State both the quota and the attainment clearly: Achieved 118% of a £1.8M ARR quota in FY2024. Include the year and whether the quota was individual or team. If you consistently outperformed, show the pattern across multiple years. If one year was below target for an explainable reason (restructuring, territory change, product pivot), a brief note is more credible than silence.
Numbers. Specifically: quota attainment percentages by year, absolute revenue generated or pipeline built, average deal size, average sales cycle length, number of new logos, and any recognition such as President's Club. Strong sales CVs also show the methodology used (MEDDIC, Challenger, Sandler), the product category and buyer type, and any management or coaching contribution. A CV that says a lot without any numbers is a weak sales CV regardless of how well it is written.
One page for early-career and BDR/SDR roles. Two pages for AEs, account managers, and sales managers with 5 or more years of experience and a quota track record worth documenting in full. Three pages is very rarely justified unless you are a VP or above with a board-level track record. The most important principle: if the numbers are good, make them visible immediately. Do not bury a strong quota attainment record at the bottom of a long CV.
MEDDIC and MEDDPICC training: widely respected in enterprise B2B sales. Challenger Sale training from Challenger Inc.: relevant for consultative and complex sales environments. Salesforce certifications (Admin, Sales Cloud) are useful for ops-heavy sales roles. HubSpot Sales certification is relevant for SMB and inbound-led sales roles. LinkedIn Sales Navigator proficiency is worth noting for any sales role involving outbound prospecting. Formal certifications matter less in sales than in technical fields; demonstrated quota performance is the primary credential.
For BDR, SDR, or entry-level roles: focus on outbound activity metrics (calls made, emails sent, meetings booked, pipeline generated), conversion rates compared to team or target, and any revenue you contributed to indirectly. For career changers into sales: focus on transferable commercial skills such as negotiation, persuasion, stakeholder management, or commercial awareness. A cover letter explaining your motivation for transitioning into sales is important for career changers, as it addresses the obvious question about why you are moving into the role.