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Interviews are nerve wracking… especially if they are “cold” interviews where you don’t know anyone at the company. Sales interviews are no exception.
You have to get yourself in the “interviewing” frame of mind first. Here are a couple of ideas to help prepare you for your sales interview:
Do your homework!
Research the companies that interest you. Know their stats. You can check out Hoovers.com or Google the company to get all the information you need. Nothing is worse than the interviewer asking you why you want to sell or market their product, and you can’t think of a single reason except, “I need the money!”
Be prepared. Analyze the position, and examine the needs. Determine who/what the competitors are, and how the competition is different. Wow them with your knowledge about the company, annual sales volume, product awareness, sales strategies, marketing successes, etc.
Review your résumé.
Make sure your sales accomplishments stand out and your résumé is peppered with sales keywords. Examples of sales keywords include: account management, business development, multi-channel sales, product positioning, profit & loss, sales training, team leadership, sales initiatives, customer satisfaction and so on.
If you have never worked in sales before and aren’t sure if you have keywords that you need, evaluate what you have done, and see if any of those skills can transfer into sales (think: team leadership, customer service, business development, product knowledge, etc.).
Have a list of questions for the interviewer.
Nothing impresses the interviewer more than your prepared questions. What is it that you want to know? Some suggestions may be quantity of products sold, goals, target market, distribution, sales techniques or training, challenges the company faces, etc.
Bottom Line:
When you have done your research and prepared yourself, you will feel much more confident and relaxed at the interview.
Read more about the sales interview itself in my next article, “The Sales Interview”.
© Copyright Erin Kennedy, 2009. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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About This Author:
Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, BS/HR, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and Career Consultant who has been helping clients since 1998. She is also the President of Professional Resume Services.
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