“Salespeople must have ‘guts’!” – This saying partly reflects the importance of communication and persuasion skills in the sales field. And when recruiting sales staff, effective interviewing is the key to “filtering” out potential candidates, those people with “guts.”
Secrets to “Conquering” Talented Sales Candidates
1. Prepare Your “Weapons” for the Battle
“Travel a day, learn a sackful,” the first thing you need to do is prepare thoroughly for the interview.
- Develop an interview plan: Create a set of interview questions suitable for the position and job requirements, and the company’s goals.
- Thoroughly review candidate profiles: Learn about each candidate’s experience, skills, and career goals to ask relevant questions and “hit” their strengths.
- Prepare the interview environment: Choose a quiet, professional space that creates a comfortable atmosphere for both you and the candidate.
2. “Unleash” the Energy of Candidates
“Choosing people is like choosing land, choosing friends is like choosing flowers,” to “choose” the right employees, you need to create an open atmosphere that allows candidates to demonstrate their abilities.
- Start with a warm greeting: Welcome candidates with a smile and a polite greeting, showing your professionalism and goodwill.
- Encourage confidence: Don’t be too rigid, ask questions flexibly, and create opportunities for candidates to demonstrate their communication and persuasion skills.
- Ask open-ended questions: Instead of closed-ended questions, ask open-ended questions to encourage candidates to share their thoughts, experiences, and goals. For example: “Tell me about your successful sales experiences,” “What skills do you usually use to persuade customers?”…
3. “Test” Communication and Persuasion Skills
“Kind words cost nothing, but are worth much,” this is one of the most important skills for a salesperson.
- Assess communication skills: Pay attention to how candidates communicate, express themselves, and use language.
- Test persuasion skills: Set up hypothetical situations, “tricky” questions, to assess the candidate’s adaptability and persuasion skills.
- Observe body language: In addition to words, body language is also very important. Pay attention to how candidates make eye contact, their gestures, and posture to assess their confidence, dynamism, and professionalism.
4. “Evaluate” the Mindset and Goals of Candidates
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” mindset and career goals play a crucial role in determining a salesperson’s success.
- Assess motivation: Understand the candidate’s motivations and career goals to assess their suitability for the company’s culture and development strategy.
- Determine suitability: Find out if the candidate is compatible with your working environment and leadership style.
- Test problem-solving skills: Pose hypothetical situations, problems to be solved, to assess the candidate’s adaptability and problem-solving abilities.
5. “Consider” Other Factors
“No one is perfect,” everyone has strengths and weaknesses.
- Check professional skills: Depending on the job position, you need to assess the candidate’s professional skills such as: software proficiency, product and service knowledge, market analysis ability…
- Check learning ability: Ask about the candidate’s plans to learn and improve their skills to assess their adaptability and self-development potential.
- Learn about culture fit: Find out about the candidate’s working style, ideals, and personal goals to assess their compatibility with the company culture.
A Story About A Successful Interview
Smiling interviewer and interviewee during a successful sales interview
A sales staff recruitment interview at a real estate company. The HR director asked many challenging questions to “test” the candidate’s communication and persuasion skills. However, with confidence, dynamism, and flexible adaptability, the young candidate “conquered” the director’s heart. He not only answered clearly but also shared creative ideas and an optimistic mindset that aligned with the company culture. In the end, he became an excellent salesperson for the company.
Conclusion
“Getting rich is not difficult, only fearing not trying,” “sales staff interview skills” are one of the important factors determining the success of a company. Remember these secrets to “conquering” talented candidates and “choose” the truly suitable people to contribute to building a strong sales team.
Contact us – SOFT SKILLS – via phone number: 0372666666 or visit us at: 55 To Tien Thanh, Hanoi. We have a team of experienced soft skills and survival skills training experts, ready to accompany you on your path to conquering success.