5 tips to excel in a Business Developer job interview

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Imagine that your cell phone starts ringing... Here, a new number. Bingo!

The HR on the phone has just announced that you have landed a first interview with the startup of your dreams: the most important thing is coming now, with the selection interviews.

Here are the key recommendations that we usually share with the Akimbers of Akimbo Bootcamp. Thanks to these tips (and Bootcamps!) , hundreds of them have landed jobs at Partoo, Doctolib, Payfit, Mirakl, Frichti, etc.

Keep in mind that getting a job of Business Developer, it's like negotiating a contract of €40K to €90K (your annual salary with bonuses): it requires real preparation. So here is the List of our 5 favorite tips to succeed in joining the company you want.

How does a Business Developer interview take place?

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To start, a quick introduction to different interviews that you are going to have to become a Business Developer. Here are the steps:

• An HR interview: 15 to 30 minutes;
• A Sales interview: 50 to 90 minutes (with a role-playing game, for example a sales simulation);
• A validation interview, with another manager or the CEO.

Rest assured, the very procedure of an interview for a Business Developer, Sales or Account Manager position is relatively standard:

• To make you feel at ease, the interlocutor will start the interview often by presenting his career, its responsibilities and some information about the company.
• He will then ask you To explain Your own rangelands. He will try to see how well informed you are about the company, and will challenge your career choices and your results. At the same time, it will analyze your knowledge on Business Development And your Soft Skills. Sache highlight your past performances with clear and detailed figures. That's what you call quantifying your experiences.
• Starting with the 2nd exchange, interviews will be added simulations (= role-playing games) to test your technical sales knowledge: Shadow Calling or Shadow Meeting. The aim will be, for example, to test your qualification methods of prospects, or to see how you will react to a prospect.
• Finally, we will always end the interview by offering you Ask questions. You will discover below that we have a very strong opinion on this part of the interview...

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Tip #1: prepare several hours before each interview to gather information

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By dint of preparing and thinking about interviews, we often forget the essential thing: a Business Developer job interview is nothing more than a motivational interview.

But how does a recruiter assess this motivation? Using two criteria:

1. tone Level of information about the company, the position, the missions, the customers, the customers, the business model, the business model, the market, the competitors, the culture (the list is very long...);
2. tone keenness displayed in interview.

By coaching the Akimbers every day to get Business Developer CDIs, we know that everyone's level of preparation is very different. At first, we sometimes think that an hour of preparation is enough. At least triple is needed...

You need to gather as much information as possible about society and be able to to use this information with talent to support his answers. For example to the question:”Why do you want to become a Business Developer in a FoodTech startup like ours?”, you can argue your answers with:

• Customer references signed by the company;
• Information about the team (the background of the founders);
• Information gleaned from press articles or LinkedIn;
• Etc.

Bonus 💡: I have prepared an exhaustive list of all the information to gather about a company before each job interview. Ask me for it by email, I'll send it to you: marin@akimbo.eu

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Tip #2: highlight your achievements during your Business Developer interview

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Recruiting a business developermeans choosing the business developer who will be able to deliver the most value to your business. The recruiter must therefore realize your value. To do this, you must highlight the strengths of your profile. Nothing better than using concrete, precise, factual examples. For example, if you installed a tool during a previous mission, give its name and the numerical consequences of the project - even an estimate. Nobody will blame you for not having a number that is accurate to the nearest decimal.

Depending on the position, it is always possible to put yourself forward during an interview thanks to one of the 3 types of achievement below:

• Achieved results (e.g. having increased by 12% this or that indicator);
• Business development skills (e.g. sales, prospecting or closing techniques);
• Qualities developed (e.g. listening or ability to work).

If you have achieved the goals on your previous post, say so! It is possible to quantify a lot more missions than you think about interviews. The recruiter won't expect exact numbers to the nearest decimal, but an estimate:”During these 12 months of apprenticeship, I participated in 4 chartered accounting missions for companies with a turnover of 10 to 25 million euros”.

Of course there are lots of other examples. It's up to you to determine The one who highlights you the most In maintenance. Putting your strengths forward well will allow you to arrive serene at the time of negotiation of wage.

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Tip #3: Structure your answers to questions

You can imagine it: an answer to a question must be reasoned, constructed, relevant and precise. The questions are often the same for an interview with Business Developer. Do not hesitate to take a few seconds before responding to reflect and offer a relevant answer.

Break down your answers in part to structure your answers:

• Your question can be interpreted in 2 ways
• I see 3 reasons why...
• On the human level (...), in terms of efficiency (...), etc.

There will be Classic questions in maintenance: “why do you want to join our company?” “Why you more than anyone else?” It is an exercise in persuasion and argumentation. The recruiter must think through your answers that you are only applying for this specific position. Only in this business. As a recruiter, it is difficult to turn down a candidate who is brimming with motivation, even if he makes mistakes.

And some specific questions : “What were your performance indicators in your previous job? How did you perform?”

If you have your Bullet Points In mind, the arguments for your answer will be easier to build and you will gain useful confidence during an interview to become a Business Developer.

Finally, don't forget that a good recruiter will try to identify the weaknesses of your application (no one is perfect!) and that there will often be a hidden meaning to his questions. An understatement. Pay attention to this, understand it and defuse the fear of your interlocutor!

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Tip #4: prepare yourself by doing mock interviews

Any good recruiter will want check your skills live. You will necessarily have to pass simulations of Cold-Calling of qualification, Or of negotiation, starting with your 2nd interview. Prepare them as much as possible!

This involves working ahead of collecting information about the company and its product.

Of course, if you have attended one of our Sales Bootcamps, you will arrive fully trained and prepared at this stage. In another case, try to find out more on the Internet. Ask friends to impersonate any customer. Practice qualifying their needs and selling them a solution. Try to be able to share the value of what you are selling. Like a real Business Developer!

There are, of course, methods to be efficient on these Role plays.

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Tip #5: Ask the right questions for your Business Developer interview

A candidate who does not ask enough questions in interviews, especially at the end, has no chance of being hired. Quite simply.

You have to show your curiosity, a guarantee of interest in the company and the proposed mission.

Never say again:”No I don't have any questions, you answered them during the interview...”.

To do this, do not necessarily wait until the end of the interview: we advise you to ask a few questions early in the interview, especially being careful not to interrupt your interlocutor excessively. That said, if possible, save most of your questions for the final part of the interview.

Why is it so important? 100% of recruiters know a law that is obvious but ignored by candidates:

A candidate's professional maturity and relevance are measured by the number and quality of the questions they ask in interviews. © Akimbo

Start with Questions about the company, to obtain information that is not accessible from the Internet:”What are the main customer verticals (targets)? What does a typical sales cycle look like? What efforts are being made (prospecting) today? Does the company also receive incoming leads? How does the company culture stand out compared to other startups?”

Later in your Business Developer interview, you can ask more specific questions: “How are leads qualified? What are the current challenges? Where do prospecting lists come from? How does the onboarding of Business Developers happen? What is the ICP (ideal customer profile: target)? What are the stages of the sales funnel?”

Finally, apply directly questions about what is expected of you or your future colleagues : “What is the annual goal of Business Developers? Does the variable depend on effort variables or only on result?”

These questions will show the recruiter that You are interested in the company and that you started think about the business development strategy. You can also conclude by Returning the ball :”It is a difficult question that is independent of my motivation, but can you tell me why I should choose you over another opportunity?”

These questions can allow you to (re)Take the lead on the interview and thus to lead the discussion on your strengths. Paradoxically, it is through his questions that we can measure the knowledge of a candidate.

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Bonus tip: during your Business Developer interview, show your proactivity and coachability.

To be proactive is essential for a future Business Developer. For all the startups you are applying for, you must Do everything to test the solution you want to market in the future.

For a startup Early-Stage, why not make it to the last job interview with a action plan and precise explanations on how you will carry out your mission. Specify what tools you want to use, your goals, and explain how you plan to achieve them.

This will help your future employer a lot to plan with you. If he is open to discussion, you should offer him (while remaining humble and realistic) partnership ideas, an exchange on new verticals (ICP) to be prospected or new markets to conquer.

Also prove that you will be a Business Developer Coachable : Take notes during the interview to show that you are interested in what the person you are talking to. Listen to the advice and recommendations, to put them into practice instantly.

Typically, as you read above, many recruiters will offer you role plays and offer you feedback. Don't look for excuses or justifications. Listen to the feedback, take note of it and focus because you will probably have to (re) implement it a few minutes later.