Using a sales strategy for interviews

Rafe Gomez, the "rehirement coach," recommends a sales strategy to help people find jobs.

When Rafe Gomez was laid off from his job as a nationally syndicated radio show host in February 2008, did everything he was supposed to do. He went to networking events, seminars and read advice books, and then followed the tips during interviews … to no avail.

“The advice out there was written five to ten years ago, when there were plenty of jobs and most job seekers already had a job,” Gomez said. “But in this economy, companies are only hiring people who can deliver results they need to stay in business.”

Gomez decided to use a sales strategy he’d used to sell CDs on QVC called “What’s In it For Me?” and apply it to job interviews.

The thinking behind the strategy, originated by Lee Boyan, is this: Every potential consumer wants to know how your product or service can make them money, save them money or improve their image in the marketplace. Once you’ve proven that you (or your product) can do one or more of those three things, they’ll be hooked.

Gomez started to sell himself this way on job interviews, and immediately landed a radio gig. He even authored a downloadable audio book called “What’s In It for Me? A Powerful New Interview Strategy to Get you Hired in Today’s Challenging Economy.”

Here are some of his tips for using the sales strategy in the job sphere:

Discover the “closing triggers” of the company where you’re interviewing.
Gomez described the three things every company wants to know about you (ie. how you can make them money, save them money and/or improve their image in the marketplace) as “closing triggers.” In order to truly understand a company’s goals (and how you can help them reach those) you must do intense research. That means more than just perusing their Web site. It means looking at all recent media releases, their listing on Vault.com and articles written in various newspapers. “You want to get as much insider information on the company as you can and work backwards from there,” Gomez said.

Sell yourself, but don’t talk about yourself.
Since interviewers already have your resume, there’s no reason to waste precious interview time listing former jobs. Instead give specific numbers and measurable information that can show how exactly you helped your last company grow and how you can help your potential employer. You might also want to talk about awards or press clippings not included in your resume, Gomez suggested.

Send a “cheesecake” to follow up.
This tip does not require a chip to Junior’s. What Gomez means by a “cheesecake” is a tasty extra morsel with which you can provide your potential employer when you follow-up. Rather than bombarding the interviewer with questions on the hiring status, mention something unique you’ve done doing recently that relates to the job or skills needed for the job. “You basically want to send them a little press release about yourself,” Gomez said.

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