Create Interview Questions That Work!

Let’s face it, every sales person has a great CV, and they all interview well. But will that "sale" be the last they ever make?

There is a huge difference between those that can sell in theory, and those that actually will in practice. Those that say all the right things, and those that can actually execute the plan without excuses.

 “Sell me this pen!”. Do you remember that popular interview question from the eighties? Those of us that asked it, quickly discovered that answers to this question, and many others, failed to predict accurately whether the hopeful candidate would actually be able to sell.

 So what questioning strategies might work better?

1.    Cheat! Use targeted interview questions derived from a thorough skills and competencies assessment tool, such as the Devine Inventory. These enable the interviewer to probe essential competencies such as “Ambition and Drive”, “Positive outlook”, “self responsibility” and even “sales prospecting”. The report suggests questions to ask, quickly turning an amateur interviewer into a professional.

 2.    Collect a list of tough questions that work for you, based on the Skills, Experience, Attitudes, Results, Cognitive Skills and Habits you have defined for that role. Here are 7 from my top 40.

•  “Why do people buy, and how do they make decisions?”
• “What are some of your strategies for building trust, so that people will tell you the truth?”
• “Successful sales people are always getting referrals and regularly prospecting. I’m sure you keep a list of prospects to call. Would you mind making a couple of calls now while I listen in. Or, want to role play with me so I can hear your appointment getting phone call?”
• “Tell me about the prospecting plan you have developed for your job search?”
• “What questions do you ask a prospect on the phone in order to determine whether they qualify for a meeting?”
• “We have a culture of accountability. That means we’re going to have measurements of behaviours – linked in connect requests, personalized emails, prospecting phone calls, appointments set, and of course sales meetings etc. Accountability means that you’ll be reporting these behaviors on a weekly basis. What’s your opinion of, and past experience with, accountability?”

The interview is often a meeting between 2 needy parties. The candidate who needs a job, and the company that needs to hire.

Assessments and tests can avoid interviewing the wrong people. Tough questions can prevent hiring the wrong people.