The BIGGEST Mistake in Interviewing (And How to Fix It)

The BIGGEST mistake in sales calls: You’re not preparing Here are 3 Tips you can apply today to close more, make more money and live happier — THREAD -

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Cameron Holmes outlined a great method of preparing for calls. I’m going to apply it to an interview in order to sell myself.

The Secret Sauce

1.) Pre-work is a MUST Before picking up the phone I use a tactic I call the “3x3x3” Rule: Grab a note card/sticky note -Spend 3 minutes -Write 3 goals for call -Write 3 things about the person you’re calling Keep this card in front of you when you call (Continued)

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The 3x3x3 rule sounds simple enough. Let’s go through each step

Spend 3 Minutes

“3 things about the person” Remember this is a Warm Call, you should have a small rapport with them -Include a comment they made previously (something that triggered an emotion with them) -Include a “need” that they have -Include a hobby or interest that you share with them

When interviewing, the call should be assumed to be warm regardless if you know the interviewer.

Do your research. 99.9% of people are on google somewhere. If you have a name, company, and location you can triangulate through Google who a person is.

If not, treat them like a good friend. Be vulnerable, ask questions that allow them to show who they are:

hobbies,
interests,
what they do outside of work,
what excites them

What these do is allow you to develop that rapport in the follow up email as well as link those to your next interview when you get another.

In my personal situation, the companies I interview with usually have someone I have worked with in the past or know (networking is digging the well BEFORE you are thirsty). I was able to talk to those I knew beforehand as a reference as well as gain insight to a need in terms of the current position and any other open positions.

So my three things about the person interviewing me due to my research

extensive experience within the selected industry
Member of a local group of industry professionals which I have taken part in
Has had multiple interviews regarding his role — and is looking for diverse experience in addition to experience within the industry

And three goals in the call

Show that I am excited about being in a coordinator position — I enjoy developing people, finding solutions, managing personnel — and have proven experience in the industry
I am someone who would fit well with the current workgroup. I am a giver when it comes to providing help to others because it provides value to the group as a whole
I develop skills quickly and know the industry, therefore my onboarding time will be considerably less than those outside or with less experience

Find a need or problem they have yet to solve

This is where you need to do company research. Let’s take a personal example

I work in pipeline and integrity of pipelines.

The companies that are in this industry are looking for solutions to

managing multiple pipelines with different products
making sure these lines comply with government standards
develop and coordinate their current people as well as new hires in order to maintain quality of service

The last need is something I will focus on.

When a PM or coordinator leaves, there is a gap and stumbling of personnel. The PM/coordinator is a keystone for operations and needs that role to be filled.

Companies need a proven track record of doing the following

Developing personnel
Handling a large project workload
Communicating with technical and non-technical employees in order to get results

So how do I fulfill that need?

In my previous experience, I’ve handled multiple crews (five or more at a time) that performed repairs and commissioning/recommissioning projects. They need to meet certain technical standards while also being executable in the field.
In order to perform in the field I have worked with field operations in order to plan the work, identify roadblocks (such as modifying pipe, 3rd parties that are involved, and product coordination) and capture/resolve them early in order to save time and money

There’s much more I can go into, for the sake of brevity I’ll move on to the next step

Taking notes during the call

2.) Always take notes when prospecting Spend 2 minutes post-call and write down notes you can use in the future -Hot button items with them -Identify their need -What they like/don’t like -Kids names -Their hobbies -SPECIFIC PHRASE THAT YOU SAID THAT RESONATED WITH THEM

This is underutilized when interviewing and helps you

Stay focues on the call
allows you to draft a follow up email without sounding robotic

Don’t hesitate to ask questions that relate to the need that the interviewer/hiring manager has. You can tailor your answers and follow up in order to answer this exact need.

Keeping your promises

3.) Keep your promises Every call I make, I always make them 1 promise at the end of the call -I’ll send you an analysis of your property -I’ll send you a market report -I’ll send you comps These are all promises that I can do quickly, but will provide ample value to prospect

What can you promise at the end of the call?

A few ideas

a follow up email
a report or story you mentioned during the call
a deliverable or personal piece of content you can provide

It’s an easy way of establishing rapport and getting you a second interview/job offer

On your follow up email you include “As promised on our call, here is the analysis of your property” You have now established that you are trustworthy and will follow through on your promises The likelihood that they’ll work with you has now gone up