Once you've zeroed in on where to find the sales professionals you are looking for and have placed your job ads, applicants will begin responding to your ad. They will be doing their best to sell themselves to you because they want you to buy their talents -- or in other words -- hire them! Now you're able to begin to interview for successful sales people to add to your sales team. If you have never interviewed anyone before then this basic step by step should make it easier for you.
Here's How:
Have your applicants fill out a standard job application (available at most office supply stores) and also submit a resume. The reason for this is that often resumes are written by a professional resume writer that know how to use all the proper buzz words to get your attention. It is sort of like an advertisement and it can be hard to see your way through it because of the variety of layouts that are used. On the other hand, the format of an application is so objective that it will help you to get a better picture of the applicant especially in being able to look at their work history in a chronological order.
Please print out a copy of the "List of Basic Skills that Every Successful Sales Person Should Have" so that you can read over it and refer to it as you are interviewing your potential new sales people. You can either make a note of the skills that you notice during the interview or simply use it as a guide to help you become of aware of skills that a qualified salesperson should have.
Have a list of basic questions prepared to ask your applicant. One of the hardest parts of an interview is filling in all of that quiet time if the interview is moving slowly. This can be prevented by planning out a list of questions and then also stating ahead of time that you are going to be going through a list of questions. Step four has a sample of good basic interview questions to ask when you interview sales people. They are just enough to get your interviewee to open up to you. The more your potential new sales person will talk then the better your chances are of finding out who they really are on the inside.
Sample List of Basic Sales Interview Questions to Ask
- Tell me about a little bit about yourself.
- What type of experience do you have in sales and for how long?
- Do you have any experience in _______ industry? (Fill in what your particular industry is)
- Think of one of your most successful sales you've ever achieved. With that sale in mind, tell me about it and what you did to successfully achieve the sale.
- What are the best things that your co-workers say about you? What are the worst things?
- Why do you want to work for this company and how will you add to its success?
Before you start with the interview, introduce yourself and tell your applicant a little bit about your company such as, how it got started, how long you have been in business, what your growth plans are for the future, etc. Hopefully, they will have already done some research on your company, but if you are a new small business the chances are great that they were unable to find out too much about you. This introduction also will help you to take control of the interview because you are making a statement of what you are all about. Next, it will be their turn.
Begin by asking your applicants questions from your prepared list of questions. Be as relaxed and informal as you can without being unprofessional. There should be no need to hurry through your interview. Your applicant is most likely to be a bit nervous and keeping the atmosphere relaxed will make for a better interview. Why? Because a relaxed applicant will talk more and the more they talk, the more you will learn about them
After asking your questions, have an office tool within your reach, such as a stapler, ruler or calculator. Ask your applicant to try and sell it to you. If the applicant starts to list off benefits and features to you, then this is a clue that, most likely, they are good at presenting products but not actually "selling" them. A good sign of someone who can sell is someone who will ask you questions about your and your business first before they present to you the benefits and features of a product. This is the way a good salesperson makes a more accurate assessment of a problem before offering a solution.
Thank your applicant for coming in to apply. Whether you have decided at this point to hire this person or not, it is always proper and respectable to follow up with either a phone call or written correspondence as to your decision.
Tips:
List of the most common things to listen for while interviewing a sales person that will alert you that you may want to avoid hiring this sales person.
- Is there a sales quota?
- What is the minimum that I must sell to meet that quota?
- How many sales people do you have?
- I'm a real "people" person.
You may be wondering why someone stating that they are a "people person" is a problem. It is because sales people who describe themselves in this way have a difficult time in sales. They want to please people so much that they allow the customer to control the sale. In the end they will never be able to ask for the order.
Most common positive things to listen for in an interview that tell you that this may be an great choice to add to your sales team.
- Approximately how much does your most successful salesperson earn a year?
- How soon can I start?
- Is there a cap on how much I can sell?
These remarks indicate a person who is competitive but not worried about how many others they are competing with and also, they are ready to start selling and hopefully with no limits to how much they can earn.
What You Need:
- Standard job applications
- A private office or area that is suitable for a confidential discussion
- A common office tool such as a ruler, a stapler or calculator
- Something to take notes with
- Prepared list of questions