It is that time of the year when the hiring season kicks off and you can shine and land your dream job. Remember, even if you have unique skill sets but still your competition with be dozens of others. With the right preparation, a good understanding of the role, and a winning mindset you can get an edge over your competitors.
Your Selling Starts from the First Impression
In a sales job interview, you showcase your selling skills and techniques and give confidence to your prospective employer. It is a bit different from other sorts of interviews because you will not only be judged on your background, personality, and convincing skills but also on how you manage yourself in difficult situations. The employer must have confidence in you, because if you aren’t able to sell yourself, how can you be trusted to sell a multi-billion worth of products or services?
Treat the sales interview as an example just like you’d prepare to meet a new prospect. If you will be selling in person, you will eventually be representing the brand, so the sales interview gives the employer a very good idea of how you will represent them and what prospective clients will think when they interact with you.
Essential Sales Interview Tips to Help You Win the Deal
So, what do you do (and not do) before and during an interview? The following tips are designed to help give you an edge and ensure you walk through the door prepared to sell the interviewer the product you know best – yourself.
1. Explore More About The Company
Investigate the firm like you would any other potential. What do they do, and what are their core values? This basic research is just the beginning; a look at the company’s social media channels and news mentions will help round out your perception as well as comprehension of what they do.
- Do extensive research
It is not unusual to be asked in a sales interview how you discovered about the position, what you know about the firm, and even how you studied them. A question concerning your study allows you to “wow” the team by saying something not everyone knows about them.
- Don’t: Just learn the fundamentals
A glance at the company’s website is a good place to start, but it won’t provide you with enough knowledge to perform effectively in the interview. You’ll miss out if you don’t understand about the primary business, how they promote themselves, and what other firms they own or are linked with.
2. Introduce yourself
The biography section of the interview allows you to highlight your talents and tell the interviewer what you can add to the company. You should be able to pitch the interviewing team on the benefits of hiring and working with you. Give a solid intro about yourself, synergizing the notion of what expertise you can bring to the table, which others can’t.
- Do: Understand what you’re seeking for
You should be able to correctly define the function for which you are applying and explain why you will outperform the company’s expectations in every manner.
- Don’t: Underestimate your work or your ability
You’re missing out if you don’t understand the company’s strategy for selling or can’t clearly express how your talents and abilities will help them. Being able to convey the benefits of any product, including oneself, is an important element of marketing.
3. Prepare to Provide Examples
Most sales interviews will contain questions regarding not just your approach to sales, but also how you’ve dealt with previous selling obstacles. To select top salespeople, interviewers typically inquire about occasions when the process went awry – and what the subject did to get back on track. Failure to adequately answer this question may jeopardize your chances.
- Do: Be ready to present instances of circumstances when the STAR model was used:
Situation (create a setting)
Task (your job or what was expected of you)
What you did (action)
The outcome (hopefully a favorable one)
- Do not: Be taken off guard by the question or worse
Giving detailed examples not only demonstrates your ability to manage difficulties and obstacles in the past but also demonstrates your communication abilities.
4. Dress to Succeed
Dressing to blend in with the corporate culture and current sales team is more than a phrase; it allows interviewers to image you as an employee and may help you go one step closer to your ideal sales job.
- Do: Dress by the company’s culture and brand
Dressing correctly is vital for any career, but it is more important for a sales role. Why is it so important? If you get the position, you will be the face and embodiment of the company when you visit clients.
- Don’t: Take chances with your clothes
A mismatch between how you dress and the workplace culture might lose you the job.
5. Complete The Transaction
You don’t have to be pushy, but you should make an effort to close, even if it’s only asking about the next steps.
- Do: Keep closing in your heart
Using experimental or mini-closings and getting the interviewer to say “yes” during the session can help you stand out from the crowd.
- Don’t: Be too aggressive
Certain businesses want a salesman who follows the ABC technique (Always Be Closing), while others prefer a gentler approach.
Closing Argument
You’ll be able to rise to the challenge of the sales interview if you do your study and prepare to present your narrative. Preparing ahead of time might mean the difference between winning the job and continuing your search elsewhere.