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Just found this thread. Recently returned to being a salesgoon after doing IT project/QA stuff for the past five years. Now I'm selling new vehicles which is a big change from the products I've sold in the past. A lot of my new coworkers are amazed at why I would give up cushy govt work to do 11 days a fortnight at a car yard. But so far, I'm really excited to be in a retail environment again, especially for a product I'm already passionate about. It's a great environment as well. I have worked some completely scumfuck sales jobs before and expected the same/worse based off the popular perception of car salesmen. It's just not the case at my yard though. I dunno, maybe I lucked out, but even the guys you would expect to be hard nosed bastards are super supportive and very approachable. It's hard work but much more rewarding than pretty much any job I've had. Plus if I'm on target the money can be loving bananas. I've noticed that there have been a few questions in the thread about the recruitment process for sales jobs. I've done some sales recruitment in the past and would be happy to share some resources if anybody would be interested? I've got a set of (essentially SPIN based) questions you can ask as a candidate which closes pretty well. They're also good info gathering tools which may help you cut through interviewer bullshit and determine if the job will meet your expectations. Plus there are some basic interview questions that a lot of people seem to struggle with ("what's your biggest weakness?", that brand of bullshit) which you can turn into good closing opportunities if you're prepared. I've also got some "style guide" stuff for pitching yourself to sales managers to secure an interview which I have had a lot of success with. If any of that sounds interesting let me know, more than happy to share.
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May 10, 2017 00:58
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Impromptu Flip posted:Sure, I'd be interested in pretty much all of that. Not looking for a new gig at the moment but it never hurts to learn something new. JackDarko posted:I have an interview for an Account Executive role at an IPO in Santa Monica tomorrow. I'll definitely make sure to ask what the value proposition is. What are some other good questions to ask? Well, never been a better time to post this I guess. Here's a list of general info gathering questions you can use. I don't use all of them, a lot of them should get covered off by the employer during the course of the interview anyway. But as someone who recently jumped both-feet first and completely blindly into an 11 day a fortnight job, it never hurts to ask them even if they seem stupid. Just don't ask a question where the information has been plainly given during the interview/recruitment process. Questions to ask during a sales interview Qualifying Questions
Pre close questions:
Closer:
How Paramecium gets interviews for sales jobs (Good thing I'm a salesgoon because I am poo poo at titles) The Easy Path: AKA the entry level position. You should be able to secure an interview over phone or email without a huge expenditure of time or effort. The main thing is your pitch, obviously. Phone works best for this approach but it can work well over email too. The first thing you have to do is establish your Brags. This will form the basis of your pitch. Don't bullshit on these. There should be at least three reasons you can come up with for any job ad as to why you would be perfect for that role. Pulling a random entry level sales position off seek.com:  Pretty boilerplate entry level phone sales job. Lets say you're in the market for such a position and you have no previous phone sales related work history. Maybe you worked a waitstaff job, or did retail work or something. A basic set of three brags which should get your foot in the door: - Comfortable in customer-focused environments - I'm eager to start a sales career - I present well over the phone. Call the number associated with the ad. Once you get through to the company contact/hiring manager/recruiter: 1 - Introduce yourself 2 - Make sure they understand which job you're inquiring about. If you can, determine when interviews are being held 3 - "I think I'd be perfect for this role because..." - Hit them with the Brags. Don't qualify any of them at this stage, just fire them off ONE TWO THREE 4 - "I've got time available during [date when interviews were on]. Does [specific time in the morning] or [specific time in the afternoon] suit you better?" So an example of the above might sound like, if everything goes to plan: "Good Morning! My name is James Goonfellow and I'm very interested in the Event Client Management position you've currently got advertised. Are you the right person to speak to about that role?" (yes) "Fantastic! I just saw the advertisement, have I missed the opportunity to be interviewed for the role?" (No, we're doing interviews from Monday next week) "That's great to hear. I think I'd be perfect for this role because I'm eager to start a career in sales, I have a background in customer service roles, and I present well in person or over the phone. I've got some time available next Monday, can we schedule an interview?" (Sure) "I have some time free around 11AM or mid-afternoon, which would suit you better?" If they're not gagging for you by this point then your pitch or your brags sucked. This approach may seem weird, especially since they haven't seen your resume yet. I've spoken to hundreds of sales managers in my former life as a Sales Recruitment Consultant and I vouch for this approach. Even if you're looking at a more senior position requiring specific experience or whatever, you will at least get them excited to look at your resume even if you don't land the interview right away. I've seen people with pure gold on their resume who couldn't present for poo poo and had so much trouble finding work. Then I've called in for them using the above technique - the amount of times I heard "Bugger this other bloke, are you looking for work?" would make your head spin. The Adverse Path/"The Pivot": Lets say you've done Sales Rep work for a FMCG company. You're sick of selling booze to ski resorts, and you see the following ad pop up:  "Well, that looks like a great package but I don't have any experience in A&D sales, and I don't really have any professional contacts who are builders or architects. How will I ever enter the amazing and fast paced world of CONCRETE AND WATERPROOFING?!" Fret not, gentlegoon. All hope is not yet lost. As above, figure out what your three Brags are. You're obviously going to have to work a little harder before. In this example, think back to when you started in that FMCG role. Maybe you started there with no understanding of the market, and no contacts, but you worked LinkedIn hard and built a loyal base up quickly. Maybe you busted your arse to learn your product inside and out and got record sales in your second ever quarter. You're going to have to pitch broad on your general sales skills since you can't address specific points in the job ad. You're also going to have to do a small lead-in to your pitch - why are you making this career pivot? You've got to be authentic and to the point - two sentences max. "I want to move into Concrete and Waterproofing because I've always had a passion for the architectural industry. Honestly being a specifications representative would be a dream come true for me, and this looks like a great opportunity for both of us", something like that. Say it out loud to an empty room to make sure you don't sound like a Penis. Call the number associated with the job ad. If you go through to a recruiter, that's great. If you're speaking with the decision maker at the company, that's even better. The first thing you need to ascertain on the phone call is if they would be willing to train up/mentor the right candidate. If they are, lead with your precursory statement which should smoothly transition into your three brags. Then close with the interview, as above. Happy to go into more detail on any of that. I've spent like an hour and a half on this post and it's nearly midnight and I have a full on manflu so I have no idea if this poo poo is even helpful or good. I'll do another post on "Ways to answer trap questions without sounding like a complete deadshit" some other time if people found this content to be of any use whatsoever 
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Jul 6, 2017 14:36
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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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Jul 10, 2017 09:53
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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?
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Jul 11, 2017 13:13
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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
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Aug 4, 2017 11:59
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