Treeline Tip: Building Rapport In Sales Interviews
“People buy from people they like.” We hear it time and time again. Sometimes it’s more important than what you’re actually selling. If you are able to find a potential client and build a strong rapport – that make the sales process all the more easier. Your client likes you, they trust you, they find value in your services and they feel comfortable in giving you their business. Building rapport and that certain level of trust will help you be more successful at sales.
At Treeline Inc, we talk a lot about the parallels between a sales cycle and the job search – there are a lot of similarities, but this one is hugely translatable: “People buy from people they like and people will HIRE people they like.” In the interview process, there is a lot to cover – dress the part, bring hard copies of the resume, polish your shoes, know your story, sing to your successes. But before you get to sit down in that conference room there is the simple act of introducing yourself to your interviewer. This is a crucial and often overlooked part of the interview process. Think about it, put yourself in the shoes of the interviewer – you are meeting a candidate who you are potentially going to bring into your office to be part of the team, he/she is going to work side by side for 8-12 hours/day, and become an integral part of the office culture. Whether you are meeting an HR Director or the VP of Sales, it is a pretty substantial part of the equation that they must like you.
When you are involved in an interview process you must successfully build rapport with every person you meet. You are charged with the responsibility to quickly connect and build a relationship based upon something that is not business related and it all starts with the 1st contact. Good energy, eye contact, smile, firm handshake and start asking questions, “How are you? Did you have a good weekend? Did you enjoy the sunshine yesterday?” I know these seem like pretty broad questions and they are “cookie cutter” but it is just the initial question(s) that will get you started. What you want to do is to get them talking about themselves – people enjoy talking about themselves which means that they will enjoy talking to you.
The main objective here is to have a conversation before the interview begins – this will establish the building blocks of the relationship. Take the time to build this rapport and you will find that you are no longer “Joseph Smith: Candidate”, but now you are Joe Smith who shares some of the same interests as the interviewer and someone who they like…and you have increased your chances to become someone they will hire.
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The How-To Guide To Recruiting Sales Professionals
Recruiting sales people can be tricky. Recruiting the right sales people is crucial. Remember they are the ones who drive revenue for your organization. They are the first person a prospective customer will come in contact with. To simplify the process of elimination, I have created a brief guideline to measure the viability of a sales candidate:
1. What motivates them? Although they come in many personalities, sales people are driven by one thing – MONEY. If they are not – get them out of your office as soon as possible. In this marketplace you want “A” players who will drive revenue. They are out there!!
2. Where do you find them? Not on the job boards. If you are not using social networking sites then you are simply not “LinkedIn”. Jigsaw, LinkedIn and FaceBook are a few examples of outside the box resources to tap into for talent you won’t find on the job boards.
3. Explaining Sales Goals: It is no mystery that companies are challenged by the economy. But sales people want to know that their goals are realistic. Don’t set them up to fail before they even accept the offer.
4. Are they the real deal? Sales people know how to talk a big game. Remember they are SALES PEOPLE and will be in SALES mode when you are interviewing them. The art of recruiting sales people is figuring out how much of their brag book is fact or fiction. You can accomplish this by asking these 6 questions: what does their product cost?, What is an average size sale? How long is the sales cycle? What was their goal and what did they come in at? How much money did they make? Do the math. If it doesn’t add up, or they cannot give you a straight answer, then you just figured them out. Next….
5. Don’t procrastinate: Yes, there are a lot of sales people looking for jobs. But don’t get greedy. If you meet a talented individual who meets your criteria, fits into your culture and has proven that they can & want to be a contributing part of your team – HIRE THEM. Just as quickly as they stepped through your doors they will step out and into your competitors. Ouch!
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If You Are In Sales Then You Are An Entrepreneur
We live in a very unique country. In this country, regardless of our starting point, each one of us has the tremendous opportunity to use our creativity, our belief, and our ‘know how’ to be successful. We have been brought up in an entrepreneurial society that promotes new ideas. You can do anything you want to do as long as you put your mind to it and execute.
We are all very fortunate to live the lives that we do. If you have traveled internationally then you know that we live in a country of opportunity and if you are in sales then you are an entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, you are faced with challenges at every turn and you are the only one who can overcome them.
In good times and in bad, you must never loose belief. The key to being a successful entrepreneur is the never ending belief in yourself. To be successful you must possess the ability to look for the positive in everything. Take responsibility for your actions and always do the right thing. And, when you find yourself doing the wrong thing, recognize it, resolve it and learn from it.
If you can do that, you will be successful as an entrepreneur and you will always find success in your life.
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