Whether you’re job-hunting for a part-time, full-time, entry-level, or management position, you have to overcome objections from recruiters in interviews to land a sales job.
Recruiters go through hundreds of resumes from potential sales reps and invite applicants who are over 75% fit for the job. They go to each interview knowing that the interviewee is not the perfect fit for the position. This reality can bruise your ego. But you have to accept that there is no interview where the recruiter will consider you 100% fit for the job.
Acknowledging this reality puts you in a better position to address recruiters’ objections about your qualification, experience, and more. It is the first step for you to overcome hiring objections and land a sales job.
What Are the Common Sales Job Objections From Recruiters?
From candidate screening to job interviews and follow-up, you may face multiple objections in each step of the hiring process. Concerns about job experience are the most common objections from sales recruiters.
As we all know, sales are more practical than theoretical. You need some experience to convince prospects to purchase. If you’re free out of college, learn how to prepare for a sales job interview with no experience. Another common objection from hiring managers and recruiters is about qualification.
This objection cuts both ways. A sales recruiter can object because you’re underqualified or overqualified for the position. Make sure you meet qualification requirements before applying for jobs.
Financial matters cuts across all sectors, including sales. You should expect objections about your salary. Recruiters use salary objections to negotiate and hire sales reps who fit their budget.
Other common objections from recruiters include whether you can fit into their sales team or company, your employment history, and many more. Regardless of the objection, you have to professionally respond and address all concerns raised by recruiters to land a sales job.
General Objection Handling Tips for Sales Job-Seekers
Most recruiters, job headhunters, and hiring managers will object to in-person meetings with random job-seekers. Classic objections to face-to-face meetings and interviews include “We’re not hiring” or “I’m busy.” To overcome these objections, inform the recruiter that you’re not asking for a job. You just want to meet to establish mutual interest or go through your resume. Some hiring managers use this phrase to avoid face-to-face interviews with job-seekers. Here are some tips to handle objection:
- Ask if you can deliver the resume in person. Then use the meet to pitch for a job. As a professional in sales, you have the expertise to handle and overcome hiring objections. Think of the recruiter or interviewer as a prospect and leverage the power of marketing in job interviews to succeed.
- Sell yourself to the recruiter, interviewer, or job headhunter. According to the sales theory, if you overcome all your prospect’s objections, they will have no other choice but to buy what you’re selling.
- Highlight the product’s benefits and features (your sales skills and qualifications) until the prospect (sales recruiter) agrees to purchase (give you the job).
- Interpret interviewers’ unspoken concerns based on their body language and tone of voice. For example, your answer to a job interview question can make the interviewer switch their posture or facial expression. It may indicate that your answer is too good or terrible.
To be on the safe side, go through the question and your answer in your head. If you were wrong, slide in the correct answer smoothly in the following interview question. Whether it is spoken or unspoken objections, respond confidently, professionally, and positively to each concern. Handling objections go beyond words to include your body language and tone of voice.
How Do You Overcome Specific Objections in Sales Job Interviews?
Recruiters and interviewers will always have concerns about your suitability for the job because they want to make the best hiring decision possible. Objections in sales job interviews are normal and part of the recruitment process. Here are eight objection-handling examples with tips to help you ace interviews and land your dream job.
1. Handling Objections About Your Experience
Objection Example: “You don’t have the level of experience we need.”
If you are job-hunting for a sales position fresh out of college, you should expect this objection from recruiters regularly. To overcome objections about your lack of experience, learn how to prepare for a sales job interview. First, prepare a portfolio with all your internships, part-time jobs, major class projects, and volunteer work. It can visualize your experience more effectively than narrating each accomplishment to recruiters.
Although more experience is an asset in sales, some recruiters and hiring managers can raise an objection, such as “You have too much experience for this position.” It conceals the interviewer’s concerns about your age or lack of motivation. You can overcome this objection by demonstrating how your experience will benefit the hiring company. Keep your know-it-all attitude in check throughout the job interview.
2. Countering “Not-a-Good-Fit” Objections
Objection Example: “I am not sure you would fit into the sales team.”
The success of sales teams requires cooperation, cohesion, and teamwork. So, recruiters always avoid hiring sales reps who can’t fit into their team. If you are fresh out of college and don’t have much experience, proving that you’re a team player will require some ingenuity. You can counter this objection by demonstrating an in-depth understanding of the importance of teamwork in sales. If you come from a large family, highlight how you have been working in a team (family) your entire life.
Your role in school projects, church, or the community can also demonstrate that you’re a team player and showcase your teamwork experience. Highlight a situation where you were an outcast, then you worked hard and successfully fit into a new “team.” This “team” can be anything, from a new school, social club, city, or neighborhood.
3. Overcoming Overqualified Objections
Objection Example: “You are overqualified for this position.”
While going for low-hanging fruits may seem like a no-brainer, it creates doubt about your work ethic, competency, and motivation. Sales recruiters can use overqualified objections if they think you are only good on paper. Hiring managers with concerns about your attitude and ability to work with others can also use this sales job objection example.
To overcome overqualified objections, determine the interviewers’ hidden concerns. You’ll need to analyze the comment in context and the interviewer’s body language and tone of voice. Another way is to explain why you want a sales position that is below your qualification. Use this objection-handling strategy to demonstrate the benefits of having an overqualified sales rep in their team.
4. Navigating Salary Objections
Objection Example: “I am not sure we can afford your salary.”
This objection may indicate that you already got the job or you’re on the shortlist of high-potential candidates. A sales recruiter only complains about affording your salary if the company wants to hire you. But recruiters and hiring managers are skilled negotiators and use salary objections to pressure you to lower your asking price. It works like a charm on desperate job-seekers looking to get their first sales job.
To overcome salary objections, navigate salary negotiations with finesse. Hint that you’re willing to discuss your salary along with your employment contract. This objection handling tip ensures you have the leverage to negotiate the best deal if you get the job.
5. Winning Half-Hearted Objections
Objection Example: “We really like to have you in our team. But, we are not sure where you fit.”
This half-hearted objection gives you a 50-50 chance of landing the sale job. The recruiter is impressed with your sales skills, but they are unsure where to use you in their team or company.
To overcome this objection, demonstrate how your skills can benefit the hiring company. You can highlight that you are flexible and able to work in different roles across the sales department, like online marketing. Confidence in your skills and ability to deliver results is the key to winning half-hearted objections.
6. Addressing Job-Hopper Objections
Objection Examples: “Why were you fired from your last job?” Or, “Why have you worked with so many companies?”
If the recruiter has access to your employment history, you should expect these objection examples in the job interview. Being reminded that you were fired is emotional, which increases the risk of coming off too defensive. To address job-hopper objections, explain your job history and spin your termination into a strength.
Make lemonade from the lemons by demonstrating how job-hopping or termination provided a learning experience and improved your skills and professionalism. Or, working with different teams and companies increased your experience. This objection handling tip allows you to turn a weakness into an added advantage that can benefit the hiring company.
Start Handling and Overcoming Objections
To get a sales job, you have to overcome objections from headhunters and recruiters. Common objections in sales job interview focus on experience, qualification, salary, employment history, and whether can fit into the team or company. Think of the interview as a sales pitch to prospect to sell yourself to the recruiter.
You can rely on objection handling examples and tips to overcome specific concerns raised by interviewers and recruiters in your job interview. Always pay attention to interviewers’ body language and tone of voice to determine unspoken objections and concerns.
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