Building a high-performing sales team is critical to the growth of your business. But hiring the right salespeople can be a tricky process. While a great candidate can drive revenue and customer satisfaction, the wrong hire can be a costly mistake. The interview process, in particular, can be misleading—after all, some candidates have mastered the art of saying the right things to get hired, but lack the skills and work ethic to back it up.
If you’re looking to hire in-house salespeople, here are five common tactics sales candidates use in interviews that could leave your business with an underperforming team. By being aware of these red flags, you’ll be better equipped to spot candidates who might not be all they claim to be.
1. Overinflated Sales Achievements
One of the most common tricks in the book is to exaggerate sales numbers. Candidates may claim they were the top sales rep at their previous company or boast about hitting impossible targets—but is this really true? A good salesperson knows how to spin a story, and the numbers they provide may not reflect the full picture.
What to Look For:
•Ask for specifics. Can they explain the details behind the numbers? If they were the top performer, what specific strategies did they use to achieve that success?
•Cross-check their claims by requesting references from previous employers who can verify the details of their achievements.
2. Claiming Credit for Team Success
A candidate might claim to have closed a deal worth millions, but dig deeper, and you might find that they were only tangentially involved. Often, salespeople will take credit for successes that were the result of a larger team effort. While teamwork is important, it’s crucial to understand what their specific contributions were.
What to Look For:
•Ask them to describe their exact role in winning those deals. Did they lead the process from start to finish, or were they just part of a broader effort?
•Get them to share specific examples of individual success outside of team achievements.
3. Dodging Questions About Past Failures
It’s easy to talk about wins, but how do they handle failure? Salespeople often avoid talking about their losses, making it seem like they’re always closing deals. However, it’s the ability to learn from failure and bounce back that often separates great salespeople from mediocre ones.
What to Look For:
•Ask them to describe a time they lost a major deal and how they handled it. Did they adapt, learn, and come back stronger? Or do they struggle to discuss setbacks?
•Watch for candidates who over-deflect or avoid answering questions about failure. Sales is all about resilience, and you want someone who can handle adversity.
4. Overpromising Skills They Don’t Have
During an interview, it’s easy for candidates to claim they can handle anything—from cold-calling to complex negotiations. But have they actually done it? Many salespeople exaggerate their skill sets in the hopes that they can “learn on the job,” leaving you with someone who can’t deliver on what they promised.
What to Look For:
•Test their skills by putting them in real-world scenarios during the interview process. Ask them to role-play a sales pitch, handle objections, or demonstrate how they would close a deal.
•Look for evidence of their skills in their past roles—what kinds of clients have they worked with, and do their past experiences match the claims they’re making?
5. Using Charm to Mask Weaknesses
Great salespeople are often charming and confident—but sometimes, charm can be a smokescreen for lack of substance. It’s easy to be impressed by a smooth-talking candidate in an interview, but are they capable of performing when the pressure is on?
What to Look For:
•Pay attention to how they handle tough questions. Do they try to redirect or avoid specifics? Are they more focused on impressing you with their charisma rather than discussing concrete examples of success?
•Don’t let charm blind you to gaps in their experience or vague answers. Ask follow-up questions and focus on the data behind their claims.
What’s the Solution?
Hiring an in-house sales team can be fraught with challenges, and the risks of getting it wrong are high. Salespeople can often shine in interviews but fail to deliver the results you expect once they’re hired. Building a strong team takes time, resources, and the ability to sift through interview “tricks” to find the real talent.
That’s why more companies are turning to outsourced sales solutions—either as a complement to their in-house team or as a stand-alone solution. At Adyraa, we eliminate the guesswork by giving you access to our years of expertise and extensive network. Whether you want to enhance your current sales efforts or fully outsource them, you won’t need to worry about performance oversight or constant checking because our success is directly tied to yours. We take full ownership of the sales process, ensuring every step—from strategy to execution—drives measurable results that fuel your business growth.
With Adyraa, you can avoid the common hiring pitfalls, save valuable time, and focus on scaling your business with confidence—whether you already have an in-house team or not. Let’s talk growth.
Conclusion
Hiring in-house salespeople can be a gamble if you don’t know what to look out for. From overinflated achievements to masking weaknesses with charm, there are plenty of ways candidates can mislead you in interviews. By being aware of these tactics, you can protect your business from costly hiring mistakes. But if you want to avoid the hassle altogether or simply complement your current team, Adyraa’s outsourced sales solutions provide you with the expertise, network, and results-driven approach needed to ensure success from day one.