Corporate Training: People don’t want to be sold

A sales exec I know was up for a plum gig—a rotation assignment in headquarters that would groom her for a promotion to Regional Director.  She was confident that she’d get the job, and went to the interview thinking that she was by far the best candidate.

They chose someone with less experience and less success from another district.  Why?

Apparently, the VPs who conducted the interviews reacted negatively to her telling them that she would take care of everything that crossed their desks and make them look good.  Several of them said that they would rather have heard that she was eager to win the assignment so that she could learn and grow as a professional.

What did she do wrong and why did she do it?

The Wrong?

1.  She took a salesy approach.  She assumed that they wanted to look good, which may have been true, but to state it overtly was not a wise move.  We don’t want our need for recognition to be a topic of discussion with a stranger.

2. By saying that she could take care of their affairs, she was making a claim that she was already as skilled and knowledgeable as they were.  Again, maybe true, but it sounds presumptuous and arrogant to say so.

3.  Her salesy approach, and her assumptions about their motivation made her seem less of a future colleague and more of an outsider trying to storm her way into the inner circle at headquarters.

4.  She is a large and tall person with a powerful speaking voice.  Her confidence and size can make her appear intimidating.

Why did she do it?

1.  She was, and is, an extremely ambitious and capable person.  She has won awards for her creative solutions to business problems within the company.  She is extremely proud of her abilities and her success, and is not reluctant to bring attention to both.

2.  When she encounters people who are less skilled and knowledgeable than she is, she can be impatient and condescending, and she harbors the attitude that some of the VPs are not her equal.

3.  Her military background led her to believe that the best approach to the interviews would be to toot her own horn.

My friend was shocked and upset that she was not chosen for the assignment, but she has bounced back and is eager to take the feedback she received and continue her career path, which says more about her than her one bad interview.