Sales Jobs

Sales Interviews - 7 Tips For Landing Your Next Sales Job

You've found the perfect opportunity for your next great sales position. You've perfected your resume putting specific companies you've sold to, sales awards and sales quotas surpassed. Now it's time for the interview - are you ready?

The job interview is your time to demonstrate why you are the right sales person for the role, how you can contribute to the organization's success, and to find out if the company is a good fit for you. However, sometimes even the most qualified candidate is not offered the job because of a poor interview. Three of the biggest mistakes we've seen or heard from candidates and employers are:

• Not knowing anything about the company
  
• Failure to provide specific examples of accomplishments or abilities
  
• Not asking specific questions

In many cases failure is due to lack of preparation. Treat the interview as you would a sales call with a prospective client. To help ensure your next interview is a successful one, here are a few important tips to remember:

1. Make sure you arrive on time...not too early, and definitely not late. You need to respect the schedules of the person you're meeting with and demonstrate you can stay organized and on schedule.

2. When asked about your experience and background, make sure you provide specific examples with as much detail as possible. Be prepared to describe deals you closed, the dollar value of sales and level of executives you've sold to (e.g. CFO's).

3. Respond to all questions openly and honestly. It's important you don't misrepresent your experience or background. If you haven't sold to C-Level executives, don't say you have. If you have only held inside sales positions, don't say you have done outside sales. This may seem straightforward, but candidates have a tendency to stretch their experience and abilities to land the job.

4. Do your research on the company so you can speak intelligently about the organization, its products and current challenges it's facing. Be prepared to offer your insight and thoughts on how you would tackle a particular role based on your experiences.

5. Prepare at least three or four questions about the company, sales team, sales strategy or specific responsibilities (e.g.: account management vs. hunting for new business). What is the sales manager's style? Why have you decided to change the way you are position this product? Asking questions shows that you've given a lot of thought to the role and are interested in learning more.

6. End the interview by expressing your interest in the position and making it clear you want to move forward in the process.

7. Send a follow-up thank-you by email to the person(s) you met with within one day of the interview.

Remember, this is your opportunity to sell yourself to a potential employer. It's not enough to go through the motions. You need to sound enthusiastic and interested in the role. A great performance in the interview will compliment your qualifications, skills and background, and help you to land your ideal sales role. Good luck in your search!