What Are The Characteristics Of Your Top Salespeople
This question can give you insights into the skills and traits that lead to good sales performance. With these insights, you can refine your sales characteristics and cultivate new ones for success in the position youâre applying for. In addition, it shows interviewers that you are interested in finding out if youâre a good fit for the position.
How Do You Generate Develop And Close Sales Opportunities
If youre interviewing for a sales position, youll need to show that you have legitimate sales acumen. Interviewers want to know if you have the necessary skills to carry out your tasks. Discuss how you go about closing a sale from beginning to end through proper planning, preparation, targeting, engaging, discovering needs, providing solutions, resolving objections, and gaining agreement. Layout how youll approach each of these responsibilities one by one with examples.
How Do You Keep Up With Your Target Audience
Keeping up with industry trends allows salespeople to better connect with clients and leads while understanding their needs and potential concerns. Beyond current trends, experienced salespeople look to the future so they can position their product as a solution to current and upcoming needs.
Of course, even in the same industry, two businesses experiences can vary significantly. While one may be experiencing large layoffs and client churn, another may have more secure funding or partnership with a stable industry that helps them thrive through economic turmoil. Digging into the details helps salespeople remain empathetic and sensitive to individual needs rather than casting blanket assumptions based on big-picture trends.
Weak Candidate Answer:
- Less impressive answers mayshare actionable ways theyve kept in touch with industry trends or a businesss news, but not both.
- Vague answers like signing up for newsletters dont apply their personal experiences or more impressive actionable steps.
Strong Candidate Answer:
When I started my current position, I didnt have any experience in the technology industry. Its a huge industry to keep up on, so I started small with my specific niche in IT solutions. I learned about the different types of IT roles and common challenges by joining career-oriented groups on social media sites.
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Prospecting And Lead Nurturing Sales Interview Questions
1. How do you stay current on your target market?
Despite the fact that their previous sales job may have been in a completely different field or industry, your candidates response to this question will show whether they have the interest and Drive to stay on top of the current trends in your target market.
This research will help them gain a better understanding of their target customers needs and wants, so they can better communicate the value your company can provide.
2. What is your approach to researching prospects prior to a call?
In addition to knowing basic information about the prospect, the key to building a great relationship with prospects is for your salesperson to try to connect with them on a more personal level. This will help the prospect feel a deeper connection to your salesperson, as opposed to competitors. That deeper connection will help close a deal.
To gain more insight, your salespeople should, at the very least, visit the company website of the prospect to gain a better understanding of their needs. They may even find a bio page on a specific prospect there.
If your candidate goes a step further and researches their prospect on LinkedIn or through a basic Google search that is a promising sign that they make an effort to build a relationship with their prospects.
3. Which questions do you like to ask your prospects?
You want your candidates answer to be full of open-ended questions that allow them to learn more about the prospect.
What Sales Metrics Do You Pay Most Attention To And Why
There are many different sales metrics that are worth paying attention to, and their answer may depend on where theyve worked and how theyve been trained. The hope is that they can clearly explain why they chose certain key performance indicators and arent focused on metrics that dont tell a compelling story.
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In What Ways Do You Build Rapport With Customers
This question is asked by the interviewer to see if you already have a reliable sales strategy for establishing rapport with the prospects. Explain how you develop relationships with potential customers by engaging in personalized, distinctive, and relevant dialogue. You want the interviewer to know that you understand the importance of providing good customer experiences and that you can do so in a professional and respectful manner. Also, you can talk about the fact that every customer is different. Building relationships with a varied range of customers is all about how actively you listen to their problems and requirements.
The Traits Of A Team Player In Sales
Patrick Lencioni, a bestselling author on sales leadership and team management, covered this exact problem in his book The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues.
In his book, he lays out three traits that companies need to test for in order to hire team players on a sales team. He even argues that these traits are more important than skills alone. They are:
- Humility. Team players dont have big egos or concerns about status, they point out contributions of others and define success collectively and not individually.
- Hunger. Team players are always looking for moremore to learn, more responsibility and they are always thinking about the next step.
- Smarts. Team players have a great common sense of people, they ask good questions and deal effectively with others.
The key approach is to always look for all three traits of a team player. If theres even one missing, that sales rep might throw off the entire team balance, productivity and even trust.
For example, if a sales rep is missing the humility trait, he or she will know how to get what they want, but they wont mind if its at someone elses expense. On the other hand, if they are missing the hunger to excel, they will easily slack at workand potentially drag other reps down.
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How Do You Stay Up To Date On Your Target Market
The best sales reps are full of curiosity for their target markets needs and pain points. This question can help the hiring manager gauge the candidate’s levels of curiosity and drive. Are there conferences that are on their radar? A favorite social media account with daily sales tips or news? These are the types of answers to look for.
Sales Interview Questions And Answers Summed Up
As you hire for sales positions in your company, remember youre not just hiring people that will help you sell more. Your new sales staff should become part of a group thats productive, cohesive and complete thanks to the diverse range of skills, both soft and hard.
Ensure that theyre deeply knowledgeable about the responsibilities ahead of them in the role, the type of prospects they will be working with and the quirks of your specific market. More than that, you want them to be open to ongoing learning to help keep your company ahead of the competition.
Create a set of sales interview questions that will uncover their excitement, motivations and past experiences, and the way these will fit into the nature of their sales role.
Weve created a customizable interview preparation guide you can download here and use it for your very next sales interview.
Happy hiring!
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Question : What Was Your Most Satisfying Sale
Why ask this question?
Honestly, the size of the deal doesnt matter. What matters is how the rep pushed the sale. Do they relish that they got no help, or own the fact that it was a collective success? Whatever the answer, you want to discover what about the sale they are proud of and whether theyre passionate about selling.
Questions To Ask During A Sales Interview To Determine Sales Acumen
Soft skills are not the only important aspect of a great sales representative. Youre going to want them to be able to talk shop, too. That means complex numbers, granular details, and an overall understanding of the finer points of the sales industry. Here are some of the best sales representative interview questions to determine the candidates sales acumen.
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Where Are You In Your Search
Interviewers ask this because:
They want to know how quickly your process needs to move and how seriously you are taking the job search.
How to answer:
Just be honest. If you are interviewing with other companies, if you arent, if you got a verbal offer, if you havent completed interviews yet just be honest.
Tell Me About A Time You Set A Goal For Yourself And Achieved It What Did You Do To Ensure You Reached Your Goal
Ideally, you want your new sales manager to demonstrate the ability to set a goal and follow-through with it. When seeking a candidate to fill a sales manager role, youll want someone who has had success setting and reaching goals even if they are small goals.
As youre listening to their response, note the approach they took to reach their goal. This will give you a feel for how they will lead their team to reach their goals.
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What Is Your Philosophy Regarding Customer Complaints
The customers are the soul of any business. No business will ever grow without the approval of the customers, which is why customer service is so critical. People are becoming more vocal about their experiences with businesses, whether positive or negative, due to the internet and social media. No matter how effectively a company manages its customers, they are going to have a complaint about your company at some point. The interviewer wants to know how you feel about these complaints. You can begin by expressing how no one enjoys dealing with client complaints, yet these sometimes painful incidents can be an opportunity for you and your company to shine.
Here are a few tips on how to deal with customer complaints:
- Avoid challenging their complaints.
- Recognize what theyve said and provide assistance or an apology.
What Is It About Getting Into Sales That Interests You
Interviewers ask this because:
They want to know you know what to expect, and that youre in it for the long haul. They want someone who will fully commit to the role and take their team up a level.
How to answer:
Be specific and elaborate about why youre drawn to sales.
Dont be afraid to mention financial opportunity that is a huge reason many people get into sales.
Use it as an opportunity to showcase your strengths and why you are a good fit for your first sales role.
Stay away from things like I like building relationships and I love people those are said all the time and wont make you unique.
Example answer:
My aunt is in sales, and does very well for herself. She has been able to send my three cousins to college, and live comfortably. I like the idea of a career that allows me to live the life I want and provide for myself.
I also like the idea of being in control of my fate. I know that in a sales career the outcomes I produce are directly related to the work I put in.
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What Distinguishes A Great Performer From A Good Performer In This Role
Aside from demonstrating that you are invested in exceeding expectations, this question also shows the interviewer that you are focused on being an exceptional employee. Truly effective hiring managers will be able to answer this question because they will be aware of the traits employees must cultivate to make a successful team.
Why Should We Hire You
Interviewers ask this because:
They want to hear if youve been listening and understanding.
How to answer:
First of all, if you dont feel crystal clear on their expectations, its okay to answer this question with a question of your own to make sure you are on the same page.
Once you understand the expectations of the role, this is another huge opportunity to sell yourself! Show you have been listening by calling out specific items that matter to them, and noting why you in particular have those attributes or experiences.
Think about what makes you unique and share it. This is a great chance for you to shine a light on your strengths and how they align with the needs of the business.
Example answer:
I know that youre looking for a team playersomeone who can work well with, motivate, and encourage others. I also know its important to your teams success that each member has experience selling in this industry.
Ive been known as a cheerleader on my previous teams, and Ive been selling successfully in this industry for X years/months.
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More Sales Interview Questions
Here are 47 more interview questions for sales professionals:
How Do You Close Your Biggest Sale
When it comes to closing your biggest sale, the recruiter wants to know if you have a strategy in place. Keep in mind that your response should highlight your finest qualities as a salesperson. While you want to utilize this response to demonstrate that youre a good sales candidate, dont boast, as that can make you look irrelevant. Rather, you can talk about the importance of building relationships with the customers and how crucial that is in order to close the deal. You can also use the STAR approach to answer this question.
Situation: Describe the situation.
Task: Explain the task and the objective.
Action: Details about the action you took.
Result: Details about the result of your action.
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How Do You Sell A Pen Or Apple
This is a common sales interview question that gives the interviewee a chance to flex their sales expertise and challenges them to sell something mundane, like a pen, to the interviewer.
Candidates should apply sales best practices to their answer and try to connect with the interviewer as they would any prospect. First, identify the benefits of the pen. Does it add value or solve a problem? How is it different from other pens?
Next, the interviewee should apply the pens benefits to the interviewer and their needs. The candidate can ask questions about their workflow or suggest a common problem, like ballpoint pen rollers sticking in the middle of notetaking.
Then the candidate can detail the benefits of the pen, how it improves the managers life or work and finish with an attempt to close. A quality salesperson should be able to showcase their experiences and customize the pitch based on the interviewer.
What Is The Culture Like Here
It’s important to most companies that they hire team members that are a good cultural fit, and this question will demonstrate that you are aware of this. This question shows that you are examining whether their culture aligns with your values.
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What Makes You A Good Sales Representative
Your answer will give the recruiter a sense of attributes you think are most important in a salesperson. Your response will reflect what the employer is looking for in a candidate.
Successful salespeople have a certain set of personality traits that enable them to succeed due to the nature of their work. Here are a few qualities of salespeople that you can talk about by giving examples from your own experience:
- Salespeople are competitive. They live and breathe selling.
- They are active listeners. They listen to the problems of the customers and provide them with solutions.
- The best salespeople are resilient and can accept rejection without dispairing.
- They are confident and make prospects feel comfortable.
- Salespeople are empathetic and get inside the prospects skin to understand their needs.
