“How you take in and send out information is a near-flawless predictor of how you will thrive in a business relationship.” — Mark McCormack, Never Wrestle with a Pig
Salespeople who interview better win more offers. So, what’s the secret to better interviews?
First, think about how salespeople are seen by the rest of the actors in the corporate world. We are loud, we get away with saying things that aren’t PC, we talk a lot, and we look like we’re having a great time.
When recruiting for a salesperson, it’s almost expected that the salesperson entertains, communicates, and tells stories.
After all, it’s the opposite of interviewing an accountant who says all of three words in 30 minutes. The conversation will be lively. But it’s expected.
So what can you do to be different? How will you stand out?
There’s an old saying: if you’re talking, you’re not selling. Keep this in mind.
When you’re on the call with a recruiter or a hiring manager, remember to listen. You may be the most energetic, lively, and exciting salesperson on the planet, but without listening skills you won’t make it through the interview process. You won’t be seen as a high-level consultative salesperson.
Let’s assume you’re an action-taker. Here’s how to take action on this advice.
Become Aware
You can’t fix problems you don’t know exist, problems you don’t acknowledge, or problems you think aren’t really problems. On some level, talkers usually suspect it. Maybe you even like this about yourself. The problem is that being “a talker” has also helped you at some point in life, so it can be hard to give up.
You’ll have to accept that what got you here, those skills, may not take you where you want to go. Some tendencies will have to be thrown away. So make peace with the idea that you need to become a better listener. It’s the fastest way to go from $120K a year to $150K-$200K a year.
Advertise to Yourself
Advertising works. See something enough times and you become familiar with it, and eventually you start to accept what’s being advertised. You can use this on yourself.
Write a note as a reminder and put it on your desk, near your computer monitor, and advertise to yourself. The note might say: Listen MORE.
Bring Your Curiosity
Come to every conversation prepared. Do your homework, and you’ll come up with a few interesting questions, and you’ll start to get curious. Write your questions down in advance and bring them to the conversation. When you show up to an interview with questions, it’s easy to weave them in and get the other person talking.
Stay On Point
Think of it like speed dating. You have five minutes to decide if you like the person enough to continue the conversation. Work on getting right to the point as quickly as possible.
OLD CHATTY YOU
Interviewer: What’s your quota?
Old You: Wow, that’s a good question. Our quotas change around here all the time. We didn’t even get this year’s number until March; can you believe it? My boss was so angry because he didn’t know what our team’s goals were. He almost quit and went back to Oracle. If he left, boy, I’d be upset. I don’t know how I’d get anything done without him. He’s the only reason I’m here. In fact, he brought me over to the company from my previous job. We used to work together at Oracle for a few years. He’s the best manager I’ve ever had. He’ll be a great reference for me, I’m sure of it. He probably knows I’m looking.
Interviewer: (What??? I guess he doesn’t hit his quota, or he’d say what it is already! I got the quota dodge. Ugh.)
NEW YOU
Interviewer: What is your quota?
New You: It’s $1.5M ARR, and it’s gone up over the last three years. But I’ve met it every year. Probably because I spend every spare second prospecting for new business.
That’s the difference. Know your sales math cold and the short answer is always ready.
Practice the Green, Yellow, and Red Lights
Mark Goulston outlines an easy-to-understand strategy in his book Just Listen. In a nutshell, talking time breaks into three zones:
- Green light: the first 20 seconds you’re talking. The listener is happy and thinks this is fun.
- Yellow light: 20 to 40 seconds in. The listener is getting antsy and starting to wait for you to stop.
- Red light: around the 40-second mark. Hit red too many times and you’ll lose your listener’s patience. They’ll write you off as an over-talker.
Now, I’d take this one step further. Pull out your phone and record yourself answering a question. Look at how many seconds you’re talking, see if you’re a red-light violator, and think about how to consolidate your responses. Rambling is one of the classic ways to tank an interview without realizing it.
Think About Why
Talking too much? See if you can get to the root of the problem. Some salespeople talk in circles to avoid answering the question. Others do it to steer the conversation somewhere else. Many talk out of nervousness, or because they feel it’s their job to be entertaining.
Putting It All Together
Listening is an art. It’s not natural for most, so stand out by developing this skill.
Master it, and you’ll be a real sales standout. Don’t be surprised if you get more job offers, more customers, and more compensation. Master this one skill, then work through the rest of the complete sales interview preparation guide.
