1. Congratulations on securing an interview with our client! In
order to have a successful interview, we highly recommend you follow
the 5 steps listed below to make your best first impression.
1. Research the Company & Industry
Company Website
 Review their basic information (company size, location, history)
 What are their lines of business/expertise? What is their
competitive advantage? Who are their clients?
LinkedIn
 Review the Company LinkedIn page for their latest news and
updates.
 Review Individual profiles of those you will be interviewing with
as well as those that hold similar positions to the one you are
interviewing for.
Google Searches/Industry Groups:
 Read up on the industry. What’s happening in the marketplace?
2. Understand the Job
 Review the Position Summary. What skills/experiences is the
company looking for? How does your background align? If
there are areas you have less experience in, how can you
overcome this or add value in another way?
 Make a list of any questions/concerns you may have about the
responsibilities.
This document is proprietary and confidential and is provided for the sole use of
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 walk people through
your resume succinctly. Be prepared to cover the
following points for each role, as appropriate:
 What you were Paid To Do (responsibilities)
 Specific highlights (awards won, big successes,
emphasize skills that align with the current job opportunity)
 Strengths/Weaknesses: What are you really good at? What areas do
you struggle in? How do you overcome these weaknesses?
 Examples, Examples, Examples! Past
performance may not guarantee future
performance, but it sure is a great indicator! A
well prepared interviewer will ask you for
examples of when you exhibited certain
behaviors or skills, so have MANY examples in
your pocket. Use the STAR technique to tell
your story. When using this approach,
remember to speak in specific rather than general terms and quantify
your success.
 Situation: Set the context for your story. (e.g. “My team was
responsible for delivering a presentation to a group of 30 interested
industry players on our new product and Bob, my colleague charged
with delivering it, got stuck on the train.”
 Task: What was required of you? (e.g. “It was my responsibility to find
an alternative so it didn’t reflect badly on the company and we didn’t
waste the opportunity.”)
 Activity: What did you do? (e.g. I spoke to the event organizers to find
out if they could change the running order. They agreed so we bought
ourselves some time. I contacted Susan, another member of the team,
who could step in. She agreed to drop what she was doing and head to
the event.”
 Result: How did the situation play out? (e.g. “Bob didn’t make the
meeting on time but we explained the problem to the delegates and
Susan’s presentation went well. Bob managed to get there for the last
15 minutes to answer questions. As a result we gained some good
contacts, at least two of which we converted into paying clients.”
 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS: The more questions you can
read and think through, the more prepared and calm
you will be during an interview. **(See practice
questions at the end of this document.) Seek out a
trusted friend to role-play with when possible.
4. Questions for the Company
 Remember that an interview is a two way process. A company is getting
to know you, AND you are getting to know them. What do you need to
learn about this company/job to know whether it is the right fit for you?
 Prepare 5-6 questions for the employer prior to your interview. See
insert (left) for Top 10 Questions for an Employer.
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: Find a quiet and private location where you can have
your documents laid out in front of you.
 Technology: Use a hard-wired phone when you can. If using a cell
phone, make sure your physical location has excellent reception
PRIOR to your call. (Test it if it is not a normal location for you.)
Ensure your battery is fully charged. Use a proven functioning
head set if available (allows you to use your hands freely when
taking notes.)
 Stand up during the call! This provides better energy, enthusiasm,
and flow to the call.
Face-to-Face Interview:
 Dress appropriately per recruiter’s instructions on the workplace
environment.
 Be early.
 Bring your resume, written questions for the interviewer, and
pen/paper to take notes.
 Be positive, professional, and energetic!
Follow-up:
 Send a thank you email to the interviewer(s)
within 12 hours of the interview. Send a
Connection invite via LinkedIn.
 We highly recommend you also send a
handwritten note to the hiring manager
within one day of the interview.
DO
 Prepare & practice prior to
your interview.
 Update your LinkedIn profile,
including a professional
photo.
 Dress appropriately, arrive
early, and bring your resume.
 Answer the question as
specifically and succinctly as
possible.
 Act in a positive, energetic,
and professional manner at
all times!
DON’T
 Have inappropriate
pictures/updates on social
media.
 Talk negative about past
employers.
 Ramble and go down
“bunny trails” that lead
nowhere.
 Don’t talk compensation
too early. Prove you are
the best candidate 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