I am Not Your Guy

Before HAMMER Consulting, I first owned a search firm that specialized in placing other headhunters. Unless you are in the search business, this is probably just about the wackiest niche you could imagine. My point in bringing it up today is not to reminisce, but because there was a similar theme I encountered there that still prevails today. Headhunters and Sales Executives are notorious for being out of touch about their interviewing skills (present company included!). It is a perishable skill and one that, regardless of how exceptional a sales professional you are, you should never assume is sharp, honed and ready for battle. Just like pitching a solution to a new prospect, you need to plan and rehearse. In this blog we are going to share pitfalls and successes alike that we see daily. Here is one of my most recent.

A client of ours was interviewing for a Federal Sales Executive. Like any first round interview, both the company and the individual interviewing want to peel back the layers of the onion to see what is there. This one candidate, like so many, had a list of what he wanted in his next opportunity and what he did not want. Unfortunately, he decided to focus on the negative – what he didn’t want. This manifested itself by him repeatedly saying to the CEO, “If you are looking for (insert goal/description/objective here), I am not your guy.” After about the third time of giving examples of what he would not do, the CEO had this phrase ringing in her ears. As a result, she determined he was not “their guy” and passed on him.

While I am a firm believer that the interview process is a two-way street, there is one goal alone for the first interview: get to the second interview. Granted he had some concerns, but he would have been better suited building rapport, creating a sense of the value he would bring the company versus giving a list of things he would not do. The first interview is not the time to negotiate. The interviewee is there at the will of the employer and has very little leverage. Perceived value (great sales record, a recommendation/referral, etc.) is what brings the candidate to the table. So, emphasizing the positive is what is paramount. Negotiation and framing the position to be a good (if not great) fit must be left for later when there is mutual interest. While both sides have to agree there is some level of interest to continue, the company hiring always holds ultimate veto power here.

My recommendation: for the first interview have a list of three to four examples (minimum) of why you are a good fit for the opportunity at hand. Make these quantifiable events in your track record. For example, you understand that the position for which you are interviewing is looking to increase sales within a certain vertical market. Give an example of how you did just that in a previous position, increased market share – give numbers (percentage of quota, ranking against other sales professionals, ROI, etc.). Once you have established your value and rapport, you can then tweak the details of the position away from what you do not want from a position of leverage.

Sales is the one of the only jobs in which you demonstrate your skill set during the interview. Here you are your own solution. So, make the fit by detailing how your prior success will translate into future success (sales and market share) when you are hired.

The Problem with Name Dropping

One of the principal tenets of legal questioning is to only ask questions to which you know the answers (or at least this is what I have gleaned from watching countless hours of Law and Order!). In The HAMMER Letter this past April, we talked about a topic sharing a similar vein: Name Dropping. But in this instance, you need to be aware of what the people whose names you drop will say about YOU.

Just this past week, I had a software sales executive interviewing with a client. He was a great fit for the organization given his track record of success and his vertical knowledge. But, in the midst of the conversation, he decided to start verbalizing his rolodex. A few of those names rang familiar with the Sales Engineer involved in the interviews, so he did the next most logical thing: He made a call to the customer whose name was dropped who he happens to know quite well. As the story was relayed to me, this customer whose name was dropped was described as very “even keeled and mild mannered.” This customer’s response regarding the software sales executive candidate, who dropped his name rather confidently, was that the next time he saw him he would “like to pin him to the wall.” The visceral nature of this back channel reference completely scuttled this candidate’s chances with the company.

There is another facet to hap-hazard named dropping as well: knowing what the person you are talking to thinks about the person whose name you are dropping. On more than one occasion, I have had a candidate interview with a client and they find a common link. Any better than average sales professional is highly networked, so the degrees of separation are few. The problem becomes when the interviewee starts getting comfortable, lets his/her guard down and comments on this person they now know to share in common. Even an innocuous comment made tongue in cheek can be taken badly when you don’t know the baseline or history behind the other person’s relationship with this shared contact. Again, just like in legal questioning, you should not question (or in this case, comment) when you do not know all the facts (the context and substance of the relationship).

Establishing commonalities in the interview process is important, so here is how I would advise going about it:

1) Keep it simple and professional. No need to comment on someone personally, regardless of how comfortable you are feeling in the interview
2) Like Mom said, “If you do not have anything nice, do not say anything at all.”
3) If you are on the fence about what a name you are about to drop might say about you, do not let it leave your mouth.

Social and Professional networking sites are great places to see if there might be a link between you and your interviewer BEFORE you meet. As you find those links and are doing your due diligence beforehand (makings calls, getting background, etc.) a good vetting mechanism for determining “to drop or not to drop” is this: If the person in question is willing to make a call on your behalf before the meeting – it is probably safe to drop the name. If not, think twice about the risk versus reward.