Assessing candidates‘ coachability in the interview process is a great start, but it‘s not enough. To reap the full benefits of coachability, you must embed coaching into the fabric of your sales organization. This requires more than a one-time training or occasional pipeline review. Coaching must become a regular, ongoing practice.

Here are a few ways to cultivate a coaching culture on your sales team:

1. Ensure your sales managers are equipped to coach. Provide training on how to deliver effective feedback, run skill-building sessions, and use coaching frameworks like the GROW model.
2. Make coaching a part of your weekly rhythm. Schedule dedicated coaching time for each rep and stick to it as diligently as pipeline reviews and forecasting calls.
3. Use coaching to reinforce training. After a sales training workshop, have managers observe reps applying the new techniques and provide feedback and reinforcement.
4. Encourage peer coaching. Match up senior and junior reps so they can learn from each other.
5. Publicly recognize reps who demonstrate high coachability and a growth mindset. Celebrate outstanding ability to implement feedback, not just closed deals.
6. Gather data on the impact of coaching. Track metrics like the frequency of coaching interactions, behavior changes, and performance improvements to quantify coaching ROI.

Most importantly, your sales leaders must model coachability themselves. They need to epitomize openness to feedback, willingness to try new approaches, and commitment to perpetual growth. If your managers are uncoachable, don‘t expect your reps to be any different.

The Business Case for Coachability

Hiring and developing coachable salespeople isn‘t just a nice idea—it‘s a strategic imperative. According to Salesforce, high-performing sales teams are 1.5x more likely to prioritize sales coaching compared to underperforming teams.

Consider these additional statistics:

• Companies with dynamic sales coaching programs achieve 28% higher win rates. (CSO Insights)
• Firms that provide optimal coaching realize 114% higher sales goal achievement. (SMA)
• Sales reps who receive just 3 hours of coaching per month exceed their goals by 7%, increasing revenue by 25% and boosting close rates by 70%. (The Sales Management Association)

In today‘s rapidly evolving sales landscape, the only sustainable competitive advantage is your team‘s ability to learn and adapt faster than the competition. By prioritizing coachability in your hiring and development processes, you‘ll build a team that embraces change, consistently sharpens their skills, and achieves breakthrough results.

Remember, a sales candidate‘s coachability predicts not only their individual success but the success of your entire sales organization. It‘s the difference between a team that clings to the status quo and one that continually strives for excellence. So next time you interview a sales candidate, don‘t just look at their pedigree. Look for the potential. Hire for coachability, and then commit to coaching them all the way to the top.