As a prospective salesperson, your first sale at any new gig begins well before sitting down for the first interview. Before you can get behind a new product or mission, you first have to sell yourself as the right person for the job. And like any good sales pitch, knowing your audience and understanding what key components the company’s looking for are essential to positioning yourself as the right fit.

Still, each role is unique and requires a tailored approach — and asking the right questions can help cement you as a standout candidate. 

“Questions are one the most effective ways to build credibility,” Stephen Moffitt, a strategic account executive at Trustpilot, said. “It’s important that your questions showcase a high level of preparation and curiosity.”

Built In NYC sat down with Moffitt and three other sales professionals to uncover what strategies have helped lock in their own success — and the tips they have for nailing your next interview.

Prove yourself through research

“I approach my interviews the same way I would approach an important sales meeting — with a focus on research. The more I know about their background, the better. Prior to my interview, I thoroughly research the company, their mission and values, and the role. It’s important to know the products I’ll be selling and the value it brings to potential clients and their businesses.

I always do research on the company’s biggest clients, their competitors, and trends in the industry. I also take a look at my interviewer’s LinkedIn profile to get better insight into their role and background, because I’ll have a better chance of connecting with them during the interview process. Taking the time to research shows the interviewer that I have a strong interest in the company and what they do, and I’ll be better prepared to answer questions and position myself as the best candidate for them.”

Whitney Man is a Senior Advertising Account Executive at Stack Overflow, an online coding community.

Dig deeper for day-to-day experience

“The single most important thing I would do to prepare for a sales interview is to make sure I have three extremely relevant questions to ask.

Outside of passing on the opportunity to ask a question, I think the biggest mistake candidates make during this phase of the interview process is asking questions about the company or the product. This information will be provided during onboarding and won’t really provide a lot of clarity over what it’s like to work for that organization. The best questions center around the employee experience, the expectations for the role, and the historical results of people currently in that role. Examples might include:

• What percentage of people in this role have hit quota over the last quarter?
• What is currently the biggest barrier to greater success on this team?
• What is the management style and how will my performance be judged?

Almost every interviewer leaves time for the candidate to ask questions, and this is the one area where I am most heavily judging someone’s intelligence and critical thinking skills. More importantly, it tells me how seriously they are taking the opportunity.”

Mark Brooks is the Vice President of General Business Sales at Bizzabo, a professional event company.

Curiosity is crucial

“Questions! Whether you are selling a product or selling yourself, questions are one the most effective ways to build credibility. It’s important that your questions showcase a high level of preparation and curiosity.

Reading case studies and researching the business’s competitive landscape are easy ways to formulate impactful questions. Do your best to understand the business, its products, and how their solution provides value to their customers. You won’t become a product expert prior to your interview, so identify your knowledge gaps and formulate questions to better understand how the business works.

Be curious about the culture and your future relationships with your teammates, line manager and leadership team. Effective questions will show that you’ve done your homework and help you mutually qualify the business as good fit for employment. Remember, employment is a two-way street!”

Stephen Moffitt is a Strategic Account Executive at Trustpilot, a business review platform.

Two is better than one

“It’s most important to have not one, but two elevator pitches prepared. 

The first pitch is why you’re the best candidate for the role and the second is your best interpretation of the value in the software. These pitches are extremely important because it shows your effort and preparation before the interview. You have understood what you can bring to the company and gone the extra mile to learn about the technology.

If there’s any way to stand out in interviews, especially as you are newer to working in SaaS or earlier stage startups, preparation of both pitches is key!”

Jeremy Rubin is a Manager of Sales Development at Dashlane, a password management company.