In my post on 3/4/2020 the focus was on differentiating yourself in the interview process by doing homework on the company and contacts…becoming an expert. Let’s assume you have done the homework and you clearly understand the company’s strategy/trends, background on the contacts, decision process, decision criteria and timeline. You should now assume your competitors have done the same. Fast forward…envision yourself in the interview…how will you rise above the others?
Understand what hiring Sales Managers think about
While other factors enter their thought process, key themes include:
- How quickly will you start driving business for them?
- How much time will it take for this rep to be working independently?
- How much risk is involved in hiring this rep?
They want a new rep to start driving business in the shortest possible time, to have a short ramp time to work independently and to be low overall risk.
Plan your approach to the role and share it
One way to show you are the right choice for this new sales role is to walk in with a documented plan on how you will attack the role. Topics your plan should address include:
- How you will learn about:
- Solutions/products the company offers
- Internal processes, resources
- CRM used in the company
- Developing relationships with key partners
- How/when you would start contacting customers
- Activities you see as critical in 30, 60 and 90 days
Draft a document and practice!
Identify a friend or mentor who is in a sales role and practice presenting this document. Be open to creative input from others. The repetitions will improve the content and increase your confidence in the plan. Most importantly, the hiring Sales Manager will be impressed you thought ahead!
Feel free to contact me directly for ideas and/or help in developing a plan for your upcoming interviews.