When you’re looking for a sales job, your sense of urgency can lead you to overlook red flags that might otherwise have been dealbreakers. There are times, however, when you are better off walking away from a job opportunity than stepping into a position that will likely push you back into the job search again. Here are five red flags to look for when considering a company:
1. The reputation of the company is not good
Using sites like Glassdoor, you can check a company’s reputation more easily than ever. Read these reviews thoughtfully. Employees who have taken the time to write a good review can help you identify a company’s strengths. Bad reviews should be read carefully because a disgruntled employee could have been let go because of poor performance and not through any fault of the company. Try and see if there is a common thread in the reviews you read. See if the company is mentioned in any media, whether they have won any employee awards, and what types of content its employees are posting on their personal LinkedIn pages. You can also reach out to a person working in the company with a few open-ended questions.
2. Poor investment in proper sales training
The best B2B salespeople are always on the lookout for ways to improve. Companies should take the time to provide their sales reps with concrete training on their products and services, as well as sales practices they have found to be particularly successful. If a company seems like it isn’t offering its sales team proper training, it might not be the company for you. When interviewing, ask what training opportunities are available, and find out specifics. Some companies offer in-house professional development opportunities while others sponsor outside training.
3. Lack of necessary sales tools to do the job
Before committing to a position, ask what sales tools you’ll be working with. These could include a CRM, Leads Database, and Marketing tech. A management team that skimps on sales tools could be a red flag. Great salespeople have a great toolkit at their disposal, and a company’s investment in these tools shows their sales team that they are valued.
4. High sales employee and customer turnover
If a company has high turnover, ask questions. This is one of the greatest red flags of a dysfunctional company. Ask everyone you speak to while interviewing how long they have been with the company. If you notice that almost all employees are new, find out whether this is because the company is growing quickly, or whether these employees simply replaced other employees who left. Great B2B salespeople want to work for a well-run company. A company unable to retain its employees will most likely find it hard to maintain its customer base.
5. Low Gartner’s Magic Quadrant rankings and/or a low G2 Crowd rating
Many companies look to Gartner for its enterprise software rankings. G2 Crowd is a great source for end-user feedback. Before you accept a position with a company, conduct your own due diligence to make sure their product is competitive in the marketplace.
Use your sales job interview to ask the right questions about what it would be like to work there, and to identify any potential red flags. Remember that you should be interviewing the company just as much as they are interviewing you. Finally, listen to your gut. If something seems off to you, it probably is.