Interview prep for remote SDR and AE roles

1Your intro video

Your intro is the first time a company hears you speak. So your first interview starts before anyone says hello. Treat the video like a short sales call where the product is you.

Aim for 60 to 90 seconds and cover 5 parts in this order:

• Who you are: name, country and time zone.
• What you sold: product, buyer and main channel.
• Proof: 1 result with your own number and the period.
• Why remote sales, and why this role now.
• Close: your hours in their time zone and what you want to learn.

Put the camera at eye level and face a window or a lamp. Record in a quiet room with a plain background and a headset. Close every app that can ping you during a take.

Speak from 5 bullet notes, never from a full script. Record 3 takes, watch each one, and keep the take where you sound most like yourself. Speak at a calm pace and finish every sentence, because the video is also your first English test.

A natural take with 1 small stumble beats a stiff, perfect reading.

2Your sales story

Expect “Tell me about yourself” in the first minutes of every interview. Your answer is your sales story. Keep it to about 60 seconds and point the story at the role you want.

Build it in 4 parts:

• Start: where you began in sales and what you sold.
• Proof: 1 or 2 results with your own numbers and the period.
• Struggle: a hard stretch and what you changed.
• Next: why this remote role, at this company, now.

Here is a model to adapt. “I started in sales {years} ago, selling {product} to {buyer}. Last {period} I booked {number} meetings a month, about {percent} of quota. My first quarter was hard because I {problem}, so I {change}. Now I want a remote {role} selling to US buyers.”

Use only numbers you can defend, because interviewers ask follow up questions. A number you can’t explain hurts more than no number at all. For AE roles, add a deal you closed: the buyer, the problem, the steps and how long it took.

Say it out loud 5 times today, then record it once.

3The questions SDR and AE interviews ask

Expect questions in 3 groups: the work itself, coachability and remote habits. Prepare 1 true example for each group before the interview.

Common versions to prepare:

• Why sales, and why SDR work?
• How do you handle a day of rejection?
• How do you research a prospect?
• Tell me about feedback you used.
• How do you stay focused at home?
• What hours can you work in our time zone?
• For AE roles: walk me through a deal you won, and 1 you lost.

Answer in 4 beats: the situation, what you did, the result and what you learned. Stop after 60 to 90 seconds and let them ask more. If you don’t know an answer, say so and explain how you would check.

Be concrete on remote questions. Name your internet backup, your computer, your quiet room and the hours you overlap with the team. We ask every candidate for reliable internet and their own computer, so have the details ready.

Today: write 1 story for each group.

4The 2 round mock cold call

The 2 round mock cold call is now a common SDR hiring test in guides such as 80Twenty’s. You make a baseline call, get 2 pieces of coaching, then run the call again. You’re scored on the improvement, so coachability counts more than polish.

Structure your call in 5 steps:

• Opener: admit it’s a cold call and ask for 30 seconds.
• Reason: 1 sentence on why you called this person.
• Question: ask about a problem their peers often face.
• Objection: acknowledge it, ask 1 question, answer in 1 sentence.
• Ask: request a meeting and offer 2 specific times.

In Gong’s analysis of 300 million cold calls, permission openers admitting it’s a cold call had an 11.18% success rate. Asking whether you caught them at a bad time had a 2.15% success rate. Stating the reason for your call carried 2.1 times the success rate.

A script to adapt: “Hi {name}, this is {you} from {company}. This is a cold call, so I’ll be brief. Can I have 30 seconds to tell you why I called, then you decide?” Then your reason: “I’m calling because {peer group} often struggle with {problem}. How are you handling that today?”

Today: write your opener and reason, word for word.

5Coaching between rounds, and practice

Round 2 is where you earn the score, because the hiring manager watches whether you apply both points.

Between runs, do 3 things:

• Repeat each point back in your own words.
• Ask 1 question if anything is unclear.
• Make both changes obvious in round 2, even if round 1 felt fine.

Never defend or explain the first call. Listen more than you talk: 80Twenty’s benchmark for a strong candidate is about 43% talking and 57% listening. Ask your question, then let the silence work.

Practice before the interview. Pick a real SaaS product and a buyer title, write your 5 steps and call a friend who plays the prospect. Ask for 2 pieces of coaching, run the call again and record both runs. Listen back and note where you talked over the prospect.

Today: book 1 practice call with a friend.

6Pay, your questions and next steps

Know your number before the call: the monthly amount in USD you need, the amount you want and the lowest offer you would accept. For context, the roles we have filled pay $1,000 to $5,000 USD a month, depending on role scope and performance. That range describes past placements, never a promise about your offer.

When they ask what you expect, ask about the structure first: base pay, variable pay, how the variable is measured and when it pays. Then answer with a range: “Based on my experience, I’m targeting {range} USD a month, and I’m open to how it splits.”

Ask 3 to 5 questions of your own, with at least 1 about coaching:

• What does a good first 90 days look like here?
• How is quota set, and how did the team do last quarter?
• Who do new reps learn from, and how often do you coach?
• What do your top performers do that others don’t?
• Which hours overlap with the team?

End with a fit question: “Is there anything in my background that worries you for this role?” Then ask what happens next and by when. Send a thank you note the same day. If the date passes with no news, send 1 short follow up message.

Today: write your number and your 5 questions.