"I'm a good salesman, it's kinda of obvious." It seems common to think that the experience and the lines on your résumé will be enough to get a new position. Be careful, I do not say of course that the recruiter does not take it into account. But beyond the résumé, this is what comes up from the various exchanges of the recruitment process. You can not pretend being a good salesman if you do not know how to sell yourself, don't you agree ! Here are 3 things to do, 3 things to avoid!
TO DO
Be good looking
During an interview, the form and the contentl will be equal. This rule is even more true for salespeople. Being clear, concise, but also being dynamic and convincing is essential. Difficult without these ingredients to believe that the candidate will succeed in negotiations.
The content must be structured. Everything else should be avoided but the originality can be useful: no secret, we tend more to remember someone funny or original. An example ? A candidate explained to me the organization of a supermarket using the turret and the goblet placed on the table that separated us. Conclusion? He has demonstrated his creativity, his willingness to deliver a message and his ability to make the audience understand it. And all this without even saying it.
Mastering your data
Sectors, products, markets, customers, competition, positioning ... These data help to define the environment in which the candidate has evolved. What size of client portfolio? Are these major accounts? Do they have one or more industries in common or a particular geographic area? What was the offer ? How does it compete with its market? Is it carried by a third party? The answers to these different questions are important to justify.
Once the context is well exposed, it is time to get to the heart of the matter: the numbers! A salesperson has to control them at the fingertips. Having good memory can help but if the fiscal year of 99 escapes him, tolerance granted subject to good humor in the recruiter. It is a question of giving visibility on its KPIs, the objectives associated with each one and the results that have resulted from it. Needless to say that tolerance will be zero this time in case of lie.
Know yourself
It is more difficult than it seems, because it requires self-analysis, a salesperson must know who he is. This is going beyond the question of whether or not to respond to the stereotype of the commercial shark. The question is, what part of the sale am I comfortable with? Rather a hunter or breeder ? At ease on complex and / or long sale? Taste for transactional or advisory sale? etc.
It is necessary to justify qualities in line with this one. For example, being a good hunter often requires qualities such as relational, tenacity, proactivity, sometimes even creativity or humor. Although it is possible to be as good on hunting as on breeding (simple question of preference of the blow), a good breeder will often present qualities like listening, the capacity to create and Maintain linkage, organization and sense of priorities.
NOT TO DO
Oversell
Authenticity and humility are essential because they make it possible to get an overview of candidates qualities and faults. If showing its faults during the interview may seem absurd to you, it can however sometimes be good for you showing your human part. For example, I tend to be in a hurry and may occasionally suffer from a lack of patience. If the recruiter has a solution with a short sales cycle and rarely works with customers with a long decision time (such as the public sector), An impatient person can be appreciated. Being aware of its faults, and not afraid to talk about them, while skilfully mentioning them, can help both the candidate and the recruiter to move forward.
Only talk about yourself
The recruiter must not be the only one person to be considered in the interview. Talking about the accomplishment of its teams is always a good sign. Pre-sales, customer success, project managers, marketing, communication, finance, etc. Are all stakeholders that help with business development. An example of a signed contract as a team? Even better !
Close to its sector
And all this without forgetting the king ... I named, unsurprisingly, the customer! To emphasize that the interest of such a customer on a certain technology has contributed to your success will not remove the flavor of it. On the contrary, this will demonstrate that you have been clever enough to target the right accounts at the right time.
"Last but not least", pay interest to other sectors. Passion or interest must not result in mind closure. Learn about other sectors, on the competitors, will give you more opportunities. We know that in the digital world, things tend to move quickly. It is better to be interested today in what will become of our world of tomorrow, simply to be ready!
