Talk about a time when you had to get really good at a skill. How did you do this?
Since prospecting can be highly repetitive - place a call, give your spiel, place another call, give your spiel again - the interviewer wants to know that you have the right type of personality for this. Talk about a time when you did something over and over again in order to become great at it. Show that you know how to set goals and that you understand the importance of practicing.
"I have played baseball throughout my entire life, from elementary school through college. While I have a natural pitching ability and am a fast runner, I sometimes struggled with batting. There came a time early on in high school when I decided that I needed to become a better hitter so that overall I could become a great, well-rounded player. I set my mind to it and began practicing my batting skills an hour or more a day. I set a target batting average, and I worked hard every day to achieve that target. Ultimately, I drastically improved my hitting ability and later on got picked up to play for a college team. From the experience, I learned how important it is to set goals, practice religiously, and to not give up. I know that I will do the same when it comes to prospecting."
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Anonymous Answer
At the beginning of my BDR career I had to learn how to prepare to become ready to start cold calling. In order to achieve this I worked diligently with the Director of Operations who coached me on my pitch, presentation, and product knowledge. In time I acquired the skills necessary to start cold calling prospective clients. In no time cold calling became one of the skills I am most proud of.
Jaymie's Feedback
This is an excellent answer. Just a minor suggestion to include any quantifiable data or metrics to really paint the picture for the interviewer. For example, the number of cold calls you make in a week, month, or quarter or the conversion rate that you typically have.
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