Interview Tips for Sales Professionals

Updated: February 24, 2010

When I was interviewing for sales positions, I would prep for the interview with a memorized rehearsed speech. I wrote up four or five reasons why I was the best fit for the job I was seeking. This was my closing, if you will. When the interview was nearing the end, I would state "In case I missed anything, (i.e. said something stupid) I wanted to take an opportunity to explain why I believed I was the best candidate for the position". This rehearsed speech was delivered at the end of the interview to hopefully, overshadow some of the dumb things I said when I had to respond off the cuff. My goal was to leave the interview on a high note. I wanted to send a very positive message at the end of the interview. Hopefully, by doing so the recruiter would remember my rehearsed bullet points as opposed to my answer on what type of pizza topping I would be and why.

The bullet points should correlate directly with the qualifications for the job you are seeking. If they said they were looking for a "performance proven achiever," I would point out actual percentage of quota accomplishments in prior sales gigs. If they were looking for someone with HR software sales experience, I would point out the number of years of experience or actual sales numbers. The concept is pretty simple, take the qualifications for the job and show in your rehearsed speech exactly how you meet the qualifications. How many times after an interview have you said "Man, I wish I would have said this or that"? This rehearsed closing speech should make that question less of an issue and hopefully land you the job.