2024-05-10_meera.augustine_Chrissy Rossiter Interview Guide - Final.docx

Sales Manager Interview Guide - HCL

Preparing for the Interview

Review the candidate’s resume & PI Assessment. If it has been a while since you have interviewed a candidate, familiarize yourself with this interview guide as well as the PI and the PI interview Guide. It is ok to paraphrase the questions as needed, but make sure that you cover all questions in the spirit in which they were intended. “Ideal” HCL candidates will be in the Persuader, Captain or Maverick PI types.

Looking For:

Strong understanding of marketing principles and strategies

Hunters who seek out new referral relationships where they create professional value

Dynamic sales people who are high energy, bubbly, and quick Rapport builders

High level of compassion and empathy

Non-medical home care sector, related industry, or service-selling experience

Plus: RN, MSW, LVN, CMC

Not Interested In:

Farmers who only grow organic local relationships based on personal likeability vs strategic business partnerships

People who do not express or give the impression of a desire to help people

People who would have more than a 1.5hr drive to the farthest side of their territory

There are thirteen sections to this interview guide. The objective is to have all questions asked/answered over the course of the three interviews (Sales Recruiter Phone Screen, RDBD Virtual or In-Person Interview & General Manager In-Person Interview). When you have completed a question you will add your notes in the answer column and score the answer (scoring can be completed post-interview). This allows the rest of the interview team to view the candidate's responses and will stop the team from replicating questions.

Each question should be rated on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest points available. A 3 should be considered strong, whilst 4 or 5 indicates exceptional performance in that area.

Grading Scale:

Candidate Name:Chrissy Rossiter			Salary Expectations: $75k-$80k/yr

Candidate Residency Location:Toronto, Niagra	Candidate Applied or Sourced:Sourced

Candidate Follow-up:					Reason for Leaving:Laid off

Looking For: She took time off to travel and re-energize after her lay-off. She is now ready to get back into the workforce.

LinkedIn Link

Interview Dates:

Interviewer:

1. Introduction: Introduce yourself, TheKey, and the role responsibilities as well as a brief description of PI and how it’s used

“Hi <Candidate Name>, My name is <Interviewer Name>, I’m the <Job Title> from TheKey. I will be interviewing you for the <Home Care Liaison> role for our <Location> Territory. This role is heavily focused on Outside Sales, so my questions today will be focused around some of the ideal qualities we are looking for from a candidate. As a note, we utilize the Predictive Index behavioral assessment to better understand your work style and potential fit within our organization. This is a helpful tool for us but is not the final deciding factor. I will get to know about your background, your passion and your skills today to see if we feel you’ll be a good match for this role and for our organization. Before I get started today, do you have any questions about what the general role of a <Home Care Liaison> is or our service?”

What interests you about us? - Was reached out to by us.  Her concern was we were another agency that did the short shifts and did not focus on the overall care of the client and more business.  Wants to stay within the health space to empower older adults to age in place. Like working independently and the freedom to just crush it.  Believes in KPIs and seeing having the freedom to drive the business.

CANDIDATE INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

UNDERSTANDING OF HOME CARE

SALES APPROACH

SALES METRICS & GOALS

NETWORKING & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

RELATIONSHIP CAPITAL

HANDLING OBJECTIONS & CONCERNS

INTEGRITY & COMPASSION

TEAM COLLABORATION

CLIENT-CENTERED APPROACH

ADAPTABILITY & LEARNING

REFERENCE & TESTIMONIALS

QUESTIONS FOR US

Overview | Overview

5 - Expert | 4 - Strong | 3 - Sufficient | 2 - Weak | 1 - Insufficient

Candidate Information | Candidate Information

Date | In-Person, Virtual, or Call | Name, Title | Grade after interview:
Max 160 total points.
128+ = Strong

4/29/24 | Phone | Meera, Recruiter

Intro to Interviewer and the Sales Role | Intro to Interviewer and the Sales Role

Interviewer Name | Question | Answer | Points Scored

Meera | Tell me about your background and experience in sales, particularly in the home care or healthcare industry. | Very familiar with home care industry; her last role was selling software to hospitals, private practice, geriatric clients; mental health/brain injury patients, memory care facilities; She loves to pave the way and work autonomously;  she had to create a plan and build a network from the ground up 
Creyos- her entire team was laid off due to restructuring - October 2023

Career started with an interest in sales and marketing.  Started a software company for home care services.  Started it because she had a passion for older adults.  Had a focus on SLC but then pivoted to home care.  Developed this company by having in depth F2F interactions.  Developed business by a ground/ grass roots effort.  Was able to gain government contracts. 
Worked for ADP but did not “fill her cup” because it was not working with the older population. | 4

Tell me about your experience in selling services versus tangible products.

Prior Written Answer | We are passionate about providing families with personalized, dignified care for their aging loved ones, how do you see our mission aligning with your passions?

Prior Written Answer | What was the appeal of this position, and based on what you know about this position, how has your background prepared you to be successful in the role?

Interviewer Name | Question | Answer | Points Scored

What is your understanding of home care and the services it provides to clients?

Meera | Can you provide an example of a successful sales interaction you've had where you've sold home care services or something related to elder care health services? | She created a company that automated timekeeping, billing, etc. for home care companies in 2017- Called “Peachy” 
She built a software that made it easier and saved time- before this most of it was done by paper not electronic 
She learned a lot about regulations in Canada 
She has always had an interest in home care and senior care; she is passionate about geriatrics

How do you stay informed about industry trends and changes in regulations related to home care services?

Interviewer Name | Question | Answer | Points Scored

Meera | How do you identify unique needs or pain points you can solve for your referral partners? Can you share an example? | Build a relationship with them; build rapport; make them feel comfortable with telling you what they need; discovery conversation- asking qualifying questions, dig into the challenges they face, ask deep questions 
Example: when creating her software, she found out what issues managers were having then created solutions | 4

What is your sales approach when dealing with potential clients or their family members seeking home care services?

Interviewer Name | Question | Answer | Points Scored

Meera | What key performance metrics do you track to measure your success? Can you give me an example of a time when you used this information to make data-driven decisions? | Target goals per quarter and month; bonuses based on goals 
Monthly targets: dials, number of meetings scheduled, meetings that turned into opportunities, close rate - she always hit her goals and was #1 or #2 each month - promoted to a Senior role based on her good work | 4

Can you provide an example of a time when you were able to drive a high number of new patient starts in a given month? What strategies did you use to achieve this success?

Can you also describe a time when you had a low number of new patient starts in a given month? How did you analyze the situation and what steps did you take to improve your results in the following months? | Enjoys data.  View sales as you are your own business owner.  I take personal responsibility.  Do not wait for the VP to say i noticed this.  She likes to be proactive.  
Had a down month.  Looked at the customers she had brought on and focused on the usage of the product. Found out that when a client tested out the product, the end result was a bigger usage of volume.  Being hands on with the trail, she saw an increase in usage and overall revenue growth.

Interviewer Name | Question | Answer | Points Scored

Meera | In home-care sales, networking within the local community can be valuable. Can you provide examples of how your involvement in these networks has positively impacted your sales efforts and relationships with potential clients or referral sources? | At Peachy: it would not have existed without the community; she was able to secure funding from govt and build relationships with them 
Connected with “Eastern Health” hospital- she made an agreement with them to test out the software and validate proof of concept 
The local community helped guide her business and made it a success- each province is different with regulations | 4

Interviewer Name | Question | Answer | Points Scored

Building strong relationships is key in sales. Can you share examples of long-term relationships you've developed with clients, referral sources, or other key stakeholders in your previous roles? | Starting with likeability with the sales rep first.  Build trust and rapport first.  Being that person who will give insights and feedback as a trust resource.  First meeting is about getting to know each other first and set the tone of the relationship rather than coming in as a used car sales person.  
Learned a lot about the neuroscience sector.  Because an expert in being the go to person for connection in the neuroscience industry. 
Get the referral then pass to the customer success team.
When starting peachy, had to formulate a relationship first since it was a start up business. Had to build these first before gaining a contract for their services. 
Neuro less learned - where is the money.  Then leaning into what this means for you as the referral source.  Where we sold the largest packages were the accounts that were the biggest in the market and operate as a business.

Can you share some insights into your current or recent role? Specifically, I'd like to understand where you've been sourcing your business. Are there any key accounts or clients that you've been responsible for or have strong relationships with?

Describe your strategy for building and maintaining relationships with referral sources, such as physicians, hospitals, and senior living communities.

How do you go about establishing trust and rapport with potential clients or their families who may be in a vulnerable or sensitive situation when considering home care services?

Interviewer Name | Question | Answer | Points Scored

How do you proactively anticipate and address potential objections or concerns that referral partners might have about your organization, services, or pricing structure, ensuring you overcome their objections for a positive outcome?"

How do you handle objections or concerns raised by potential clients or their family members regarding home care services?

Interviewer Name | Question | Answer | Points Scored

Home care sales require integrity & compassion. How do you ensure that your sales practices are ethical and in the best interest of clients?

Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision that required a high level of integrity and compassion. How did you approach the situation, and what was the result?

Describe how you handle situations where a potential client may not be the right fit for home care services.

Interviewer Name | Question | Answer | Points Scored

Home care often involves collaboration between sales teams and operations teams. How do you ensure effective communication and collaboration with the operations team to meet clients' needs?

Describe a situation where you had to work closely with team members to remediate a service failure and provide quality customer service to a client or referral partner.

Interviewer Name | Question | Answer | Points Scored

How do you assess a potential client's needs to determine the most appropriate home care services?

Can you share an instance when you customized your offering or approach to better align with a client's specific needs?

Interviewer Name | Question | Answer | Points Scored

The healthcare industry is constantly evolving. How do you stay up-to-date with changes and adapt to new challenges?

Can you share an example of a time when the service or offering you were selling changed and you had to alter your selling approach?

Interviewer Name | Question | Answer | Points Scored

Do you have any references or client testimonials that can attest to your ability to build strong relationships and provide exceptional service?

How do you leverage positive feedback and references in your sales pitches to potential clients or their families?

Interviewer Name | Question | Answer | Points Scored

Meera | What questions do you have for us about TheKey, our culture, or expectations for this role? | She is curious about the market/territory she will cover- can we include Niagra 
Available:

Is there anything you were hoping I would ask, but I didn’t?