1. Congratulationsonsecuringaninterview withourclient! In
orderto have a successful interview,we highlyrecommendyoufollow
the 5 stepslistedbelowtomake yourbestfirstimpression.
1. Research the Company & Industry
Company Website
 Review theirbasicinformation(companysize,location,history)
 What are theirlinesof business/expertise?Whatistheir
competitiveadvantage?Whoare theirclients?
LinkedIn
 Review the CompanyLinkedInpage fortheirlatestnewsand
updates.
 Review Individual profilesof those youwill be interviewingwith
as well asthose that holdsimilarpositionstothe one youare
interviewingfor.
Google Searches/IndustryGroups:
 Readup on the industry. What’shappeninginthe marketplace?
2. Understand the Job
 Review the PositionSummary. Whatskills/experiencesisthe
company lookingfor? How doesyour backgroundalign? If
there are areas youhave lessexperience in,how canyou
overcome thisoradd value inanotherway?
 Make a listof any questions/concerns youmayhave aboutthe
responsibilities.
This document is proprietary and confidential and is provided for thesole useof
Sales Talent Group Candidates.
1. Research Company &
Industry
2. Understand the Job
3. Know Yourself and
Your Experiences
4. Questions for the
Company
5. Final Important
Details
The Sales Interview
Preparing for Your “Million Dollar Prospect”

2. 3. Know Yourself and Your Experiences
 Know your story! Be able to walkpeople through
your resume succinctly. Be preparedtocoverthe
followingpointsforeachrole,asappropriate:
 What youwere PaidTo Do (responsibilities)
 Specifichighlights(awardswon,bigsuccesses,
emphasize skillsthatalignwiththe currentjobopportunity)
 Strengths/Weaknesses: Whatare you reallygoodat? What areasdo
youstruggle in? How do youovercome these weaknesses?
 Examples,Examples,Examples!Past
performance maynotguarantee future
performance,butitsure isa greatindicator! A
well preparedinterviewerwill askyoufor
examplesof whenyouexhibitedcertain
behaviorsorskills,sohave MANYexamplesin
your pocket. Use the STAR technique totell
your story. Whenusingthisapproach,
remembertospeakin specific ratherthan general termsand quantify
your success.
Situation: Set the context for your story. (e.g.“My teamwas
responsible fordeliveringapresentationtoagroup of 30 interested
industryplayersonournew productand Bob, mycolleague charged
withdeliveringit,gotstuckonthe train.”
Task: What was requiredofyou? (e.g.“It wasmy responsibilitytofind
an alternative soitdidn’treflectbadlyonthe companyandwe didn’t
waste the opportunity.”)
Activity: What did you do? (e.g.Ispoke to the eventorganizerstofind
out if theycouldchange the runningorder. Theyagreedso we bought
ourselvessome time. IcontactedSusan, anothermemberof the team,
whocouldstepin. She agreedtodrop whatshe wasdoingand headto
the event.”
Result: How did the situation play out? (e.g.“Bobdidn’tmake the
meetingontime butwe explainedthe problemtothe delegatesand
Susan’spresentationwentwell. Bobmanagedto getthere forthe last
15 minutestoanswerquestions. Asa resultwe gainedsome good
contacts,at leasttwoof whichwe convertedintopayingclients.”
 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: The more questionsyoucan
readand thinkthrough,the more preparedandcalm
youwill be duringan interview. **(Seepractice
questionsatthe endof thisdocument.) Seekouta
trustedfriendtorole-playwithwhenpossible.
4. Questions for the Company
 Rememberthataninterview isa twoway process. A companyis getting
to know you, ANDyou are gettingto know them. What doyou need to
learnaboutthiscompany/job toknowwhetheritisthe rightfitfor you?
 Prepare 5-6 questionsforthe employerpriortoyourinterview. See
insert(left) forTop10 QuestionsforanEmployer.
1. What skills and
experiences make up the
ideal candidate? (If you
haven’t touched on one of
these yet, now is your
opportunity to let the
interviewer know you have
that experience.)
2. What does a typical
day/week look like in this
role?
3. What are the greatest
challenges of this position?
4. Why is this position
open? If turnover, why did
they leave? How long was
s/he in the role?
5. What constitutes
success in this role? How
is it measured? What are
your expectations in 30-
60-90 days to 1 year?
6. What is your
onboarding process? What
kind of on-going training
do you offer?
7. What is the career path
for this role? How many
individuals have been
promoted from this role?
8. Tell me about the team
I will be working with.
9. How would you
describe the company
culture?
10. Do you have any
hesitations about my
qualifications? What are
the next steps?

3. 5. Final Important Details
Phone Interview:
 Location: Finda quietandprivate locationwhere youcanhave
your documentslaidoutinfrontof you.
 Technology: Use a hard-wiredphonewhenyoucan. If usinga cell
phone, make sure yourphysical locationhasexcellentreception
PRIORto your call. (Testit if itis nota normal locationforyou.)
Ensure your batteryisfullycharged. Use a provenfunctioning
headsetif available (allowsyoutouse yourhandsfreely when
takingnotes.)
 Stand up during the call! Thisprovidesbetterenergy,enthusiasm,
and flow tothe call.
Face-to-Face Interview:
 Dressappropriately perrecruiter’sinstructionsonthe workplace
environment.
 Be early.
 Bringyour resume, writtenquestionsforthe interviewer, and
pen/papertotake notes.
 Be positive, professional, andenergetic!
Follow-up:
 Senda thankyou email tothe interviewer(s)
within12 hoursof the interview. Senda
ConnectioninviteviaLinkedIn.
 We highly recommendyoualsosenda
handwrittennote tothe hiringmanager
withinone dayof the interview.
DO
 Prepare & practice priorto
your interview.
 Update your LinkedInprofile,
includingaprofessional
photo.
 Dressappropriately,arrive
early, andbringyour resume.
 Answerthe questionas
specificallyandsuccinctlyas
possible.
 Act ina positive,energetic,
and professional mannerat
all times!
DON’T
 Have inappropriate
pictures/updatesonsocial
media.
 Talk negative aboutpast
employers.
 Ramble andgo down
“bunnytrails”that lead
nowhere.
 Don’ttalk compensation
too early. Prove youare
the bestcandidate first!

4. General
 Walk me through your resume from the beginning to current day (with a greater focus on your last 2
positions). Tell me what you were paid to do and any specific highlights you think are important for
me to know.
 What do you like best about your current job? If you could change anything about your current role,
what would it be? Why are you looking to leave your current position?
 What interests you about the position I have open?
 Where do you see yourself in 2-4 years?
 What do you think are your two greatest strengths? Give me examples of how these have helped you
in your career.
 How would your current boss (co-worker, client, subordinate, friend) describe you? In what areas
would they say you could improve in?
 Tell me about a time when you…showed initiative? were resilient? thought creatively? were
resourceful?
 Are you more of a big picture thinker or detail oriented?
 Tell me about how you manage your daily, weekly, monthly schedule? What technology tools do you
actively use to help you stay organized?
 Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something outside your job description. What was
it and how did you feel about doing it?
 Tell me about the onboarding process at your past company. What went well? What would have
made it easier for you to learn the business?
 On a scale of 1-10, how would you describe your…Written communication skills? Presentation skills?,
Use of Microsoft Office products?
Interpersonal Skills
 How do you build trust with your prospects/clients? What do you find are the 3 keys to building a
successful relationship?
 How do you keep your network active? What specific things do you do to grow your network?
 Tell me about a specific time when a client was not satisfied with your product/service. Walk me
through how you handled it. How would that client describe you?
 Tell me about a long-standing relationship you have with a client. What has made it successful? How
would they describe you?
 Tell me about your previous bosses. Which one did you enjoy working the most with/least with and
why. What are you looking for now in a boss?
 Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?
 Tell me about a time you created a team (i.e. for a project, specific pitch). How did you choose the
team members? What worked well? What would you have done differently?
 Tell me about a specific time when you did not get along with a colleague? Describe what happened
and how you handled it.
The harder I practice, the luckier I get. -
Gary Player

5. Sales Process
 Walk me through the steps of your sales process from start to close? What is the typical length of your
sales cycle? Average revenue per deal?
 What SFA/CRM tools have you used in the past? Do you have other personal methods/strategies for
tracking your business?
 How many cold calls have you done a week on average? Pretend you just called me, role-play what
you would say.
 Tell me what specific kind of ‘pains’ you uncover from your prospects and how your product or service
helps them.
 Give me 2 examples of questions you use when talking to your prospects/clients to help you better
understand their needs.
 What kind of presentations have you given? Who is typically your audience? What is the largest
audience you have had? What tools do you use? (e.g. Power Point, GoTo Meeting)
 What is your favorite closing technique?
 What type of objections do you currently hear often? What is your preferred technique to handle
these objections?
 Tell me about the largest account that you lost. What happened and what did you learn?
 Tell me about the most difficult piece of business that you have ever won?
 Tell me about a time you had to go outside of your normal sales process to close a deal.
 Have you ever walked away from a sale and why?
 What do you consider the single most important sales skill?
 Tell me about the current industries you are selling into. What are the trends you see? What are the
challenges?
 Tell me about a time you had to learn a new product. What training were you given?
 What internal resources do you use if you have questions regarding your product. Tell me how you
have used these in the past.
 What is the biggest learning curve that you have worked through during your career?
The only way to do great work is to love what you
do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t
settle.
- Steve Jobs