By Barry Breit, Co-founder, Pro Resume Center, LLC
(Part 3 of a 3-Part Series “So You Want a Job In Sales”)
As a former hiring manager for sales talent, I was often asked what set one sales job candidate apart from the next?
My answer? Everything.
The approach, confidence, preparedness, questions, answers and delivery of a candidate made me sit up and take notice and call candidates back in for a second round of interviews or job offer. Every move you make in your sales job interview is akin to the sales process –think of it like a game of chess. You make your move, so the other person makes the move you want them to, in order to open the door for you to make your next move. And so on.
Sound simplistic? Perhaps.
But sage advice for any job candidate – whether in sales or not. Job seekers in all industries would be wise to consider this approach for any interview. The goal is to get them to notice you, like you and see you in the open position so they offer you the job.
Over the last week I shared with you the top considerations to assess before launching into a sales career, along with the top traits to share with your interviewer to let them know you are ready to be a top ranking salesperson for their organization.
In this, the last of my 3-part series – “So You Want a Job in Sales?” – I want you to prepare by familiarizing yourself with the top 10 questions you will likely be asked during a sales job interview.
Grab a pen, or pull up your keyboard and jot down some answers to use in your upcoming sales job interviews:
- Why do you like working in sales?
- Why do you think customers object when trying to be closed?
- How do you overcome customer objections?
- What are your methods for closing sales?
- Do you believe every customer wants what we have to sell?
- Tell me about a sales experience that displays your work ethic?
- How do you generate leads?
- What kind of goals motivate you the best?
- What is your average lead/customer interaction to closing ratio?
- Why do you think you would make a good salesperson for our organization?
Personalize your answers so you don’t sound like every other job candidate. Then practice your responses out loud.
And bonus points for you if you stay away from cliché answers.
For instance, “I am good with people,” is not a sufficient answer for question #1. Be specific – talk about the challenge of working in sales, the ever changing dynamics of each work day, and your personal and professional goals with a sales career.
Let them know you also are interviewing for the right company to work for, and want to make a choice that will work best for BOTH you and the company. Explain that finding the right company and product or service to represent will ignite passion that will translate and convey well to your potential customers. If you are excited about it – they will be too – and you and the company will BOTH realize success.
And lastly – but incredibly important – at some point, tell the interviewer that money is a big motivator for you and you do want to make a lot of it. A good time for this would be when they ask why you like being in sales or want to get into sales. Explain that you know it is the one job where your performance is directly tied to your income and you want a high income to afford the kind of lifestyle you want for yourself, your family and your future.
When a candidate told me they wanted to make money, I knew we were on the right path. Why? Because – if they wanted to make money, then they would make money for our company, too.
Good luck and let me know how you do and if you have any other questions. Connect with me on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/barrybreit/ or send me an email at barry.breit@proresumecenter.com
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