Do this before your final round interview
The best-performing candidates I've seen write offer theses.
Write an offer thesis before every final round interview.
So what’s an offer thesis?
An offer thesis is a brief explanation of why you’re able to drive outsized value in the role based on all of the information you gathered during the interview process.
Below is a real anonymized example from a candidate for a leadership position.
This candidate received a multiple six figure offer by sending this to one of the hiring managers before his final round interview.
Note: This was for a sales role, but the concept is useful for every other role too.
I like co-creating and welcome feedback. I could be way off in some of my understanding of the situation at [COMPANY NAME], but generally the following would be my approach.
Executive Summary
[COMPANY NAME] needs an SVP of Sales to continue building out the sales team while driving rapid revenue growth upwards of $9M (15% growth) to position the company for sale in the next couple of years.
I have a track record of success in building and expanding sales teams ranging in size from 8-40+ and scope of $35M to $122M in annual revenue.
I have done this multiple times and have a strategic approach for how to evaluate the existing team and department structure to rapidly institute change and drive results.
This same approach has resulted in YoY growth as high as $35M and sustainable long-term double-digit growth in businesses in the healthcare industry.
This report will demonstrate that I will have an immediate impact at [COMPANY NAME] driving rapid growth and setting the organization up for longer-term sustained growth.
As a result, it will show that I am the best choice for the Sales SVP role.
Introduction
[COMPANY NAME] is looking to hire an SVP of Sales to drive revenue growth.
From the 6 employees that I’ve met so far, I’ve learned that this skilled sales leader must have experience establishing strategy, building teams, and executing.
They must be someone who can establish a clear vision and operate as a player-coach to help achieve it.
The Sales department at [COMPANY NAME] is responsible for hunting and closing but not for account management.
The existing sales team is made up of 8 territories, 5 of which are filled and 3 of which remain open.
Of the 5 current reps, all are new to [COMPANY NAME] within the past year and 2 are brand new in the past month or two.
All these reps operate almost entirely virtually. The average win rate is 8-10% for SMB and enterprise business, and the average sales cycle for Enterprise deals is 120 days.
The business is split into 4 divisions: Labor & Trust, SMB, Enterprise, and Channel Partners. The focus for the sales team, however, is driving enterprise business growth, particularly in the 5,000+ employee segment.
Currently, the team is trending to forecast but not to board-budget.
To date, the Marketing team has been driving many demand generation capabilities, including many leads, which make up more than 50% of the funnel.
A new sales leader needs to shift this so that Sales is both converting leads but also driving most of the new leads through their field activity.
Marketing has provided sales with case studies (4-5) and a pitch deck for the team’s use in the field. Marketing is looking for the SVP of Sales to be a teammate to them so that they can see where things are getting stuck in the sales process and how they can help.
Moving forward, the company is looking for an SVP of Sales who can further train up the existing team while building out the remainder of the team.
Simultaneously, this person will need to demonstrate what good looks like through their ability to act as a player-coach in large deals and to work collaboratively cross-departmentally to enable product-, marketing-, analytics-, and other functionality to make the salesforce more effective.
The Candidate
With almost 10 years of sales leadership experience, I have managed teams ranging from 8 to 40+ members, in multiple industries, including diagnostics, healthcare, and education, across the United States.
I have been promoted into management where I led former colleagues and also entered companies where I have taken over existing sales teams or had to build new teams.
In my current role, I created a new go-to-market strategy, which included a redesign of sales territories, new sales incentive plans, and a change in the way that Sales worked with internal departments like Customer Care, Contract Sales, Product Management, Order Entry, and others.
A part of this change also included the development of career pathing for the inside- and outside sales teams.
As a result of these changes, sales increased from $85M in 2019 to $122M in 2020, including 13 record-breaking months of performance and the first year in the company’s then 63-year history over $100M.
The company did not furlough or terminate any employees (other than for poor performance) and in fact grew, adding 45 additional employees in the 2.5 years since implementation.
While some of this growth was COVID-driven, we were able to maintain business at much higher than previous levels, finishing at $102M in 2021 and on target to finish above $119M in 2022.
I also possess a great business education, including a BA from the University of Portland in International Business and German Language, a Global MBA from Pepperdine University, and a certificate in Executive Management from Columbia University.
I am fortunate to have lived, studied, and interned abroad for more than 3 years.
I am looking for my next role to be with a company that has a positive impact on society, offers the opportunity to expand my skill sets, and will allow me to continue to grow in my career within the company.
The Plan
Based on the known facts, related above, [COMPANY NAME] needs me to drive rapid growth, resulting in $9M+ in incremental revenue over the next two years to help position the company for sale.
Initial Steps:
Team Understanding:
Organize calls with team members to understand their backgrounds, strengths, and challenges.
Work with key stakeholders to understand the state of the business and analyze data for additional learnings or actions.
Engage in customer calls or visits to understand the value proposition and its connection with the customer.
Review all existing sales collateral and determine if a call script is needed, working with Marketing to develop it if necessary.
Product Fluency & Relationship Building:
Participate in onboarding training to become fluent in the product.
Communicate often with colleagues in other departments, particularly Marketing, Product, Finance, Analytics, and Customer Success.
Work with HR to expedite the hiring process for additional sales headcount, ensuring job descriptions are accurate and positions are posted in the right places.
Metrics & Accountability:
Develop dashboards to measure the right sales metrics for the team, including activity, pipeline growth, follow-up, and close rate.
Hold team members accountable to these metrics, coaching them up or out if necessary.
Focus on cultivating talent among top performers and potential high achievers.
Regular Meetings & Cross-Departmental Collaboration:
Establish regular 1:1 calls with team members and team meetings.
Set up regular calls with colleagues throughout the business.
Arrange ‘ride-alongs’ with Account Managers to observe upselling and account growth practices.
Meet with top existing customers to understand their perspectives on value and opportunities for development.
Sales Methodology & Strategic Planning:
Integrate a sales methodology that can be incorporated into the Salesforce CRM.
Plan for the continued growth of the sales team and the entire organization, leading strategic planning projects around Career Pathing, Salesforce expansion, and further development of the sales management team.
Long-Term Goals:
Work with Product to develop new products/services to meet customer needs and expand the company's footprint into new markets.
Execute a sustainable approach to sales department growth and greater company growth.
Aim to surpass incremental revenue goals, leveraging experience to achieve and exceed targets.
Work Cited:
Spectrum of Pediatric Mental Health Concerns, Problems, and Disorders. American Academy of Pediatrics, 2022.
Walz, Garry R., and Jeanne C. Bleuer. “School Shootings and Student Mental Health: Role of the School Counselor in Mitigating Violence.” VISTAS Online, vol. Article 90,
Your reaction might be “This seems like an uncommon practice. Should I do it?”
You’re right that it’s uncommon, but uncommon practices are fine if they’re effective.
For example, it would be uncommon to show up to your interview covered in peanut butter.
It’s also uncommon to write an offer thesis.
The latter is effective and uncommon though, which is why our candidates do it and why you should too.
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