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Every professional has gone through at least one interview in their lifetimes. For sales professionals, the interview provides a golden opportunity to demonstrate your skills by selling your own abilities.

Before you can become a sales rep you must be able to sell yourself first. Here are some helpful tips when going into a sales interview.

1. Plan your first impression.

Sales and marketing professionals understand the power of first impressions. When you plan to attend an interview, turn this power to your advantage.

Put yourself in the shoes of the interviewer. What do you want this person to see? What do you want them to remember about you? As you plan your wardrobe, the portfolio or samples you plan to bring, the timing of your arrival, and other details, keep in mind the impression you want the interviewer to have before the two of you even sit down.

2. Treat everyone you meet as your prospective customer.

It’s easy to think of the interviewer as the person you need to sell yourself to. In fact, you’re making an impression on everyone you meet during the interview process – and their impressions matter.

Focus on treating everyone, from the receptionists to your interviewer’s boss, with the same professional courtesy and interest you’d offer to a prospective customer. Seek to encourage all of these people to think of you as someone they want on their team.

3. Listen, then make the connection.

Listening is a communication skill, but it may be overlooked by a nervous or zealous sales professional interested in expressing their own view of their skills and value.

Rather than letting your excitement run away with you, start by really listening to the interviewer. Consider what you hear and see around you, then craft your own message in a way that builds connections between your own strengths and the needs of the team or the surrounding culture.

4. Follow up just as you would if you wanted to close a sale.

After speaking to a prospective client, you wouldn’t simply disappear – you’d make sure they had your contact information, and you’d thank them for the opportunity to talk to them. Do the same thing with your interviewer. Not only will you demonstrate interest and keep the lines of communication open, you’ll provide a real-world example of the courtesy you show to clients.

The recruiters at SMR Group specialize in connecting sales and marketing professionals to some of the best open positions and employers in the biotech, medical device and pharmaceutical industries. If a career in medical sales intrigues you or you’re looking to advance, contact us today.


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