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DPM
Feb 23, 2015

TAKE ME HOME
I'LL CHECK YA BUM FOR GRUBS
I'm glad the thread generally responded well to that wall of text I posted. It feels like some junior league stuff for this thread but then I remembered a Spec Rep I represented who had 20 years of sales experience, was a real charming dude but came apart in interviews. Do you guys think I should post the "Ways to answer trap questions without sounding like a complete deadshit" stuff? It's probably going to be longer and might be a bit less structured. I feel like it's been covered a lot elsewhere but then the responses to "What's your biggest weakness?" tend to poo poo me which is why I'm bringing it up. If people want that poo poo I'll post something in here later this week/over the weekend. The combination of manflu + psuedo-ephedrine has my head pretty hosed up right now.

JackDarko posted:

Thank you so much paramecium it really means a lot. I wasn't a good fit for the role but I pitched him on why I'm still a great candidate.

You're welcome JackDarko. It sounds like you did the Best Thing which is to never waste an opportunity. If you were keen for the job then give the interviewer a call and say something along the lines of "I just wanted to check in to see if you found any candidates more suitable for the role? I know you had some concerns about (whatever), I'm really excited about the opportunity to work with you because (reasons)". If it somewhere you would like to work but the position was too senior/you didn't have the right stuff it would be worth while calling back to say "Thanks for your time, please keep me in consideration for any roles you think I'd be more suitable". I mean if it was square peg round hole or you didn't like the joint then obviously don't do that. You at least got experience pitching yourself during an interview which means you didn't waste your time.

taqueso posted:

That should get copy/pasted in the job hunting thread, too, great stuff paramecium.

Thanks. I crossposted it in the The Resume and Interview ULTRATHREAD is that the one you meant?

DPM fucked around with this message at 10:00 on Jul 10, 2017

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taqueso
Mar 8, 2004


:911:
:wookie: :thermidor: :wookie:
:dehumanize:

:pirate::hf::tinfoil:

DumbparameciuM posted:

Thanks. I crossposted it in the The Resume and Interview ULTRATHREAD is that the one you meant?
Yeah, that's the one I was thinking of.

Alfalfa
Apr 24, 2003

Superman Don't Need No Seat Belt

DumbparameciuM posted:

Do you guys think I should post the "Ways to answer trap questions without sounding like a complete deadshit" stuff? It's probably going to be longer and might be a bit less structured.

If it's similar info and as well answered as your previous post then yes... post it all.

DPM
Feb 23, 2015

TAKE ME HOME
I'LL CHECK YA BUM FOR GRUBS
Parameciums Ways to answer trap questions without sounding like a complete deadshit

Firstly, my Prime Rules of Doing a Good Interview:
1) Never waste an opportunity to sell yourself
2) Never bullshit
3) Always prepare
4) Everything is a test

What is your greatest strength? or Why do you want this job?
You want to reinforce your brand message to the interviewer. This is a good opportunity to repeat your brags, the core things that you're trying to imprint during the interview. These points should not be bullshit and must be backed up by the contents of your resume. "I would say my greatest strengths are that I have proven experience presenting new products to industry leaders, I can present to individuals or large groups, and my butthole always smells as fresh as a summer daisy", or whatever. Don't try and make up something "clever", especially not on the spot. Don't use a single behavior ("This one time, at band camp...") or singular examples.

What is your greatest weakness?
Ahh, the classic. Again, don't try and make up some twee poo poo on the spot. As a recruiter, if I ask this question and hear something like "I give too much of myself!" or "I'm such a perfectionist!" your poo poo is going in the trash as soon as you leave. And I'd cut the interview short. My favourite go-to move whenever I'm asked this is to make your response knowledge based. For example, you're doing an industry pivot from cars to FMCG, a good answer would be something like "I'm not completely familiar with sales cycles and best practice approaches for this industry HOWEVER as my resume shows I have been in a similar position when starting previous roles. I pride myself on my ability to get to grips with new techniques and knowledge quickly, and apply them effectively". You have answered their question legitimately but used it as an opportunity to sell yourself further. Never waste an opportunity, never bullshit the interviewer.

Tell me about yourself.
I have hosed this one up a lot in my more naive days. The interviewer doesn't give a gently caress about how you love to go to the beach with your dog or how you spent last weekend doing macrame with your grandmother, at least not right now. I like to start with a very quick career overview, and transition into a single sentence about why you're interested in the role. if you feel you have established good rapport with the interviewer, now is not a bad time to throw them a question about their experience with the company - when they started, what previous position they came from, etc.

Why should we hire you?
This is like the "What is your greatest strength?" but with a shitload more breathing room. For questions like this, I like to take each brag and flesh it out with specific examples - think like two or three good sentences per brag. If you've done your prep*, this should be a piece of cake.

Why shouldn't we hire you?
This is one of my most hated questions ever. Every time I have heard it being used in an interview it is being asked by a personification of living poo poo. However, remember rule 1. The least face-creasing way I have found to deal with this question is to talk about the sort of office culture in which you work best, i.e. my response would be something like "I enjoy sales roles where I have targets or KPI's to reach because I relish the opportunity to bust them wide open as my results have shown. However I don't respond well to micromanagement - if that's a requirement here then don't hire me." Or your response can be purely practical: "You mentioned earlier that the core hours are 8AM to 5.30PM, which is fantastic for me. I need to pick my kids up from childcare by 7PM so if there's a lot of unexpected overtime, don't hire me".

What are your salary expectations?
This one is a real motherfucker. If you're talking to a third party recruiter and not Kelly from HR, be direct and honest. The recruiter is trying to figure out what market they can pitch you to. This is where Rule 3 comes into play. Have an hourly and yearly figure worked out before the interview. Don't try and do maths on the spot, you will look like a loving loser. If you're worth hiring, you should know what you're worth. If you're talking to the sales manager/recruiter/Kelly from HR at the company you want to work with, give them the broadest, most non-committal answer you can get away with. Start with something super breezy like "My expectations are in line with my experience and qualifications". If they push, then push back. Remember Rule 4. I have spoken to sales managers who use this question routinely, not to determine your basis of pay but to see the strength of your character when poo poo is on the line. Take some control back, BE A SALES PERSON. So, they have pushed back on your first answer. Stay on target, Porkins. Hit them with "If this is the right job for me, and you agree that I'm the right person for the role, I'm sure we can come to a figure that we're both satisfied with". If they push AGAIN and you feel like they're testing you instead of being a massive scumbag, hit them with my favourite car sales line: "Look, we can talk about numbers all day - if I'm not the right fit for you or you're not right for me then it doesn't matter if I'm the cheapest or the most expensive candidate you've seen today".

Why are you leaving your current position?
Rule 2 is prime here. Don't bullshit, but don't badmouth your previous employer. Do not tell them that you constantly had issues with management or with another member of staff (unless you were assaulted by someone I guess idk) Do not tell them that you found the work meaningless and soul crushing. The two legitimate answers to this question run along the lines of either "I'm looking for a bigger challenge, I feel like I have more to give" or "My previous position was made redundant/company closed/position no longer exists/my family needs to move" etc. Again, you want to maintain control and be as vague as possible while still giving a good answer OR giving an answer which is completely personal ("My family had to move" etc) to the extent that it cannot be refuted.


General Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral Interview questions have a fairly predictable format. They usually run along the lines of "Have you ever been in situation x? How did you handle it?". Essentially the interviewer wants qualified information about how you will perform in certain circumstances. Do some reading on the STAR Method and apply it fervently. The most common gently caress up I see with peoples approaches to the STAR method is that they want to talk generally about the team. "We did this", "Despite it being all last minute, our team managed to do that", or what the gently caress ever. Get rid of that poo poo. You need to ensure that your responses to these types of questions are strictly personal, rather than about the group.

How do you handle stress and pressure?
Do not loving ever respond to this question with "I don't get stressed". If your interviewer is a living human being, they will want to break you over their knee like Bane did to Batman. That is one of the most obvious lies you can tell, and a serious breach of rule 2. A much better approach is to remember Rule 1 and use this as an opportunity to sell yourself. Then apply the STAR method, job done.
Here's an example, and because the STAR method works across all these types of questions the formula is more or less the same across all of them.
"Well, in my previous role at Goonfister Ltd it was pretty common for projects to be running over time and over budget. For example, I was working on a project when the clients needed to immediately re-specify certain parts of the work we were performing with them after the contracts had been signed. I had to ascertain the clients new requirements, negotiate new contract terms, convey all this information to the relevant support teams all without adding any additional cost or time to the clients order. In order to resolve this I did X, Y and Z. As a result, there was rainbow candy and blowjobs for everyone! Hooray!".

Well I'm super loving wrecked so I hope that was useful to my fellow salesgoons. If you've got any examples of interview questions which I haven't covered here and you want some additional insight on, please don't hesitate to send them my way I'm more than happy to help if I can.





*poo poo, now I have to do a post about how to prepare for an interview, don't I?

Jordan7hm
Feb 17, 2011




Lipstick Apathy
You sure do.

These posts are fantastic.

bug chaser chaser
Dec 11, 2006

These are such good posts - I'm looking for a job right now and started adjusting my interview prep using your advice. Thanks!

bEatmstrJ
Jun 30, 2004

Look upon my bathroom joists, ye females, and despair.
Good stuff! Shared it with some friends who are currently interviewing.

bEatmstrJ
Jun 30, 2004

Look upon my bathroom joists, ye females, and despair.
Also, I'd hire you.

Shooting Blanks
Jun 6, 2007

Real bullets mess up how cool this thing looks.

-Blade



DumbparameciuM posted:

What are your salary expectations?
This one is a real motherfucker. If you're talking to a third party recruiter and not Kelly from HR, be direct and honest. The recruiter is trying to figure out what market they can pitch you to. This is where Rule 3 comes into play. Have an hourly and yearly figure worked out before the interview. Don't try and do maths on the spot, you will look like a loving loser. If you're worth hiring, you should know what you're worth. If you're talking to the sales manager/recruiter/Kelly from HR at the company you want to work with, give them the broadest, most non-committal answer you can get away with. Start with something super breezy like "My expectations are in line with my experience and qualifications". If they push, then push back. Remember Rule 4. I have spoken to sales managers who use this question routinely, not to determine your basis of pay but to see the strength of your character when poo poo is on the line. Take some control back, BE A SALES PERSON. So, they have pushed back on your first answer. Stay on target, Porkins. Hit them with "If this is the right job for me, and you agree that I'm the right person for the role, I'm sure we can come to a figure that we're both satisfied with". If they push AGAIN and you feel like they're testing you instead of being a massive scumbag, hit them with my favourite car sales line: "Look, we can talk about numbers all day - if I'm not the right fit for you or you're not right for me then it doesn't matter if I'm the cheapest or the most expensive candidate you've seen today".

This one sucks for me - more often than not, I have recruiters flat out ask me for W-2s from previous years. Obviously I don't want to give them those, how do you dodge that? I can give hard numbers on what I expect, but sending a W-2 is literally taking the ammo out of my gun if I'm going for a position I expect to pay considerably better. Ideas?

taqueso
Mar 8, 2004


:911:
:wookie: :thermidor: :wookie:
:dehumanize:

:pirate::hf::tinfoil:

Shooting Blanks posted:

This one sucks for me - more often than not, I have recruiters flat out ask me for W-2s from previous years. Obviously I don't want to give them those, how do you dodge that? I can give hard numbers on what I expect, but sending a W-2 is literally taking the ammo out of my gun if I'm going for a position I expect to pay considerably better. Ideas?

You can say it is confidential. If they don't let you sidestep and are demanding a W2 or else pound sand, they are probably going to be lovely to work for. It's a dick move to ask for a W2, and they probably know it.

DPM
Feb 23, 2015

TAKE ME HOME
I'LL CHECK YA BUM FOR GRUBS

Shooting Blanks posted:

This one sucks for me - more often than not, I have recruiters flat out ask me for W-2s from previous years. Obviously I don't want to give them those, how do you dodge that? I can give hard numbers on what I expect, but sending a W-2 is literally taking the ammo out of my gun if I'm going for a position I expect to pay considerably better. Ideas?

I'm only an ausgoon so I can't give specific personal advice on this space. What I will say is this - if a prospective employer asked me to provide proof of salary at my current/previous role I would mostly nope the gently caress out.

Based on some quick Internet research, I can tell you that it seems to be legal for a prospective employer to ask for this w2 form. If they did, and you weren't getting obviously seedy vibes, I would double down on qualifying why they want that information and what they want to use it for:

"This position was advertised as $x/pa. Is there anything in my work history which makes you believe I'm worth less than that amount?" etc. Hope that helps?

bEatmstrJ posted:

Also, I'd hire you.

Haha! Thanks. Would you sponsor me and pay my movement costs to get to the us? Would seriously consider it if so

bEatmstrJ
Jun 30, 2004

Look upon my bathroom joists, ye females, and despair.

DumbparameciuM posted:


Haha! Thanks. Would you sponsor me and pay my movement costs to get to the us? Would seriously consider it if so

If I had my own business, maybe. Surely there is some US based organization that would love to have you work here.

Xguard86
Nov 22, 2004

"You don't understand his pain. Everywhere he goes he sees women working, wearing pants, speaking in gatherings, voting. Surely they will burn in the white hot flames of Hell"

taqueso posted:

You can say it is confidential. If they don't let you sidestep and are demanding a W2 or else pound sand, they are probably going to be lovely to work for. It's a dick move to ask for a W2, and they probably know it.

Didn't someone earlier say something like "I'll happily hand it over once we've agreed and signed an offer letter". Seemed like another good option

lord1234
Oct 1, 2008
Anyone interview for an SE role at Google? I'd love to hear what the interview process is like.

SquirrelGrip
Jul 4, 2012
im interviewing sales reps today. give me questions to throw at them

havent heard a peep
May 29, 2003

When Steve Jobs died it wasn't the first job I'd lost that week.
i started training for the best circuit in the best sales centric company i've ever been involved with this week. i'd like to lend a hand partially to undo all of the yospos cjs poo poo i've read over the last few years. how can i help?

havent heard a peep
May 29, 2003

When Steve Jobs died it wasn't the first job I'd lost that week.

lord1234 posted:

Anyone interview for an SE role at Google? I'd love to hear what the interview process is like.

if we paid you "X" (the lowest you will offer) can you layout the three things you would spend it on over your first year leading from the biggest chunk and down.

EDIT: from my first few days of training it's easy poo poo like this that fleshes out people that will strive to please the most.

JackDarko
Sep 30, 2009

"Amala, I've got a chainsaw on my arm. I'll be fine."
I have an interview with a SAAS company in Santa Monica for an SDR role. For the interview I need to prepare a slide with two customers I would prospect if working for them, and who I would contact at that those companies. Is this a legit interview? It seems they may be attempting to get some free consultation work. I obtained this interview through a SAAS Sales Recruiter I connected with on Linkedin.

lord1234
Oct 1, 2008

havent heard a peep posted:

if we paid you "X" (the lowest you will offer) can you layout the three things you would spend it on over your first year leading from the biggest chunk and down.

EDIT: from my first few days of training it's easy poo poo like this that fleshes out people that will strive to please the most.

So the standard answer of Housing, Food and Transportation to/from work probably doesn't fly here? What's the correct answer?

Lyon
Apr 17, 2003

JackDarko posted:

I have an interview with a SAAS company in Santa Monica for an SDR role. For the interview I need to prepare a slide with two customers I would prospect if working for them, and who I would contact at that those companies. Is this a legit interview? It seems they may be attempting to get some free consultation work. I obtained this interview through a SAAS Sales Recruiter I connected with on Linkedin.

It seems like a variation of a case study style interview. Hopefully they know their target audience (if they don't, run) and they are testing you to see if you can identify the right types of companies and the right types of contacts at those companies. At my company it would be pretty simple, we sell laboratory software so if I had been asked that I would be say something like, "I would target X, Y, and Z pharmaceutical companies and I would be looking to engage with their laboratory manager(s) and director(s)/VP(s) of quality."

bEatmstrJ
Jun 30, 2004

Look upon my bathroom joists, ye females, and despair.

lord1234 posted:

Anyone interview for an SE role at Google? I'd love to hear what the interview process is like.

I just applied for an SE position at Google, but haven't heard back yet. I'm not really looking for a job, but it's Google, so gently caress it.

JackDarko
Sep 30, 2009

"Amala, I've got a chainsaw on my arm. I'll be fine."

Lyon posted:

It seems like a variation of a case study style interview. Hopefully they know their target audience (if they don't, run) and they are testing you to see if you can identify the right types of companies and the right types of contacts at those companies. At my company it would be pretty simple, we sell laboratory software so if I had been asked that I would be say something like, "I would target X, Y, and Z pharmaceutical companies and I would be looking to engage with their laboratory manager(s) and director(s)/VP(s) of quality."

Thank you sir, I have no idea what to expect and after doing some research I can only find information about their London Office but they are established so they definitely know their target audience. The Recruiter is making sure I even get an interview on the weekend which is nice. I'm cautiously nervous and optimistic, my favorite part of my current job is when I'm on the phone performing discovery on customers and addressing their needs with our products. I think this role is really going to be a good fit.

Shooting Blanks
Jun 6, 2007

Real bullets mess up how cool this thing looks.

-Blade



JackDarko posted:

Thank you sir, I have no idea what to expect and after doing some research I can only find information about their London Office but they are established so they definitely know their target audience. The Recruiter is making sure I even get an interview on the weekend which is nice. I'm cautiously nervous and optimistic, my favorite part of my current job is when I'm on the phone performing discovery on customers and addressing their needs with our products. I think this role is really going to be a good fit.

I can't tell if this post is a joke.

Beefeater1980
Sep 12, 2008

My God, it's full of Horatios!






I started doing solutions sales last year after being a lawyer for years. Closed a few small deals but was way behind target as we're opening a new market.

Just closed my first really big deal ($1m+), largest in our region for this year.

Feeling pretty amazing. Partly it's the deal and partly the vindication / relief of knowing for certain that I can close.

Jordan7hm
Feb 17, 2011




Lipstick Apathy
Congrats! Pretty sure there's nothing better at work than closing a big deal or having a big day.

I've been out of sales for several years, and I don't miss the lows, but goddamn do I miss the highs that sales provide.

JackDarko
Sep 30, 2009

"Amala, I've got a chainsaw on my arm. I'll be fine."

Shooting Blanks posted:

I can't tell if this post is a joke.

Not a joke, I was being genuine. If something about that post comes off as naive or insincere please let me know. Looking at your post history you've definitely been in sales longer than I have. I'd love to learn from your insight.

Alfalfa
Apr 24, 2003

Superman Don't Need No Seat Belt
Every BNI Group in my area is flooded already with people in my profession. Are there any other similar groups like BNI that are worth checking out?

KaiserKarl
Dec 31, 2006

SquirrelGrip posted:

im interviewing sales reps today. give me questions to throw at them

What question are you trying to answer? Paramount to me when hiring is; how is this person going to quickly and consistently hit and hopefully exceed plan?

One of the most insightful questions that I've been able to pose is; "what will you do in your first 90 days to be successful here?"

Don't think it's one you have to spring on them either. Giving candidates time to asses, plan, and refine shows me how much ingenuity, integrity, clarity, sophistication and urgency they can bring to bear with a customer given the opportunity. The elements in their response have provided great opportunities for follow questions that easily further qualify their expertise, skills, and drive.

KaiserKarl fucked around with this message at 03:20 on Oct 24, 2017

KaiserKarl
Dec 31, 2006

Beefeater1980 posted:

I started doing solutions sales last year after being a lawyer for years. Closed a few small deals but was way behind target as we're opening a new market.

Just closed my first really big deal ($1m+), largest in our region for this year.

Feeling pretty amazing. Partly it's the deal and partly the vindication / relief of knowing for certain that I can close.

Congrats! Software or Services? The seven figure line is a great feeling. A couple more like that and you'll be making NYC Sr. Associate money with half the headache...

Beefeater1980
Sep 12, 2008

My God, it's full of Horatios!






3/4 license 1/4 services, approx. And yeah, this is a way less stressful way to make a living (having previously been a sr assoc on NYC rates for a US firm here in HK).

oliveoil
Apr 22, 2016
Hi, folks! What's the most impressive thing you've seen or done that helped you get a great job in sales in a major city like NYC or San Francisco? My brother is wondering what to emphasize on his resume when he basically has nothing to show.

baquerd
Jul 2, 2007

by FactsAreUseless
Sales training video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r4NlB4JQ8g

Jordan7hm
Feb 17, 2011




Lipstick Apathy

Jim's a killer.

"Nice to meet you, can I come over and talk to you about life insurance soon?"

KaiserKarl
Dec 31, 2006

oliveoil posted:

Hi, folks! What's the most impressive thing you've seen or done that helped you get a great job in sales in a major city like NYC or San Francisco? My brother is wondering what to emphasize on his resume when he basically has nothing to show.

1. Use the right buzz words (i.e. "developed relationships with a diverse set of customers", "partnered with internal cross functional groups...", "salesforce exper ") Simple word choice helps highlight that someone who can build rapport with any personality, understands the value of collaboration, and holds themselves accountable with the right levels of activity.
2. KPI driven (how does activity breed results for your brother? does he understand the level of activity required to build a sales career with little track record? is he disciplined enough to understand and articulate a formula for success?)
3. Be moldable (emphasize a desire to learn and develop, show what's been done to make that happen. i.e. attend conferences on own time/dime, books, ted talks, whatever. If I'm hiring a fresh-faced rep I want to know that they're fully committed so that my investment is worthwhile).
4. Why is your brother going to be more successful than another hire in the role? More of a cover letter thing maybe, but if a candidate can clearly and concisely tell me why they want to work here and how they're going to be successful then I know they at least have the drive, creativity, and intelligence to make it. If I'm between candidates I ask for a 90 day plan presentation at second/third interview. If someone took the time to do this upfront and put care and thought in to it they would be a clear cut finalist.

I. M. Gei
Jun 26, 2005

CHIEFS

BITCH



Hi... umm, I just got a job selling cars. And I’ve never sold cars before in my life.

I only started the job a few days ago, but I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to be doing; my “training” so far has mostly consisted of me sitting at a computer reading the manufacturer websites, except I don’t really know what I’m supposed to be looking for. My boss said I need to know what-all features come with the cars? He also wants me to spend some of my first days getting acquainted with the dealership and where everything is. He hasn’t taught me any actual sales skills yet. Basically, I’m spending my first few days at this place doing nothing but staring at a computer and occasionally walking around the lot. For 10 hours a day.

Help me become a good salesman please.

Alfalfa
Apr 24, 2003

Superman Don't Need No Seat Belt

Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:

Hi... umm, I just got a job selling cars. And I’ve never sold cars before in my life.

I only started the job a few days ago, but I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to be doing; my “training” so far has mostly consisted of me sitting at a computer reading the manufacturer websites, except I don’t really know what I’m supposed to be looking for. My boss said I need to know what-all features come with the cars? He also wants me to spend some of my first days getting acquainted with the dealership and where everything is. He hasn’t taught me any actual sales skills yet. Basically, I’m spending my first few days at this place doing nothing but staring at a computer and occasionally walking around the lot. For 10 hours a day.

Help me become a good salesman please.

Congrats on either really having a lucrative job or a really horrible job.

I highly recommend checking out Reddit sales and search car sales. Tons of threads and pinned posts about car sales.

bird with big dick
Oct 21, 2015

Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:

Hi... umm, I just got a job selling cars. And I’ve never sold cars before in my life.

I only started the job a few days ago, but I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to be doing; my “training” so far has mostly consisted of me sitting at a computer reading the manufacturer websites, except I don’t really know what I’m supposed to be looking for. My boss said I need to know what-all features come with the cars? He also wants me to spend some of my first days getting acquainted with the dealership and where everything is. He hasn’t taught me any actual sales skills yet. Basically, I’m spending my first few days at this place doing nothing but staring at a computer and occasionally walking around the lot. For 10 hours a day.

Help me become a good salesman please.

My first car sales job they didn't give a single poo poo about whether I knew a single thing about cars, they just put me in a 3-5 day long class about selling.

Your dealership is probably preferable.

New cars or used cars or both? I'm guessing new (or both) based on the reading manu websites.

And that's really one of the places where you can add value, knowing your products (and the competitors). Many, many, many car salespeople know jack poo poo about cars. I bought an F-150 this year and the sales guy (who was old and had been doing it a long time) told me all kinds of poo poo that was just flat out wrong. Like just off the top of my head he told me 1. that a truck that didn't have the 360 cameras did have it, 2. that Tundras have a locking rear diff, and 3. that F-150s don't have LED headlights as an option. You need to know the competitors (if you're selling new) but you don't want to make it seem like you're talking poo poo about them. E.g. "yeah that's a nice car but it didn't do that well on the offset crash test if I recall correctly" never "yeah that cars an unsafe piece of poo poo."

Most customers also know jack poo poo about cars, so finding out what things are important to them and steering them in the right direction is both good for you and good for them. And it also determines what you should say when you're telling them about the cars. You don't want to spend 5 minutes talking about horsepower to someone that only cares about gas mileage and you don't want to spend 5 minutes talking about the legroom in the third row seat to someone that is just gonna yank the seat out so they can let their three dobermans hump back there while they're driving to the dog park. You don't wanna walk up to someone and stick your hand out and say "My name's Frank, what are the three most important things to you in an automobile" but you should be able to find a way to essentially ask just that as rapidly as possible. What car they stopped by should be a pretty good clue about at least one or two things they may be interested in so just ask about one of those and then say "what else is important?" or similar.

There's all kinds of little tricks that range from "eh, that's just being a good sales person" to "uh, that's pretty gross." You can probably learn every one of them on Reddit or by googling "how to be a typical car salesman" or something. But the stuff the I liked was:

1. There's a million different sales "techniques" that are mostly just being personable. Look people in the eye. Be confident. Be friendly. Be happy. Try and get them talking, if you're doing all the talking it ain't good. Try and get their name immediately but don't have your fuckin notepad out writing it down while you're doing it.
2. Don't be afraid to ask for the sale. Or even assume the sale. When the manager gives you the sheet with the magic numbers there's nothing wrong with going back to the customers and saying "here we go, the car is X, your trade is Y, the difference is Z, and the payment will be around, uh, A. All you gotta do is sign here." Then just sit there and see how they respond.
3. Take a shitload of ups. Nobody cares that much if the new guy is taking a lot of ups. They'll still probably talk poo poo about it but they only really care if you're still doing it 3-6 months in and beyond. Some dealers have systems for ups I guess though, and don't violate those obviously.
4. Follow up. And I'm talking after a sale, not calling the people that didn't buy every day for 6 months. Just call em (or if you mostly corresponded via text, text em. or both). Ask em how the car is, make a little chit chat, and then right before they hang up make sure to tell them if they know someone that's looking, to tell them to come in and ask for you by name. You don't want it to seem like the only reason you're calling is for a referral, but you want referrals.

Stuff that I learned that I didn't like as much:
1. Pretending that Thing X is something that your car has but others don't when it isn't even remotely true. E.g. side impact beams. I think literally every car (sold in the US) has fuckin side impact beams and has for over a decade.
2. Trying to cram a customer into finance when it's obvious they're not remotely close to buying a car that instant. This isn't that common but it's possible to shuffle someone off to the finance guy when they really shouldn't be. It probably does statistically result in 0.3% more car sales but I don't think it's worth it.
3. Asking for peoples credit info the second you sit down in your cubicle. Yeah, you're gonna waste some extra time trying to sell a new 50k dollar truck to people with -400 credit scores. Tough poo poo, that's your job. And it just annoys people that aren't credit gently caress ups. If your boss flat out says you gotta ask, then ask I guess, but I think it's dumb. Asking for their address and phone number is fine (and if they won't give you that then most of the time you got zero shot), asking for their social security number and gross income isn't.
4. Follow up. Before the sale. Don't call people every fuckin day unless you know they're buying immediately. Doing it for 2 to 4 days because you know they need a car right now because theirs got totalled is one thing but doing it for 6 weeks because the computer and your boss says you're supposed to is another.
5. Don't push selling the car on payment unless they say they only care about the payment. This probably worked a lot better in the 80s or some poo poo but practically everyone knows its a typical sleazy trick now so it's just gonna piss a lot of people off.

Alfalfa
Apr 24, 2003

Superman Don't Need No Seat Belt
Anyone in here do recruiting?

I've been thinking of moving into that industry and it seems like most people are shady and super scammy so I would really like some feedback on the industry before looking into it further.

General Probe
Dec 28, 2004
Has this been done before?
Soiled Meat
My wife does IT recruiting for a large recruiting company and is pretty successful at it, I can grill her for you if you'd like.

E: We also both really enjoyed your workout routine/thread from W&W.

General Probe fucked around with this message at 01:06 on Mar 9, 2018

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Alfalfa
Apr 24, 2003

Superman Don't Need No Seat Belt

General Probe posted:

My wife does IT recruiting and is pretty successful at it, I can grill her for you if you'd like.

E: We also both really enjoyed your workout routine/thread from W&W.

That would be great and glad my workouts and info helped out.

Alfalfa fucked around with this message at 14:35 on Mar 9, 2018

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