If you are a sales guy looking for a new job, have you taken the time to analyze your job search like a sales process? As a sales guy, the first potential sale you can make for a company is yourself. What effort do you put in from the time you begin your job search to the time when you accept an offer letter? Your prep and effort will either result in a new job or a door slammed in your face. Which would you rather have? Don’t troll through the multitudes of job boards applying to every open position. When searching for your next job, make sure you use your social media network to get a leg up. Do you know anyone working for a company that has open sales positions that you are interested in? Could these contacts possibly introduce you to the decision maker (not always the HR person)? Ask them for background or “intelligence” on the hiring situation. If they are a solid performer at the company, by all means use them as a reference. First impressions are everything in the job market. Get your resume in line with the position you are applying to. Don’t bulk send out the same resume to every sales position you are applying to; it won’t get you the job. Don’t apply for an outside sales position if your resume summary is all about inside sales. In addition, your cover letter demonstrates your intelligence, writing skills, and how much time you are willing to put into a sale. Spell check it please. If you write a canned cover letter for an interview, your potential new employer assumes that you will probably write canned sales letters . Do your due diligence on the company you are interviewing with. Know their products and services, the principals, the competition, and of course what solution they offer to their customers. Research people on LinkedIn, read their blogs, know their culture, read their press releases and news articles, and search out companies on Hoovers and Chrunchbase. Respect the time of the person you are interviewing with and come prepared. Be ready to sell their product or service to them. DO NOT let an interviewer ask you if you read the company website and say no. Go for the close in your interview. Ask the same types of questions that you would if you were trying to close a sale…………because you ARE! Ask your interviewer when they expect to make a decision, how you ranked among the other candidates, and even if they liked you. Put THEM on the spot and make them squirm a little. Always ask what is expected of you during your first 90 days. I like to take it to the next level and ask what I would have to do to blow them away in my first 90 days. What is the best anyone has ever done, I want to beat that record! Show them you are a closer and a hungry sales guy. Finally, put everything into your job seeking process that you normally would into your sales process. Please don’t be just another resume. Be better, be a sales guy! Spend the time and effort to present yourself in the best light possible and close the deal………….get that new job you are looking for!
Hey Sales Guy…………Sell Yourself Already!
