From the course: Interview Tips for Sales Professionals

Candidate answer and feedback for Sales Development Representatives and Relationship Managers

From the course: Interview Tips for Sales Professionals

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Candidate answer and feedback for Sales Development Representatives and Relationship Managers

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- [Jenny] If you walk in to your next interview and get hit with the ol' "Why sales?" here's how you might answer. I'll be right back in a second and share some feedback. (light upbeat music) - Well as a teenager, I was absolutely positive that I wanted to be a newspaper reporter. I've always been endlessly curious and I love interacting with people. And I'm a good writer! It seemed like the perfect job. So after graduating from journalism school, I did work as a newspaper reporter for awhile and there were lots of things that I loved about it. (cautious inhaling) But what I didn't love was that I was observing, not influencing. Reporting on problems, but not solving them. And my salary wasn't going to budge. In our newsroom, raises were based on years of experience, not high performance. So, I really wanted a job that would keep me front and center with all types of people just like my reporting job did. But I also wanted to help people solve problems, and maybe accelerate my income if I was good at it. So after a couple of years on the editorial side, I talked the publisher of that newspaper into shifting me into ad sales. So, from there, there was no turning back. I absolutely love working in sales! I mean, it's a vital job in any organization. No sales, no business. And, turns out I am good at it (chuckles). I'm so happy I made the switch. Sales is a job that truly suits me. (light upbeat music) - Fantastic answer! This candidate used storytelling to make her answer memorable, while at the same time, she illustrated that she's got some of the most important skills interviewers will be looking for: Curiosity, problem-solving skills, and the ability to influence people. Excellent answer.

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