销售工作可以说是大多数公司运作的核心,这是因为销售情况的好坏直接关乎公司的利润,甚至关乎公司的生存。因此,外企在招聘销售人员时会格外严格与谨慎。那么,应聘者如何才能在销售面试中脱颖而出呢?除了准备好常规的面试问题外,应聘者还应从销售的角度预测并模拟回答面试问题。本文笔者将从销售技能、销售目标与业绩、新客户开发能力、客户维护能力这四个方面来探讨常见的销售面试问题及应对策略。
销售技能(Sales Skills)
应聘者应具备的主要销售技能包括了解客户需求的能力、现场推销能力、销售演讲能力、遭遇客户拒绝时的应对能力、销售成交能力等。下面笔者就通过分析与以上能力相对应的四道销售面试问题,来为应聘者提供可参考的应答思路。
1. Sell me this pencil. (考察应聘者了解客户需求的能力和现场推销能力)
应答思路:主考官提这一问题的主要目的是考察应聘者对客户需求的了解能力,同时也考察应聘者的现场推销能力及应变能力。在回答这一问题前,应聘者可以设想主考官是自己的客户,向其询问对欲购买的这支铅笔有哪些具体的需求或要求。然后,根据主考官的具体需求,应聘者可介绍该铅笔的主要特征,并着重强调这些特征会给客户带来哪些益处,以及如何满足客户的具体需求等。
参考回答:This pencil can benefit you by allowing you to easily correct errors, write quick, neat notes, and keep your shirts from getting ruined from leakage (渗漏). It is also the least expensive investment, and it is lightweight as well. Besides, you can have your name embossed (雕饰) on it for promotional purposes.
2. How do you make a sales presentation? (考察应聘者的销售演讲能力)
应答思路:对于这一问题,应聘者可以从销售演讲结构的构思、对听众的了解、PPT的制作以及在实际演讲过程中应该注意的事项(如视线交流、语速、语调等)等方面来组织自己的应答思路。
参考回答:First, I will prepare the structure of my presentation carefully and logically by identifying the objective and main points of the presentation. Then, I will try to find out how much or how little the audience knows about the subject, and what they expect from the talk. After that, I will prepare a well-designed PPT for the talk. Finally, during the presentation I will speak clearly, maintain eye contact with the audience, and try to make the presentation interesting by changing my speaking speed and pitch of voice (音调).
3. What techniques are most successful in handling objections? (考察应聘者应对客户拒绝的能力)
应答思路:应聘者在回答这一问题时,首先应说明在销售过程中遭到客户的拒绝并非坏事,销售者应把这一过程看做是了解客户需求、获取更多客户信息的关键步骤;然后再说明哪些具体策略能有效地应对客户拒绝,譬如认真倾听并解决客户所关心的问题等。
参考回答:First of all, I view an objection from a customer as an opportunity to engage in a conversation about something the customer is interested in. About the specific techniques in handling an objection, they may include: listening to and acknowledging the customer’s concern; asking questions to clarify things and ensuring you have got to the real objection; empathizing (移情) with the objection; putting forward a proposal to overcome the concern; confirming that you have addressed the concern.
4. What do you consider are the key skills in closing a sale? (考察应聘者的销售成交能力)
应答思路:这一问题涉及销售中常见的成交技巧,主要包括有效应对客户拒绝的技巧,以及通过观察客户的身体语言和说话的语气来判断客户是否真正想购买产品的能力。一旦客户同意购买某一商品,销售者应立即以书面形式确定交易,并进一步抓住机会向客户推销新产品,安排将来和客户见面的日期和时间等。
参考回答:The common skills in closing a sale include: overcoming the client’s objections by addressing his or her concerns; recognizing buying signals both verbal (言语的) and nonverbal (非言语的); allowing the client the appropriate time and silence to respond to the close; getting it documented as soon as possible once the client agrees to buy; having some friendly talk and giving some useful information to the client like new products or new plans of introducing new product lines; fixing the next appointment time and date.
在实际面试过程中,以上问题也可能会以行为面试问题(behavior interview questions)的形式出现,例如:关于销售演讲方面的问题(Describe the sales presentation you made last time.); 关于遭遇客户拒绝时的应对能力问题(Tell me about a time when you successfully handled rejections from a client.);关于销售成交能力的问题(Give me an example of a recent difficult sale and how you closed the deal.)。这三种行为面试问题同样也可以参考上文所述的应答思路进行回答。
除了上述列举的四类问题外,关于销售技能的面试问题还有可能涉及应聘者对销售过程的理解(What is a typical selling process?)、对销售总体技巧的理解(What do you think are the most important skills in succeeding in sales?)、对销售态度的理解(What do you like and dislike about the sales process?/What aspect of sales do you find the most rewarding?/How do you keep yourself motivated?)、应聘者的谈判能力(Describe a recent situation where you negotiated terms with a tough customer./Tell me about an important negotiation that failed. What went wrong and why?)、应聘者的说服力(Give an example of when you had to overcome strong resistance from a customer and persuade the customer to buy your product.)、应聘者在销售方面的弱点(What is your biggest difficulty in selling?)等。应聘者在参加销售面试前应充分准备好这些问题的应答思路。
销售目标与业绩(Sales Targets and Performance)
在销售面试中,主考官通常会针对销售目标的设置、销售目标的实现状况以及所完成的具体销售额等方面提问。通过提问这些问题,主考官主要想了解应聘者是否具备销售动力和激情、明确的工作方向、迎接挑战的能力以及完成销售目标的能力。
1. 关于销售目标的设置
关于这类问题,应聘者在回答时可主要涵盖以下几个方面:确定目标市场对自己产品的需求情况;了解竞争者的产品对市场的占有情况;挖掘目标市场可能接受自己产品的原因;估计目标市场可能有多少客户会接受并使用自己的产品;制定自己的月度销售目标和年度销售目标。
2. 关于销售业绩
关于这类问题,应聘者要如实回答。如果应聘者以往的销售业绩不是很理想,应聘者可以简要说明原因,并表明自己有能力和信心提高自己的销售业绩。以下列举一些有关销售目标与业绩的常见面试问题,供应聘者自行练习回答用。
☆ How do you set your sales targets?
☆ What was the size of the territory you covered in your last job and what was the sales volume?
☆How have your sales figures compared to your peers?
☆ Did you meet the goals set by your sales manager during the previous year?
新客户开发能力(New Client Development Skills)
开发新客户是销售工作永恒的主题,销售人员一定要时时刻刻努力寻找潜在的客户。因此,在销售面试中通常少不了关于新客户开发的问题。在回答这类问题前,应聘者应了解开发新客户的常见方式,通常包括以下几种:①通过参加老乡会、同学会、战友会,加入企业家协会,或参加培训课程等方式结识潜在客户;②让现有客户帮助介绍新客户;③参加各种展览会、信息交流会、信息发布会、订货会、技术交流会等,从中开发新客户;④通过查阅各种资料寻找新客户,包括电话簿、专业书报、杂志、当地报纸、各类广告等;⑤把产品或服务信息发到网上,吸引新客户;⑥通过打推销电话(cold calls)寻找新客户;⑦通过群发邮件开发新客户;⑧上门拜访潜在客户并推销产品。
除了要了解以上常见的新客户开发途径外,应聘者还应了解应聘公司所属行业的常见的新客户开发途径。例如,房产租赁和销售行业的销售人员经常会打推销电话。以下列举一些常见的该类面试问题,供应聘者自行练习回答用。
☆What methods do you use to get prospects (潜在客户)?
☆ What is your best source of new accounts (客户)?
☆ Do you like cold calling?
☆ Do you use networking to get clients?
☆How much of your time is spent in serving old accounts versus generating new ones?
☆ How many new accounts did you get last year?
☆ Tell me how you developed your largest account.
☆ Tell me about a recent sale that you failed to get.
☆ What difficulties do you think you would experience if you had to establish a new territory?
客户维护能力(Client Retention Skills)
应聘者的客户维护能力也是主考官考察的重要方面。在参加面试前,应聘者应了解客户维护的常见方式和技巧,包括以下几个方面:①建立客户档案,充分了解并把握客户的详细信息;②通过节假日问候客户、给客户寄送礼物、宴请客户等方式,向客户表示关心和问候;③以良好的服务质量和业务水平满足客户的需求,服务要热情周到、细致全面、有针对性;④与客户加强业务以外的沟通,努力与客户建立起朋友般的关系,获取客户的信任;⑤多做些销售之外的事情,在自己力所能及的范围内帮助客户解决一些问题;⑥尊重客户并真诚对待客户。以下列举一些常见的该类面试问题,供应聘者自行练习回答用。
☆ What do you think are the most effective ways of retaining clients?
☆ How do you entertain clients?
☆ How many appointments did you have in a typical week?
☆ How much time do you spend directly with a customer on an average day?
☆ Tell me about a time when a customer was dissatisfied and how you dealt with him or her.
☆ Tell me about the most difficult customer you have ever handled.
除了要准备好以上四类问题的应答外,应聘者还应认真研究应聘公司所经营的产品或提供的服务,了解该公司的目标市场和客户群,了解该公司所属行业的发展趋势以及该公司主要竞争对手的情况等。此外,应聘者在参加面试时还要特别注意以下几点:①着装正式大方,向主考官展示出自己具备销售人员的专业面貌;②答题时镇定自若、条理清晰、充满自信,向主考官展示自己具备销售人员的专业精神;③坦诚自信地展现自我、推销自我,重点突出自己与应聘职位相吻合的优势,强调自己能够为公司创造利润。