Rose Mauriello is a guest blogger on the Inside Sales Experts Blog. She is the President and Founder or RRM Staffing a Boston based contingency search firm that specializes in Inside Sales candidates. Here Rose shares her counsel on how an ISR should effectively prepare for an interview.

Preparing for a Sales Job Interview:
The most important step in the process is that the candidate takes the time to do their homework.

Company homework:

• Research the company by thoroughly reviewing their website
• Read recent press releases
• Download a product demo and participate in a webinar (if possible)
• Be ready to articulate the company's value proposition
• Research the industry
• Learn who the competitors are and what differentiates them from the company you are meeting with
• Find out who you will be meeting with in advance and read their biographies. Look them up on LinkedIn and Google.

Personal homework:

• Know your strengths and be able to articulate them
• In practicing your responses to standard interview questions, make sure to include concrete examples of what you have done in the past that demonstrates your skills, experience and capabilities
• Know all of the details (you can bring a "cheat sheet" with you) on your past quota numbers and your actual performance as well as specifics on all relevant metrics
• Keep a list of key customers you have sold to and notes about the sales process for each situation

Anticipate and prepare for typical questions that you will be asked such as:

• "Tell me about yourself".
• "Why are you considering leaving your current position"?
• "Tell me about a competitive sales situation you were involved with and what you did to win the deal".
• "Who do you sell to? What is your sales cycle and average deal size?"
• "Tell me how you prospect to build the pipeline?"
• "How do you organize your day? Tell me about what you do from the time you arrive at work until you leave".
• "What are your strengths and weaknesses"?
• "Why are you interested in our company"?
• "Where do you see yourself in five years"?

Plan on asking several key questions such as:

• "What is the greatest challenge offered by this position?"
• "How is success defined for this position?"
• "How many sales reps are currently exceeding quota?"
• "What are the greatest challenges your company faces?"
• "What are some potential career paths within your company?"

During initial interviews it is generally not a good idea to ask about compensation and benefits. You want the company to be sold on you before getting to this point.

Be sure to close at the end of the interview. The best way to do this is to ask: "Do you have any concerns about my qualifications for this position"? This gives you the chance to overcome any potential objections that you can uncover about your candidacy.

Next step is to let the interviewer know that you are very interested in the position and company. Find out what the next steps are and reiterate your strong interest in taking that next step.

Look your best. Even if the company is "business casual", dress professionally as you would for a customer meeting. Wear conservative, but current clothing, shoes, etc. Do not wear overpowering cologne/perfume. Know the location/directions and plan on arriving at least 15 minutes early. Bring a notebook and pen - taking notes definitely shows interest and commitment. Get business cards from each person you meet with. Within 24 hours, send meaningful thank you e-mails that reiterate your interest and why you would be the best person to hire.

Good Luck!

What follows are some helpful tips on how to, or how not to, use a Product Marketing/Management executive as part of the sales process.  This is a guest post written by someone who recently read Tales from A Gatekeeper.  I found it informative and funny and wanted to share! - Trish Bertuzzi

I am a Product Manager. I recently ran across the Sales Tips: Tales from a Gatekeeper post on this blog and thought I would address the Inside Sales Experts Blog community of Sales Executives & Sales Managers.

What follows are based on my experiences and impressions as a Product Manager for software sales companies. Comments are welcome! I would also love to hear what we Product Managers can improve upon.

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• DO NOT use me as the next step in the sales process. 
  Does the sales process really run: get lead -> call lead -> confirm pulse -> throw Product Manager against wall -> see if it sticks?

• DO NOT introduce me on a call and drop this classic lazy sales guys line:
  "Great Bob, thanks for taking the time. Chris has some questions he would like to ask you." I do, but they center more around why I waste my time on calls with you - "Mr. 60% of quota"!

• DO have some perspective. 
  I understand that your perception about your most recent deal (win or loss) is your reality. But I have a Product to manage. The fact that Prospect A did not buy from you last week, does not drive my roadmap. You losing a single deal to a competitor I have never heard of does not make a fully researched and polished competitive analysis my new #1 priority. I appreciate that you are in the fray every day, but my job is to take a step back and think strategically.

• DO share your experiences with me. 
  I need Sales to share G2 with me (customer feedback, objections, competitive tidbits, price sensitivity, feedback on product benefits) to be successful.  If you lose to a competitor we have identified in our space, let me know. If you gain traction in a certain vertical, share that with me. I want the product and you as a sales person to be successful. I want to be listening to the market as much as possible. Be another set of eyes and ears on the street for me and I will back you up. At quarter end, I will be there for you and your prospects.

• DO NOT over commit. 
  Remember that training where you were "sure" you heard that new killer feature was generally available TODAY? Really?!?! I was there. In fact I was the one giving it. Nice try though. 
  Also, you cannot trot me out in front of your key account and expect me to back up your promises, over-commitments and straight-up BS. I want to win as well, but there is this guy - he is a my VP and he frowns upon bamboozling an account into buying from us.

And finally....

• DO try to understand what I do here. 
  Think of me as the GM for the Product. I don't make the product, but I care about why, how and when it is made. I don't sell the product, but I want to make sure the value, positioning, messaging and pricing are spot on. I don't support the product, but I demand that it delivers and that our customers love us.

Thank you for listening.  Happy Selling.