Questions & Answers for a Sales Job Interview
Sales jobs exist in manufacturing, wholesale, retail and service work environments. Regardless of the site, your role as a salesperson is to effectively find buyers for your products and services. Companies hire salespeople who demonstrate the ability to prospect, acquire customers, build and maintain successful relationships, and deliver service after the sale as part of a follow-up strategy.
Other People Are Reading
-
What Was a Typical Sales Process Like in Your Last Job?
-
In its "Sales Interview Questions and Answers Essential Guide," the Best-Job-Interview site includes this question as a common example of an experience exploration question. Companies use this question as an open-ended way to find out what your selling experience was like on your last job. Sales processes vary greatly in time, tasks, and level of involvement. You want to use this question as a way to show off your selling experience relative to the job you are interviewing for.
How Do You Qualify Prospects?
-
This question comes from the Best-Job-Interview "Sales Interview Questions and Answers" overview. Qualifying is a process used by salespeople during prospecting to determine which prospects to contact and in what order. Asking a few questions upfront to determine basic need and ability and willingness to buy on the part of prospects saves much time and wasted effort going after no-win sales opportunities. Use this question to point out your ability to select good prospects.
-
How Do You Overcome Buyer Objections?
-
Jeremy Ulmer, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sales Coaching Habits, shares this question in his article on "Sales Interview Questions." Buyer objections are a major element of the selling process. Your ability to manage them plays a major role in your selling success. In response to this question, convey that you realize objections are opportunities to give more information to an interested prospect. Share an example of a challenging objection you overcame to make a sale.
Should You Ever Walk Away From a Sale? When?
-
Another question featured on the Best-Job-Interview "Sales Interview Questions and Answers" overview, this question explores your understanding that all customers are unique. In response, the site advises you to first communicate that you do not walk away to quickly before exploring the opportunity. Good reasons to share for walking away include legal or ethical conflicts, lack of time and resources to deliver a quality solution, lack of profitable opportunity for your company and no existence of a win-win sale.
-
References
- Photo Credit sales manager checking the sales image by Peter Baxter from Fotolia.com
