Page 159 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

THE QUESTION LIFE CYCLE

terview, you probably won’t get it. The employer wants you to be able
to close the sale. Why should the employer give you a chance selling
his or her product or service when you can’t even sell yourself? Re-
member, the job of a sales representative is to ask for the order and to
close the deal, not just make a nice presentation. For sales interviews,
phrases like these may be appropriate:

• I really want this job. Am I going to get it?

• I think I earned this job. When am I going to receive an offer?
• Did I get the job?
• I’d like to start right away. When can we get the paperwork out of
the way?

The following bid-for-action questions give you some wordings to ask
for the job with varying degrees of directness. Each one of the questions
can serve as a proactive close to the main part of the interview. Each of
these questions has been field-tested and, in the right circumstances, has
been shown to work. In other cases, the questions may backfire. The risk
is that the interviewer may regard you as cheeky or insolent. Study the
situation well and tread lightly.

10 BEST BID-FOR-ACTION QUESTIONS

12-1
Is there anything personally or professionally that you believe would pre-
vent my being a solid contributor in this role?
If not, you can assume that the next step is working out the hiring
details. If yes, then you are positioned to address the objection.

12-2
Mr. Employer, your search is over.You will not find anyone else more
qualified to do this job than I. If I were you, I’d cancel all the other in-
terviews and make me an offer.
This approach can be considered either confident or cheeky. But in the
right tone of voice, it can be effective.

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