So What?

Most of us have had various types of interviews for college, scholarships or jobs, with the basic questions: “What makes you valuable to this company?” “What have you learned from your work experience?" and the list goes on. The basic rules are still present, both for a job interview and for getting a perspective client, but there are a few important aspects to practice to result in a successful interview for the latter. 

A few weeks ago, I experienced my first interview representing my own company and used some of the most common interviewing preparation rules:

1. Research the company and its competitors

2. Prepare main points of important topics to cover

3. Carry yourself in a professional manner

4. Bring a leave-behind

5. Ask questions and follow up

It’s always easy to talk about yourself, highlighting your skills and experience, but when representing your company, it’s imperative to keep in mind that perspective clients are investing a substantial amount of money and are likely to be extremely thorough and selective in their decision making. Of course, it is important that you show them why you can be valuable to them based on your company’s core competencies and its past accomplishments, but potential clients want to hear about themselves and the benefits they will receive. Showing that you are client-focused and displaying understanding of their needs builds a trusting relationship between the two entities.  The company wants to know, “What can you do for US?”

Everyone can talk about their firm and are able to explain why it is successful, but perspective clients want you to demonstrate benefits they will reap from hiring you. I recently attended a Marketing Coordinators workshop held by SMPS (Society for Marketing Professional Services), and we discussed the one question that you should always ask yourself: SO WHAT? So what if we are the top firm in the industry? So what if we have experience with similar firms? What will that do for them and why does that make us the better choice from the rest?