In this video, we discuss how to sell yourself in an interview for a sales job, and below is a summary of some of the main things discussed.

 

Pre-Interview Tips

Before your interview, it is recommended that you take some time to organize your sales performance for previous years. Create a spreadsheet and try to put down some numbers for the below areas broken out by year:

  • Sales quota
  • Quota attainment
  • W2 earnings
  • Awards and achievements

It is very likely that you will get asked about these details in a sales job interview, and by having the information listed out right in front of you, you will appear much more organized and sharper.

You might also want to make some notes for examples of deals that you won and lost. In an interview for a sales job, the interviewer may ask you to share some examples of deals that you worked on, closed, and lost.

They will likely also ask you why you left previous jobs when moving to a new employer so be sure to have some sort of explanation for those moments in your sales career. You cannot change the reasons why you made changes, but before you go to your interview for a sales job, try to think of the best way to spin the reasons why you left your employers in the past.

 

Answering Interview Questions

Because every company and candidate is unique, I can’t tell you what is best to say during the interview. But what I can do is try to get you to keep a picture of the type of person you want to present yourself as in your mind, and you can try to use that as a guide for how to answer each question.

For example, of course, you want to answer every question in a way that you look like you are the best person for the job. But you also want to present yourself during the sales job interview as someone who is extremely interested in the position and that you are committed to the role and company for the long term.

 

Asking Good Questions

At the end of every sales job interview, the interviewer will ask, “Do you have any questions for me?” This might seem like it is only courtesy, where the interviewer is just making sure you do not need any specific information, but this is also a test where the interviewer will likely try to learn more about you.

If you just ask one or two questions or say that you do not have any questions, this will make you look not great in the areas of interest, curious, and detail-oriented. If you agree with that, then if we ask very good questions, we can look strong in those areas.

Here are three categories of questions that you can ask at the end of an interview.

Company Questions

[Ask any questions relevant to recent company news]

[Ask about the short and long-term strategy for the company]

How will a [recent acquisition] impact or change things?

How do you compare to the competition?

What is your competitive advantage?

What is the ownership structure for the company?

Department Questions

[Ask about how the organization is structured]

How does this team fit inside of the organization?

What other departments do you work closely with?

How would you describe your management style?

Position Questions

[Ask about any details that have not been discussed about the position]

What are the objectives that this position will be assigned?

How will you measure success for this individual?

What is the opportunity for growth in this position?

Who else with I be working with in this role?

 

 

 

 

We hope this gives you some good ideas for how to make the best impression in your sales interview!