From the course: Interview Tips for Sales Professionals

How to approach this question

From the course: Interview Tips for Sales Professionals

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How to approach this question

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- When you're interviewing for an account executive role, decision-makers need to get a strong vibe right out of the gates that you're really good at prospecting. They want to see that you've got a systemized approach. They want to know exactly what you do to bring in new business. Try answering this question by following these three key steps. Number one, before the interview, do a bit of sleuthing on the company, and then, think about how you can answer this question with their products, services, and selling style top of mind. Are they selling a complex customized solution, a membership-based offering, or some off-the-shelf product? If you know someone who works there, can they provide any input on how the sales team is structured or how they nurture leads? That's always super helpful. Now, of course, you need to be truthful, but this step might help you strategize what to put the most emphasis on. Next, walk them through your process, again, shining particular light on the things you think will most interest them. Tell them how you stay top-of-mind on industry trends and the competition. Share the specifics on how you research prospects and exactly how you reach out to them. Do you cold call? Do you send an email with some killer subject line? Do you leverage LinkedIn? How do you establish rapport? What questions do you ask? How do you follow up if you don't get an initial response? And then, the last step. Explain how you convert a promising prospect into a customer. How, specifically, do you ask for the sale? If you make a good first impression but the interviewers fear that you don't have a system that continually fuels your success, you might not go the distance. So make sure you're ready to show them that you've got the goods and the prospecting strategy.

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