Sales Skills: How to Win at Interviews and Get Job Offers Mini-Series, part 3
Mia Veljanovska
Account Executive @ Hunch | helping e-com brands improve Meta ads with DCO & campaign automation ?? | request a demo with me ??
6 Hacks To Instantly Improve Your Sales Skills Before a Job Interview
When it comes to job interviews, the usual advice is that you need soft skills to be able to present yourself well.?
But if you google “soft skills” you'll see that there is an ocean of information that covers aspects from body language, eye contact, firm handshakes, smiling while talking, to the actual words you say and how you say them.?
So, soft skills are a combination of speaking skills, body language, tonality, charisma, NLP, and much more.?
And, all of these are based on psychology.
So why not just study psychology, right?
Now here’s the problem, studying psychology is a wonderful thing that you should do in life, but it can take decades and simply isn’t a feasible route to go just to be able to make conversation. You don’t really need a Ph.D. in psychology to understand how to talk to people.
What you need are straight-up sales skills.
Luckily some people have already done all the work and then wrote books for us to read. Yay!
Selling is applied psychology
Sales, as a skill, gives you the shortcuts that you need to cut through the noise and say exactly what you need to say to get from point A (the beginning of the sale) to point B (the closing of the sale).
A sales strategy can help you navigate through the conversation and steer it in the direction that you want it to go.
If you have a good selling strategy, you will be able to juggle several things simultaneously:
Now, this probably sounds like a fairytale. A beautiful one, but seemingly unattainable, though I assure you it can be a reality for you very quickly.?
All you need is a book on sales. Literally, any book on sales would do. Read one, realize the power of selling, and unleash your inner salesperson.?
Selling a product or service to a customer is the same as selling your services to a potential employer.?
Both pay you, right? So you need to give them a reason why they should (pay you).
?? To be able to sell, first, you need to:?
?? Know what your desired outcome is out of the interaction with the other person
?? Know what you are selling (what you have to offer)
?? Find out what the other person wants/needs/has a problem with
?? Customize your offer to the thing they want, and present it as a tailor-made solution for their exact need/problem
?? Ask for the sale
The great thing about selling is that, once you know how to steer the conversation, you no longer feel lost.??
There's no need to overthink the little things like when to smile or how much eye contact to make. They start to come naturally once you take control of the conversation.?
By focusing on the end goal, aka closing the deal, everything else falls into place automatically. On top of that, you get an instant boost of confidence from knowing what you need to say, when, and how to say it.
Here’s how to plan your sales conversations.
#1 Think of it as a conversation, not an interrogation
If you don't ask questions, you turn the interview into an interrogation, because they have nothing else left to do but to keep asking and asking. It will feel like endless torture for everyone.
But, if you too ask questions, you turn the tables around and put them on the spot for them to start selling to you about how great the company is. Get them to invest themselves in the conversation as much as you are.
If you notice that they are trying hard to sell you on how good the company is, it's a sign that they are interested in having you on their team.
?
#2 Imagine the perfect scenario
A big mistake would be to imagine the most challenging scenario of how (hard) it can go because that will definitely discourage you. Instead, imagine the most ideal one, and work from there.
What I mean by this is, imagine how you would like the conversation to go. That's your straight line, the shortest distance between A and B. Check out Jordan Belfort's Straight Line Persuasion System for more on this.
When you are actually speaking with your prospect, whenever the conversation steers away from that straight line, you gently steer it back onto your desired trajectory. Don’t let it stray too far from the straight line.
In this step just look at the frame of the convo. Don't go into too many details just yet.
The perfect scenario should look something like this:
?? First, you walk in, greet the interviewers, have some small talk to show you are relaxed and ready to talk business.?
?? Next, the interview starts, they ask you a few questions about yourself, and you answer them.
?? Then, you ask a few questions about the company, the team, etc and they answer them.
?? In the end, they express how happy they are with everything they've heard, and offer you the job on the spot.?
That is the most ideal scenario, which means this is your straight line. All the other scenarios are not the "straight line". Not that they are negative ones, they are simply not the most ideal.
We will address those less ideal scenarios a little later.
Always start by determining your ideal scenario and then try to recreate it in reality.?
#3 Visualize the conversation?
The next step would be to visualize the whole conversation from start to finish as if you are being interviewed.?
In this step, go deep into the nitty-gritty of it.?
Imagine being asked the first question, which usually is - tell us a little about yourself - or a variation of it, and go from there.
Then craft your answer.?Then go to the next logical question that you feel would come next.
Don't overthink it. Just think about what question you would ask a person if you were interviewing them, based on their previous answer.
You'd probably ask about their work experience, achievements, career goals, specific situations at work or from their personal life when they had to think on their feet, etc.?
Answer them one by one, as they pop up in your brain, as a natural progression.?
Even though at the real interview the questions may follow a different order, or you may get an unexpected question from time to time, still, in general, the questions that they would ask you have one goal, to learn more about you as a professional as well as a person and to see if you would fit well with the rest of the team.
?? Stop stressing over tricky questions such as - what are your weaknesses. This question is outdated and it is rarely being asked. But do make sure to craft an answer for it just in case, and don't try to make it perfect. Answer it casually, don't give it too much power.??
I intend to address this question in more detail in a future article. Let me know if you would be interested in that.
?? In sales, when we get a tricky question that doesn't serve any purpose other than to push us into a corner, we usually downplay it and answer it casually, with a no big deal kind of a tone.?
The weaknesses question is that type of question.
Most people would start to sweat when asked this question as if they have some terrible secret. So by not sweating over it, you immediately stand out from the rest of the candidates and look like you have nothing to hide.
The thing is, we all have weaknesses, we are not perfect, we are just human, and we try to be stronger every day.?
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#4 Prepare qualifying questions
The mistake people make is not asking any questions and then trying to sell what they think the other person wants, without knowing what they actually want.
Qualifying questions are a type of questions that you ask to find out 2 things:
??? whether they qualify for your services
??? if they are the type of company that you want to work for
We are not talking about asking random questions here. These questions need to be strategically spread throughout the whole conversation and asked at the right times.
When you ask questions and get the other person to talk about themselves, they will tell you what they want to hear you say, between the lines.?
Your job here is to listen carefully and look for selling points and how you can use that info to tie it into your offer.
They might use some keywords that you can use later when you talk about yourself.?
If you pay attention, you can find out a lot about the company culture, what type of people they want on their team and what they expect from their employees, and then customize your sales pitch as you go.
Selling is all about gathering intel and adjusting your pitch accordingly, to be able to say what they want to hear, the way they want to hear it.
And no, this is not lying. You are simply speaking “their language” which further signals “this is the right person for the job."
Please do this only if you truly believe that you can fulfill the role.
#5 Handle objections
As the conversation progresses and you get closer to the finish line, the interviewer may throw in a few tricky questions to see if you can think on your feet.?
These are the types of things salespeople get in 99.9% of their sales calls.?
They are called objections. Objections are not meant to push you away.?
If the person has an objection, they probably just want you to give them a satisfactory answer that will overcome that objection for them, and reassure them that you are the person that can solve their problem.
? Never confront an objection directly.
?? Here are 3 great ways to handle an objection:
?? Say that you understand their concern, and then turn it around by saying something like “however” and then give a reason why this should not be a concern at all because you have the solution for it. Explain what your solution is or how you would handle a situation like that.?
?? Acknowledge the objection and then ask a question, in a way that you need further clarification or additional information to be able to answer their question. Once they give you more info, do step 1. This helps to lower their guard and be more willing to listen.
This way you can steer the conversation away from that objection and then address the problem but from a different angle and on your terms.?
Doing this opens up new possibilities that you may not have had before when you were put on the spot and your only option was either to defend your stance or confront the prospect and lose them.
You can basically reframe, go around, and crush any objection.?
You could say “I understand where you are coming from, but, let me ask you a quick question...(insert question)” and deal with virtually any objection.?
Sometimes there is concern behind the concern so you need to dig a little deeper to find out what the real reason is, not address the smokescreen.
Ask them questions to uncover the real reason, and when they answer, you address it and then resell them on the idea that you have the solution to their problem.?
Then get back to the straight line and continue the conversation in the direction where you want it to go.
Essentially, any objection is a golden opportunity to get you closer to getting the sale because it allows you to throw some more selling points their way and sell yourself as the best candidate for the job.
The more they tell you about their concerns, the better you can handle them.?
?? Another way to handle an objection is to anticipate it before it is thrown at you and answer it in advance.
If you have a gap in your employment, for example, don't wait for them to bring it up.?
Casually mention it while answering other questions and give your reasons why it occurred and then continue talking about something else.
That way you've answered their question without them having to put you on the spot or question you further. You show that you have nothing to hide and that minor bump in the road is a no big deal. It also shows that you take ownership of your actions.?
Whenever possible, make the gap in your employment look like it was by choice and not a result of unfortunate circumstances.
? To reiterate, never disagree with a prospect, especially not when they give you an objection, otherwise, you’ll lose them right then and there.?
?? Agree with them or show them that you acknowledge and understand what they are saying and then proceed with your explanation.
#6 Close the deal
?? At the end of the conversation, don't forget to ask when you could expect to hear back from them.?
?? Express your interest in this particular company but also trigger their FOMO by letting them know that you are interviewing with a few other companies and if you do get another offer in the meantime, you may not be able to decline it.
This removes the awkwardness of sending a follow-up email. In sales, follow-up is crucial, but not as much with job interviews.?
There are cases where a follow-up email would work great after a job interview, but the fact that you have to remind someone to give you an answer about employing you doesn't look like a good sign, at least not to me. On the other hand, if you have a good follow-up strategy that works for you, by all means, go for it.?
I, personally, prefer to address the matter on the spot.
If you’ve done a good job selling so far, asking them when you can expect an answer seems like a natural next step. It also sends a message that you are not someone that would wait forever.
? Looking needy at the very last moment can wipe out all the great selling you just did.
This is your chance to close the deal.
If a company is interested in you, they won’t wait too long to give you an offer. They know that great people are not easy to find and they won’t leave it to chance for another company to snatch you.?
Keep in mind that interviews are not contests. People won’t wait till the end to see who wins. Companies need talent ASAP, and they don't like to waste time because time is money.
So, close that deal then and there.?
In conclusion
? Build and use your sales skills to win at interviews.
? Interviews are conversations, not interrogations.
? Start by imagining the perfect scenario and then go from there.
? Visualize the whole conversation from start to finish by anticipating what questions would come naturally one after another, and craft your answers along the way.
? Ask qualifying questions to find out more about the company culture, goals, teams, processes, and anything that can give you useful information to make the sale, as well as to get the interviewers to be invested in the conversation as much as you are.
? Handle objections by either anticipating them and answering them in advance, or by acknowledging them, reframing them, and answering them on your own terms.
? Close the deal by asking a closing question at the end to find out where you stand, such as - when could I expect to get an answer.?Express your interest in this particular company but also trigger their FOMO by letting them know that you are interviewing with other companies.
?What strategies do you use when you are interviewing for a job? Let me know below!?
Check out part 1 ?? (Resume) and part 2 ?? (Cover Letter) of this mini series.
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Senior Sales Manager PACKAGE.AI | LLB | Delivering what was once deemed impossible
2 年How very well written and summarized Mia! I was just watching Belfort’s Straight Line and why is it important to remain within boundaries of The Straight Line and have control. I wasn’t even thinking of how applicable that is to a job interview for example. Amazing perspective, you nailed it.