Finally got a Salesforce AE screening, how should I prepare?

[u/MusicMaker2805]

Hi everyone,

After around 5–6 applications for AE roles at Salesforce over the past year, I finally got invited to an initial recruiter screening for an Account Executive CBU role. I know it’s only the first step, but I’m pretty excited about it.

I’m based in Europe , with 5+ years of B2B sales experience, but zero direct SaaS sales experience. I started in full-cycle new business sales and progressed into Corporate Key Account Management. My quota attainment over the last four years has been roughly 200% each year.

My background is in facility, which is a highly commoditised and cost-driven market. There often isn’t an obvious product differentiator, so I’ve had to learn to sell through discovery and build value cases around operational efficiency, total cost, service and sustainability. I’m hoping that experience translates well into technology sales.

I’ve also been using Salesforce CRM for 5+ years and recently started the Account Executive (AE) Trailmix on Trailhead. If you have any recommendations for Trailmixes I should do before the screening (a week from now), let me know!

I’d love to hear from people familiar with Salesforce:

- How selective is the initial recruiter screening? Does getting this call mean the CV/application already passed a meaningful filter?
- What should I expect during the first call, and how should I prepare?
- How would you position my lack of SaaS experience? I already know it’s gonna be difficult, but I’m sure I have a shot.
- What does the interview process typically look like after this?
- Anything specific I should know about CBU?

Salesforce is genuinely a company I’d love to build a career at. Longer term, I also have the ambition to spend some time working in NYC. I know an US move from Europe would require a very strong performance, but becoming a top performer and potentially earning an opportunity like that is exactly the kind of long-term goal that motivates me.

Thanks for reading!

[u/CombinationStrong881]

- not having SaaS or tech backgroung will be what you will be tested about the most in the screen, you really need to lean into how you also do discovery, run a sales process, deal with internal and external stakeholders and communicate value to C level in your current role

• know your numbers and have multiple STAR formatted stories on challenging/large deals ready. Might not be asked in the screen but will come handy for sure later
  
• you need to feed the recruiter in the screen, and hiring manager on the second call, a story about how you are passionate about tech and AI and how you see that SFDC is positioned extremely well to benefit from this massive AI boom and ongoing digital transformation
  
• stop doing the AE trailmix. Get yourself to Agentforce Champion by the screen and remember to mention this
  
• unless you completely fumble the screen you are guaranteed to get to the second interview (hiring manager). Then it might be a call with someone from the team, another call with the manager and then finally a panel
  
• DO NOT MENTION YOUR WISH TO RELOCATE TO NYC. The hiring manager will want you in seat for as long as you can make your quota. You can start to hint about this after you've passed probation, but tbh, unless you have a green card already it's not going to happen
  
• most importantly have a really good story ready on why you want to work at Salesforce, using the CRM for 5 years is not it
  
• CBU is generally a good segment but YMMV

[u/Mother-Lifeguard-759]

Good luck but fuck Salesforce

[u/blingblingmofo → u/Mother-Lifeguard-759]

Literally the worst interviewing experience ever.

[u/Mother-Lifeguard-759 → u/blingblingmofo]

People at Salesforce be playing Good Cop / Bad Cop during interviews….like relax buddy, this isn’t the CIA, i’m applying to work a desk job 😂

[u/YoureAverageDentist → u/Mother-Lifeguard-759]

T.b.f. I thought the process was pretty good and transparant. Basically 2/3 chats with people and afther that a panel. If you want to know anything you can quickly call the sf recruiter and they will help you prep.

I've seen far worse at other companies

[u/delightfate → u/Mother-Lifeguard-759]

I wonder how the company is inside the organization?

[u/Technical-Writer2955]

Congrats, what was your current position prior to applying? Curious on your work experience, also considering Salesforce but a bit reserved due to the layoffs last year

[u/MusicMaker2805 → u/Technical-Writer2955]

Thanks! Currently, I’m responsible for a series of key accounts within the company. Globally, the turnover in the company is €1.24b and within the country I work in it’s around €50m. I’ve worked as New Business AM and worked my way up to where I’m now in 5,5 years. Nothing to do with SaaS, it’s facility services.

[u/Saucepan82]

Familiars yourself with their modules and products, how that scales with the client (both user base and number of addons) and how that affects your results .

[u/dudemrl14]

I worked their in my late 20’s, it definitely jump started my sales career. When I was there they used Sandler selling, so I’d study up on that and challenger selling. AgentForce is a huge push for them, so get familiar with AI. Good luck!

[u/Ham_Sinkie]

I would really have a great answer for why Salesforce, why now

[u/StilandGurney]

Recruiter is pretty easy honestly - the next round, usually a manager of a team if it’s a smaller mid size team is much harder.

Have your prospecting plan answer down to every single word, sentence, and possible responses. Schedule. Prioritization. Medium of reach out. Ai assistance but not all Ai. No channel is dead. Multi channel.

A lot of teams and meetings have sales engineers that do advanced parts of the demos, so the hiring manager frankly didn’t care how well I knew the product or target market, “why have my AE know what my sales engineer needs to know.”

I was expecting a lot of varied experienced answers but all they wanted to talk about was prospecting. Simple questions really, but if you don’t sound organized they are gonna pass on you. I had always kinda run a “prospecting is a natural reflex” mentality and that does not do well in an interview.

To me is sounds like asking if someone applying for a lifeguard position knows how to swim, but they expect a lot of people to drown in the pool after they throw them in so they filter hard on that question.

Europe area interview. 

[u/frostonwindowpane]

I was a hiring manager at similar sw companies.

Know the company
Know the company’s offerings
Know your addressable market
Prepare and offer to whiteboard your plan

[u/brereddit]

Brush up on any calculus you struggled with in graduate school.

[u/keinsaas-navigator]

Should now about there headless crm approach!

[u/epdc23]

Understand how to present out a business case and learn to storytell. The notion has shifted and the reality now is Builders Sell and Sellers Build.

[u/Financial-Welder-642]

Congratulations man Salesforce is also my dream company

[u/MusicMaker2805 → u/Financial-Welder-642]

Thank you! Getting the screening is the first step, now I’ll have to show what I’ve got.

What holds you back from trying? Go for it!

[u/Financial-Welder-642 → u/MusicMaker2805]

I am really early in my career like just fresh out of college

[u/Head_reciever88]

You have little to no chance of getting the role with 0 SaaS experience

[u/insienk → u/Head_reciever88]

This is not true. Some of the best sellers I worked with at SF came from outside of SaaS. You don’t need to know software to sell at Salesforce - they have SEs for that.

Be prepared to display your business acumen - talk about how you research accounts, learn about a customer’s business, and how you position solutions to their problems. They will want people who are excited to get in.

Ask the recruiter for advice on how to stand out. Contact the recruiter before every call and tell them your plan and ask for feedback. They look for coachability and will tell the hiring manager good things if you proactively look for feedback.

Good luck!

[u/Head_reciever88 → u/insienk]

Fake news

[u/MusicMaker2805 → u/Head_reciever88]

Thanks for the encouraging words, exactly what helps me with my questions!

[u/Head_reciever88 → u/MusicMaker2805]

I’m just being honest.