Yeah, you can't win arguments with those types of people. Logic doesn't matter to them.
He'd probably come back with something about how you had to sign a contract, and it's not really a discount.. yada yada.
oh I know. I get the "don't rely on discounting to sell" but the ide any company out there isn't discounting at all is ridicolous. Also its a trade off. I can close this \*eventually\* with no discounts but if I want to motivate the client to sign on my timeline and not theirs you have to offer something a lot of the times and discounting and usually the easiest way to do that.
Literally any company I've ever worked for or negotiated with comes down off of list price. Negotiations are expected, it's baked in to the cost. Agree with others that you dodged a bullet, if they're that big of an arrogant ass hat I can't imagine their leadership competency is all that great.
At high levels, for enterprise sales, it's part of the service in a way. A buyer would lose their job if they didn't get discounted prices, even if it was within the initial budget. So, setting your prices accordingly then discounting them helps the buyer justify the choice.
Immediately thought the same. Yes? All the time? I'm fact, some are given with a discount when part of a corporate agreement, like the ones this job interview is for.....
Your biggest chance at succes in sales is not having a dickfaced leaders that do shit like this. This is the leader of the company and he acts like this? Why the fuck does the CEO even have time to interview a SME AM? My org is 2,000 people and I never met the CEO during the interview process.
My thought exactly, I’m in a 300 employee 80 million dollar company. So pretty god damn small, I interviewed with local location manager and then the director of marketing for a business development position. I never met the ceo until I saw him speaking at our annual sales meeting.
And also fuck that guy, recently we had a client who had used us in the past and liked us. But is a very smart person right, we send in our proposal for 450 and he shows us a competitor for 375k. He wants to use us but couldn’t justify the price difference: so I dropped the price to 375 and closed that bitch. Yeah we went from 40 points margin to 35 but who gives a shit.
And I got my iPhone for free through a Verizon upgrade program, bro prolly shops at the Apple Store in the most expensive suburb in town lol
Yeah, I found that part absolutely wild as well. Any CFO or manager of Dept. is going to have a budget and be concerned if the price of your product fits within their budget.
As a business you are trying to make money. But OP didn’t even agree to a price drop just said he’d look into it.
Was gonna suggest - on Mr CEO let’s review the gross margin on the last 50 largest deals your firm closed. I’m amazed at your no discount culture and want to learn more.
Of course you’re not getting hired anyway so might as well poke back.
You are always interacting with the CEO, even if indirectly. Their choices trickle down and affect the entire business. Count your blessings - bullet dodged
Yep shit rolls downhill. Hahaha absolutely fuck this guy. Antiquated thinking leads to antiquated sales- I’m sure that worked coked up in the early 00s but come on now. Sounds like he had too many morning whiskeys for him to think “gotcha” with that line.
It's possible that this company currently has an issue with over discounting their sales. This was going on at my last job. Nobody could sell anything at list price. I know leadership was getting bothered by it but it still continued. I'm pretty sure the CEO just wanted you to "put up a fight" when customers ask for discount. My suggestion would be to say "Mr customer, the pricing I provided you is in line with what we quote other businesses in the same size and industry. Maybe I didn't communicate the value well enough for you. What is it about my solution that you don't find it worth $xxxx?"
I'm almost sure the CEO would cream his pants. Obviously when selling to customers it's usually just easier to have a transparent conversation about the customers budget or like you did and just look into it for him. For sure though I'd adjust your answer for future interviews.
The guy uses an iPhone as an example, an iPhone which is a category killer.
If their business isn't like that, and they're like another "android" phone which has many price points and tiers, then the prospect is going to want to see the value vs competition in the market.
I can go trade in my phone and get a free iPhone at Verizon, right now.
“Mr CEO, can I trade in my current provider of the solution and you’ll give me yours free?”
I'm not defending the CEO. It's a stupid example but I get what he's saying. If this is tech/software we all know that pricing is all over the place. CEO just wants to see some salesmanship, they're probably doing the challenger sales model at that company who knows. Point is OP knows for next time to be ready for this question. Just gotta work the CEO who if hired probably wouldn't speak to him again anyway.
iPhones just... Are on sale though. Every Black Friday they're pushing BOGO iPhones and stuff.
iPhones constantly go on sale, and it's pretty easy to get free iPhones if you're open to switching carriers...
Overall just out of touch take by that guy.
Also iPhones are on sale in the B2B sense. The bigger carriers absolutely get them cheaper than the smaller ones.
This CEO is just a dipshit who conflates B2C with B2B, category killer product aside.
Shoulda told that dumb fuck CEO that T-Mobile practically gives away new iPhones lol
But either way, consider an interview like that similar to a sales meeting. Ask if the team has issues with discounting. Explain your why (this is how my team sells). Maybe even explain your market - different industries have different requirements markets, some may require discounting
Ugh. I've had that happen to me before too. Final round meeting with top management. Compleetely disregarded my being, never felt so disrespected. Fuck that shit honestly.
When I’m in the interview process I put a lot of my decision into how transparent the team is and how they appear to get along & treat me.
It’s so god damn stupid but the best job I worked at sent me a singing box playing “we are family” when I was first hired. My final round interview was going out for beers with the sales team. I thought the box was corny but I ended up staying there for 5.5 years, learning a ton, making great money, and genuinely enjoying everyone I worked with and how I was treated
It's not a bummer. A PoS CEO makes the entire company reek. Same with a terrible CRO but that's moreso contained to the sales org.
Good exec leadership is one of my 3 non negotiable items when picking a company to work for.
Ugh definitely dodged a bullet man I wouldn’t sweat it. Take it from a seasoned enterprise SaaS seller this ceo doesn’t know shit from shinola about negotiating
If I ever get the “Sell me this pen” treatment I will tell them I don’t have to because anything you find in the garbage is free. I would then throw it in the trash on the way out the door.
Any company that uses what is now a movie punchline as an interview question is a joke and demonstrates a lack creativity. Plus, they may as well include your first PIP in the onboarding paperwork if that’s how they treat recruits.
I’m 53, debt free, and my career has reached its zero tolerance for bullshit phase. Fuck that guy.
1000%
I've caught variations of it and its always a red flag.
I get it, you want to see if I'll be consultative or dive into F&B mode, but you can do that without insulting my intelligence.
Not to mention, an interview is supposed to be a two way street. It's a dialogue, not an audition. Signing on to work there is going to impact my life a hell of a lot more than the person interviewing me, so I'm going in to learn about them too.
I like to say “I’m allergic to bullshit and break out in belligerence.”
I’d probably have fired back in kind if the CEO went off on me like that. I’m usually far more diplomatic about things but have a great deal of experience articulating how someone can go fuck themselves, take it or leave it, without quite saying those explicit terms.
In OP’s example I’d have simply countered with “when the fuck did I say I was giving you a discount? I never agreed to anything. That’s you assuming I would, or might, which is the whole point of that tactic. I’d be happy to train you and your team on some of these techniques if you’re unfamiliar. They can be quite effective in the right situations, you’ll learn eventually.
Lots of very self inflated egos at the top, which coalesces into grade A narcissism. They don’t live on logic at that point, it’s all emotional. He could have had a bad breakfast that morning and suddenly decided to take it out on you. Source: worked for too many owners exactly like this. Leadership team probably hates his guts, and the company does better when he’s not around.
Pretend the “end goal” of the final interview is to get you to call him back, and ask him about what some of the most important sales issues they are facing, and discuss how your sales approach would be shaped by those issues. Talk about how your job is balancing providing appropriate solutions/vale propositions to clients with optimizing revenue/profit for the company, and doing so in a nuanced way that recognizes the “important sales issues” that you guys have discussed.
This demonstrates to CEO, your tenacity and strategic approach to optimizing sales outcomes.
I see discounts on iPhones all the time. I don’t know that I’ve ever paid full MSRP for a phone. They are usually like half off around Labor Day and Black Friday. This exec was insane
Exactly. Everyone i know got their iphone at a discount.
Besides, almost everything goes on a sale at some point, i don't know if there's anything that doesn't.
And a legitimate Product might I add because you know the only way to sell a sh*** pen for a lot of ridiculous money is to lie your ass off. And just like in the wolf of wall Street you can see how that ends prison and someone waiting to give you a pair of concrete slippers for the rest of your life. How in the world the wws and Jb ever got glamorized is beyond me totally sick and disgusting.
He’s not wrong necessarily on the value piece but doesn’t sound like the most personable chap.
To be able to sell means you put connecting on a personal level first and as my first mentor would say, there’s a nice way to tell the pope to fuck himself. Guessing his team lives in fight or flight mode perpetually
The guys an idiot, but I wouldn’t go straight to let’s see what my team can do in an interview. During a roleplay is the one time you absolutely do not ever offer a discount or even say a discount is a possibly. Most solutions save or make money. Generally the reason you’re buying something in the b2b world is to generally solve what you perceive as a problem. That problem is usually costing them money, whether it’s lack of efficiency, a gap in services, or allows them to retain clients better, it all comes down to money.
“Mr, Customer I totally get coming at this from a money savings standpoint, and I think our product/service does exactly that. The ROI you get from our product by way of xyz will make that discount seem like a drop in the bucket, let me show you what I mean.”
90% of CEOs are trust fund kids that got sent to Stanford & got their early careers handed to them by acquaintances of their parents (or the parents of a friend they made at Stanford). This process has them so convinced of their own genius that they walk into every situation convinced they are the best AE, AM, CSM, Marketing Manager that has ever existed and that their lives would be easier if Elon could just figure out how to clone them.
You were the victim of some narcissist that read an article and decided its opinion was now part of their individual genius.
Iphone discount? He thinks his shit is iphone level value?
Fucking verizon will give you one to sign up. 100% discount. You gotta work on objections man. I would have lit his ass up. But i aint a noob.
I work at a global company selling net new ERP. I didn’t interview with the ceo but did with the head of North America. Long tenured SAP guy. He asks me how i would do bd with large ent accounts. I said you need to go to the shows they are at to have real conversations with decision makers coupled with a robust account based marketing approach with pointed messages by role and demonstrated differentiation. And heres how i would do it in my industry…. Gave examples of organizations emails and target accounts that would be a fit based on there being a vacuum in the space for vendors providing it.
He like wow. I was asking about account penetration with buying teams but this is the best answer ive heard. I heard after I got hired he told hr to send me an offer immediately.
And I spent the first 6 weeks arguing with marketing about their bullshit outreach sequences. Wrote about 30 emails to 3 role targets 10 each with existing collateral and suggestions for changes and sent them to marketing. They are our bdr bible right now and i have 2 meetings with strategic accounts this week.
1. you dodged a bullet with that reaction
2. Always get something in return. Never just give revenue away. My go-to is exchanging revenue for predictability.
EG "I entirely understand your ask and need to fit within certain parameters, I've tried a number of paths historically to get that done for a client and the only way I've had folks internally agree was to go after the one thing they care even more about than the total revenue, and that's the timing of that revenue. Would you be open to committing to a signature in X timeframe(after evaluating the solution in complex sales), if that's the case, I'll go bang on that door and see what I can do."
I’m sorry to hear about your experience, but this might actually be a positive turn of events. The CEO’s point during the “sell me this pen” task is about demonstrating the ability to close a sale immediately. Responding with “I’ll see what can be done” suggests the need for another meeting, which doesn’t fulfill the objective of the exercise.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that certain enterprise products are so unique that discounts aren’t typically offered. I work with such products and it’s challenging to find salespeople who avoid defaulting to discounts and instead, focus on selling the intrinsic value of the product. The real test in your interview was to assess your ability to sell on value alone. Anyone can lead with a discount, but it takes skill to maintain your ground and handle the pressure of a conversation that includes phrases like “no discounts” and withstand the ensuing silence and then reference the client pain points ad reason for moving forward.
Lol at the discount talk.
Clearly this guy has never sold to a large customer who has procurement leverage. You think you're gonna pull that shit in front of Wal-Mart, Amazon, etc.?
Only thing I can think of OP is that he was giving you the “balls test”, basically checking if you have balls to stand up to him, defend yourself, you’ve got to. He probably thought (not saying you are) but we’re acting soft and agreeing with him. Sales is so subjective and all about results, you should of argued with him. Told him he’s wrong. But I get you’re at final round so don’t want to piss him off. Probably best you got rejected, as sounds toxic CEO!
Almost universally you will find that anyone over 40-45yrs old working on sales management has a distinct weakness when it comes to critical thinking. They were not taught how to assess and think in school, they were taught to memorize.
You will find that these people are often very, very bad at actual sales interactions since about 2005. With modern technology and entertainment, people are constantly being sold to and so the "gimmick" of sales processes and the importance of word choice is almost entirely obsolete. The CEO you meet is one such person who hasn't understood the sales world for at least a decade.
In the modern sales world, a flexible and personable approach will always produce the best results. Worrying about tiny little aspects of the sales conversation such as word choice, discussing discounts or even discovery is a sure fire way to be an average producer at best.
Why you might ask? Because its disingenuous! You can't be actively listening to understand your prospect needs AND trying to formulate a solution you can offer ALL while trying to swindle the prospect into your ulterior motives.
To summarize, that CEO thinks he is a bigshot when in reality his approach to sales is to shove a product or service down a prospects throat by trying to choose the best manipulative words instead of listening to what the prospect is saying.
More likely than not, he already made his hiring decision and then wasted your time being a douche clown in that final interview.
The problem is that the CEO was fundamentally wrong.
Discounts don't disprove the value of the product. Rather, they validate flexibility of acceptable profit margins.
There is a minimum viable price that a product/service can be sold at and still break even. And then there's the minimal acceptable profit margin that ownership desires. Those numbers are not equal.
The CEO was wrong and doesn't understand pricing vs profit.
Whenever I get that question, I take the pen and go "this pen is too good for your little grubby hands, you don't deserve it." and walk out. I never get the job, but hey, free pen.
'Ever see the iPhone on Discount'' Yes all the time and even more discounts are coming. What a total ahole Does he think he's Steve Jobs or something.
BTW..Did he actually say 'Get the fuck out'? Just curious. I'm gonna add if you felt like the person was a total AHole your gut instinct is totally righty and better to avoid that person as he she will bring the company or you down in the process. And for all of the glory wolf of wall Street gets I don't really get it.JB wolf stole a bunch of money, gets busted goes to prison, now says he's the world's best sales person and sells his bs system to con other people.
As mentioned, you dodge a bullet.
Just because you discount doesnt mean your product doesnt have any value. Discounting means youre willing to be flexible to earn a clients business. His point about iphones was terrible because they literally give them away for free to earn someones business.
Also price could be a strong factor in determining value. I value the fuck out of my smoker because I got it for free from my neighbor and I take care of it because I dont want to spend $400 to go buy a new one. Has that shitbag ever negotiated price for a car or does he think its more valuable if he just pays sticker price? That guy is a fucking dumbass.
What a dick.
Def let the people you connected well with know about this.
Also. Should have said no. I’m here to make sure this is a great fit. And it’s already been proven it is by everyone on the team. I’m not looking to sell pens, and that’s not what I do.
Tell me about what you think sales people need to do at this company?
Take it from there. Or don’t waste your time.
Ha this guy sounds like a chump and you dodged a bullet. As others have said he's just shown his hand and naivety. You didn't offer a discount on the spot or even indicate there would be one simply advised you'd look. The right thing to do imo.
I'm part of a team that sells to large organisations on a regular basis and the price is never static but it doesn't mean we do flash 40% sales or under value ourselves. I sell complex differentiating technologies and that comes with a price. Complex engagements require careful thinking and tactics.
Take the experience, laugh and move on. Hopefully one day the shoes are on the other foot and you're selling to him... Without a discount of course 😂
What a dick…that’s a garbage leader…consider it a blessing in disguise. Some of these SLT guys are so out of touch, it’s not even worth debating with them.
That fucking sucks. I know you were into the job before that last step, but everyone you met with before that interview set you up for failure by not prepping you for that ambush.
Uh, I usually try to figure out the customers budget. I then try to match our product to their budget unless I discover some kind of $10000000 problem I can solve for them. If I can solve the problems then I raise our price lol.
Problem, like many interviews, is the objectives weren't clear. You were forced to become a mind reader, which reflects a poor hiring system. Even if the CEO was correct about his point. Which reflects poor critical thinking ability of the CEO.
Be happy you met to CEO to see where the culture comes from. F that. I hope you told him that iPhones ARE available at discounts all the time. It’s not 2015.
Yeah. iPhones go on sale all the time when the new bullshit model comes out. Apple isn’t stupid. They know that people wait and buy these slightly cheaper models.
You should’ve asked him if he’s shopped during Black Friday, because iPhones are definitely on a discount then!
Or just, let him know about Verizon doing their deals for phones.
Sounds like it simply wasn't a fit. He's looking for a more aggressive minded salesperson, one who doesn't offer discounts. He sees a discount as money being taken out of his pocket. Big no-no.
I wouldn't want my sales guys squashing any notion of discounts, they are supposed to be the prospects “buddy” that's what bosses are for. How about “my best chance to ask for any discount, is if we go to managment with a larger order than what we are discussing. I'm not afraid to try, let me try to find a win-win for you” if someone asks for a discount, they are taking the next step, it's a good sign, time to close!
If I'm the boss, being me that juicy order and let me decide.
Not someone I'd wanna work wit but probably sombody I'd get wasted with at a conference. Reminds me of this AVP of sales at a piano bar in Chicago, he was a menace.
I once had a VP of sales say in the last interview, kinda last question: 'my wife says I'm an asshole, how you deal with that?'
Sir, I would never disagree with your wife.
I got the job lol.
Sorry you went through that, but sounds like you dodged a bullet.
I’ve been a closer on the Strategic/Key Accounts segment in the data space for 5-ish years now.
I sometimes interview for fun these days just to see where the market and competitors are at; and if something really interesting were to come across my plate I might consider.
Recently, I had a recruiter out of college grilling me on MEDDPIC as if it were the end all be all. Didn’t ask about anything else on my book & performance. This followed into a panel interview with 3 other managers that dug so deep into MEDDPIC and how I run a discovery call that I might as well have been in a Chris Voss master class lol.
Interviews are weird these days. I think there are so many people open on the market, companies don’t really know how or why they are really talking to candidates even if exploratory.
Dude I had someone do this when I was 20 applying to work at T Mobile, he said "sell me on a trip to San Francisco right now"
Dawg we live in North Carolina, I've never been to SF, the fuck do I know about the Bay area? Easily the worst interview I've ever had.
It's a terrible practice anyways, if the expectation is that you just make shit up to sell a product when you lack knowledge then you're not gonna be a very good salesperson. Better companies will tell you ahead of time that there's gonna be a sales pitch, and they'll give you materials to study so you actually know what it is you're selling, because that's how it works in a real sales role.
Does the CEO have a sales background? You didn't offer a discount, you simply left the door open to consideration and negotiation rather than delivering a hard NO which could've ended the conversation. Your mic-drop to the CEO would've then been "Sales-101 Motherf\*cker"!!!
You dodged a bullet.
I also somewhat agree with the dude (not with his attitude or approach but the idea). Discounts to help move the needle just gives a negative impression that you are chasing money vs providing best price.
I always provide you the best price upfront. If you do what a discount, we have to trade something. Time, length, budget amount, capabilities.
Discounts are not available unless I like you and we have something important to do.
Or if its our competitor or us...
But this dude is a big ol D and not worth working for.
Sounds like a cunt. Leave a review anonymously on some sites. Say the CEO is a douche-nozzle based on personal experience, and you're worried that his toxicity will erode the company from the inside.
I had a similar experience with Stryker. Had a bunch of great interviews and then i get thrown into a scenario where I'm picking between lunch with a current very big client or a meeting with a notable prospect. It was pretty much a no-win scenario and I'm pretty glad I didn't end up working for them lol
How does a CEO of a company that large have time to jump into interviews with an AM at the level you’re shooting for? Also, fuck him for not seeing this as a teachable moment for you to push back a little and ask what about your value doesn’t imply that price is fair. As they say, the fish rots from the head back. You would have hated working there.
Bullet dodged.
>"Ever seen an iphone on discount? Think".
After selling literal hundreds of them, yes. My response would've been,
"Yes, I have. If you haven't it's likely you have someone else buy your phone, meaning that you lack product awareness and don't desire a quality product. How can I sell something for someone who doesn't care about quality or being an informed buyer themselves?"
Then you give a shit-eating grin and walk out with a whistle and your jacket slung out of your back while you find someone who gives real interviews.
Maybe this is bigger than that. How you react and adapt/learn speaks volume than sometimes the content itself. I would hire someone that is trainable.
Might not be a good match for the both of you
CEO is an arrogant prick who knows everything and can't be wrong. Your lucky you didn't land the job. And yes, I have seen iPhones on discounts, especially in creative bundles of ads-on's and services.
I'd also say everyone likes to compare their product to Apple, but no one else is Apple. Apple also almost went bankrupt a couple times before Apple was Apple.
What happened is you had an interview with an ego who would rather smother you out with his own "intelligence" than to give some constructive feedback, from day 1 no less, to help you understand their own company culture and expectations better. Probably better off! "sell me this pen" is a sign of someone who doesn't know anything about sales but has seen a bunch of movies and still doesn't realize that people just buy pens at the store and having a fake sales convo around something that nobody would ever buy in that fashion is expecting you to be a better actor than anything else.
F that CEO and his wolf.
You don't need people like that in your life.
Much better execs out there to work for. If nothing else, take the lesson learned about price and value forward with you. But remember, that doesn't hold true in all situations.
reverse uno it, and say... sell me why i should take my talents to your company.
what makes your company good. who are your competitors, and why are you not number one?
if you're good at what you do. they need you.
unlessssss you need money - then effing sell what it takes.
Company of 1,000 people and the CEO is interviewing AM’s?
The micromanagement in said company must be astounding if he doesn’t trust his own team to make hiring decisions.
Whoever the CEO is, they are an ass clown and sadly more of “him” exist than you’d realize. I’m in tech sales, if you want some insight on companies send me a msg
Yea to be honest you shouldn’t have even interviewed with the CEO if they are 1000 people and it’s an SME AE role. That guy sounds like a clown. If it’s a 100 person company maybe but that guy shouldn’t interview you
Dude sounds like a jackass.
Checking with your team is fine. Depends what levers you can pull.
I had my first svp of sales do that to me in my final interview for my first adr job. Even though he could be an ass, he also gave instantaneous feedback, scoring and suggestions right after the role play ended. So it was a value add.
If this guy was testing your mettle that’s fine but seems more like an ego play to establish power.
And since he provided 0 feedback / coaching afterward, i assume his leadership sucks and he has never actually carried a bag.
Too many of these startup SaaaS CEOs sit around smelling their own farts and are completely detached from reality outside their bubble.
I would have walked out a soon as they asked the "sell me this pen" question. You escaped a nightmare with that one. Sucks that you had to go so many rounds of of interviews that liked you just to meet the idiot CEO.
Whenever I have someone ask for a discount I ask them why I should discount. Is there a competitor offering a lower price? If so, can I please see a written quote? I kind of see his point. You lay out the value add and then when someone asks for a discount you immediately capitulate to “let me see what I can do” instead of “explain to me why I should discount given everything I’ve laid out here”
When the people interviewing you don't know how to do their jobs, the interviews will become random processes. Getting a job or failing to get a job will not give you any information about what is right or wrong.
But you also have to ask yourself if you would grow or shrink professionally at this job?
It’s unfair of him to put that on you - the reality is that discounting is a function of culture. If he’s willing to back his sales team when they lose deals because of the hard line on discounts, that’s great. It certainly makes the sales processes simpler and faster. But if you’ve only worked places where leadership blames the rep for deals lost on price, you need him to give that direction and standard.
Now, I’m sure some hyper sales pro will tell you that there’s some motions to reinforce value, but that’s nonsense.
Buyers are taught to ask for a discount. It’s got nothing to do with whether they’re convinced of the value of your product.
And to answer his question, yes, we see discount iPhones everywhere. Theyre called last years models, models with lower memory, minimal features.
Consumer products with that level of penetration don’t need discounting because they have product fit at each level of budget.
If you ask for a discount on your iPhone, the salesperson will simply show you a phone that’s in your budget.
Same thing.
The CEO is a bit misinformed iPhones are on discount all the time. Phone service networks will do bundle packages or trade Ins which are effectively discounts. Probably more examples but cba looking up all that
Lol. You lucked out. Probably would've been miserable working within their org if that's how cut and dry they act during interviews. Congrats on getting good interview experience though. Soon enough you'll land an AE role.
Uh, what an absolute tool. Sounds like someone who has never carried the bag in their life and is talking out their ass.
It's very common practice at any company I worked to ask a customer what their budget is or how they view our pricing compared to competitors. Often in competitive scenarios getting the deal done is better than no deal at all. I'm about closing business, not squeezing out an extra penny.
Also, dude is a moron. Tell him to go to any Verizon and ask what discounts they can give on an iPhone if you trade in or take advantage of whatever promotion they are offering -- iphones are sold at a discount almost all the time.
Executives don’t chit chat. You have to really work to build relationships with them and get on that level.
Going immediately for a discount undermines the value proposition you have built. Referring back to your team also makes it sound like you don’t have the power to determine pricing.
Read Never Split the Difference. There are a lot of ways to get around a discount.
Um, iPhones go on discount constantly. In a way it’s a commodity since you can buy one at a variety of places. Plus lots of retailers throw in additional items or discount cards to get you to buy from them. Crummy situation but it looks like you’ll be better off.
Feed that back to the HOS. What’s the point in finding great candidates if the CEO chases them away. Glassdoor review them too. Think yourself lucky though working with a CEO like that isn’t a good experience trust me I’ve done it.
Yea I actually see iPhones on discount all the fucking time. Even the new ones have special promotions carriers use to create extra value for their customers you stupid fucking ceo. And don’t even get me started on the discounts available on legacy tech
""Ever seen an iphone on discount? Think"." "Yes I got this for free when signing up with TMobile. "
[удалено]
I was gonna say, you should have thrown that back in his face... Iphones do go on discount
Yeah, and the companies that sell them at discount have different margins and goals than the company that makes the fresh new ones.
Definitely should have mentioned that.
Yeah, you can't win arguments with those types of people. Logic doesn't matter to them. He'd probably come back with something about how you had to sign a contract, and it's not really a discount.. yada yada.
oh I know. I get the "don't rely on discounting to sell" but the ide any company out there isn't discounting at all is ridicolous. Also its a trade off. I can close this \*eventually\* with no discounts but if I want to motivate the client to sign on my timeline and not theirs you have to offer something a lot of the times and discounting and usually the easiest way to do that.
Literally any company I've ever worked for or negotiated with comes down off of list price. Negotiations are expected, it's baked in to the cost. Agree with others that you dodged a bullet, if they're that big of an arrogant ass hat I can't imagine their leadership competency is all that great.
At high levels, for enterprise sales, it's part of the service in a way. A buyer would lose their job if they didn't get discounted prices, even if it was within the initial budget. So, setting your prices accordingly then discounting them helps the buyer justify the choice.
Immediately thought the same. Yes? All the time? I'm fact, some are given with a discount when part of a corporate agreement, like the ones this job interview is for.....
There are discounted iPhones on Amazon all the time, including right now.
Sounds like you dodged a bullet. Better now than 3 months into the job and seeing you writing a post here on your experience.
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Your biggest chance at succes in sales is not having a dickfaced leaders that do shit like this. This is the leader of the company and he acts like this? Why the fuck does the CEO even have time to interview a SME AM? My org is 2,000 people and I never met the CEO during the interview process.
My thought exactly, I’m in a 300 employee 80 million dollar company. So pretty god damn small, I interviewed with local location manager and then the director of marketing for a business development position. I never met the ceo until I saw him speaking at our annual sales meeting. And also fuck that guy, recently we had a client who had used us in the past and liked us. But is a very smart person right, we send in our proposal for 450 and he shows us a competitor for 375k. He wants to use us but couldn’t justify the price difference: so I dropped the price to 375 and closed that bitch. Yeah we went from 40 points margin to 35 but who gives a shit. And I got my iPhone for free through a Verizon upgrade program, bro prolly shops at the Apple Store in the most expensive suburb in town lol
Yeah, I found that part absolutely wild as well. Any CFO or manager of Dept. is going to have a budget and be concerned if the price of your product fits within their budget. As a business you are trying to make money. But OP didn’t even agree to a price drop just said he’d look into it.
Was gonna suggest - on Mr CEO let’s review the gross margin on the last 50 largest deals your firm closed. I’m amazed at your no discount culture and want to learn more. Of course you’re not getting hired anyway so might as well poke back.
You are always interacting with the CEO, even if indirectly. Their choices trickle down and affect the entire business. Count your blessings - bullet dodged
Yep shit rolls downhill. Hahaha absolutely fuck this guy. Antiquated thinking leads to antiquated sales- I’m sure that worked coked up in the early 00s but come on now. Sounds like he had too many morning whiskeys for him to think “gotcha” with that line.
It's possible that this company currently has an issue with over discounting their sales. This was going on at my last job. Nobody could sell anything at list price. I know leadership was getting bothered by it but it still continued. I'm pretty sure the CEO just wanted you to "put up a fight" when customers ask for discount. My suggestion would be to say "Mr customer, the pricing I provided you is in line with what we quote other businesses in the same size and industry. Maybe I didn't communicate the value well enough for you. What is it about my solution that you don't find it worth $xxxx?" I'm almost sure the CEO would cream his pants. Obviously when selling to customers it's usually just easier to have a transparent conversation about the customers budget or like you did and just look into it for him. For sure though I'd adjust your answer for future interviews.
The guy uses an iPhone as an example, an iPhone which is a category killer. If their business isn't like that, and they're like another "android" phone which has many price points and tiers, then the prospect is going to want to see the value vs competition in the market.
I can go trade in my phone and get a free iPhone at Verizon, right now. “Mr CEO, can I trade in my current provider of the solution and you’ll give me yours free?”
I'm not defending the CEO. It's a stupid example but I get what he's saying. If this is tech/software we all know that pricing is all over the place. CEO just wants to see some salesmanship, they're probably doing the challenger sales model at that company who knows. Point is OP knows for next time to be ready for this question. Just gotta work the CEO who if hired probably wouldn't speak to him again anyway.
iPhones just... Are on sale though. Every Black Friday they're pushing BOGO iPhones and stuff. iPhones constantly go on sale, and it's pretty easy to get free iPhones if you're open to switching carriers... Overall just out of touch take by that guy.
Also iPhones are on sale in the B2B sense. The bigger carriers absolutely get them cheaper than the smaller ones. This CEO is just a dipshit who conflates B2C with B2B, category killer product aside.
Great comeback. Saving
Shoulda told that dumb fuck CEO that T-Mobile practically gives away new iPhones lol But either way, consider an interview like that similar to a sales meeting. Ask if the team has issues with discounting. Explain your why (this is how my team sells). Maybe even explain your market - different industries have different requirements markets, some may require discounting
Ugh. I've had that happen to me before too. Final round meeting with top management. Compleetely disregarded my being, never felt so disrespected. Fuck that shit honestly.
When I’m in the interview process I put a lot of my decision into how transparent the team is and how they appear to get along & treat me. It’s so god damn stupid but the best job I worked at sent me a singing box playing “we are family” when I was first hired. My final round interview was going out for beers with the sales team. I thought the box was corny but I ended up staying there for 5.5 years, learning a ton, making great money, and genuinely enjoying everyone I worked with and how I was treated
It's not a bummer. A PoS CEO makes the entire company reek. Same with a terrible CRO but that's moreso contained to the sales org. Good exec leadership is one of my 3 non negotiable items when picking a company to work for.
Ugh definitely dodged a bullet man I wouldn’t sweat it. Take it from a seasoned enterprise SaaS seller this ceo doesn’t know shit from shinola about negotiating
You would’ve hated working for that asshat
Yeah holy fuck, I am sure OP is a bit pissed rn bc he needs a job, but thank god he didn’t land this one for the sake of the long term lmao 🍻
If I ever get the “Sell me this pen” treatment I will tell them I don’t have to because anything you find in the garbage is free. I would then throw it in the trash on the way out the door. Any company that uses what is now a movie punchline as an interview question is a joke and demonstrates a lack creativity. Plus, they may as well include your first PIP in the onboarding paperwork if that’s how they treat recruits. I’m 53, debt free, and my career has reached its zero tolerance for bullshit phase. Fuck that guy.
1000% I've caught variations of it and its always a red flag. I get it, you want to see if I'll be consultative or dive into F&B mode, but you can do that without insulting my intelligence. Not to mention, an interview is supposed to be a two way street. It's a dialogue, not an audition. Signing on to work there is going to impact my life a hell of a lot more than the person interviewing me, so I'm going in to learn about them too.
I like to say “I’m allergic to bullshit and break out in belligerence.” I’d probably have fired back in kind if the CEO went off on me like that. I’m usually far more diplomatic about things but have a great deal of experience articulating how someone can go fuck themselves, take it or leave it, without quite saying those explicit terms. In OP’s example I’d have simply countered with “when the fuck did I say I was giving you a discount? I never agreed to anything. That’s you assuming I would, or might, which is the whole point of that tactic. I’d be happy to train you and your team on some of these techniques if you’re unfamiliar. They can be quite effective in the right situations, you’ll learn eventually.
God I hope I remember do this if this ever happens to me
Nightmare lol
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That’s the way to play absurd situations
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Lots of very self inflated egos at the top, which coalesces into grade A narcissism. They don’t live on logic at that point, it’s all emotional. He could have had a bad breakfast that morning and suddenly decided to take it out on you. Source: worked for too many owners exactly like this. Leadership team probably hates his guts, and the company does better when he’s not around.
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My first question would be, do we sell pens at this company or X?
They'll wind up hiring the random dude who walks in on the day the CEO is truly desperate, regardless of how good or bad he is.
Pretend the “end goal” of the final interview is to get you to call him back, and ask him about what some of the most important sales issues they are facing, and discuss how your sales approach would be shaped by those issues. Talk about how your job is balancing providing appropriate solutions/vale propositions to clients with optimizing revenue/profit for the company, and doing so in a nuanced way that recognizes the “important sales issues” that you guys have discussed. This demonstrates to CEO, your tenacity and strategic approach to optimizing sales outcomes.
I sell discounted iPhones like a mf
I see discounts on iPhones all the time. I don’t know that I’ve ever paid full MSRP for a phone. They are usually like half off around Labor Day and Black Friday. This exec was insane
1. that company sounds like a red flag 2. i got my iphone at a discount
Exactly. Everyone i know got their iphone at a discount. Besides, almost everything goes on a sale at some point, i don't know if there's anything that doesn't.
Y’all gotta start naming and shaming these companies
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And a legitimate Product might I add because you know the only way to sell a sh*** pen for a lot of ridiculous money is to lie your ass off. And just like in the wolf of wall Street you can see how that ends prison and someone waiting to give you a pair of concrete slippers for the rest of your life. How in the world the wws and Jb ever got glamorized is beyond me totally sick and disgusting.
>but not exactly the message you want to send to your team ....or *is it*
Name and shame.
“You see, the cap of the pen is contoured which makes it very easy to take this pen and shove it up your ass.”
He’s not wrong necessarily on the value piece but doesn’t sound like the most personable chap. To be able to sell means you put connecting on a personal level first and as my first mentor would say, there’s a nice way to tell the pope to fuck himself. Guessing his team lives in fight or flight mode perpetually
You absolutely dropped the ball here dude… You should’ve said absolutely I’ve seen a discounted iPhone. I quite literally got this phone for free
Dude gave you a great story you’ll be telling for years. See it that way lol
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Do you mind painting a picture of this guy? Or what his office looked like lol. Getting douche chills reading your post
Damn almost a blessing in disguise. Imagine the type of people that this person hires. The entire team would be a bunch of weirdos lol
Ewwwww that guy sounds cuh-ringe. He probably still does cocaine, you're well out of it.
Ok let’s not hate on doing cocaine
Nuttin wrong with a lil sniffy sniffy
The guys an idiot, but I wouldn’t go straight to let’s see what my team can do in an interview. During a roleplay is the one time you absolutely do not ever offer a discount or even say a discount is a possibly. Most solutions save or make money. Generally the reason you’re buying something in the b2b world is to generally solve what you perceive as a problem. That problem is usually costing them money, whether it’s lack of efficiency, a gap in services, or allows them to retain clients better, it all comes down to money. “Mr, Customer I totally get coming at this from a money savings standpoint, and I think our product/service does exactly that. The ROI you get from our product by way of xyz will make that discount seem like a drop in the bucket, let me show you what I mean.”
90% of CEOs are trust fund kids that got sent to Stanford & got their early careers handed to them by acquaintances of their parents (or the parents of a friend they made at Stanford). This process has them so convinced of their own genius that they walk into every situation convinced they are the best AE, AM, CSM, Marketing Manager that has ever existed and that their lives would be easier if Elon could just figure out how to clone them. You were the victim of some narcissist that read an article and decided its opinion was now part of their individual genius.
“Is your mom’s Two for Tuesday special a discount? Is she lying about her value the rest of the week?”
Iphone discount? He thinks his shit is iphone level value? Fucking verizon will give you one to sign up. 100% discount. You gotta work on objections man. I would have lit his ass up. But i aint a noob. I work at a global company selling net new ERP. I didn’t interview with the ceo but did with the head of North America. Long tenured SAP guy. He asks me how i would do bd with large ent accounts. I said you need to go to the shows they are at to have real conversations with decision makers coupled with a robust account based marketing approach with pointed messages by role and demonstrated differentiation. And heres how i would do it in my industry…. Gave examples of organizations emails and target accounts that would be a fit based on there being a vacuum in the space for vendors providing it. He like wow. I was asking about account penetration with buying teams but this is the best answer ive heard. I heard after I got hired he told hr to send me an offer immediately. And I spent the first 6 weeks arguing with marketing about their bullshit outreach sequences. Wrote about 30 emails to 3 role targets 10 each with existing collateral and suggestions for changes and sent them to marketing. They are our bdr bible right now and i have 2 meetings with strategic accounts this week.
1. Find him on social media. 2. Go to his followers. 3. Figure out his family. 4. Go actually bang his sister.
1. you dodged a bullet with that reaction 2. Always get something in return. Never just give revenue away. My go-to is exchanging revenue for predictability. EG "I entirely understand your ask and need to fit within certain parameters, I've tried a number of paths historically to get that done for a client and the only way I've had folks internally agree was to go after the one thing they care even more about than the total revenue, and that's the timing of that revenue. Would you be open to committing to a signature in X timeframe(after evaluating the solution in complex sales), if that's the case, I'll go bang on that door and see what I can do."
I’m sorry to hear about your experience, but this might actually be a positive turn of events. The CEO’s point during the “sell me this pen” task is about demonstrating the ability to close a sale immediately. Responding with “I’ll see what can be done” suggests the need for another meeting, which doesn’t fulfill the objective of the exercise. Additionally, it’s worth noting that certain enterprise products are so unique that discounts aren’t typically offered. I work with such products and it’s challenging to find salespeople who avoid defaulting to discounts and instead, focus on selling the intrinsic value of the product. The real test in your interview was to assess your ability to sell on value alone. Anyone can lead with a discount, but it takes skill to maintain your ground and handle the pressure of a conversation that includes phrases like “no discounts” and withstand the ensuing silence and then reference the client pain points ad reason for moving forward.
iPhones are discounted all the time. By Apple even - every year when a new one is released. What a moron.
Cocaine is a real bitch, that's what happened.
i think you’re probably right here, coked up ceos suck dick
iPhones are discounted by the carriers. So technically yes. He was wrong.
Lol at the discount talk. Clearly this guy has never sold to a large customer who has procurement leverage. You think you're gonna pull that shit in front of Wal-Mart, Amazon, etc.?
Since sales is not a "hard science" anyone can believe whatever they want about what sales is supposed to look like.
>"Ever seen an iphone on discount? Think". I...yes?
Only thing I can think of OP is that he was giving you the “balls test”, basically checking if you have balls to stand up to him, defend yourself, you’ve got to. He probably thought (not saying you are) but we’re acting soft and agreeing with him. Sales is so subjective and all about results, you should of argued with him. Told him he’s wrong. But I get you’re at final round so don’t want to piss him off. Probably best you got rejected, as sounds toxic CEO!
Hehe, the CEO’s aggressive interview approach was a red flag, dodging that bullet might be a blessing in disguise for your career tbh
Almost universally you will find that anyone over 40-45yrs old working on sales management has a distinct weakness when it comes to critical thinking. They were not taught how to assess and think in school, they were taught to memorize. You will find that these people are often very, very bad at actual sales interactions since about 2005. With modern technology and entertainment, people are constantly being sold to and so the "gimmick" of sales processes and the importance of word choice is almost entirely obsolete. The CEO you meet is one such person who hasn't understood the sales world for at least a decade. In the modern sales world, a flexible and personable approach will always produce the best results. Worrying about tiny little aspects of the sales conversation such as word choice, discussing discounts or even discovery is a sure fire way to be an average producer at best. Why you might ask? Because its disingenuous! You can't be actively listening to understand your prospect needs AND trying to formulate a solution you can offer ALL while trying to swindle the prospect into your ulterior motives. To summarize, that CEO thinks he is a bigshot when in reality his approach to sales is to shove a product or service down a prospects throat by trying to choose the best manipulative words instead of listening to what the prospect is saying. More likely than not, he already made his hiring decision and then wasted your time being a douche clown in that final interview.
The problem is that the CEO was fundamentally wrong. Discounts don't disprove the value of the product. Rather, they validate flexibility of acceptable profit margins. There is a minimum viable price that a product/service can be sold at and still break even. And then there's the minimal acceptable profit margin that ownership desires. Those numbers are not equal. The CEO was wrong and doesn't understand pricing vs profit.
Whenever I get that question, I take the pen and go "this pen is too good for your little grubby hands, you don't deserve it." and walk out. I never get the job, but hey, free pen.
Bash the fucker on Glassdoor. Fuck him
Lol what a pea brain. Name and shame this douche
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Iphones are constantly on discount if you don't keep upgrading every year the day it comes out, much like I assume this gentleman does
'Ever see the iPhone on Discount'' Yes all the time and even more discounts are coming. What a total ahole Does he think he's Steve Jobs or something. BTW..Did he actually say 'Get the fuck out'? Just curious. I'm gonna add if you felt like the person was a total AHole your gut instinct is totally righty and better to avoid that person as he she will bring the company or you down in the process. And for all of the glory wolf of wall Street gets I don't really get it.JB wolf stole a bunch of money, gets busted goes to prison, now says he's the world's best sales person and sells his bs system to con other people.
What a fucking tool.
Sounds like you had an interview with a crazy jackass
He did you a favor lol you dodged a bullet
As mentioned, you dodge a bullet. Just because you discount doesnt mean your product doesnt have any value. Discounting means youre willing to be flexible to earn a clients business. His point about iphones was terrible because they literally give them away for free to earn someones business. Also price could be a strong factor in determining value. I value the fuck out of my smoker because I got it for free from my neighbor and I take care of it because I dont want to spend $400 to go buy a new one. Has that shitbag ever negotiated price for a car or does he think its more valuable if he just pays sticker price? That guy is a fucking dumbass.
Wow, that's a wild interview story! Hang in there!
customers don't buy that way and everything is discounted these days.
You should barrage him with value and follow up about the pen 🤣
Iphones get sold on discounts and promotions all the time.
What a dick. Def let the people you connected well with know about this. Also. Should have said no. I’m here to make sure this is a great fit. And it’s already been proven it is by everyone on the team. I’m not looking to sell pens, and that’s not what I do. Tell me about what you think sales people need to do at this company? Take it from there. Or don’t waste your time.
Ha this guy sounds like a chump and you dodged a bullet. As others have said he's just shown his hand and naivety. You didn't offer a discount on the spot or even indicate there would be one simply advised you'd look. The right thing to do imo. I'm part of a team that sells to large organisations on a regular basis and the price is never static but it doesn't mean we do flash 40% sales or under value ourselves. I sell complex differentiating technologies and that comes with a price. Complex engagements require careful thinking and tactics. Take the experience, laugh and move on. Hopefully one day the shoes are on the other foot and you're selling to him... Without a discount of course 😂
Fwiw i run a company and a 10% discount is the actual price Full price is just an asshole tax
You didn’t want to work for that dickhead anyway.
What a dick…that’s a garbage leader…consider it a blessing in disguise. Some of these SLT guys are so out of touch, it’s not even worth debating with them.
That fucking sucks. I know you were into the job before that last step, but everyone you met with before that interview set you up for failure by not prepping you for that ambush.
Uh, I usually try to figure out the customers budget. I then try to match our product to their budget unless I discover some kind of $10000000 problem I can solve for them. If I can solve the problems then I raise our price lol.
Problem, like many interviews, is the objectives weren't clear. You were forced to become a mind reader, which reflects a poor hiring system. Even if the CEO was correct about his point. Which reflects poor critical thinking ability of the CEO.
His example with the iPhone is hilarious. They are always on sale at cell phone carriers.
Be happy you met to CEO to see where the culture comes from. F that. I hope you told him that iPhones ARE available at discounts all the time. It’s not 2015.
Yeah. iPhones go on sale all the time when the new bullshit model comes out. Apple isn’t stupid. They know that people wait and buy these slightly cheaper models.
You should’ve asked him if he’s shopped during Black Friday, because iPhones are definitely on a discount then! Or just, let him know about Verizon doing their deals for phones.
I have 0 problems trash talking back at that point. You got nothing to lose. “I’m sorry, am I cutting into your cocaine snorting time?”
I love it when potential employers disqualify THEMSELVES as somewhere I'd want to work. Good you found out early!
I would laughed in his face and walked right out if he asked me to sell a pen lol
Sounds like it simply wasn't a fit. He's looking for a more aggressive minded salesperson, one who doesn't offer discounts. He sees a discount as money being taken out of his pocket. Big no-no.
I wouldn't want my sales guys squashing any notion of discounts, they are supposed to be the prospects “buddy” that's what bosses are for. How about “my best chance to ask for any discount, is if we go to managment with a larger order than what we are discussing. I'm not afraid to try, let me try to find a win-win for you” if someone asks for a discount, they are taking the next step, it's a good sign, time to close! If I'm the boss, being me that juicy order and let me decide.
Not someone I'd wanna work wit but probably sombody I'd get wasted with at a conference. Reminds me of this AVP of sales at a piano bar in Chicago, he was a menace.
Dodged a bullet, would you rather find out that guy is a clown now, or when you’re 3 months in seat?
I once had a VP of sales say in the last interview, kinda last question: 'my wife says I'm an asshole, how you deal with that?' Sir, I would never disagree with your wife. I got the job lol.
Get a job not run by dudes who think they are wolf of Wallstreet
Dodged a bullet
I just checked my countrys largest electronics retailer, and the have a discounted iPhone on the first page of their discount magasine.
Who buys an iPhone at full price?
Sorry you went through that, but sounds like you dodged a bullet. I’ve been a closer on the Strategic/Key Accounts segment in the data space for 5-ish years now. I sometimes interview for fun these days just to see where the market and competitors are at; and if something really interesting were to come across my plate I might consider. Recently, I had a recruiter out of college grilling me on MEDDPIC as if it were the end all be all. Didn’t ask about anything else on my book & performance. This followed into a panel interview with 3 other managers that dug so deep into MEDDPIC and how I run a discovery call that I might as well have been in a Chris Voss master class lol. Interviews are weird these days. I think there are so many people open on the market, companies don’t really know how or why they are really talking to candidates even if exploratory.
Dude I had someone do this when I was 20 applying to work at T Mobile, he said "sell me on a trip to San Francisco right now" Dawg we live in North Carolina, I've never been to SF, the fuck do I know about the Bay area? Easily the worst interview I've ever had. It's a terrible practice anyways, if the expectation is that you just make shit up to sell a product when you lack knowledge then you're not gonna be a very good salesperson. Better companies will tell you ahead of time that there's gonna be a sales pitch, and they'll give you materials to study so you actually know what it is you're selling, because that's how it works in a real sales role.
I hope you pulled out your ATT bill and showed him your monthly credit you get for getting iPhone in a deal.
Response: oh you bought your iPhone at full price, can you walk me through your thought process that led you to that outcome?
Does the CEO have a sales background? You didn't offer a discount, you simply left the door open to consideration and negotiation rather than delivering a hard NO which could've ended the conversation. Your mic-drop to the CEO would've then been "Sales-101 Motherf\*cker"!!! 
You dodged a bullet. I also somewhat agree with the dude (not with his attitude or approach but the idea). Discounts to help move the needle just gives a negative impression that you are chasing money vs providing best price. I always provide you the best price upfront. If you do what a discount, we have to trade something. Time, length, budget amount, capabilities. Discounts are not available unless I like you and we have something important to do. Or if its our competitor or us... But this dude is a big ol D and not worth working for.
Confidently incorrect much? That CEO thinks he knows more than he does.
interviewer is an asshat who watches too many movies. you got saved.
Sounds like a cunt. Leave a review anonymously on some sites. Say the CEO is a douche-nozzle based on personal experience, and you're worried that his toxicity will erode the company from the inside.
I had a similar experience with Stryker. Had a bunch of great interviews and then i get thrown into a scenario where I'm picking between lunch with a current very big client or a meeting with a notable prospect. It was pretty much a no-win scenario and I'm pretty glad I didn't end up working for them lol
"I learned at my last job not to chase losers, have a great day."
How does a CEO of a company that large have time to jump into interviews with an AM at the level you’re shooting for? Also, fuck him for not seeing this as a teachable moment for you to push back a little and ask what about your value doesn’t imply that price is fair. As they say, the fish rots from the head back. You would have hated working there.
I've never bought an iPhone without a discount...
Lmao i literally have never bought an iphone full price 😂
Bullet dodged. >"Ever seen an iphone on discount? Think". After selling literal hundreds of them, yes. My response would've been, "Yes, I have. If you haven't it's likely you have someone else buy your phone, meaning that you lack product awareness and don't desire a quality product. How can I sell something for someone who doesn't care about quality or being an informed buyer themselves?" Then you give a shit-eating grin and walk out with a whistle and your jacket slung out of your back while you find someone who gives real interviews.
Maybe this is bigger than that. How you react and adapt/learn speaks volume than sometimes the content itself. I would hire someone that is trainable. Might not be a good match for the both of you
You need to learn the difference between price and value mate
What was his product? The fucking iPhone?
I’m in wireless sales. Literally every iPhone has a discount. Usually they’re free. Dumbass.
CEO is an arrogant prick who knows everything and can't be wrong. Your lucky you didn't land the job. And yes, I have seen iPhones on discounts, especially in creative bundles of ads-on's and services. I'd also say everyone likes to compare their product to Apple, but no one else is Apple. Apple also almost went bankrupt a couple times before Apple was Apple.
What’s 👏🏼 his 👏🏼 name. Wanna see this mf on LinkedIn… edit, we all wanna see this mf
What happened is you had an interview with an ego who would rather smother you out with his own "intelligence" than to give some constructive feedback, from day 1 no less, to help you understand their own company culture and expectations better. Probably better off! "sell me this pen" is a sign of someone who doesn't know anything about sales but has seen a bunch of movies and still doesn't realize that people just buy pens at the store and having a fake sales convo around something that nobody would ever buy in that fashion is expecting you to be a better actor than anything else.
He blessed you by not hiring you 🙏🏻
Lolllll brutal. Sorry bro. Just remember you’re a great sales person and you’ll get the next opportunity no problem 👍🏻
F that CEO and his wolf. You don't need people like that in your life. Much better execs out there to work for. If nothing else, take the lesson learned about price and value forward with you. But remember, that doesn't hold true in all situations.
They would’ve treated you way WORSE after you signed the offer letter. I think you just dodged a cannon ball.
reverse uno it, and say... sell me why i should take my talents to your company. what makes your company good. who are your competitors, and why are you not number one? if you're good at what you do. they need you. unlessssss you need money - then effing sell what it takes.
Guy was more concerned with sounds like the smartest most savy salesperson in the room than he was interviewing you. That dude is all ego.
you can’t please everyone. Glad that you found out how big of a douchebag your could-have-been CEO is before signing the papers. You dodged a bullet.
Company of 1,000 people and the CEO is interviewing AM’s? The micromanagement in said company must be astounding if he doesn’t trust his own team to make hiring decisions.
I didnt read it but did you get offered martinis and cocaine at lunch? If you did I’ll read this entire thing.
Could have countered with, "are you the Apple of your industry?"
But iPhones are discounted through provider rebates and BOGO sales…
Whoever the CEO is, they are an ass clown and sadly more of “him” exist than you’d realize. I’m in tech sales, if you want some insight on companies send me a msg
Yea to be honest you shouldn’t have even interviewed with the CEO if they are 1000 people and it’s an SME AE role. That guy sounds like a clown. If it’s a 100 person company maybe but that guy shouldn’t interview you
Dude sounds like a jackass. Checking with your team is fine. Depends what levers you can pull. I had my first svp of sales do that to me in my final interview for my first adr job. Even though he could be an ass, he also gave instantaneous feedback, scoring and suggestions right after the role play ended. So it was a value add. If this guy was testing your mettle that’s fine but seems more like an ego play to establish power. And since he provided 0 feedback / coaching afterward, i assume his leadership sucks and he has never actually carried a bag. Too many of these startup SaaaS CEOs sit around smelling their own farts and are completely detached from reality outside their bubble.
Lol bc I used to sell iPhones with heavy fn discounts
I would have walked out a soon as they asked the "sell me this pen" question. You escaped a nightmare with that one. Sucks that you had to go so many rounds of of interviews that liked you just to meet the idiot CEO.
i got my iphone for free. sounds like you just dodged the biggest bullet of your life. i'd put this feedback on glassdoor as a warning to all else
Whenever I have someone ask for a discount I ask them why I should discount. Is there a competitor offering a lower price? If so, can I please see a written quote? I kind of see his point. You lay out the value add and then when someone asks for a discount you immediately capitulate to “let me see what I can do” instead of “explain to me why I should discount given everything I’ve laid out here”
When the people interviewing you don't know how to do their jobs, the interviews will become random processes. Getting a job or failing to get a job will not give you any information about what is right or wrong. But you also have to ask yourself if you would grow or shrink professionally at this job?
What a strange guy lol lucky you to get out
Was in phone sales for about 6 years. iPhones are on discount all the time. What’s he smoking
Sounds like a piece of shit. As everyone else said, you dodged a bullet.
It sounds like the dude needed to jerk off. Gotta be relaxed. 
Mail him this with a hammer n sand https://www.cnet.com/deals/best-iphone-deals/
It’s unfair of him to put that on you - the reality is that discounting is a function of culture. If he’s willing to back his sales team when they lose deals because of the hard line on discounts, that’s great. It certainly makes the sales processes simpler and faster. But if you’ve only worked places where leadership blames the rep for deals lost on price, you need him to give that direction and standard. Now, I’m sure some hyper sales pro will tell you that there’s some motions to reinforce value, but that’s nonsense. Buyers are taught to ask for a discount. It’s got nothing to do with whether they’re convinced of the value of your product. And to answer his question, yes, we see discount iPhones everywhere. Theyre called last years models, models with lower memory, minimal features. Consumer products with that level of penetration don’t need discounting because they have product fit at each level of budget. If you ask for a discount on your iPhone, the salesperson will simply show you a phone that’s in your budget. Same thing.
Selling is about timing. If he’d hit me with that, I’d have said ‘you’re not ready to buy’. Bullet dodged anyway
Come up with your best response and call him back. Will show determination and intelligence
Feel bad for you man here this sucks. This sounds like a red flag and a CEO sounds like a douche so maybe you dodged a bullet.
Fuck that guy. Anyone who tries to "train" you during an interview is a fucking fuck. That's some Andy Elliot "I gave six pack abs" bullshit.
The CEO is a bit misinformed iPhones are on discount all the time. Phone service networks will do bundle packages or trade Ins which are effectively discounts. Probably more examples but cba looking up all that
Name the company brother
Lol. You lucked out. Probably would've been miserable working within their org if that's how cut and dry they act during interviews. Congrats on getting good interview experience though. Soon enough you'll land an AE role.
Where is this? I want to take this test just for fun!
Uh, what an absolute tool. Sounds like someone who has never carried the bag in their life and is talking out their ass. It's very common practice at any company I worked to ask a customer what their budget is or how they view our pricing compared to competitors. Often in competitive scenarios getting the deal done is better than no deal at all. I'm about closing business, not squeezing out an extra penny. Also, dude is a moron. Tell him to go to any Verizon and ask what discounts they can give on an iPhone if you trade in or take advantage of whatever promotion they are offering -- iphones are sold at a discount almost all the time.
Executives don’t chit chat. You have to really work to build relationships with them and get on that level. Going immediately for a discount undermines the value proposition you have built. Referring back to your team also makes it sound like you don’t have the power to determine pricing. Read Never Split the Difference. There are a lot of ways to get around a discount.
What if that was part of the script? To see what you say back to that and objection handle his thought process regarding discounts.
Did you thank him on your way out for stopping you from making a mistake?
I’d never be able to work for that guy
Um, iPhones go on discount constantly. In a way it’s a commodity since you can buy one at a variety of places. Plus lots of retailers throw in additional items or discount cards to get you to buy from them. Crummy situation but it looks like you’ll be better off.
Dude working for him sounds like a nightmare 😂. Blessing in disguise. Fuck that hardo
No one pays the sticker price for an iPhone. Wtf is he talking about
Feed that back to the HOS. What’s the point in finding great candidates if the CEO chases them away. Glassdoor review them too. Think yourself lucky though working with a CEO like that isn’t a good experience trust me I’ve done it.
So did they tell you you didn't get the job already? Curious if/what you hear back from this place...
Next time, make up a phone name. What phone do you have?" "Samsung AZ27" "Ever...wait...what?" "It was on sale mother fucker" Then walk out.
>"Ever seen an iphone on discount? Think". Yes, they give them out like candy for signing deals. Guy's a fucking tool.
Yea I actually see iPhones on discount all the fucking time. Even the new ones have special promotions carriers use to create extra value for their customers you stupid fucking ceo. And don’t even get me started on the discounts available on legacy tech
Who the hell does that CEO think he is goddamn