The greats have it. The average seek it. You know it when you see it.

Sup fam - I just got out of an interview debrief and there was a specific line that someone said that I know everyone on the call resonated with, but the definition is subjective. For me, you know it when you see it, and it's obvious when someone doesn't have it, especially in sales. The line was:


"I'm not sure candidate had that killer instinct..."


I pose the question to the Savages, how do you define "killer instinct" for a salesperson? What does it mean to have "killer instinct" (also known as "the juice")?


Assess in the comments.

๐Ÿ‘ฅ Hiring
๐Ÿ˜Ž Sales Skills
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11
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
9
โ˜•๏ธ
I define it as a boomer evaluation tactic to decide which of their candidates are sociopaths that they can get to do whatever they want to drive the deal home.ย 

Killer instincts come down to something simple: sales acumen. Can you drive great discovery, can you deliver a compelling and complete demo, and can you close that shit? If you can't close then the first two don't matter. If you can't run discovery then you will have a hard(er) time closing. And if you can't demo...then what are we doing here?

A combo of those three makes up whatever a "killer instinct" is.
mitts2
Politicker
1
Account Executive
I like it. Smaller details make up the bigger picture.ย 
CuriousFox
WR Officer
6
๐ŸฆŠ
Question:ย  Did the candidate close the interview?
mitts2
Politicker
2
Account Executive
Not particularly and the candidate will not be going any further in the process
CuriousFox
WR Officer
7
๐ŸฆŠ
Then the candidate deserves to hear why they are not moving forward so they hopefully won't make this critical error again.
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
6
SaaS Eater
Killer instinct definition: "ruthless determination to succeed or win" usually comes across in an interview with the candidate being a little arrogant, unafraid to ask any questions or broach any subject, and is always finding an angle to sell themselves.ย 

The mediocre ones come across as sleezy but live out of their comfort zone.ย 

The best make it seem natural and those are the real ones with "killer instinct" they can smell a deal and they ain't letting it go. In an interview they can weave their story into any point you bring up, when selling they find that 1 pain point they know the client feels above all else and they are fucking relentless in highlighting the issue and how they can solve it. When done correctly it's better than sex.ย 
Sniper
Valued Contributor
1
Enterprise Account Executive
First and foremost, this is one of the better (if not best) discussion posts Iโ€™ve read on Bravado. Killer instinct is an art. Art comes in different forms. Each person who possesses what is labeled as killer instinct is unique from everyone else. In my opinion, killer instinct is not defined by checking off boxes. No blueprint. I appreciate art and over time I have learned that determining if someone has the killer instinct or not is one of the hardest things to get right as a hiring manager. For me the juice is always the squeeze.
mitts2
Politicker
0
Account Executive
Love it. Certainly an art form that is unique to each person. Thanks for the contribution.
cw95
Politicker
0
Sales Development Lead
Does this not go two ways? Someone that is keen to do well and work their ass off...but also someone that might be a bit of a dick and do whatever it takes, including chucking grandma under a bus to close a deal?ย 
mitts2
Politicker
0
Account Executive
Up to interpretation for sure so definitely can go both waysย 
hh456
Celebrated Contributor
0
sales
Desperate obsession to succeed. If they donโ€™t have that, they will fail.
superhans
Executive
2
Senior Sales Consultant
I disagree. I think the best sales people have an abundance mindset and are less desperate and obsessive and more interested in problem solving
hh456
Celebrated Contributor
-1
sales
That is a skill, problem solving. Itโ€™s a talent utilized to succeed. Iโ€™ve never met a rep who isnโ€™t solely focused on success who has made it in sales. Itโ€™s not for everyone.
ColdCallFartBoy
Celebrated Contributor
0
Business Development Representative
connect with the interviewer on a personal/informal level, be able to talk through your past experiences, don't reek of bullshit
11
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