When the sales applicant was asked, “Why do you think you’d be good in sales?” he didn’t hesitate.

“Because I like to talk.”

Guess he’s still looking for his first sales job. Don’t know how many sales interviews I’ve sat in on and that’s what an applicant has said.

Another too common response: “Because I like people.” But one of my favorites is when a lady told me the reason she’d be a good real estate salesperson was because she liked to look at people’s homes.

I’m not saying their answers are wrong, but I know they never got that second interview. In sales, we have to know how to interview because every sales call we make is an interview. How we do determines if we’re invited back or not.

Music to a sales manager’s ears

I’m apolitical. But when Bill Clinton was asked in an interview why he thought his wife would be a good president, he had a reply salespeople should give.

“She listens to the problem,” the former president said, “she comes up with a plan – and then she delivers.”

How many business owners and sales managers wish they had a team of salespeople who would do the same? Listen. Identify the problem. Develop a plan. Deliver.

If I were interviewing for a new salesperson I’d throw out a real problem every company has and listen to the response.

“We need new customers. What’s your plan for finding them?” His second interview rides on his response.

A sales manager in Irvine, California, said that when he runs a newspaper ad for a new salesperson, he gives the candidates a number to call for an appointment. When applicants call that number they hear this voicemail message. “Thanks for calling. After hearing the rest of this message, I want you to hang up, get yourself together, and then call back and leave me a 30-second message of why I should invite you in for an interview.”

The California sales manager has eliminated countless salespeople wannabe’s while stocking his sales staff with excellent salespeople who know what sales is about.

A man with a plan

If I’ve identified the problem to the experienced sales applicant that we need new customers, and he gives me his plan for finding them, I’d ask for proof that he’s used his plan in his previous job. If the applicant is a rookie to sales, and I saw potential, I would give him a plan and then monitor his actions for the next three months to see if he can deliver.

If a sales manager asked me why I’d be a good salesperson for her company and why I should be invited back for a second interview, I’d reply something like this.

“I know you need to find new customers. Here’s a referral plan I’ve worked for years with tremendous success. Here’s my cold calling schedule to find new leads and get my foot in the door. Here’s my proven plan to position myself to be the next salesperson my competitors’ customers call when they get ready to change vendors. And here are three creative techniques I’ve developed in solving problems for my customers. If you’re interested in me, I’m interested in you.”

Who would you rather interview? Someone with a plan? Or someone who likes to talk?
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© 2008 Jerry Hocutt, Hocutt & Associates, Inc.
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