The Interview

The Mindset

Salespeople are experts at interviewing and selling themselves. Managers often make it easier for the
salespeople they are interviewing by being warm and open. They make it easy for the interviewees to
bond and rapport. They also make it easy for the interviewers to tell the managers what they think the
managers “want to hear”. The managers, in turn, never get to see the “real” candidate or how they would
act under the kind of pressure that they would get in a normal sales call.

Managers and interviewers often try to sell their own company and the job that is open to the candidate.
They do that because they are pressured to fill the territory quickly or there are not many good salespeople
available. The mistakes that can be made because of this mindset can be costly! (Refer to the first page
in this file)

The Set-up

When interviewing, it is critical to NOT make it easy for the candidate. Maintain an aloof, business like
manner. Set up a slightly defensive barrier and do not make it comfortable for the candidate. In other
words, treat them like a prospect would treat them. You are looking to see if they have the ability to
establish a relationship quickly with you. You would like to see if they can break down the defensive
barrier. In essence, you want to see how they will react to the pressure a typical prospect gives them on a
typical sales call. This is their tryout.

You should set up an interview to approximate the conditions and pressures of a typical sales call for their
business. The length of the interview should be about the same time as a sales call (unless of course, the
typical sales call lasts 5 minutes). If the salesperson will be selling to an individual, the interview should
be with one person. If they will be selling to a committee, a committee should give the interview. If the
sales process requires multiple calls to multiple people, multiple interviews should be set up for multiple
interviewers.

The Questions

1)The candidate will be prepared to show and tell you how good they are. They will be prepared to listen
to contextual clues from you, and then tell you the information they think you want to hear (and you
probably do want to hear it). These questions, and the aloof mindset you will take, are designed to
interrupt their pattern, make them think and react to a pressure situation.
2)During the interview, watch their reaction to your questions and the situation. Sometimes the reaction
is more important than the answer.
a) Occasionally interrupt them and interject thoughts
b) Interrupt them and ask questions
c) Change the subject
d) Don’t you try to bond with them. Observe them trying to bond with you.
3)The following questions are designed to find out if the candidate has some of the crucial qualities
(strengths) described above. Watch to see how they react to the questions.
4)Start with an up-front contract. Look at the resume for about 10 seconds and then put it aside.

Thanks for coming in. During the next 30 minutes I’m going to try to get an idea of what you are
like and if you would be a good candidate for this job. I don’t necessarily trust resumes, so I’m
going to ask you a lot of questions. I’m going to want to hear all about your strengths and what
makes you good, but I’m also going to want to hear about your weaknesses and what you think
you could be better at. What you should not do is try to put a positive “spin” on some of your
weaknesses. Are you ready?

QUALITY QUESTIONS COMMENTS & STRATEGIES

Strengths Tell me a little about yourself. This is what they prepared for. Let them talk, but
What makes you good? Why? interrupt them with questions. Ultimately, don’t let
What are your strengths? them finish – go on to the next section.

Need for approval From a purely selfish The correct answer is Money, Performance, People.
perspective, how would you rate You want someone driven by money. If they say
the following things in people first, it is likely they have a need for
importance to you? approval and value relationships more than sales.
Money, People, Performance They might not be effective prospectors or good at
Why? confrontation. A red flag should go up.

Money How much money did you make Ask this question with no set-up at all. Ask it
Weaknesses / last year? Was that a good year abruptly and out of the clear blue sky. Do not
Excuse Making / or a bad year? If good, what soften it. You are looking for how they react to a
Responsibility made it good? If bad or average, discussion about money. If they are resistant, they
what made it bad or average? won’t be comfortable talking with the prospect
about money or their budget. They won’t be good
negotiators.
When they explain whether it was a good or bad
year and why, look for evidence of how they
control their environment. Do they proactively
develop business or do the react to market
conditions. Do they blame outside influences (bad
economy, poor products, etc.) or do they take
responsibility for poor performance?
Buy Cycle Tell me about the last big They won’t know how to answer these questions.
purchase you made? What was No one ever asked them these questions before.
it? How much did it cost? How Watch their reactions, it will tell you a lot about
long did it take you to buy it? their performance in front of a prospect.
Did you do much research? After you ask these questions, you will know what
What were the main criteria you they consider a lot of money (the larger the number
used to make the decision? the better), how they make decisions (the shorter
the time the better), what is important to them in
buying (if it is money, they will never be able to
sell something that is the highest price in the
marketplace), and if they are vulnerable to “thing it
overs” and hopeless proposals.

Prospecting How do you get clients now? You want to know if they generate their own leads
How many calls do you make and prospects, or if the company provides them.
per week? What is your success Check the numbers. If they don’t know the
rate? What is your closing answers or are evasive, to these questions, there is a
ratio? What is your average problem. If the activities they follow to generate
sale? What is your average appointments and sales combined with their closing
commission? Etc. ratio and average sale can’t possible produce the
income they said they generated a few questions
ago, you have a problem. It is not at all unusual to
find people stretching the truth at this point.

Prospecting How do you see yourself The best answers are anything that is self-generated
developing business for us? like cold calls, etc. The worst answers are anything
like following up on company-generated leads.
Weaknesses / Tell me about some of your Like you did in the money question, use a pattern
Trainable weaknesses (or some of the interrupt. Ask the question with no set-up at all. If
things you could do better. they can’t tell you about any weaknesses, they
probably are not self-analytical and may not strive
to get better. They may be comfort zone players.
They may not be trainable. If they try to put a
positive spin on the weakness, stop them and
remind them of the rules you set up earlier. They
can’t follow directions. If they tell you about a
legitimate weakness that they know they have to be
working on, that is good.

The Resume Look at the resume and pick a Watch for excuse making (in the failures question)
job to start with from as far back and look for their ability and willingness to take
in the past as you would like. risks and grow. Every time they left a job, was it
Ask the following questions. for a progressively better position? Did they take a
What were your responsibilities? risk? Were they successful? Did their income
What were your grow? Did they sell more?
accomplishments? What were References are usually worthless. By asking them
your failures? Why did you who they worked for and what that person would
leave? Who was your say, they don’t know if you are going to call them
supervisor? If I were to call or not. The answers you get to this question are
your supervisor, what would he remarkably candid.
tell me about you?
Ask these questions for each
succeeding job up to the present.

The Ending Do you have anything else to This is a big pressure question. See how they
say for yourself? handle it. It is good if they try to extend the
interview and tell you (sell you) more about
themselves. It is good if they ask you questions. It
is really good if they try to close you.