Sales Professionals Avoid these Seven Basic Interview Mistakes
With years of sales recruiting experience, we have compiled a list of top interview mistakes.
Before you are tempted to say, “I already know this” read through this list and circle the top mistake you “might” be making. Seek interview feedback and continue making adjustments.
1. Lack of Preparation
Be over prepared, come up with a list of great questions. Understand how to sell the company’s value proposition. Know the target market and familiarize yourself with their service-offerings.
Make sure to do a YouTube search, sign up for a demo if you can, pull up LinkedIn profiles, read the company’s most recent press release. Never make the mistake of winging it!
2. Dumping
This is a big problem for many sales professionals. Unfortunately, most people that have this problem know it on some level, but continue to do it anyway!
Great sales professionals do more listening than talking. They ask good questions. Strike that, they ask GREAT questions. Come to the interview with great questions.
3. Tangents
Answer questions as clearly and precisely as you can and avoid going off on tangents. People that dance around questions come off as unprepared, unorganized, and ineffective. Not the lasting impression you want to leave!
4. Numbers….
What Numbers? You need to know your numbers! What was your W-2 last year, were you/are you currently at quota? How many calls do you make in a day?
How many leads do you get?
How many deals do you close, what is your average deal size?
If you don’t know your numbers you come across as an under or average performer. Top salespeople know where they are and keep a close eye on their sales funnel.
5. Closing Questions
Every great sales person asks appropriate closing questions.
The trick is to do this in a way that doesn’t come across too strong but still gets the point across.
I can’t say it enough; if you don’t close the interviewer you will NOT be invited back.
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“Success is never getting to the bottom of your to-do list.”
6. Depending on Personality
You most likely have a high like-ability quotient, it will come in handy but it isn’t going to seal the deal!
What you need to get across in the interview is desire and motivation. Secondly you need to prove that you have a track record of sales success.
Other great personalities will also be competing for high-level sales positions, so concentrate on differentiating yourself from the pack!
7. Negativity
Under no circumstances should you say anything negative about your former/current employer or company.
Sound like old news? It is—almost everyone has heard this but they just can’t help themselves in the interview and wind up doing it anyway!
Put Your Sales Career on the Right Track
Learn more about conducting a productive job search, with the aid of our Job Search Action Plan.
Using these strategies will help you land the right sales job faster. If you’d like to know more about how to Recover from a Bad Interview….check out Jobvite’s suggestions HERE.
