How to Conduct a Sales Interview

All sales managers must learn how to conduct a sales interview. A properly conducted sales interview ensures that whoever you choose for the job will be able to fulfill all of your requirements and bring in many sales for your company. All too often, a manager hires the wrong people simply because she failed to conduct the sales interview appropriately. Follow these step-by-step instructions on how to conduct a sales interview in order to find the person who's absolutely the best fit for your open sales position.

Instructions

1. Define the skills and abilities the ideal employee for the position should have. Knowing exactly what the employee will need to do will make it easier to decide which applicant is right for the job.

2. Prepare for the interview. Review the applicant's resume, cover letter and any other information thoroughly. Look for anything that really stands out, positive or negative. Make notes about questions you could ask the applicant about these points. Plan out the interview in advance to ensure that you get as much important information from the applicant as possible. Focus on the essential skills and abilities for the open sales position.

3. Ask open-ended questions---that is, questions that the applicant can't answer with a simple "yes" or "no." Your questions should give the applicant an opportunity to speak at length, so you can observe his communication skills. Ask about his education, strengths and weaknesses, and previous work experience, particularly in sales and selling.

4. Take notes during the interview. It's easy to forget details later, so jot down notes to ensure that you don't lose important details. You may find it beneficial to prepare some sort of grading sheet or rubric before the interview, covering the key information you need. That way, you can glance at the rubric afterwards to see how well the applicant did responding to each question. This also makes it easier to compare applicants later.

5. Try asking situational questions. For example, you could ask "What would you say to an old client who wanted to try a new company?" You can even do a bit of role-playing; for instance, you could play the old client, allowing you to see the applicant's ability to sell in action. Or you could role-play as a resistant customer to see how the applicant responds to sales resistance.

6. Look for specific traits necessary for a successful career in sales. These include being a hard worker, having perseverance and determination, and being motivated to succeed. In order to successfully close sales on a regular basis, the applicant will need to demonstrate all of these traits on a regular basis. Therefore, you should ask the applicant to demonstrate these traits in the sales interview.

7. Listen to your instincts. Reviewing specific information and details in the interview is important. But so is listening to your inner voice or "gut feeling" as to whether the applicant will or won't be a good fit for your company and the open sales position. It isn't wise to base your decision entirely on instinct; however, the subconscious sometimes picks up on things the conscious mind misses. You should definitely take your instincts during the sales interview into consideration when you make your final decision.

Tips & Warnings

• Probing questions such as, "Tell me more about that..." or "What happened after that?" can help you get more detailed and specific information from the applicant.

• Beware of bringing a preconceived notion of the applicant into the interview. Although a resume and cover letter can give you a lot of information, talking to the applicant is the best way to determine whether or not he's a good fit for the position. Keep an open mind during the interview.

References

• How to Conduct an Effective Employee Interview
• How to Conduct an In-depth Interiew

Resources

• SellingPower.com