From The Street: 11 Must Knows to Win an Interview in Sales

By Mike Krause “Giving You 110%”

The other day I received a call from a Sales Professional I admire and she asked me for some help preparing for an interview. I was honored that she thought of me and was happy to help her prepare.

I have interviewed/screened over 1,000 Sales Professionals in my time and wanted to share with you my top 11 tips:

1. Prompt! It still amazes me how many do not show up on time. Let’s think! Do you think the hiring Manager wants to put up with you already? DELETE!

2. Dress for success. My Grand Mother has always told me “you can tell a lot about a man from his shoes” Shine your shoes, dry clean your clothes, hair cut, manicure etc…

3. Three copies of your resume.  Dah! When a job ad is posted there are hundreds or even 1000’s of resumes that come in. Most of the time the first time a hiring Manager sees your resume is when they meet with you. Do not assume they have read or even seen your resume. Here is why three resumes; if they like you they will send you up the ladder that day and you will meet more Executives.

4. Bring your brag book, if you do not know what this is maybe sales is not for you. My brag book is 150 pages with accolades, color copies of awards, rankings and a copy of my W-2’s. I always ask for a copy of a W-2 if the candidate states they made $150,000 a year, so I ask for a copy. In 15 years I have NEVER seen a copy from a candidate that made up a number. If you have made the income be proud and show it!

5.  Prepare, Google the company and find out as much as you can about them the good and the bad. Do NOT be afraid to ask about pending lawsuits etc… As a Sales Professional you will be the spokes person for the company and you will have to defend the company’s reputation. Bring printed copies of the web pages in a separate manila folder. Bring 10 great questions to ask have them written down and interview the person back, remember you are ‘selling them on you”

6. Competition, as a Sales Professional you will need to know your competition, research and bring questions to discuss with the Manager.

7. Professional, act professional at all times, remain calm, cool and collected. Never talk bad about your previous employer (yes some people do in an interview)

8. Consistent, be yourself throughout the process, be friendly to ALL employees. The Gate Keeper sometimes has the final approval. Treat everyone with respect and you will be respected.

9. Communication, critical to keep ALL parties in the loop. If you are using a recruiter keep them informed of each step, they have the ear of the employer and can help you or hurt you. Follow up is key, send a hand written thank you notes after each meeting. I usually brought one with me to the interview filled it out and left it at the front desk, show excitement and demonstrate by operating in the now!

10. CLOSE, they are hiring you to sell for them. If you do not close the interviewer, how are you going to close a sale? Ask do you see any reason that I cannot move on in the process? Handle the objections in person. Ask what is the next step? Close them on a date and time to follow up and follow it up.

11. Mike’s AH HAH. When writing this article I have remembered all of the sales reps I have hired and it has always been the one that hunts me down and is hungry for the job.

To Your Sales Success,

Mike

“Giving You 110%”

Mike Krause is the Chief Sales Architect and owner of Sales Sense Solutions where he gives CEO’s VP of Sales and Sales Professionals  stellar sales results  they want by implementing the tactics, tools and high performance strategies they need.