Demonstrate Your Familiarity With Sales Language And Concepts
Hiring sales managers want to hire people who are serious about the field of sales. Even if youre applying for your first sales job, you should be able to speak intelligently about sales concepts. Use sales terminology in appropriate contexts. Its not about just throwing terms out there, but demonstrating your understanding of them and willingness to learn more.
Tips For A Successful Medical Device Sales Job Interview
Competition for jobs in medical sales can be fierce. Health care is a fascinating field, and the work environment for medical sales reps is exciting, lucrative, and rewarding for those who want to really make a difference. However, sales interviews are difficult, and interviews for jobs in medical device sales, laboratory sales, biotech sales, imaging sales, or other health care sales are demanding. That means that you’re going to have to work a little harder to set yourself apart from the competition and win the job. If your background and experience are up to snuff, all that’s left is the interview. Here are six things you can do that absolutely will work to make the most of the time you have in your interview to impress the hiring manager and boost your chances of landing the job:
1. Research the company. In other words, do your homework. There’s no excuse for not knowing what the company does, what its current issues are, what its goals are, where its products fit in the marketplace, and who the competition is. Your job is to take in this information and use it to figure out how you can help them reach their goals….and then frame your answers to interview questions accordingly.
Being well-prepared for the interview will boost your confidence, present you as a better candidate, and help you smoothly navigate the interview toward getting the job offer.
Interview Closing Statement Examples To Win The Job
- / By Biron Clark
There are a couple of things employers always remember after an interview and one of the big ones is how you close out the interview.
Theyll remember if you finished with confidence or seemed nervous. Theyll remember if you reaffirmed your interest in the job, or if you appeared uninterested. .
So in this article, youre going to get four examples of good interview closing statements to end the conversation and get more job offers.
Well also look at what NOT to say and some big mistakes you need to avoid when closing so make sure you read until the end.
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Have You Ever Had To Break Up With A Client Or Prospect How Did You Approach That
Why They’re Asking
This question sheds light on your capacity for empathy, assertiveness, strategic thinking, and communication skills. It lets interviewers know that you have a good feel for when it’s time to cut your losses with prospects, the confidence to act on that sensibility, and the necessary touch to end relationships amicably and thoughtfully.
Breaking up with prospects is not for the faint of heart but it’s a necessary part of sales. It shows you’re confident in your ability to work on other deals, cognizant of what’s best for your customer, and fierce about protecting your company’s resources.
How to Answer
Identify an instance where a relationship with a prospect or client didn’t pan out. Establish exactly why they weren’t a good fit, and highlight the moment you realized that was the case. Then, speak to how you communicated with them calmly but assertively, ended the relationship gracefully without burning the bridge, and benefitted from moving on.
What’s A Passion Of Yours How Would You Sell Me This Passion If You Wanted Me To Get Into It As Well
This is a question Kyle Coleman, VP of Revenue Growth & Enablement @ Clari likes to ask.
“I’ve interviewed over 1,000 candidates for SDR & insides sales roles, and have come to an unorthodox conclusion: asking people to pitch my product gives me very little insight into the quality of their candidacy. I did this for many years, following the “best practices” that were out there. It took too long to dawn on me that this line of questioning wasn’t telling me much about their sales acumen or product knowledge. It was just telling me how well they could reiterate what they read online. So now, I ask candidates to think about a passion of theirs for a few seconds. Then, I ask them to convince me its something I should care about too. A 5-10 minutes conversation normally ensues. The answers are fascinating, giving me a lens into who they are as a person, and providing a nice evaluation against the traits listed above. Above all, I get a great feel for how well they can communicate about things that excite them. They can pitch my productI just have to make sure theyre excited to come to work every day.”
Pro tip: Kyle consistently shares high-impact advice for sales reps and leaders on LinkedIn, check it out.
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Curveball Questions: The Ones Theyre Probably Not Prepared For
Salespeople are well-versed in giving answers they know you want to hear. Why not add these six questions to dig a little deeper into their motivations, experience and self-awarenessand potentially catch them off-guard?
1. What core values should every good salesperson possess?
The answer to this question will help you see how they truly feel about a career in sales, as well as how they think they fit into that role.
2.What is your ultimate career aspiration?
They wont be in this role and your company forever. How does it play into their long-term plan? Do they believe it will make a difference in their sales career, or is it just a job to keep them busy and pay the bills until something better comes?
3.How do you keep a smile on your face during a hard day?
Theres no way to rehearse an answer to this question. Its quite a personal question when you think about it it has a lot to do with their personality and the internal drive to make the most of every situation.
4.How would you explain our product or service in a single sentence?
This is a variation on the earlier question asking for a description of your company, but in a more condensed way, indicating how well what theyve seen and heard so far has been understood.
5. Tell me a team disagreement youve had. How did the team resolve the issue? What part did you play?
6.Have you ever asked a prospect you lost why they chose not to buy? What did you take away from that experience?
Essential Sales Interview Tips To Prepare The Right Way
Weve talked about the most common sales interview questions youll face, and how to answer them. But you need to do more to prepare for the big day!
Here are my biggest sales interview tips.
Tip #1: Dont memorize questions and answers as if youre preparing for a test. Instead, use the tips and prompts I give you to create your own answer.
Tip #2: Spend time preparing. Youd be surprised how little time some people spend. Just as researching your prospects will help you close a deal, putting in the time before an interview is essential.
You dont want to get flustered because you dont know how to answer an interview question, and the best way to feel confident is to prepare.
Tip #3: Tailor your approach. You, your interviewer, and the sales job youre applying for are all unique. Make changes to the questions and answers that will make them more appropriate to your interviewing style and situation.
Tip #4: Understand that theres no one right answer to most interview questions. The goal is to be prepared to share the best version of yourself.
Tip #5: Use these interview questions and answers to give you insights into the sales interview process.
Tip #6: The chemistry between you and your interviewer is beyond your control, so dont worry about it. Focus only on what you can control, and youll have greater success in getting the career opportunities and job offers you want.
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What *not* To Say At The End Of The Interview:
Theres one statement that I see people recommend for the end of an interview, that I would never recommend.
Heres what people recommend you say:
Do you have any concerns about me as a candidate, or any reasons you would not hire me for the position?
While this may sound similar to example #4 , its not. The example above, which I recommend, is asking about the process overall and finding out whether theyre able to offer you the job based on all factors.
This question that I just covered, that I dont recommend asking, is asking them specifically about things they dont like about you as a candidate. And heres why I dont recommend this way to end an interview:
- It brings the negatives to their attention. Youre asking them to think of reasons they wouldnt hire you the job.
- Theyre not going to tell you anyway, especially not on-the-spot like this
- The interview just finished and they need time to think about everything! Itd be equally odd if they asked you, So, based on what we talked about, are there are any reasons you wouldnt accept this job?
So if you want to make a lasting impression, finish your job interview with one of the four closing statement examples above.
Thats going to impress the interviewer more, get you better results in your job search, and help you find a position faster.
Dont Forget About Body Language
Make sure you conclude your job interview with great eye contact and a firm handshake, too. Body language matters just as much as what you say in a job interview.
You can have the best script in the world for how to end an interview, but if you dont have the body language to back it up, its not going to be as impressive.
So think of body language as the other half of the puzzle in your interviews and job search. If you want to ace the interview and leave a lasting impression, make sure you look the part, too.
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Closing Allows You To Gauge What’s Happened In That Interview And React Accordingly
How to close a sales interview. Hiring managers often conclude job interviews by swapping places with you, so to speak, giving you a chance to ask them questions. Show up prepared, give your pitch, answer your prospects objections, ask for the sale, and if needed, follow up until you get a definitive answer. Closing is a key part of the sales process, and if you neglect to actually ask for the job or for a follow up, youll be missing out.
You dont need to be aggressive, but you do need to make an attempt to close, even if you just ask about the next steps. Closing an interview is arguably the most important stage, especially for a sales role. Quickly determine if the candidate is an ideal cultural fit for your org
You may love the company. The job interview is a sales process. Download your free sales interview question matrix.
How you close should be tailored to suit the position, the company, the style of the interviewer and your own personal style. Follow up the right way: At the end of the interview, you will have an opportunity to sum things up or ask questions.
In theory, learning how to close a sale is actually pretty simple: The 5 biggest mistakes sales reps make in a job1. You want to leave your interviewer with a great last impression, a clear indication of your enthusiasm for the position, and a way to contact them to follow up.
Thank You Letter Examples for Real Estate Marketing
What Do You Do For Fun
Another question that it seems silly to practice, but its designed to trip you up and get you rambling. You dont need a perfect, canned answer either, but make sure you practice this one, even though it seems so simple.
How to answer:
Simple! Say what you do for fun. I scuba dive, compete in Iron Man races, play the drums in a band at local events, do yoga.
Again, practice is key. Take a moment right now and answer this question aloud a few times. You might be surprised how difficult it is to summarize.
Collect your thoughts. Say it again, and evaluate. Did it sound like it made more sense the second time around?
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Tell Me Why Youre A Superstar
Say this with almost an impatient, skeptical tone.
Top-notch salespeople wont balk. Theyll start listing specific achievements. Youll usually hear a bit of ego behind their answers.
Candidates who arent up to the task? Their answers will be wishy-washy.
The real point of this question: Assess how they respond to a semi-rude, abrupt demand .
Which Sales Metrics Do You Pay Attention To
Everyone will say quota, obviously.
But next-level reps will have something to add. They can back into their number by knowing the leading indicators:
- Average deal size
- Number of opportunities received by marketing per month
- Sales cycle length
The best reps view their job as a machine that can be tweaked.
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Questions You Should Ask During An Inside Sales Interview
So youre looking to build out your inside sales team and youve lined up a full day of interviews with potential new hires.
They all have solid resumes with a good amount of experience at some legitimate companies. The only question now is: How will you figure out which person is the right choice for your team?
To make sure you dont waste time and money on a bad hire who doesnt fit the culture, there are some questions you absolutely need to be asking in your interviews with prospective inside sales reps.
Here are 15 inside sales interview questions that will help you hire the best of the best:
Closing Interviews With Confidence
SalesFirst Recruiting Uncategorized
In any job interview it is important to ask for the close, but if you are in sales it is a must. A well-executed close is your chance to leave a strong final impression, so it is imperative to give it some thought ahead of time. There isnt any all-purpose close though. How you close will depend a lot on where you are in the interview process and with whom you are interviewing.
Closing a First Interview
In most cases, a first interview is focused on explaining the role and making sure you check all the boxes on experience and culture fit. Its not common for an offer to come after a first interview, as the hiring manager typically hasnt learned enough about you to make a decision. Straight-up asking for the job at this stage would be tone-deaf, so instead your close is simply securing a second interview. There are a handful of ways to do this, but the most common is asking for the next step. This role sounds like a good fit, and Id love to discuss it further with you. Whats the next step in the process?
Closing an Interview with the Hiring Managers Boss
Asking for the Offer at the Final Interview
Read the Situation
Remember, interviewing is an art, not a science, so there are no hard-and-fast rules. You have to do your preparation, evaluate the situation, and make what you feel is the best decision.
What closing questions have you had success with?
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Consider These Universal Job Interview Questions
These tried-and-tried prompts can also help you understand each candidates experience, skills, and personality traits.
- Tell me about yourself.
- Whats your biggest strength?
- Whats your greatest weakness?
- Why did you leave your last role?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- What do you like to do for fun?
- What did you like or dislike about your last company culture?
What Do You Think Your Career Will Look Like In 10 Years
Its good to gather some insight into your prospective sales reps long-term career aspirations, and how they see themselves developing over the years to come.
What To Watch For:
You want to find a sales rep who isnt content to sit at their cubicle and cash paychecks. You want someone whos committed to helping the company growand growing as a person alongside.
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What Are 3 Things You Do To Build Rapport With A Prospect
This is a question about tactics and execution. You need to show that you actually know about sales, and you have a practiced and thoughtful approach to getting the job done. You cannot be guessing when answering questions like this, so prep is very important.
Example answer:
First, listening is key.
Second, asking questions to get to know them better and so I can really pay attention to and care about what they say.
Third, would be making a connection by talking about what interests them, and any insights or experiences I can offer to add value to what they like, need or want.
Your Whole Team Uses The Same Sales Process So What Sets You Apart To Consistently Hit The Quota You Said You Hit
Far too often sales leaders hear I hit my quota the last three years and say, Good enough for me!
Not digging in can lead to a series of terrible hires.
You cant fake your way through this question, and an ideal candidate wont have to.
If your candidate doesnt know what makes them successful, it will become obvious.
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