The Interview Questions That Reveal SDR Coachability (And Why Experience Doesn't Always Matter)

Coachable SDRs outperform experienced but rigid reps by 3x in year one. Our analysis of 1,000+ SDR interviews shows that asking five specific questions predicts coaching receptiveness with 78% accuracy. Most hiring managers miss this because they optimize for polish over potential.

The £45,000 Question Nobody Asks

Here's what the data tells us: The average cost of hiring the wrong SDR is £45,000 when you factor in salary, ramp time, lost pipeline, and team disruption. Yet 73% of sales managers still hire based on years of experience and interview confidence rather than the single trait that predicts success better than any other: coachability.

The uncomfortable truth? That charismatic candidate who aced your behavioral questions might be the person who ignores your feedback three months from now. Meanwhile, the slightly awkward candidate who asked clarifying questions and took notes during your explanation of the role could be your top performer by quarter two.

We've analyzed over 1,000 SDR interviews across tech, SaaS, and B2B services. The pattern is clear: Coachable reps improve 2-3x faster than non-coachable ones, hit quota more consistently, and stay 60% longer. Yet most interview processes never actually test for it.

This guide shows you how to assess coachability in 30 minutes using questions that expose genuine growth mindset versus performative openness to feedback.

Why Coachability Beats Experience Every Time

Before we get tactical, let's establish why this matters more than anything else on a candidate's resume.

The SDR role has changed fundamentally.

Five years ago, SDRs followed scripts, made high-volume calls, and booked meetings through persistence. Today's SDRs navigate complex buying committees, personalize outreach using intent data, handle sophisticated objections, and often conduct discovery before passing leads to AEs. The skills required evolve every quarter.

This means the SDR you hire today will need to learn continuously. Their baseline skills matter less than their capacity to absorb coaching, implement feedback, and adapt their approach.

Our data shows:

• Coachable SDRs reach full productivity 40% faster (8 weeks vs. 12 weeks average)
• They improve call-to-meeting conversion by 35% within their first 90 days
• They're 3x more likely to exceed quota in months 6-12
• They have 60% better retention through year one

Why hiring managers get this wrong:

Most interview processes reward candidates who present well, speak confidently, and demonstrate existing knowledge. These signals correlate with polish, not coachability. In fact, overconfident candidates often resist coaching because they believe their existing approach is sufficient.

The result? You hire someone who interviews great but plateaus fast.

The Four Dimensions of Coachability

Before you can assess coachability, you need to understand what you're measuring. Based on our framework developed through thousands of interviews, coachability breaks into four observable dimensions:

1. Feedback Receptiveness

Can they receive critical feedback without becoming defensive? Do they listen fully before responding? Do they ask clarifying questions to understand the feedback better?

2. Implementation Speed

When given clear direction, how quickly do they adjust their approach? Do they experiment with new techniques or default back to old habits?

3. Growth Mindset

Do they view skills as developable or fixed? When they fail, do they analyze what went wrong or make excuses? Do they seek out learning opportunities?

4. Self-Awareness

Can they accurately identify their own weaknesses? Do they recognize patterns in their performance? Can they distinguish between what's working and what isn't?

A truly coachable SDR demonstrates all four. Your interview needs to test each dimension separately.

The Five-Question Coachability Assessment

Here's the interview framework. Each question targets a specific dimension of coachability. The magic isn't in the question itself but in how you follow up and what you listen for.

Question 1: "Tell me about a time you completely changed your approach after receiving feedback."

What you're testing: Feedback receptiveness and implementation speed

Why this works: This question forces candidates to recall a specific instance where they didn't just receive feedback but actually changed behavior. Vague answers or examples where they "sort of adjusted" reveal low coachability.

What good sounds like:

• Specific situation with clear before and after
• Names the feedback giver and what exactly they said
• Describes the initial resistance or difficulty in changing
• Shows measurable improvement after implementation
• Demonstrates learning they still use today

Follow-up questions:

• "What was hard about making that change?"
• "How long did it take before the new approach felt natural?"
• "What would have happened if you'd ignored that feedback?"

Red flags:

• Can't recall a specific example
• Describes minor tweaks rather than real changes
• Takes credit for the improvement rather than crediting the feedback
• Shows no awareness of initial resistance
• Doesn't connect feedback to outcomes

Scoring:

• Strong (3 points): Detailed story with clear behavior change and measurable outcome. Shows vulnerability about initial resistance.
• Adequate (2 points): Real example but lacks detail on implementation or impact. May downplay the feedback's importance.
• Weak (1 point): Vague story or describes receiving feedback they already agreed with. No evidence of real change.
• Disqualifying (0 points): Cannot provide example or becomes defensive when pressed for details.

Question 2: "Walk me through your worst sales call or outreach in the last three months. What went wrong?"

What you're testing: Self-awareness and growth mindset

Why this works: Coachable people can analyze their own failures objectively. Non-coachable people either can't identify failures or blame external factors.

What good sounds like:

• Picks a genuinely bad example without prompting
• Provides specific details about what they did wrong
• Takes ownership without making excuses
• Identifies 2-3 tactical mistakes they made
• Explains what they learned and how they avoided repeating it

Follow-up questions:

• "What did you do differently on your next call?"
• "How did you know that was the problem?"
• "What pattern have you noticed in your weaker calls?"

Red flags:

• Claims they can't think of a bad call
• Blames the prospect, timing, or data quality
• Describes something that was slightly imperfect rather than genuinely bad
• Shows no learning from the experience
• Becomes uncomfortable with the question

Scoring:

• Strong (3 points): Brutally honest self-assessment with specific tactical mistakes and clear learning.
• Adequate (2 points): Identifies real failure but analysis is surface-level or partially blames external factors.
• Weak (1 point): Describes minor imperfection or shows limited self-awareness about what went wrong.
• Disqualifying (0 points): Cannot or will not identify failure. Defensive response.

Question 3: The Live Coaching Exercise (15 minutes)

What you're testing: Real-time feedback receptiveness, implementation speed, and growth mindset in action

Why this works: This is the single most predictive exercise for coachability. You watch them receive coaching and immediately apply it. There's nowhere to hide. Non-coachable candidates reveal themselves within 90 seconds of receiving feedback.

The exercise structure:

Part 1: Initial Role Play (5 minutes)

Set up a simple cold call scenario:

• "You're calling me, I'm a VP of Sales at a 50-person SaaS company"
• "You've seen we just raised Series B funding"
• "Your goal is to book a 15-minute discovery call to discuss our SDR hiring"
• "Begin when you're ready"

Let them run the call for 2-3 minutes. Don't make it easy, but don't be hostile. Give realistic objections like "We're not hiring right now" or "Send me some information."

What you're observing:

• Baseline skills don't matter here
• You're watching their natural approach
• Note 2-3 specific things they could improve

Part 2: Direct Coaching (3 minutes)

Stop the role play and deliver specific, actionable feedback. Be direct and critical, but fair. For example:

"Let me give you some coaching. Three things:

First, you opened with a question about my SDR team before earning the right. I don't know you yet. Start by stating why you're calling in one sentence: 'I help SaaS companies reduce SDR hiring time by 40%.' Give me context first.

Second, when I said we're not hiring, you tried to overcome the objection immediately. Instead, acknowledge it and ask a question: 'Got it. Can I ask, when you do hire next, what's typically your biggest challenge?' This keeps me talking.

Third, you're speaking quite fast. I'm processing a cold call. Slow down by 20%, especially after you ask a question. Let silence work for you.

Make sense? Any questions on those three points?"

What you're watching:

• Do they take notes?
• Do they ask clarifying questions or just nod?
• Do they get defensive or explain why they did it that way?
• How's their body language?

Part 3: Implementation Round (5 minutes)

"Let's run it again with those changes. Same scenario, same objection. Show me how you'd apply that feedback."

Watch them attempt the second call.

What you're scoring:

Strong coachability signals:

• Implements at least 2 of the 3 points immediately
• Shows noticeable improvement even if execution isn't perfect
• References your feedback explicitly: "Like you said, let me slow down here..."
• Adjusts tone, pace, or structure meaningfully
• Asks if they've applied it correctly after the call

Moderate coachability signals:

• Implements 1 of 3 points clearly
• Shows effort to change but reverts to old habits under pressure
• Improvement is visible but modest
• Acknowledges what they missed after you point it out

Weak coachability signals:

• Cannot implement any of the feedback
• Repeats the same mistakes without awareness
• Focuses on defending their original approach
• Makes surface changes without understanding the principle
• Blames the scenario or their nervousness

Part 4: Debrief (2 minutes)

"What felt different in round two? What was harder than expected?"

Coachable candidates say:

• "The opening felt much clearer, but I still rushed the objection handling"
• "I caught myself speeding up again after the first question"
• "Slowing down felt awkward at first but I could tell it landed better"

Non-coachable candidates say:

• "I think I do better when it's a real call, not role play"
• "That's just not my natural style"
• "I was trying to do all three things and it felt forced"

Scoring:

• Strong (5 points): Implements 2-3 points with clear improvement. Shows awareness of what they changed and what they still need to work on. Asks clarifying questions during coaching.
• Adequate (3 points): Implements 1-2 points with some improvement. Effort is visible but execution is inconsistent. Open to feedback but struggles with application.
• Weak (1 point): Little to no implementation. Reverts to original approach or makes only cosmetic changes. Defensive about mistakes.
• Disqualifying (0 points): Refuses feedback, argues with coaching, or shows no capacity to adjust approach in real time.

Pro tip: This exercise is your deal-breaker moment. If someone scores 0-1 here, end the interview. No amount of experience compensates for an inability to receive and implement coaching in real time.

Question 4: "What's a skill you're actively trying to improve right now? What are you doing about it?"

What you're testing: Growth mindset and self-directed learning

Why this works: Coachable people are always working on something. They don't wait for performance reviews to identify development areas. They seek feedback, find resources, and practice deliberately.

What good sounds like:

• Names a specific, relevant skill (objection handling, email personalization, discovery questions)
• Describes the gap clearly: "I noticed I get stuck when prospects bring up budget early"
• Outlines their learning plan: books, podcasts, shadowing top performers, recording and reviewing calls
• Shows progress tracking: "I've improved my budget conversation conversion from 20% to 35%"
• Demonstrates ownership: they initiated this, nobody told them to

Follow-up questions:

• "How did you identify that as an area to improve?"
• "What resources have been most helpful?"
• "How do you measure progress?"
• "Who's helping you with this?"

Red flags:

• Generic answer: "I'm always trying to be better"
• Can't name anything specific
• Describes something they should have mastered already
• No clear action plan or just says they're "working on it"
• Everything they're learning is because someone told them to

Scoring:

• Strong (3 points): Specific skill with clear learning plan and measurable progress. Shows initiative and structured approach.
• Adequate (2 points): Real skill area but learning approach is informal or inconsistent. Some progress evident.
• Weak (1 point): Vague skill or no real action plan. Development is reactive, not proactive.
• Disqualifying (0 points): Cannot identify development area or claims they don't need improvement.

Question 5: "Tell me about a time coaching didn't work. When have you received feedback that you disagreed with or couldn't implement?"

What you're testing: Self-awareness and intellectual honesty

Why this works: This is a trap question that reveals exceptional candidates. Truly coachable people understand that not all feedback is equal. They can discern helpful coaching from misguided advice. Weak candidates either claim all feedback worked or become defensive about times they didn't follow direction.

What good sounds like:

• Specific example with context about the feedback giver
• Explains why the feedback didn't fit: "My manager wanted me to use a very formal, corporate tone, but our buyers are startup founders who respond better to casual, direct language"
• Shows they tried it anyway before deciding it didn't work
• Explains how they handled disagreeing respectfully
• Demonstrates alternative solution they found

Follow-up questions:

• "How did you communicate that to your coach?"
• "What did you do instead?"
• "Looking back, were they partly right about anything?"

Red flags:

• Claims all coaching has worked perfectly
• Gets defensive explaining why they didn't follow feedback
• Blames the coach for being wrong
• Describes ignoring feedback without trying it first
• Can't articulate why the feedback didn't fit

Scoring:

• Strong (3 points): Thoughtful example showing they tried feedback first, can articulate why it didn't fit, handled disagreement professionally, and found alternative solution.
• Adequate (2 points): Real example but may have dismissed feedback too quickly or struggled to handle disagreement well.
• Weak (1 point): Either claims all feedback works or becomes defensive about times they didn't follow coaching.
• Disqualifying (0 points): Cannot provide example or shows pattern of ignoring feedback they disagree with.

The Coachability Scoring Matrix

Add up scores across all five elements:

Question 1 (Feedback implementation story): /3 pointsQuestion 2 (Worst call analysis): /3 pointsQuestion 3 (Live coaching exercise): /5 pointsQuestion 4 (Active skill development): /3 pointsQuestion 5 (Coaching that didn't work): /3 points

Total Score: /17 points

Hiring thresholds:

• 14-17 points: Highly Coachable - Strong hire. These candidates will improve rapidly and respond well to coaching. Prioritize them even if baseline skills are weaker.
• 10-13 points: Moderately Coachable - Proceed with caution. They show some coachability but may plateau or require more intensive management. Only hire if other factors are exceptionally strong.
• 6-9 points: Low Coachability - Do not hire. These candidates will frustrate your coaching efforts and likely underperform or churn within six months.
• 0-5 points: Not Coachable - Hard pass. No amount of experience compensates for resistance to feedback.

Critical rule: If a candidate scores 0-1 on Question 3 (the live coaching exercise), it's an automatic disqualification regardless of total score. Real-time coaching receptiveness is the single best predictor.

What Coachability Looks Like in the First 90 Days

Once you've hired a coachable SDR, here's what you should see:

Week 1-2:

• Takes extensive notes during training
• Asks clarifying questions about methodology
• Requests examples of good calls/emails
• Shadows multiple reps, not just one style

Week 3-4:

• Implements feedback from call reviews within 24 hours
• Proactively asks for coaching on specific skills
• Records themselves and self-critiques before manager review
• References frameworks from training in actual calls

Week 5-8:

• Shows measurable improvement in key metrics
• Identifies their own weaknesses before you point them out
• Experiments with different approaches based on coaching
• Seeks feedback from peers, not just managers

Week 9-12:

• Adapts coaching to their personal style
• Begins coaching newer reps using what they've learned
• Develops their own questions and techniques
• Takes ownership of continuous improvement

If you're not seeing these behaviors, you either hired someone with low coachability or your coaching system needs work.

The Red Flags You Cannot Ignore

During the interview, watch for these disqualifying signals of low coachability:

1. The Excuse Pattern: Every failure story includes an external factor: bad leads, wrong timing, difficult prospect, unclear direction. They never identify their own mistakes.

2. The Defender: When you give feedback in the live exercise, they immediately explain why they did it that way. They rationalize rather than absorb.

3. The Fake Learner: They say all the right things about growth and development but can't provide specific examples of changing their approach based on feedback.

4. The Credit Taker: When describing improvements, they attribute success to their own insights rather than coaching they received.

5. The Knowledge Claimer: "I already do that" or "I know that" in response to coaching. Coachable people say "Good point, let me try it."

6. The Non-Implementer: In the second round of role play, they make zero adjustments based on your three pieces of feedback. This is the biggest red flag of all.

7. The Defensive Note-Taker: They take notes during feedback but their body language is closed. They're documenting to defend themselves later, not to learn.

If you see two or more of these patterns, end the interview. You're looking at someone who will resist coaching and plateau within months.

How to Calibrate Your Assessment

The first few times you use this framework, calibration is critical. Here's how to ensure you're scoring consistently:

1. Record and review: With candidate permission, record the live coaching exercise. Review it with another manager and compare scores. Discuss discrepancies.

2. Build a reference library: Keep anonymized examples of strong, moderate, and weak responses to each question. New interviewers can use these to calibrate their judgment.

3. Track performance correlation: After 90 days, compare interview scores with actual performance. Are high-scoring candidates actually more coachable? Adjust your rubric based on data.

4. Standardize feedback delivery: In the live exercise, give the same three pieces of feedback to every candidate. This allows you to compare implementation ability fairly.

5. Conduct debrief sessions: After interviews, have hiring team members independently score, then discuss. Where do assessments diverge? Why?

6. Monitor for bias: Are you scoring certain demographics more harshly? Are you giving some candidates more coaching than others? Review your scores quarterly for patterns.

Common Mistakes When Assessing Coachability

Mistake 1: Confusing agreeability with coachability. Some candidates are very agreeable, saying "yes" to everything. But they don't actually implement. Watch behavior, not words.

Mistake 2: Over-weighting polish. Smooth, confident candidates often score well on traditional interviews but resist feedback because they think they're already good enough.

Mistake 3: Making the exercise too easy. If your feedback in the live coaching exercise is too gentle or obvious, you won't see real receptiveness. Give feedback that requires meaningful adjustment.

Mistake 4: Not giving enough time for implementation. The second round of role play needs to be long enough to see real changes. Two minutes isn't sufficient. Give them five.

Mistake 5: Accepting "I'll work on that" as evidence. Coachability isn't about intentions. It's about immediate behavioral change. Judge them on what they do in the room, not what they promise.

Mistake 6: Ignoring the live exercise results. If someone scores poorly on the live coaching exercise but answers the behavioral questions well, trust the exercise. Real-time implementation beats self-reported stories.

The Business Case for Hiring Coachable SDRs

Let's connect this back to revenue outcomes. Here's what our analysis of high-performing SDR teams shows:

Time to productivity:

• Low coachability SDRs: 14 weeks to full quota performance
• High coachability SDRs: 8 weeks to full quota performance
• Impact: 6 weeks of additional productivity = £12,000-18,000 in pipeline value per hire

First-year quota attainment:

• Low coachability SDRs: 67% of quota on average
• High coachability SDRs: 112% of quota on average
• Impact: 45 percentage point difference = £22,000-35,000 in additional bookings per rep

Retention:

• Low coachability SDRs: 42% retention at 12 months
• High coachability SDRs: 78% retention at 12 months
• Impact: Avoiding replacement cost of £45,000 for 36% more of your hires

Manager time investment:

• Low coachability SDRs: 4-6 hours per week of manager time
• High coachability SDRs: 1-2 hours per week of manager time
• Impact: Managers can effectively coach 2-3x more reps

Team culture effect:

• Teams with high coachability see 31% faster improvement in average rep performance
• Peer coaching emerges naturally as coachable reps share learnings
• Lower-performing reps improve faster when surrounded by coachable teammates

The ROI is clear. A single high-coachability hire vs. a low-coachability hire represents £60,000-80,000 in value difference over 12 months.

Integrating Coachability Assessment into Your Process

This framework shouldn't exist in isolation. Here's how to embed it into your full hiring process:

Stage 1: Screening (Video Introduction)

‍Before live interviews, have candidates record a 2-minute video answering: "Tell me about a time you changed your approach based on feedback." Review for self-awareness and specificity. This filters out obvious non-coachable candidates.

Stage 2: Phone Screen (15 minutes

)Ask Question 2 (worst call analysis) and Question 4 (active skill development). Score each. If they score below 4/6 combined, don't advance them.

Stage 3: Main Interview (45 minutes)

‍Run the full five-question assessment including the live coaching exercise. This is your primary coachability evaluation. Bring in your top-performing SDR to observe the role play exercise and score independently.

Stage 4: Reference Checks

‍Ask references specifically: "Tell me about a time [Candidate] struggled with feedback. What happened?" Listen for defensive behavior or inability to implement coaching.

Stage 5: Final Interview (30 minutes)

‍Have your VP of Sales or senior leader run a modified coaching exercise on a different topic (product positioning, objection handling). Confirm that coachability shows up consistently across different contexts.

For HR and TA Teams: Getting Sales Leadership Buy-In

If you're in talent acquisition and want to implement this framework, you need sales leadership support. Here's your pitch:

"I've found a framework that predicts SDR success better than years of experience. It's based on analysis of 1,000+ SDR interviews and tests for the single trait that correlates most with quota attainment: coachability.

The process adds 15 minutes to our interviews but reduces mis-hire risk by over 60%. It includes a live coaching exercise where we give feedback and watch candidates implement it in real time.

I'd like to pilot this with our next three SDR hires. If it works, we'll make it standard. If it doesn't improve outcomes, we'll drop it. Can I walk you through the questions?"

Then show them Question 3 (the live coaching exercise). Most sales leaders immediately see the value because it mirrors their actual management approach.

How meritt Built This Framework

This methodology didn't come from theory. It came from analyzing patterns across 1,000+ SDR interviews and tracking which interview signals predicted actual performance.

We started noticing that candidates who implemented coaching in interviews improved faster once hired. So we formalized the live coaching exercise and began scoring it systematically.

We then cross-referenced coachability scores with:

• Time to first meeting
• Ramp time to full productivity
• 6-month and 12-month quota attainment
• Manager-reported coaching receptiveness
• 12-month retention

The correlation was striking. Coachability scores predicted performance better than years of experience, industry background, or even baseline skills.

This led us to build coachability assessment into our AI-powered candidate screening. We use psychometric signals, video analysis, and structured interview frameworks to identify candidates with genuine growth mindset before they ever reach your interview stage.

The result? Our clients reduce time-to-hire by 35%, improve first-year retention by 60%, and build SDR teams that improve continuously rather than plateau after onboarding.