Account Executive screening interview questions

What a good account executive screen should establish

• Verified quota attainment
• Structured discovery and qualification
• Negotiation and closing judgment
• Pipeline hygiene and forecasting
• Fit with deal size, cycle, and buyer persona

The questions, and what to listen for

1. 01

   Walk me through your quota and attainment for the last three years.

   Listen for: Specific numbers, context on territory and team, honesty about misses.

2. 02

   Describe your typical deal: size, cycle length, buyer, and competition.

   Listen for: Match with your sales motion.

3. 03

   Take me through a deal you won. What made the difference?

   Listen for: Discovery depth, multithreading, champion building.

4. 04

   Now take me through a deal you lost and what you learned.

   Listen for: Ownership, insight, no blame on product or price alone.

5. 05

   How do you run discovery? What framework, if any, do you use?

   Listen for: MEDDIC, SPICED, or similar, applied thoughtfully rather than recited.

6. 06

   How accurate are your forecasts, and how do you keep them that way?

   Listen for: Defined stages, exit criteria, weekly pipeline review.

7. 07

   How do you handle a prospect pushing for a discount late in the cycle?

   Listen for: Trades value for concessions, protects price, stays calm.

8. 08

   How do you work with SDRs, SEs, and customer success?

   Listen for: Collaborative, gives credit, sets clear handoffs.

9. 09

   What does your prospecting look like when the inbound pipeline is dry?

   Listen for: Self-generated pipeline, not just waiting for leads.

10. 10

    Why are you looking to move now?

    Listen for: Coherent story aligned with the opportunity.

Red flags

• Cannot give attainment numbers or they shift during the conversation
• Blames every loss on price or product
• No repeatable process; 'I just build relationships'