It is a ‘JOB’ which is the most common bread and butter option for most of the world’s population. Due to this ongoing COVID-19 crisis, it has become necessary to sustain a healthy lifestyle in such hard times.
So that’s why we’re here to help you prepare some of the most frequently asked sales interview questions for your upcoming job interviews.
Preparing such questions in advance will definitely boost up your confidence levels and help you to stand out from the other candidates.
So let’s find out how we can tackle such interview questions and answers in the best possible way to get our desired job.
40 Common Sales Interview Questions and Answers
Q1. Tell me about yourself!
This is the most basic yet important sales interview question of all time. But there is a catch in this while answering it during a sales interview questions and answers session for freshers or for any other position. An interviewer asks this question to see if you can pitch. That’s the reason behind this most asked question.
How to answer: You can start by introducing yourself and being honest and passionate about the role while describing yourself. Always try to stick to the core information and include relevant info to give substance to your discussion. Don’t forget to mention your role-specific skills and achievements to let the interviewer know what you can bring to their organization if hired.
Q2. Why did you choose a career in Sales?
How to answer: This is where one can turn the tables completely by adding something valuable in their answer, which can impress the interviewer. Rather than answering this one with some ordinary answers, you can say something that will show the interviewer that this means more than a job to you.
Q3. What makes you a good sales representative?
This is one of the entry-level sales interview questions which will set up the base for your hiring process.Â
How to answer: You should frame your answer with the combination of your contributions and successes that you achieved as a sales executive in your current company. You can also explain all your skills and techniques that helped you in achieving such a feat.
Q4: Why did you apply for this position?
This is one of those sales interview questions that you’ll find in almost every interview across the world.
How to answer: This is where all the pre-interview research for the company kicks in. You have to make your answer compatible with the company’s desires and needs. To be very honest, a brief overview is a must-have before going for any sales representative interview. Not only this, but for an interview in the future ahead, it is the first and foremost thing that one can do.
Q5: Have you consistently met your sales goals?
This is one such sales interview question that you’ll encounter in most of your sales representative interviews.
How to answer: Just try to be honest with your answer. Prepare your answer by focusing on the positives mainly. In addition to that, you can add the ways how you’d tackle all those failures and negatives to turn them into successful ones.
Also Read: Multithreading interview questions
Q6: Tell us about your Most Successful Sale to Date!
This is another go-to sales interview question that is asked by an interviewer very frequently.
How to answer: From this question, your interviewer will judge whether you’ll be a valuable add-on to their company or not. So don’t hesitate while add all the specifics and key elements such as time, difficulties, people involved, how you close the deal, etc., along with all the details that reflect the best traits of a salesperson to leave a good impact on the interviewer’s mind.
Q7: How do you close your biggest sale?
How to answer: This is another regular sales interview question you’ll find in almost every sales representative interview. While answering this question, you can add all the prerequisites of your best sale to date. Such depth and clarity of answer can become a reason for your hiring in some great companies.
Q8: When did you know sales were for you?
This is a modern-day sales interview question that an interview generally asks to check your interests in sales.
How to answer: The key to answer this question is just to be honest and state some facts and moments that you’ve experienced in your life that made you think of opting for sales as a profession. It can be any moment so don’t be shy while sharing that as it’s completely OK.
Q9: Are you good at making Cold Calls?
How to answer: While answering this sales interview question, you can highlight all your past statistics and experiences of making cold calls. Whatever you do to research a person for better understanding of his needs to get a sale can be a perfect add on to your answer.
Q10: Sell me this pen!
The most evergreen sales interview question of all time. Let’s find out how to answer this one to impress the interviewer.
How to answer: This is where the demonstration of your selling tactics will help you win the heart and soul of your interviewer. So don’t be shy and just speak your heart out to seal the deal.
Q11: Why Should I Hire You?
This one is the trickiest and yet one of the best sales interview questions asked by an interviewer. This question can reveal all your qualities and experience within a moment to the interviewer, and your answer can be cutting edge for your selection.
How to answer: Just craft your answer with all the skills and experiences that you’ve gained while working in sales for all these years. You can also craft your answer by portraying the value that this company will add to your portfolio to impress the interviewer.
Q12: What motivates you?
How to answer: While answering this question in your upcoming sales representative interview, try to resonate your answer with the company’s goals. Try to impress the interviewer by going further than the financial matters and adding some unique and valuable points to your answer.
Q13: How would your colleagues describe you?
How to answer: By asking this question in a sales representative interview, the interviewer wants to see how you’ll fit in their office culture. To answer this question by adding some of your qualities and past experiences that can make you look like a perfect team player and socially adaptable.
Q14: What are your long-term career goals?
This is one of the best sales interview questions that interviewers ask to get a better understanding of the candidate’s goals and how long will he/she be going to stick to their company.
How to answer: So, to maximize your chances of getting hired, keep it company-related as much as possible. Showcase your answer in such a way that it will match the expectation of your employer nothing more than that.
Q15: What do you know about this company?
How to answer: This is also one of the frequently asked sales interview questions. Here the interviewer wants to check all the homework and preparations you did for this sales representative interview. So always research the company you’re applying for before going for an interview.
Q16: What interests you most about this sales position?
How to answer: Only your research and homework will help while answering these types of sales interview questions. As only after a brief review of the company profile, you’ll find out the main element for your answer.
Also Read: 50 DOT NET Interview Questions and Answers
Q17: What was a mistake you made? What did you learn from it?
How to answer: Such sales interview questions will be a perfect opportunity to showcase your ability to learn from your mistakes. So don’t hesitate while showcasing your mistakes rather, turn them into your biggest source of learning something new.
Q18: What do you do to regroup and recover when you have a bad day?
How to answer: Such tricky sales interview questions will reveal a lot about your personality. Dealing with stress will be a major factor in the corporate world. So here you can mention all the stress-buster activities that you’ll love to do to feel rejuvenated back again.
Q19: What type of work environment do you like most to do your best work?
How to answer: Here is another trickiest question from the pool of sales interview questions. In such cases, you can showcase your social adaptability skills and your due diligence to answer this one in a unique fashion.
Q20: What are you most proud of?
How to answer: This is one of the best sales interview questions through which you’ll get an opportunity to showcase your achievements and your accomplishments over these years. You can craft and practice this answer beforehand to impress the interviewer with its quality at the time of an interview.
Q21: What is the best advice you have ever received in your corporate life?
How to answer: There is no catch in answering such random sales interview questions. Just be straightforward and show the interviewer how much you have learned from that advice.
Q22: What do you do for fun?
How to answer: It can be anything. So just speak your heart out while answering such questions.
Q23: How do you balance work and life?
How to answer: It differs from person to person. It is just you and your due diligence that can make your answer work differently for different employers. You’ve to understand the mindset of your employer to answer this one accordingly.
Q24: What have you done that has beaten the odds?
How to answer: There is always that something in a person’s life that inspires him/her to do that extra to turn the odds in his/her favour. So just craft your answer in resonance with that booster of your life to handle such tricky sales interview questions.
Q25: Describe how/if you are a team player.
This is also one of those frequently asked sales interview questions to be asked in a sales representative interview. So you better prepare this one.
How to answer: Just list down all those moments of working and brainstorming for new ideas with a team of different people effectively in your past companies to impress the interviewer.
Q26: What is the first thing you would do when sales are down?
How to answer: It is part and parcel of not only sales but almost each and every industry out there in the world. So to answer this sales interview question, just present some facts and specifics of your past experiences that you’d done to counter such situations.
Q27: How do you know you can sell?
How to answer: To answer such sales interview questions, you should prepare something unique in advance to stand out from the crowd. There is always some moment that one can use as a perfect reason for such answers. Use all of your learning and experiences to present this answer in the best possible way.
Q28: How do you handle disappointment?
How to answer: There is no catch in preparing for this basic sales interview question. Just state the personal ways that you follow in your life to handle disappointments.
Q29: How would you summarize your entire career?
How to answer: The interviewer generally asks this tricky sales interview question to check on the candidate’s preparation and the importance of his/her profession in his/her life. To impress your interviewer by stating your skills and achievements along with a crisp overview of your professional life to date.
Q30: How do you stay updated with the latest trends in sales?
How to answer: Mentioning things like those online/offline sales training programs, reading blogs, podcasts, and magazines can be a potential add-up for your answer. The companies generally seek to find such candidates who are eager to hone their skills with time as per requirements.
Q31: What do you think of your previous boss?
This is one of those trickiest sales interview questions where the interviewer wants to check your flexibility in the work environment.
How to answer: You should be careful while answering such tricky questions as a slight movement from the context can reflect a bad image to the employer. Even in tough situations, try to be positive, state your strengths and show discretion and loyalty by keeping all the negatives out of the discussion.
Q32: Have you ever had to let go of a client? What was your approach?
How to answer: Asking such tricky sales interview questions, the interviewer wants to check on your behaviour and strategies that you generally use in disagreeable circumstances. Your answer will reflect the motivation of preserving their company’s image and providing the best service to their customers.
Also Read: Common Sales and Marketing Interview Questions
Q33: What do you not like about sales?
How to answer: Here’s another trickiest sales interview question that the sales interviewer generally asks. Well, there are positives and negatives in almost every job profession. So just state facts while focusing on the positives and your reason to apply for this job.
Q34: What importance does social media hold in your selling process?
How to answer: You can affirmatively reply to this sales interview question by quoting the importance of social media for identifying the customer needs and a perfect place to build a rapport as well.
Q35: What, according to you, is our company’s USP?
How to answer: You can answer this sales interview question by mentioning the company’s long-standing relationships and a good rapport with its clients.
Q36: How long should you pursue a client?
How to answer: While answering this sales interview question, you can say if a customer has no need for a product at a time, then you can pitch to them occasionally instead of forcing them to buy the product.
Q37: What is the difference between a short sale and a long sale cycle?
How to answer: A short sale generally requires quick action to close the deal quickly, while a long sales cycle requires rapport building before the sale is confirmed.
Q38: Tell me some core values every salesperson must have?
How to answer: This is just another sales interview question that you can answer easily just by quoting qualities like great listening and networking skills along with social adaptability and versatility while interacting with clients from different backgrounds.
Q39: How important is money for you?
How to answer: Here’s another tricky sales interview question that you can answer simply by mentioning that money is important for me to fulfil my dreams and daily requirements. The sales industry is a perfect fit for a person like me as I love networking with people, learning and exploring new things and business opportunities.
Q40: Do you have any questions for me?
This sales interview question is generally the showstopper of your interview.
How to answer: You should definitely answer this question with a ‘YES’ because questioning shows interest. But don’t ask the questions for the sake of just asking something. This is the perfect time to ask all those questions that you’re curious about asking.
I hope all these sales interview questions and answers will work best for you and help you in preparing the answers for your upcoming job interviews.
