‘Tis the season. It is getting warmer, school is coming to a close and summer will be here in one month. Students, college graduates in particular, will be going on interviews and starting down their career path. Working as an account executive, and prior to that, a property manager I have been in sales for the better part of a decade, meeting with a prospective client/resident is similar to being interviewed, you always want to place your best foot forward.  

Below are a few tips/life experiences I hope will help to prep and overcome those interview butterflies.

1)      Appearance:  An opinion will be formed of you before you even open your mouth to say “Hello I am…” The first thing I do before walking in to meet with a prospective client is check my teeth, pop a mint (preferably enroute to the meeting, no gum, no need to show off your chewing skills), check clothes and hair. Walk in with a confident smile no matter how hard your knees are knocking.

2)      Preparation/Presentation:  Knowledge is power: never a truer statement. Have you done your homework on the company? For all prospective clients there is research to be done prior to meeting.  In order to sell them a product I need to know how it will benefit them. In order to land the job, you need to know how you will benefit the company. Make sure you have all the necessary tools at your disposal, a note pad, pen and updated resume will be helpful, no cell phone, leave that in the car. The person in front of you deserves your undivided attention.

3)      Communication/Speech:  Be sure to annunciate all words, making sure to use yes and no in place of yeah or naw. I am not suggesting that you sound like a robot by any means, but you do want to be aware of your audience.  Practice with a friend and if you are able tape yourself, we are our own worst critic. You will be able to see if you are fidgeting or generally look uncomfortable. Proper speech and confident body language speak volumes, no pun intended.

4)      Follow up/Follow through:  There is a debate on whether you should send a thank you card, or a thank you email. I am more old fashion and prefer to send thank you cards to my prospective clients. I think it is great to receive items in the mail and I feel others have that same opinion. Although convenient and more utilized, a thank you email does not give you the same warm fuzziness as a card.

5)      Social media:  As a professional who wishes to be taken seriously that is the image I wish to project. Make sure your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn accounts are all family appropriate.  Most employers are going to Google you to see what pops up and most likely it will be prior to your meeting, what image are they are going to see?

I hope these items are helpful and keep in mind a rejection isn’t finite, it just means not at this moment.  If a prospect tells me “no,” I follow up with them in a couple months.  Situations change and there may be an opportunity at a later date.