Prepare with purpose
Work from structured prospect lists. Review relevant company context, identify the right contact, and choose a useful reason to call.
EpiOn · Inside Sales Representative
Start a conversation.
Open a
possibility.
Help business owners see a reason to talk about better technology outcomes. Bring curiosity, consistent effort, and the discipline to follow through.
Role overview & suggested interview guide
01 / The role
Consistent outreach.
Meaningful progress.
The current EpiOn ISR approach centers on structured outbound prospecting and qualified appointments. The goal is to uncover a reason to meet, not deliver a technical demonstration or close a contract.
Lead a business conversation
Keep the opening brief. Ask and listen before moving from a general outcome to a specific concern. Treat gatekeepers and decision-makers professionally.
Book and hand off well
Qualify the reason to meet, ask for the appointment, and confirm the details. Keep HubSpot notes, call outcomes, and follow-up tasks accurate.
Practice, review, improve
Use call reviews and coaching to improve one behavior at a time. Let AI assist preparation and learning without replacing judgment or factual checks.
What good performance looks like
Consistent activity
Daily outbound calls and planned follow-up, with accurate outcomes.
Quality appointments
Relevant business conversations and clear next steps, not calendar volume alone.
Better conversion
Track appointment outcomes and how they contribute to the sales pipeline.
Specific activity targets, compensation, work arrangements, and reporting lines should be confirmed with the hiring team.
02 / How we approach the call
Results first.
Specifics when they matter.
EpiOn’s current call-coaching model moves from general business outcomes to specific concerns. Earn each transition by listening. A polished pitch is not a substitute for a useful conversation.
- 01
Open with an outcome
Start with predictable costs, productivity, confidence, or a useful comparison. Avoid a list of tools and services.
- 02
Explore what “fine” means
Acknowledge their experience. Ask about performance, functionality, risk, and cost without assuming something is wrong.
- 03
Connect cost to the business
Separate the IT invoice from employee time lost to recurring issues. Ask for context instead of inventing a return on investment.
- 04
Turn curiosity into a next step
Find out why a technical or pricing question matters. Be honest about limits and offer an appropriate conversation, not an improvised answer.
- 05
Make a low-pressure ask
Ask for a 30-minute appointment tied to the owner’s concern. If they agree, confirm the details; if they decline, respect that decision.
The working rhythm: prepare in the Growth Portal, have the conversation, record the outcome in HubSpot, complete the follow-up, and review the coaching.
03 / The interview
Ask for examples.
Listen for judgment.
These proposed questions connect directly to the work: prospecting, result-first conversations, qualification, follow-through, and learning from feedback.
A consistent, fair conversation
Use the same core questions and role-play brief for every candidate. Welcome relevant examples from work, study, or volunteering. Evaluate job-related evidence, not personal background or personality similarity.
The “listen for” notes are suggested evaluation guidance, not a script candidates must memorize.
01Role understandingWhat makes an outbound conversation successful if you are not trying to sell IT services on the call?
What makes an outbound conversation successful if you are not trying to sell IT services on the call?
Follow up: How would you tell a worthwhile first appointment from a meeting booked just to hit a number?
Listen for: A relevant business reason to meet, a suitable decision-maker, and an agreed next step. The ISR opens the conversation; the sales team leads the deeper discovery.
02Prospecting disciplineHow would you organize a day with new prospects to call, promised callbacks, and follow-up tasks?
How would you organize a day with new prospects to call, promised callbacks, and follow-up tasks?
Follow up: If activity is high but conversations are low, what would you investigate before changing your approach?
Listen for: Protected calling time, reliable callbacks, current contact details, and a review of reach rates and list quality. Consistent effort without sacrificing preparation or accuracy.
03Result-first openingGive us a 30-second opening for a business owner that makes a conversation worthwhile without listing our services.
Give us a 30-second opening for a business owner that makes a conversation worthwhile without listing our services.
Follow up: What question would you ask next, and what would make you change direction?
Listen for: Plain language about predictable costs, productivity, risk, or confidence. A short opening followed by a genuine question, rather than a capabilities pitch.
04Listening & reframingThe owner says, “We already have an IT company. Everything is fine.” How would you respond?
The owner says, “We already have an IT company. Everything is fine.” How would you respond?
Follow up: How would you explore what “fine” means without criticizing their provider or arguing?
Listen for: Acknowledgment and curiosity. A respectful move from “nothing is broken” toward performance, functionality, risk, and cost, while giving the owner room to disagree.
05Business impactA prospect says their monthly IT invoice is low, but staff frequently lose time to recurring issues. What would you ask?
A prospect says their monthly IT invoice is low, but staff frequently lose time to recurring issues. What would you ask?
Follow up: How would you discuss that lost time without inventing a financial impact?
Listen for: A distinction between the vendor invoice and employee time. Questions about frequency, people affected, and business consequences; no unsupported savings claims.
06Technical & pricing boundariesThe owner asks, “Do you handle backups, and what would you charge us?” What do you say?
The owner asks, “Do you handle backups, and what would you charge us?” What do you say?
Follow up: How would you learn why they are asking and connect that concern to an appropriate meeting?
Listen for: Honesty about what is not yet known, curiosity about the underlying concern, and a useful handoff. No guessed price, technical promise, or evasive claim.
07Gatekeepers & respectA receptionist asks what your call is about and says the owner is unavailable. How would you handle it?
A receptionist asks what your call is about and says the owner is unavailable. How would you handle it?
Follow up: What changes if someone explicitly asks not to be contacted again?
Listen for: A truthful introduction, professional courtesy, an appropriate callback request, and accurate records. Respect for a refusal or opt-out, not pressure or a misleading claim of familiarity.
08Qualification & judgmentSomeone will take a meeting but cannot explain a business reason for it. What would you clarify first?
Someone will take a meeting but cannot explain a business reason for it. What would you clarify first?
Follow up: When would you decide not to book the appointment?
Listen for: Questions about relevance, decision-making involvement, timing, and the purpose of the meeting. Willingness to disqualify or nurture rather than fill the calendar indiscriminately.
09The low-pressure askThe owner describes a meaningful concern, then says, “Just send me something.” How would you respond?
The owner describes a meaningful concern, then says, “Just send me something.” How would you respond?
Follow up: Show us how you would ask for a 30-minute conversation and confirm the next step if they agree.
Listen for: A clear connection to their concern, a direct invitation that makes no acceptable, and confirmation of day, time, time zone, attendees, and purpose. No manufactured urgency.
10CRM & handoffYou have booked a first appointment. What would you record in HubSpot and pass to the person leading it?
You have booked a first appointment. What would you record in HubSpot and pass to the person leading it?
Follow up: What would you record if the call was only a voicemail or a brief callback request?
Listen for: The prospect’s own words, business context, agreed purpose, appointment details, and follow-up owner. Accurate call outcomes, with no invented discovery or inflated conversation count.
11Coachability & resilienceTell us about feedback that changed how you worked. How would you apply call-review feedback after a difficult day?
Tell us about feedback that changed how you worked. How would you apply call-review feedback after a difficult day?
Follow up: If a coach says your opening sounds like a pitch, show us how you would revise it and practice.
Listen for: A specific example, ownership, a small repeatable improvement, and willingness to try again. Evaluate the change in behavior, not confidence or charisma alone.
12AI judgment & measurementAI research suggests a prospect has a security problem, and an automated review gives your call a high score. How would you use that information?
AI research suggests a prospect has a security problem, and an automated review gives your call a high score. How would you use that information?
Follow up: What would you verify, and what would you track if many booked appointments never happen?
Listen for: Verification before using claims, protection of private information, and review of the actual conversation. Attention to held appointments, relevance, confirmation, and follow-through—not blind trust in a score.
04 / Suggested practical exercise
One call. One piece of feedback.
A better second attempt.
A short, fictional role-play reveals listening and coachability more clearly than a rehearsed sales pitch. Share the approach above before starting; no technical product knowledge is required for this exercise.
The scenario
You are calling the owner of a fictional 40-person business. They already have an IT provider and say everything is fine. If asked, they explain that staff sometimes lose time to repeat issues. They later ask about pricing.
Your goal: Understand whether a business reason exists for a 30-minute first appointment. Do not quote a price, invent a problem, or promise a technical fix.
- 2 minutesReview the brief and prepare an opening.
- 4 minutesHave the conversation and ask for an appropriate next step.
- 2 minutesReflect, then receive one specific coaching point.
- 2 minutesTry the relevant part of the conversation again.
What to observe
- A concise opening about an outcome, followed by a real question.
- Listening and a respectful response to “everything is fine.”
- A business-impact question that does not assume facts.
- Honest handling of the pricing question.
- A clear, low-pressure appointment ask and accurate recap.
- A visible change after feedback.
Suggested evidence scale
1: Not yet demonstrated · 2: Demonstrated with prompting · 3: Demonstrated independently
Apply the same scale to each behavior and note what the candidate actually said. Use the evidence alongside the wider interview, not as an automatic hiring decision.