At Akimbo, we are surprised by the low number of candidates who are well prepared for their Sales or Business Development interviews. Whether they are interviews for Business Developer, Sales or Account Managers positions On average, 80% of them do not respect a few basic principles. As Oprah Winfrey says, “Luck is the combination of good preparation and opportunity.”
Here are some tips that we share with the Akimbers of Akimbo Bootcamp to become a Business Developer!
#1 Gather business information
Gather, synthesize and digest all the information you can about:
- The company : its positioning, its product, its customers, its history, its history, its business model, its business model, its competitors, its team or even imagine what its classic sales cycle looks like;
- Your interlocutor(s): title/role, career path, media appearances, published content;
- the Job : role & responsibilities, skills, prerequisites.
The more information you have, the more familiar you will seem to be with the environment (company, product, team), the more the recruiter will already imagine you as part of the team. It thus reduces the uncertainty associated with the recruitment of your profile. In other words, you are a great help in making a decision.
Where can I find this information? Of course by browsing the website, but also Google (look for interviews and press releases), Linkedin, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram...
Above all, do not hesitate to go Ask directly Information to people in this Business Developer or Sales position that you are aiming for, it only shows your motivation. To do this, you will contact them directly on Linkedin. If you don't do it, others won't miss it...
Finally, ask the professional acquaintances in your network if they use Linkedin Sales Navigator. If yes, you will be able to extract the people who worked in this company in the past. Contact them! You will thus be able to prove your determination in an interview.
#2 Prove your dynamism
Put yourself for a few seconds in the shoes of your interlocutor, who has gone for 5 to 10 interviews in a row. Do you feel her pain? So be forceful : dynamic, responsive, smiling (even on the phone) and makes the interview pleasant.
For Business Developer, Sales or Account Manager jobs, this is an essential recruitment criterion. However, from experience, candidates are rarely quite energetic in interviews... If appearing is one thing, prove your dynamism with concrete and circumstantial facts is a must!
Your objective: to make the recruiter forget that this is a recruitment interview. What if the recruiter should Remember an interview In his day, that's the link!
#3 Take a step back
Take the time to listen carefully to each question and ask yourself if there isn't one Second meaning that you would not have heard/seen. You must be able to identify in a few seconds what the recruiter is trying to assess by asking yourself this question. A good recruiter will ask a few questions in connection with questions he may have, to come and dig a point.
Very often, candidates are too absorbed in the issue to fully understand the posts that is implicitly interviewing them.
If someone hands you a pole (“Are you really sure of your answer?”) , there is no longer any doubt 👀.
#4 Pause before speaking
In several candidates, we observe major differences in the ability to structure, contextualize and refine the answers to the questions asked. It is a key skill for a future Business Developer. To put all the odds on your side, we recommend that you Mark a Break time before answering a question — usually 1 to 2 seconds.
Overly impulsive profiles can frighten a recruiter.
This is especially true if the question seems obvious to you: never jump on a question wanting to recite everything you can, take the time to structure your answer in a few sentences.
#5 Return the ball
During the interview, you will spend between 15 and 60 minutes talking about yourself or showcasing your skills. Remember that there is someone in front of you. The best candidates, the ones you want to attract as a recruiter, will have no difficulty to get a professional opportunity.
These candidates therefore do not hesitate to ask questions that tend to counterbalance or even reverse the natural balance of power between the candidate and the recruiter. Like a Business Developer in front of his customer.
For example:”The competitive landscape of SaaS online reputation management tools is starting to be very competitive, how do you plan to differentiate yourself from other existing solutions?”
#6 Ask questions
During your various interviews, ask questions to better understand what are the challenges faced by the company — for example the launch of a new offer — and suggest ways and ideas to answer them.
Asking the right questions in interviews is nothing less than 30% of the overall assessment. It makes up for an interview. Good questions emphasize your knowledge rather than your ignorance.
You can also Ask questions at the end of the interview with your interlocutor (s) — their role, their background, their challenges, etc.
For example:”I saw that you joined the company 7 months ago, were there any innovations in terms of process or organization that particularly impressed you when you joined the company?”
You will probably not discover the holy grail, but you will show that you have the right mentality: that of a future Business Developer who is curious. In a word: be proactive !
#7 Make your call from a quiet space, not from the street
While remote work has become the norm, there are certain codes that earn you points from the first second of a remote recruitment interview: have a headphones with a mic - preferably without green neon embedded on it (ex: gaming headset). Earbuds with a good quality mic can also do the trick.
In any case, you will have to be equipped with it as part of your next Business Developer mission.
Do not accept a time slot for a call if and only if you have a quiet location, with a good connection. Test call quality! We have already seen happy owners of almost new computers unable to make their voices heard during maintenance because of an update that was never done...
It is a question of respect for your interlocutor as well as professionalism.
#8 Show that you want this Business Developer job
The further you go in the recruitment process, the more the difference is made In fine On what we call the” Grit ” — desire, an essential quality of a good Sales.
People only hire people who are motivated by the business, the mission, the product, the team. Show that you are the best choice, in terms of skills and personality.
Do not hesitate to Remind yourself of your motivation. Consider all the forms of proactivity you can show that will make your application stand out from the crowd. For example, as part of a young startup, you can come up with a action plan over your first 3 months.
#9 Be on time and at your best
A reminder: many candidates arrive a few minutes late for the interview. Often because they cannot find the connection link on the videoconference. It's never okay to be late for a job interview, especially when it's for a Sales, Business Developer, or Account Manager job. There will be no second chance!
You are expected to be slightly early and perfectly presentable, even if the interview is over the phone. As Will Rogers said,” You never get a second chance to make a good first impression ”.
Of course, these 10 tips are not exhaustive, but following them already ensures that you make a difference compared to the majority of candidates and leave a great impression. Remember that recruiters talk to each other.
#10 Close clearly and classy
When the interview comes to an end, a future Business Developer will know Close the appointment with a polite phrase without heaviness — “thank you for your time and our discussion, know that this exchange has strengthened my motivation even more and I hope that we will have the opportunity to talk again”.
It is imperative to address the next steps (next interview, questions left unanswered). Above all, and it is mandatory, send a Follow-up email During the Next hours to remind you of your interest in the job and why you are the best choice. Do not wait until the next day: the decision will already be made.
Now that you are ready, have you also thought about optimize your application?
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