I had a phone interview today that seemed to go well. We set up a role play call for later this week, during which I'll be calling the hiring manager and selling her a product or service. She said I can sell her anything that I choose.
What would be a good product or service to sell? The position is in the payroll services field, and while I have experience in sales I don't have experience with that specifically. Should I try to sell her something pertaining to the job I'm interviewing for, sell her a service (I was thinking of acting like I'm with a maid service and selling maid service?) or pick a product of some kind to sell?
Thanks ladies!
Re: 2nd interview for inside sales, need advice
The best things you can sell people are something they actually need. So whatever you choose, make sure it's something you can convince the manager she needs. For example, when I interviewed for (and got) my job, I sold my manager pain meds because she had broken her hand. You aren't going to be able to see your manager to see if she's broken anything, but try to think in terms of what she might need - something in terms of her health can be good because everyone's needs are similar and it's easy to pitch. (multi-vitamins, ergonomic desk chairs, gym membership, etc) You know what the benefits of those things are and there is plenty of research to back you up.
At least that's what I did. Good luck!
And another piece of advice from an inside sales rep - relax on the phone. You'll probably mis-speak, but that's okay - I do it every day and I've been at it for several years. They're listening to see if you're confident, not if you're perfect. A good sales organization will teach you to sell their product once you start - they don't expect you to already know. You'll do great! The fact that you're asking for advice puts you one step in the right direction.