How one RepVue User was able to nail the interview — and land an AE role — at a company with award-winning culture.

“Where I’m at in my career, I’d say I’m still in that early stage,” RepVue user Philip Godwin said modestly about his experience level. “I’m still trying to really gain a lot of tread in terms of experience and in terms of success.”

Before taking a new AE role with HubSpot in October 2023, Godwin had two years sales experience for a SaaS company and another year of experience in eCommerce. But as he was ready to take the next step in his career, it didn’t come easy.

“It can sometimes be difficult to get your foot in the door at a large company, since my prior experience was at small, private or startup companies,” he said. “RepVue [helped] me finally get my foot in the door with a large organization, which I’m really excited about, and it helped me prepare for it.”

Identifying His Ideal Sales Organization

When he began his search for his next sales role, Godwin focused on finding a company with three specific attributes: 1) strong product-market fit, 2) solid culture and leadership, and 3) reasonably high quota attainment percentages.

RepVue was helpful in providing insight into all three at different companies.

“That might be because I have a little bit of startup experience,” he said about product-market fit being his highest priority. “I understand how important that is to your success as an account executive. That was the first thing that I really cared about.”

He also knew that strong leadership would be important for gaining the experience and success he wanted as a salesperson.

Godwin said he wondered, “What kind of relationship am I going to have with the manager? Do they have good reviews for how the management actually communicates with the reps?” RepVue was able to offer insights into what that would look like at different sales orgs, and which ones would provide the leadership he needed to grow.

And lastly, he reviewed the level of quota attainment at different sales orgs, sharing a smart and unique perspective for placing that quality third.

“I’d say the reason quota attainment isn’t number one for me,” he said, “is I understand — especially at the big companies I was looking at joining — sometimes they make bad hires, too. So, if it’s at 40%, or 30%, it’s okay.”

(At the end of 2023, AEs reported average quota attainment of 38.9%.)

Networking to Nail the Interview

With those qualities in mind and a short-list of companies based on data from RepVue, Godwin began applying and reaching out to current salespeople at those organizations.

“What really helped me achieve the role and also receive offers from another company was meeting with sales reps and understanding what their organization cares about,” he said. “Having a better understanding of [things like], What is this interview going to look like? And what kind of answers do they want to hear? And how can I tailor my experience to fit the mold that they’re looking to fill?”

He was strategic and used his personal network to talk to a number of sellers in the organizations where he was interviewing, but a contact made through LinkedIn provided the most support.

“The conversation that I found the most valuable was I found a woman who was in a similar position,” he said. “She was an SMB account executive, she had been promoted through the BDR program. And I saw on her LinkedIn that she had been a quota-exceeding rep in the past. I saw that she was successful.”

She became Godwin’s champion and a helpful advocate inside the organization.

“I really couldn’t be thankful enough for that.”

Using Data from RepVue to Ensure a Good Fit

Another thing Godwin did while interviewing was ask about the numbers he saw on RepVue.

“Throughout the interview process, I would constantly qualify with the people I would meet with to really make sure that they were being honest about [product-market fit, leadership, and quota attainment],” he said. “I just asked, open-ended questions like, ‘Can you tell me about quota attainment last year?’”

He used questions from a previous RepVue article to ask questions comparing previous years to current years, what organizations have done to improve quota attainment, and more. And with info from RepVue, he could compare to what reps really said and make more informed decisions.

“RepVue has better quantitative data to improve my trust in what a company is saying about an account executive role, and also my trust in their support of reps throughout the whole organization,” he said. “Really specific questions that AEs need to know.”

Having Success in His New Role at HubSpot

Since joining the company in October 2023, HubSpot has quickly proven to be a good fit for Godwin. He recently shared an update with us about his first few months.

While he’s still ramping up to full quota, he significantly exceeded the targets for his first and second months. He even has his sights set on making President’s Club in 2024.

“I have a super supportive manager who is invested in my success and is passionate about HubSpot, and a smart team of sellers that are all great to be around,” he said.

“Everything seemed too good to be true on RepVue, but it was exactly right!”