30+ Most Popular Sales Interview Questions & Answers
To achieve success in sales in an organization is depend on many factors. The company needs a representative with a vision. A salesperson must have leadership qualities. It is difficult to find that type of talent.
In the present time of the pandemic, it becomes more difficult due to in-person cues that the recruiters would have. Hiring the right candidate needs the right questions that will able to identify the potential of a sales representative.
It will dig into the sale’s representative skills, knowledge, experience, personality, and motivation. It will also help you to know the role, culture, and objectives of the candidate.
Why Sales Interview?
Sales are important in any business or company. Hiring for the sales department for any position requires the right skills, ability, and knowledge. The candidate must convince the interviewers with his potential to sell a product or make a deal. It is important to do sales interviews as the growth of any business is based on its sales. And for it, the sales representative of any post must be perfect for its role.
30+ Best Sales Interview Question With Answer
Q1. Tell me something about yourself!
It is the most common question of an interview for any position in a company. But still, there is a catch in this question as the interviewers ask this to know how well you can pitch.
Example Answer: – Just stick to the core information and tell them about your skills in sales from the past, give information about your achievement, and tell them about your specific skill in sales.
Q2. Why do you want to work in Sales?
With this question interviewers want to know whether you are passionate about your job or not, as well as you know your responsibilities.
Example answer: – To answer this question, tailor your answer with the skills of your in sales that you in in your work and in the team.
Q3. What makes you a good salesperson?
This is the question asked by the interviewer to know your skills and abilities. They want to know how you would help to build company progress.
Example Answer: – Sell yourself in this answer. Just combine the information about your skills, your contribution to sales, and your achievement.
Q4. Why did you choose to apply for this position?
It is the most common question in an interview to know about how he/she prepare for the interview.
Example Answer: – Here you have to combine all the study and research you have done before coming for the interview. Add the learning about the company that you did.
Q5. Where do you see yourself in a career after five to 10 years?
The interviewer likes to know about your vision and wants to know your goal.
Example Answer: – Tell them about your goal and make it clear and detailed information of your skill that help you to meet your goals.
Q6. Sell me something.
These is the evergreen sales interview questions and the interviewer likes to know your selling skills.
Example Answer: – You have to give your best in this. Demonstrate your selling methods to convince the interviewer.
Q7. How do you motivate yourself?
The interviewer wants to know what makes you do this job perfectly and what is your constant motivation.
Example Answer: – To answer this be more realistic. Tell them about something that makes you do and try to match your answer with the company’s goal.
Q8. What do you know about our company?
The interviewer wants to know your interest or idea about their company. They want to know whether you work hard to get the job for our company or not.
Example Answer: – Tell them all the information that you gather about the company from many platforms.
Some More Sales Interview Questions and Answers
Here are the different types of interview questions and answers for different positions and different aspects of a candidate in the sales department.
Technical Sales Interview Questions
Q9. If you were hired for this position, what did you do in the first 30 days?
Example Answer: – To answer this question candidates must tell them about their skills that will help them to learn more and help them get started.
Q10. How do you keep up to date on your target market?
Example Answer: – Tell them about online or offline things like blogs, podcasts, magazines, etc. add information about recent knowledge you gain.
Q11. What are your favorite questions to ask prospects?
Example Answer: – Asking questions than pitching is the trait of a good salesperson.
Q12. What is the importance of social media in the selling process?
Example Answer: – You can answer this question by mentioning the information about identifying leads with the help of social media, and to know the needs or wants of customers.
Situational Sales Interview Questions
Q13. When do you stop approaching a client?
Example Answer: – The answer depends on the company’s image and providing the best services to your customer.
Q14. Have you turned down a prospect?
Example Answer: – As a salesperson, you should know the customer’s interest and will it be a lead or not.
Q15. Have you asked your potential customer why they refuse to purchase from you? What do you learn from that experience?
Example Answer: – A salesperson must learn from failures and success. Reply to this with a good instance.
Inside Sales Interview Questions
Q16. Explain the steps of sales from the starting of the sales process to the end.
Example Answer: – Explain the process in a clear and organized way. Here interviewer wants to know how you see and communicate for the sale.
Q17. Tell me about the most successful steps you took to get your most successful sale.
Example Answer: – Here you have told them about your strength and if you are new to sales tell them how you crack a deal with your skills. Share the example of your successful sale and how you got that.
Q18. Suppose I’m a prospect and didn’t answer your call. Leave me a voicemail.
Example Answer: – Just tell them how you make it an opportunity with the demonstration of communicating with your prospect in another way.
Q19. What’s your favorite question that gauge needs and interest?
Example Answer: – Here you have to reply with confidence and explain your answer with ideas that create need and interest.
Fit and Motivation Sales Interview Questions
Q20. What is that you don’t like about the sales process?
Example Answer: – To answer this question follow up the things that you like in sales and show facts while focusing on the reason you apply for the job.
Q21. What is your ultimate career aspiration?
Example Answer: – Tell your interviewer about your goals and the desire to work for the company.
Q22. What’s your thought on collaboration within a sales team?
Example Answer: – You can tell them about the negative and positive points of collaboration, and still tell them about how you manage in both.
Q23. What are the core qualities that every salesperson possesses?
Example Answer: – Reply here with the qualities that show positivity of yours and can relate to the company’s value.
Sales Director Interview Questions
Q24. What is your management style? Explain.
Example Answer: – Explain your management skills and how to manage a team with the traits that will like by the company’s culture and needs of the team.
Q25. How do you build trust with the members of your team?
Example Answer: – Tell them how trust is very important in teamwork and how you establish it as a leader.
Q26. How could you improve our sales strategy?
Example Answer: – Answers this question that indicates your preparation and familiarity of your current practices, and how you bring a change with your ideas.
Software Sales Interview Questions
Q27. Have you learned about a new piece of technology How?
Example Answer: – You should reply to this question with something that you learn from the technology. It is an essential thing to learn new things specially related to technology with sales.
Q28. How would you help a prospect, explaining the features of complex software that is not as well-versed in technology?
Example Answer: – Here you have to tell your interviewer how simply you can explain any complex thing or how you can make it easy to understand for the prospect.
Q29. What is one improvement [your company] can make to [featured piece of software]?
Example Answer: – Share your idea to the interviewer as a member of the team. Every company needs creative and innovative minds.
Q30. What was the last book you read, or podcast you listened to?
Example Answer: – You have to answer this with the content that you like which helps you to increase your skills. A person who is always open to learning new things or increasing his/her knowledge can be an inspiration to others.
Q31. Do you have any questions for me?
Example Answer: – You should reply to this question with ‘Yes’ as it shows interest. Ask the things that you want to know about your work in the company. Remember that you are also interviewing an employer.
Conclusion
Hiring for the best and perfect salesperson from lots of candidates is not easy but it is important. Finding the right person having all the qualities of a good salesperson and who is knowledgeable and creative will help the team.
The interview questions should be the mixer of all the aspects of sales and gather the information of the candidate that showcases their traits well.
