You missed quota. Here’s what a hiring manager sees.
READ TIME: 4 MINUTES
In my first AE role, I was on the verge of a PIP.
I didn't believe in the product. The client renewal rate was low and I knew it.
I questioned whether I even wanted to be in sales. I didn’t love selling. I loved the money.
A manager pulled me aside and suggested I look at SalesOps since I understood sales and was process oriented.
Not exactly a vote of confidence.
Meanwhile, one rep on my team, James, was hitting his numbers. So I didn't know: was it me, or was it the product?
What made it harder — I'd just come off back-to-back President's Club trips as an SDR.
My confidence had taken a hit.
I decided to give it one more shot. But I needed to sell something I actually believed in — a product with a tangible ROI. That's what pushed me toward software sales.
That meant job searching from a low. And the question that followed me through every application: Why would a hiring manager take a chance on me?
At the time, I didn't have a good answer.
After fourteen years leading hiring — I do now. That's what this issue is about.
Past performance is an indicator. It's not a predictor.
I've hired AEs and sales managers who struggled in their previous roles and went on to crush it on my team. I've also hired people who were top performers elsewhere and couldn't find traction with us.
What I learned: the question isn't what did they do before. The question is do they have the traits and skills to succeed in this role, at this company, right now.
That's why I start every hire by defining what success actually looks like in the seat — before I ever review a resume. (Want to know exactly what traits I hire for? Last week's issue covers it.)
If you've missed quota, been laid off, or had a rough stretch: that doesn't disqualify you. What matters is what you learned from it and whether you can articulate it.
Here's what that looks like in an interview.
Two candidates. Same quota. Same outcome. Completely different signals.
The interviewer asks: “What was your quota in 2025 and where did you finish? What happened and what did you take away from it?”
Candidate A:"My quota was $1M, I finished at $750K. The territory was tough, the product was struggling. I did what I could."
Candidate B:"My quota was $1M, I finished at $750K. I inherited a territory of 2,000 accounts with 10 existing customers. I signed 75 new customers at an average of $10K through cold outreach and referrals. Looking back, I didn't have enough pipeline early in the year. I should have pushed outreach volume until I found the messaging that worked, which is when my conversion went up."
Candidate B just demonstrated three things without being asked:
Cold calling experience
The ability to drive referrals — which tells me they sign up happy customers
Self-awareness — which tells me they're coachable
They also know their sales math. That means in a new role, they'll understand what pipeline coverage they need to hit their number.
Candidate A gave me nothing. No insight into what they actually did to close $750K. And the tone told me something too — I heard a complainer. That's a cancer to a sales culture. I'll pass.
Same miss. Completely different stories.
Here’s how I know this as a sales manager.
When I joined PowerSchool, I inherited a product line that had been underperforming. Two reps on the team were behind quota. Both had the right traits, skills and attitude — they just hadn't had the right support.
Together, we identified what needed to change, built a plan, and both finished the year over 100%.
Same reps. Same company. Different outcome.
That's why I don't let past numbers be the whole story — as a hiring manager or as a coach.
The work starts before the interview.
When I start working with clients who are in an active job search, the first thing I do is help them understand their own strengths.
Not generic strengths. Specific ones. What traits have made them successful? What skills did they build along the way? What do they bring to a role that a hiring manager would actually want?
Most sales coaching focuses on areas of improvement. That means a lot of reps have spent years getting feedback on what they're not great at and almost no time understanding what makes them exceptional. So when they sit across from a hiring manager, they can't tell the story clearly.
Here's the truth: if you don't know your strengths, you can't sell yourself. And if you can't sell yourself, you won't get the role.
This work doesn't just help in interviews. It helps during onboarding, when you're ramping, and when you fall behind and need to dig yourself out. The reps who know themselves — their skills, their tendencies, their story — are the ones who recover faster and build more consistently.
Invest in that now. The return shows up everywhere.
The hiring manager who took a chance on me was named Shawn, at Vocus.
He saw something I couldn't see in myself at the time.
He was right.
In my first year as an AE, I finished one spot outside President's Club.
I stayed with that organization for four years. Grew into a manager. Rebuilt the SDR team and built the AE team from scratch.
The skills were always there. So was the drive. I just needed the right environment to let both show up.
That's why I'm building Setback to Interview Ready.
It is a short, actionable playbook for SaaS AEs and sales managers who've missed quota, been laid off, or just had their confidence shaken — and are ready to walk into their next interview prepared.
Three modules. Three coaching workbooks. A clear path from where you are to knowing exactly how to tell your story.
Waitlist members get early access and a launch discount.
If you're in that moment right now, join the waitlist.
In the meantime, hit reply and tell me: What's the hardest part of talking about a miss in an interview — is it the explaining, the reframing, or something else? I read every response.
To clarity and confidence in your career path,
Amanda
See you next Sunday.
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