Guest Blogger - Dan's telephone interview

In this weeks blog, one of my friends (we'll call him Dan) writes about his experience during recent telephone interview. Dan is an experienced sales professional that has discovered an opportunity though a professional friend. Here is his post:

 

The call started out by being 5 minutes late. It was scheduled for 11:30 and by 11:34 I was really beginning to get anxious. However, at 11:35 the phone rang and the phone interview began. After some brief small talk her first question was;

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

 

Why do you want to leave your current position?

 

I was still overly nervous at this point. The 5 minute wait seemed like an hour. I couldn't  help but wonder if she made me wait on purpose. Regardless, I think I did OK with this question. I was careful not to trash my current employer but also made slight mentions of my current frustrations, stated that I know that no place is perfect, and said I am always interested in new opportunities when they arise. I also told her that I was aware of her company and the special markets they serve and the way that they have differentiated themselves. I tried to keep my answer short and sweet as she had told me that she would only need 20 minutes of my time.

 

 

She then spent several minutes telling me about her company, the employees, and the open positions. I was so nervous that I really wasn't listening.

 

Then the questions got more pointed.

 

Do you hold a quota? (they must have a quota system)

 

Tell me about cold calling? (they must want me to cold call)

 

Do you like to travel? (they will want me to travel some)

 

Have you established a territory before? (they want me to establish a territory)

 

Have you done any transactional selling before? (they will want me to do some of this)

After I thought about the above 5 questions, it was clear to me that they will have sales quotas, will want me to cold call, travel, and establish a territory while doing some transactional selling. That was fine. That was what I was expecting from this job but now I was wondering what type of response she was really looking for. My answers were mostly positive and honest. I told her that I have worked with quotas, I know that cold calling is essential, don't mind some travel, have established territories before and had done some transactional selling at a previous position. I was beginning to calm down some and gain some confidence with some questions that I was prepared for.

 

What sort of metrics do you measure yourself by now? I told her about how I am measured at my current position. I'm not sure what sort of answer she was looking for.

 

How many salesmen are at your company now? I answered truthfully and was not sure why she asked this question.

She then asked me if I had any questions. I asked her a few specific questions about my potential market, leads, and company performance and she could not really answer them. She deferred and said that those would be better questions to be asked at the next interview, if invited. She made no mention of compensation and nor did I.

 

I assume that I must have done OK as she is to send a survey. I am to complete the survey, return it, and wait.