5 Tips for Acing a Sales Interview
June 19, 2018
You sell for a living. But when it comes to promoting your background and skills during a job interview, it can be a struggle. Sound familiar? As leading sales recruiters in Houston, Murray Resources knows there’s certainly an art behind effective self-promotion.
The good news is that if it isn’t your strong suit, there are steps you can take to improve your approach and increase your odds of landing the job. Here’s a look at 5 of them:
Do your homework.
Research is imperative before meeting with a prospect. The same holds true for hiring managers. Look up the company online, read through their website – learning about their mission, vision, services and customers – search for news articles pertaining to the company, and talk to anyone you know who already works there. Not only will you be able to answer questions more intelligently but also walk into the interview more confidently.
Know your strengths.
Beyond simply selling, what specific areas are you strongest in? Do you love building relationships with clients, are you great at closing, or do you thrive on putting data and analytics to use during the sales process? Whatever the case for you, be prepared to discuss these key strengths and tie them into the position you’re interviewing for.
Talk about results.
Clients want to see tangible results and a proven track record. Hiring managers are no different. They want to know about your accomplishments complete with facts, figures, dollar amounts and other numbers to back them up. It’s therefore important to be prepared to talk about a few specific achievements and the impact they’ve made financially for past employers.
Prepare answers.
Before meeting with a potential customer, you’d think ahead about their objections and pain points, as well as how to respond to each. The same goes for the interview process. Before your next interview, research and think through the different kinds of questions you’ll be asked so you’re well prepared to provide the strongest answers possible. You don’t want to walk in sounding scripted. But when you’ve taken some time to think about how you’d answer questions, you can ensure you don’t stumble over your responses.
Ask your own questions.
So much of good selling is about asking questions and listening. The same goes for interviewing. If you want to make the best impression and learn what you need to know about the specifics of a particular job, then asking thoughtful questions – about the company, the sales department, the challenges and performance goals and metrics – is key.
Interested in professional help finding your next sales job?
Call the experts at Murray Resources. As leading sales recruiters in Houston, we can give you access to the top local employers along with positions not always advertised, from account executive to sales associate to national sales manager. Find out more by contacting our Houston sales recruiting team today.