10 – Always be polite (Don’t be rude or judgmental on the person or company)

9 – Wear a suit (If you show up in jeans and a T-Shirt, you might as well show up naked….At least they will remember you this way)

8 – Be professional (Don’t use slang words or cuss. Be literate and confident)

7 – Act as if (We are not saying you should be someone you’re not but if you are nervous about the interview, put it all behind and challenge yourself against the nerves and show the interviewers your confidence)

6 – Punctual (If you are late for an interview, don’t make excuses. Don’t blame traffic or say that your alarm did not go off. Be up front and apologize….this is a strike already and people figure if you are late for your first interview, you will be late for work. Don’t dig yourself into a bigger hole.)

5 – Cell phone (This is an obvious one to most but if your phone rings in the interview and you answer it, you might as well go home. Put your phone on silent or turn it off. Nothing is more disrespectful than answering your phone.)

4 – Relate (Find a topic that you can relate to the interviewer. If you have kids around the same age, talk about them. Building a relationship with them is going to make them remember you)

3 – Reason (Why are you interviewing for this job? Is it because it’s a company you have wanted to work for your whole life, your family all works there, you’re desperate. Not only do you have to ask yourself why you are interviewing but why you should be the one for the job)

2 – Selling (Your experience will play a big part in your chances of getting a position, but if you are very quiet and expect them to look at your resume and offer you a position, Wake up. Sure that may happen but it’s very rare and in order for it to happen, you would have had to build up your reputation for years. If you can’t sell yourself in an interview, you would need to take a moment and think why you deserve this job and why you would be good at it. Knowing your future plans is also very important. Be
prepared for anything that may come your way in an interview

1 – Honesty (There is nothing worse than lying in an interview. If you lie your way into a job, you will get caught eventually and things will not look good for you. Respect, trust and reputability will all go out the window with one simple lie. If you do not fit the criteria and have to lie to get in, it’s not the job for you so don’t even bother.

To finish, what is trying to be said is that being yourself and being honest will be much more beneficial in the long run. Think about the future plans and work with the interviewer and company to help you choose the right path.

As a recruiting firm, we see many different types of candidates from senior VPs all the way to first year sales reps. Meeting and speaking with these candidates, we have been able to differentiate the sales people who are persistent and the ones who are just desperate.

Most hiring managers and recruiters can sense desperation from a mile away. For example, at our recruiting firm, we have many different roles open for various companies in the same city. We reach out to a few hundred people for every role and on occasion, candidates are potentially suitable for a couple of different roles. I spoke with one candidate who told me everything I wanted to hear, like most sales people do (not always a bad thing). Where this candidate went “wrong” was when he failed to mention that he was dealing with another recruiter from our firm. When speaking with him, he was informing me that he was interested in a hunter position and that is what he wants for his next role. He also mentioned that though his resume mentions that he is a Sales Manager, he wants to get back into the full time hunting. This was when he was informed that our client is seeking a hunter.

When his name came up in the office, a colleague mentioned that he has also been speaking with this candidate. When the candidate was speaking to a colleague, he was only looking for a management position and not interested in hunting new business. This was when the candidate was informed that it was a Sales Management position.

When comparing notes, everything varied. Compensation expectations, explanation of details in his current position, everything varied.

This is a perfect example of someone who is “The Right person for the job”. The candidate would have told us absolutely everything we want to hear and basically lied his way into a role that we did not fit in any way.

This example comes off as desperation. Someone who will do anything because he is in need but when the truth comes out, they lose all credibility when this could have been easily prevented. Don’t try to be something that you are not. This will damage your career in the long run. Be yourself and find the job where you will be able to succeed.

On the other hand, when speaking with candidates who are consistent with their responses, very honest and straight forward with their answers, they come off as being true good sales people. This goes back to when you were in school, if you don’t know the answer to a question, ask again. Don’t try to change the question around because you don’t want someone to think badly of you. If you confuse the interviewer by turning a question around or attempting to hide the truth, the will eventually find out. This goes back to an earlier blog post but if you are being interviewed and you are asked your quota attainment in the past 3 years. If you hit 98% in 08’, 102% in 09’ and 102% in 10’, say that. Don’t try to hit the first miss by saying; “I have been fairly consistent on hitting over 100%”. An interviewer will trust someone much more if they get the facts then just a vague response.

On a closing note, when being interviewed for a role, one of the best things you can do afterwards is send a follow up note thanking the interviewer and company for the opportunity. You don’t need to push and find out when they will call you or rush to get the next steps. If you were a fit, they will call you.

For more tips, hints and advice on interviewing, feel free to visit http://peaksalesrecruiting.com/salescareeradvice/

Great video of Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric explaining how staying in your job will make you successful.

If you are in the process of looking for a job or considering a career change, your resume is going to be the one of your most important tools. Make sure you put your best foot forward. If you have an outdated resume, update it. Make sure it represents you the way you want to be viewed. Make sure it stands out.

We see a ton of resumes daily come in and some catch our attention more than others. As recruiters, we must act like the clients who are looking to hire. Most people believe that to catch a employers attention, you must have your name in big letters, have loads of relevant keywords and have different designs and borders covering the resume.

Do you want to know the secret to an attractive resume? Numbers! A hiring manager or recruiter is not likely to pay much attention to you if you send a 10 page resume explaining every little aspect of career history and roles. An employer does not pay attention to a big colourful resume that explains what you do on a day to day basis. An employer is much more interested in seeing an honest and verifiable track record of sales success. And the best way to communicate success is sales numbers and ratio of performance to quota.

A few key words come out in the last line. The obvious ones are track record of success, but the most important key words are honest and verifiable. Do not bother with trying to hide the fact that you have not attained quota as any experienced hiring manager or recruiter will dig deeper and find out that you have not attained your number. Being honest about it is the best way to save face and attain trust.

All of this being said, if you are in a technical sales position detailed information is key. Not necessarily a day to day analysis of what you do but more of the technical experience and training you bring to the employer and company.

For assistance on editing your professional sales resume, feel free to visit http://peaksalesrecruiting.com/sales-resume-editing/.

Only a small percentage of sales reps consistently perform well in interviews and move quickly through the sales process?

What do they know that the rest don’t?

Advancing in the sales interview process has a lot to do with qualifying, much like you would your sales opportunities, self awareness and ability to target the job opportunities that match your unique skills, experiences and competencies.

Another big part of success in the interview process, is understanding how the various employer representatives and hiring manager interview differently and interpreting how they score applicants. For instance, companies interview sales reps with more skepticism than other types of hires – they expect reps to dish out a lot of BS in interviews – unfair in most cases, but it happens and you need to be aware of how you present yourself. HR is often focused on your employment history and how you fit within the culture of the company, while the sales manager is more interested in your skills and how you handled various sales scenarios in the field. Also keep in mind that both may make interviews appear like an informal chit chat, but don’t be fooled – everything you say and do is being scrutinized.

*Isn’t interviewing the same as selling?
Yes and no. As a sales professional, you have tons of experience selling, but few of us can claim to be professional interviewers and most candidates feel more pressure during interviews than they do in front of clients. Your body language will tell stories. It is amazing how often we hear employers comment that candidates, even the seasoned professionals, appear nervous during interviews.

*Does Practice help?
Yes, absolutely. You know your product cold, but you may not be as familiar with your own employment history and details, because you simply don’t present them that often. While you can’t make a habit of interviewing with other companies for obvious reasons, it will serve you well to find ways to do a mock interview with someone who will give you feedback. Find a friend, a peer or someone who can do this as a favor (or contact us at www.SalesOlympians.com).

*Can you work the interview process?
You bet. You can approach the job search like prospecting and developing a sales funnel. Most candidates will behave passively and wait for the employer to tell them next steps, so you can stand out by using follow-up tactics to keep momentum between face to face meetings, just like you would if you were developing a sales deal – employers love to see this. And don’t forget to tailor your tactics for the different employer representatives and decision makers. They all have different agenda’s and personal DNA.

*Sell yourself!
Employers often tell us that the candidate simply answered questions and didn’t sell themselves. How can this be? Nerves? Who knows, but you can gain an advantage if you get in there and ask questions to qualify, develop, promote and try to close. You are a sales person! If you are confident, but not cocky, there is no harm in selling yourself.

If you are interested in learning more about how we have coached hundreds of sales professionals to achieve greater success in the interview process and win the job they desired, contact us or visit http://salesolympians.com/?page_id=829/ to learn more.

It’s true 2009 is proving to be a tough year for many companies and for many reps, this means lower close rates, smaller deals and possibly lower overall sales. But not all sales reps are created equal – here are four behaviors you need in order to be recession proof and succeed in this market:

1.      High call volumes and number of client meetings – when sales cycles get longer and the rejection rates are higher, it is easy to become more hesitant to work the phones and get in front of customers, preferring instead to work email or hide-out altogether.Don’t stop doing what made you successful. It is a numbers game. More calls = more pipeline = more sales.

2.      No “Excuse-itis” – many of us have been through many up and down cycles and aren’t deterred; the best reps don’t worry about the bad news around them or what might go wrong, they simply focus on what needs to be done to close deals. Focus on the goal not the noise.

3.    Winning on value – there is a real tendency to close deals by dropping price when client’s budgets have been slashed – if you are still winning the majority of deals without discounting, then you are well geared for 2009

4.      Smiles – even though you are focused and operating with the right level of urgency, you still need to smile -  customers appreciate the positivity and confidence which translates to more sales

We are presenting in an upcoming event you will want to know about! The 2009 Engage Powerhouse Event …here is some info on the event.

There is a lot of talk of government stimulus packages these days. And you may have heard the term shovel ready. That is, projects that can be implemented immediately so that they have a material impact during this recession.

Now – if you’re waiting for things to get “back to normal”, you will be disappointed. I believe that the behavior we’re seeing with customers is our new reality. And that makes it even more critical to take action now to address this challenge.

That’s why I’m such a believer in sales strategies that can be applied immediately. Steps that any of us can undertake that don’t require weeks and months of planning and analysis. Frankly, we can’t afford to wait.

That’s why I’m so excited by the upcoming Engage Powerhouse Sales Event. It provides you the opportunity to get off the bench and immediately into the game!

Experience Two Days Packed with Sales Strategies that will Make 2009 Your Best Year Yet!
Being held for the third year by my friend and colleague, Colleen Francis, the Powerhouse Sales Event provides you with incredible direct access to an all-star line-up of sales and business experts. You’ll leave with strategies you can apply literally the next day when you get back to the office – techniques that will make an immediate and lasting impact to your results.

Full of excellent presenters with powerful information!
Lorraine Gignac, Adecco Employment Services
Our line up of speakers will cover the range of sales issues you are facing today. Topics critical for you if you are going to make the necessary changes to thrive in this new economy:
• How to uncover a wealth of new opportunities and dramatically grow your pipeline
• How to instill confidence and trust when you speak with your prospects
• How to provide a customer experience that turns your clients into your best sales persons
• How to accelerate your sales process so you close more deals in less time
And remember: armed with these sales secrets you’ll be able to go back to your office and immediately begin to see improvement in your results!

Go now and check out the full Powerhouse Event program and receive a very special early-registration offer:
Get Armed for the New Economy with the 2009 Powerhouse Sales Event at http://www.EngageSelling.com/powerhouse .

You won’t want to wait to take advantage of this offer – the Powerhouse Sales Event sells out every year and most tickets are already gone!

We regularly hear from employers that they are receiving more and more applications for every job posted. No surprise, times are tough. What they are also telling us is that usually only a tiny percent is worth interviewing.

What does this mean if you are looking for a new position and trying to get noticed? One you need to stand out. Two, you are foolish if you shotgun your resume to every job opening there is.

Each sales role requires a specific set of skills and dna. Farmers should not apply for hunter roles.Even if they are lucky enough to get the job, they are not in a role they are designed to succeed in and you won’t stay – putting a blemish on your cv.

Likewise employers often see candidates submit their resume multiple times for different roles – once they see this, the candidates credibility is usually shot – clearly the candidate doesn’t realize what they are best suited for or that that matters in the first place.

Don’t be that guy (or girl).

Stay calm and focus on chasing the roles you are likely to succeed in. Great sales people are always in demand.

Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, has developed a series of 2 minute video tips. There is some great stuff in here.

Topics include:

• Selling to Large Companies: Avoid These Mistakes
• Sales: Why Big Corporations Need Small Corporations
• Selling to Large Companies: How to Keep Your Prospects Hot
• How to Keep Sales Strong in a Tough Economy
• Deal with Sales Objections by Changing Your Message
• Selling to Large Companies: Establish a Powerful Value Proposition
• How to Speed Up the Sales Cycle by Using Trigger Events
• Sales: Leave the Right Voice Mail Message
• Selling to Large Corporations: How to Use E-mail Effectively

Check them all out at http://sellingtobigcompanies.blogs.com/selling/2009/03/2minute-sales-tips-ready-for-you-now.html

During the interview process hiring managers are assessing the candidate’s desire to work for the company and self value. Consistent top producers don’t consider themselves lucky to have a job, they consider their employers lucky to employ them. Furthermore, they won’t take any job, they are choosy. So a candidate that fails to qualify the employment opportunity raises a red flag.

Tom Schaber is a former sales manager who describes the hiring manager perspective when interviewing a sales candidate. He said he would expect a top performer to come to an interview with plenty of questions to qualify the opportunity and lists the following:

1. If the territory I’m taking over had all the business how much revenue would that be?
2. In your opinion what would I make if I had 80% of the business in this territory?
3. In our phone interview you mentioned that travel would be 40%. What is it really?
4. What are the top three objectives I need to achieve to make this territory the top one in the company?
5. What do the best salespeople do now in order to be successful?
6. How much does the top rep make in this company?
7. Who is the best competitor the company has and why?
8. What are your expectations of me?
9. Is there any cap to what I can make?
10. What are the top 3 reasons why I should work for this company?

But, the tale of the tape goes beyond these questions. All of these questions can be answered succinctly. The key is what are the questions that your true sales pro will come back with. Let’s take question number six. As the manager you could say $175K. A rep worth hiring will ask:

1. How does the rep do that?
2. How many times have they hit that number?
3. If they don’t hit that number routinely why don’t they?
4. What other dynamics (people, departments) contribute to the rep making that money?

See the rest of his article at: Total Sales Manager