Sales
A first round for an account executive should find out how they actually win deals: the questions they ask, how they keep a deal moving and how honest they are about what will close. Deal stories with real detail are the evidence. Twenty-five minutes is enough to hear three or four of them.
AEs present to buyers on camera, and follow-up questions test whether a deal story holds up past the first answer.
What to screen for
The questions
Ask them in order. Listen for specifics: what happened, what they did, how it ended.
Strong answer
Names the buyer’s problem, the people involved, the timeline, where it nearly stalled and what they did about it.
Weak answer
Talks only about the outcome, or credits the whole thing to a champion or a discount.
Strong answer
Sets an agenda, asks open questions about how things work today and what the problem costs, and follows up on what I say instead of moving to a demo.
Weak answer
Starts presenting within a minute, or reads a checklist of questions without listening to the answers.
Strong answer
Gives a reason they could have influenced, such as a missing decision-maker or a weak business case, and what they do differently now.
Weak answer
Blames price, the product or the buyer, with nothing they’d change.
Strong answer
Asks where the budget number comes from, goes back to the value the buyer agreed on, and trades any concession for something in return, like a longer term or an earlier signature.
Weak answer
Offers a discount straight away, or refuses to talk about price at all.
Strong answer
Maps who decides, who influences and who can block, and describes building a case each of them can support.
Weak answer
Relies on one contact and hopes they sell it internally.
Strong answer
Tries a new way in, such as another stakeholder or a date tied to the buyer’s own goal, and moves the deal out of the forecast until there’s a real signal.
Weak answer
Keeps it in the forecast on hope, or sends the same follow-up email again.
Strong answer
Describes a routine: checking every deal has a next step and a date, keeping the CRM current, and spending time where stage and fit say it matters.
Weak answer
Works on whatever feels urgent that day, and updates the CRM when someone asks.
Strong answer
Is specific about sales cycle, buyer type and what they enjoy, and connects it honestly to this role.
Weak answer
Says they can sell anything to anyone.
Before the interview
Quick facts to read alongside the interview. They aren’t scored.
Listen for
Avoid
Use this in LessRounds
Paste the questions into a scripted interview, add the scorecard skills, and share one link. Every account executive candidate gets the same questions, and you get a score for each skill with the quote behind it.
Ask for the story behind the number. Strong AEs can walk through specific deals, the people involved and what they did at each stage. Vague answers about always hitting quota tell you very little. Reference checks come later.
Yes. A few minutes of role-play shows whether a candidate asks and listens or jumps straight to a pitch. It’s hard to fake and easy to compare across candidates.
Start with 10 free interviews a month. No card, no sales call.