How to Scout Out a Sales-First Organization
Welcome to your first day of work in your new sales position. You look sharp in your new outfit (even though you’re remote), and you’re full of ambition to conquer your territory.
But the very moment you gain access to your CRM, your ambition quickly turns into anxiety: There’s no pipeline, all the records are out-of-date, and notes are nonexistent.
So next, you turn to the company’s website in search of any helpful sales messaging, but it’s full of incoherent marketing speak. Then, you dive into your content repository (with a friendly note from its administrator that says, “Don’t worry; everything you’ll ever need is in here!”), but you’re met with an endless archive of unorganized folders dating back 10 years.
And then, the final blow: You have your first call with your manager (who seemed helpful enough in the interviews), and he passes on the clear message that you are to “go forth and multiply” … alone.
We’ve all been there at some point in our careers: that moment when you realize you’ve taken a job with a company that doesn’t put sales first. It’s disappointing, to say the least, and it’s only the beginning of the broken processes and inefficiencies that will consume your time with non-selling, low-value activities.
Sales-first organizations — the ones you want to work for — understand that sales teams are their biggest interfaces with their customers. These companies see the sales team as an opportunity, not a threat or a risk, and they invest in each salesperson’s ability to be effective in building critical relationships. This is a culture that even the smallest of firms can possess; you need not work for a Fortune 500 company to have this experience.
What Does “Sales First” Look Like?
Falling for a sales-last company is not entirely your fault. It can be tricky to know right away whether you’re interviewing with an organization that truly supports its sales team. After all, the company you interview with is trying to sell you the position as much as you are trying to sell them on your candidacy, so it’s up to you to be cautious of the hype.
Virtually every company will introduce you to a salesperson who’s made a ton of money, but more often than not, he or she will be the exception to the rule. And further, every company will try to convince you that it’s the new disruptive thing, but keep in mind that the chance of your stumbling across the next early-stage Salesforce or LinkedIn is about as likely as your joining the NBA.
Don’t fall for it. The next time you interview for a sales position, look for these three signs that the organization puts sales first:
1. Sales-first organizations invest in people
There is no better indicator of a company’s commitment to sales than how it staffs its sales team. When you interview with an organization, check that the sales team has multiple levels of support and integration with the rest of the company.
Depending on the job opportunity, the organization should commit to an assortment of the following sales professionals: dedicated inside salespeople, shared or dedicated territory managers, solution consultants or sales engineers, contracting specialists and RFP support staff, and representatives from marketing, customer success, and customer support.
2. Sales-first organizations don’t push administrative processes on sales
As organizations grow, admin processes naturally emerge. However, this can be a double-edged sword: Too few admin processes will breed chaos, but too many will be stifling. And if the company assigns the responsibility for these processes to the sales team, you’ll find yourself spending too much time developing and managing those processes and not enough time building relationships with clients.
Throughout the interview process, be on alert to discover whether the sales team is expected to own processes such as training and onboarding, marketing lead acquisition (nurturing campaigns, events and shows, website traffic, etc.), lead and opportunity qualification, RFP and sales processes, account management, customer support, and customer retention and management.
3. Sales-first organizations use supportive technology
You’re earning only when you’re talking to clients. Organizations that ask you to spend half your time searching for content or onboarding yourself with an outdated 90-day ramp-up PDF are not using sales technology effectively, and they’re not putting their sales teams first.
When interviewing for a sales position, see whether the organization invests in enablement technology that supports your primary objectives. These will include onboarding tools specific to the sales role, mainstream CRM solutions, dedicated sales content management resources, proposal and presentation automation software, and high-quality, up-to-date IT such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
Keep these three words in mind during your next job interview: people, processes, and technology. If a potential employer checks all the boxes, you can be sure it will support your efforts with the resources you need to grow and achieve your goals.
Jason Keever is the U.K. country manager of SAVO Group, a high-growth sales enablement SaaS software provider. He’s tasked with launching, growing, and managing SAVO’s EMEA operations. Previously SAVO’s No. 1 sales performer, Jason successfully partnered with Fortune 500 clients to blueprint and launch SAVO’s solutions to more than 1 million global sales and marketing users. You can contact Jason through Twitter or LinkedIn.

How to Scout Out a Sales-First Organization By Jason Keevers
Welcome to your first day of work in your new sales position. You look sharp in your new outfit (even though you’re remote), and you’re full of ambition to conquer your territory.
But the very moment you gain access to your CRM, your ambition quickly turns into anxiety: There’s no pipeline, all the records are out-of-date, and notes are nonexistent.
So next, you turn to the company’s website in search of any helpful sales messaging, but it’s full of incoherent marketing speak. Then, you dive into your content repository (with a friendly note from its administrator that says, “Don’t worry; everything you’ll ever need is in here!”), but you’re met with an endless archive of unorganized folders dating back 10 years.
And then, the final blow: You have your first call with your manager (who seemed helpful enough in the interviews), and he passes on the clear message that you are to “go forth and multiply” … alone.
We’ve all been there at some point in our careers: that moment when you realize you’ve taken a job with a company that doesn’t put sales first. It’s disappointing, to say the least, and it’s only the beginning of the broken processes and inefficiencies that will consume your time with non-selling, low-value activities.
Sales-first organizations — the ones you want to work for — understand that sales teams are their biggest interfaces with their customers. These companies see the sales team as an opportunity, not a threat or a risk, and they invest in each salesperson’s ability to be effective in building critical relationships. This is a culture that even the smallest of firms can possess; you need not work for a Fortune 500 company to have this experience.
What Does “Sales First” Look Like?
Falling for a sales-last company is not entirely your fault. It can be tricky to know right away whether you’re interviewing with an organization that truly supports its sales team. After all, the company you interview with is trying to sell you the position as much as you are trying to sell them on your candidacy, so it’s up to you to be cautious of the hype.
Virtually every company will introduce you to a salesperson who’s made a ton of money, but more often than not, he or she will be the exception to the rule. And further, every company will try to convince you that it’s the new disruptive thing, but keep in mind that the chance of your stumbling across the next early-stage Salesforce or LinkedIn is about as likely as your joining the NBA.
Don’t fall for it. The next time you interview for a sales position, look for these three signs that the organization puts sales first:
1. Sales-first organizations invest in people
There is no better indicator of a company’s commitment to sales than how it staffs its sales team. When you interview with an organization, check that the sales team has multiple levels of support and integration with the rest of the company.
Depending on the job opportunity, the organization should commit to an assortment of the following sales professionals: dedicated inside salespeople, shared or dedicated territory managers, solution consultants or sales engineers, contracting specialists and RFP support staff, and representatives from marketing, customer success, and customer support.
2. Sales-first organizations don’t push administrative processes on sales
As organizations grow, admin processes naturally emerge. However, this can be a double-edged sword: Too few admin processes will breed chaos, but too many will be stifling. And if the company assigns the responsibility for these processes to the sales team, you’ll find yourself spending too much time developing and managing those processes and not enough time building relationships with clients.
Throughout the interview process, be on alert to discover whether the sales team is expected to own processes such as training and onboarding, marketing lead acquisition (nurturing campaigns, events and shows, website traffic, etc.), lead and opportunity qualification, RFP and sales processes, account management, customer support, and customer retention and management.
3. Sales-first organizations use supportive technology
You’re earning only when you’re talking to clients. Organizations that ask you to spend half your time searching for content or onboarding yourself with an outdated 90-day ramp-up PDF are not using sales technology effectively, and they’re not putting their sales teams first.
When interviewing for a sales position, see whether the organization invests in enablement technology that supports your primary objectives. These will include onboarding tools specific to the sales role, mainstream CRM solutions, dedicated sales content management resources, proposal and presentation automation software, and high-quality, up-to-date IT such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
Keep these three words in mind during your next job interview: people, processes, and technology. If a potential employer checks all the boxes, you can be sure it will support your efforts with the resources you need to grow and achieve your goals.
Jason Keever is the U.K. country manager of SAVO Group, a high-growth sales enablement SaaS software provider. He’s tasked with launching, growing, and managing SAVO’s EMEA operations. Previously SAVO’s No. 1 sales performer, Jason successfully partnered with Fortune 500 clients to blueprint and launch SAVO’s solutions to more than 1 million global sales and marketing users. You can contact Jason through Twitter or LinkedIn.