TheEnglishMajor profile picture
TheEnglishMajor profile picture

TheEnglishMajor

Account Executive

Opinionated
Valued Contributor
Executive
+6

Fudging numbers in interviews around the quotas I’ve carried?

recently on the hunt after layoffs. been in sales for 8 years as a top performer, spent the last 3 at series a companies in markets where each place was creating a new category.

My annual quotas have been around 700k. Places I've been interviewing with are looking for reps with experience carrying a 1Mil quota.

now, I have worked the same average sales size and also cycle length as these motions, so I am confident in being able to pull my own weight. Given that aspect, is my actual number close enough to what they want where I should just inflate my numbers?
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Big Shot
7
🦜☠️ Account Executive
I don't think it's much of a difference between 700K and 1M so I would just say it's been 1M. If it would be a difference of 800K that's different. Does your CV has numbers? Attainment every quarter? Industries? Departments sold to? Average deal sizes?
jefe
Arsonist
6
🍁
Be as honest as possible. It's not that big a difference. There's always spin, but it could bite you in the ass so tread carefully.

It sounds like you fit the bill for everything else, so given you've gotten through any automated screening I think you should be accurate.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
1
🦊
Transparency is key.
Pachacuti
Politicker
6
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
"You have never sold our widget before and even though you have been successful throughout your career, you won't be able to sell our widget" - utter 💩.
It should matter what a widget costs, but it does unfortunately. If you can, focus on % attainment rather than dollar amounts. That usually helps. And if the job was a while back, a little fudging never hurt nobody.
5
Founding BDR
It’s really not that far off - I’d be transparent as it shouldn’t be a make or break reason
BigShrimpin
Catalyst
3
Account executive
the 1m quota requirement is totally arbitrary and im sure they wouldnt turn someone away who fit every other piece but only had a 999k quota if you have experience doing what they want with a slightly lower threshold then youre fit for the job
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
2
☕️
Small lies can turn into big problems.
FinanceEngineer
Politicker
2
Sr Director, sales and partnerships
You should apply and discuss your ~1M quota. Give exact numbers and that you beat it. The reason they put 1M is because it’s a round number. There are a bunch of factors to get there as well. As long are you honest and don’t lie about the numbers, you will be fine.
BmajoR
Arsonist
2
Account Executive
Everyone saying they’ve never lied, is in fact lying.
medhardwaredr
Opinionated
1
Director of Sales NA
It’s your soul, you decide. Honesty is the best policy always. However this hurts no one so exaggerating is fine it’s part of the gig anyway
Gasty
Notable Contributor
0
War Room Community Manager
You mentioned, you’ve been the top performer, so I am assuming you’ve crushed targets as well?
Talk about how you overachieved.

300k is not a huge difference if you look at it from a distance.

But don’t lie, be smart about it. Talk about how you reached a mil in quota when the target was only 700k.

At the same time, it depends on which product the company is selling and what is the market size, plus what sort of companies they go after.

If you’re confident enough that you’ll be able to pull your weight then show the same in the interview.
All the best.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
0
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
Have you had a $1 million dollar year when you overachieved? And what was the average deal size?
DungeonsNDemos
Big Shot
0
Rolling 20's all day
300k is a bit of a stretch. If you're actually in the interview you have a chance to share how your skills and what you've closed would translate into the new org.
But if you're not getting the first interview because you're putting that you have a 700k quota in your resume is another thing.
bdiggidy
Opinionated
0
Account Executive Mid-Market
Context will be king. Don’t know what the price point of your product while in your role with a 700k quota but how many deals did it take to get to 700k, what was the deal cycle, how did you have to manage the sales/ buying process, these will all trump the 700k vs. 1M quota. As long as your experience aligns with the role you’re interviewing for of course. Being honest is better but if you can translate your experience to align with the role you’re interviewing for it shouldn’t matter.
Not_Medical_Advice
Fire Starter
0
Sr. Director
It's never a bad idea to be honest and transparent. Ultimately you are looking for a job that you are actually a good fit for and not just "closing the sale" of landing an offer. That being said you also should keep in mind that there is a pretty big difference most places between the criteria that the HR team uses to sort resumes from the sales team that you'll interview and work with.
girldad
Personal Narrative
0
Senior Account Manager | Capital Markets
Several potential employers will ask for proof, but it depends on the role and the experience level. I had a company ask for a W-2 to confirm total compensation numbers that I was using to negotiate. <br><br>The reality is that you’ll get caught if you lie. If it doesn’t happen during the hiring process then it’ll happen when you don’t know how to navigate the buying process with CX stakeholders in the room. Or, plain and simple, just don’t hit your numbers.

All that said, the jump from $700K to $1M shouldn’t be much of an issue if the deal sizes and sale cycle are similar between the two roles.
PwrBldr414
0
Division Sales Manager (North America)
As others have stated, there's not a big difference between the marks on quota. You have years of experience as a top performing contributor that show you know how to manage growth, and this sounds like a natural progression forward. If they ask about it specifically in your interview use examples of how you scaled up in the the past, and show you already have a plan of action from day 1.

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