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What you should know about sales interviews

An upcoming sales interview is an exciting opportunity to explore career opportunities, land a job you love, and create meaningful relationships with customers. Whether your interview is for a first sales position or an advanced role requiring sales experience, it鈥檚 important to be mindful of how sales interviews work, how to prepare, and what questions you may encounter.听聽

An interview for a sales position may be different from other types of interviews in the following ways:聽

• You鈥檒l need to demonstrate your skills and experience specific to selling.听

• You鈥檒l need to demonstrate familiarity with sales concepts, approaches, and terminology.

• Interviewers may ask you to mock-sell something, like one of the company鈥檚 products, on the spot.听聽

• You need to use body language and techniques that you鈥檇 use when selling to an actual customer, more so than you would when interviewing for a non-customer-facing job.听

Keep reading to discover interview questions employers may ask you, questions to ask during the interview, and tips for preparing for your interview experience.听聽

10 sales interview questions聽聽聽

This section will explore 10 sales job interview questions, why interviewers ask them, how to form answers, and alternative phrasings to listen for. All 10 questions are focused on sales, but keep in mind that interviewers may also ask you general questions, such as 鈥淲hat are your strengths and weaknesses?鈥澛�

1. What interests you in [industry] sales?

Interviewers ask this version of the Why Sales interview question to get an idea of your experience in the field and your specific ideas for how you will thrive in it.

How to answer:聽

• Research the industry, including top brands, buyer personas, trends, and growth.听

• Research common sales strategies in this industry.听

• Prepare to describe what you admire about the industry, what you want to learn, and how you plan to navigate it.听聽

• Prepare to describe your plans for building relationships with consumers in this industry.听聽

Other forms this question might take:聽

• 鈥淲hy sales?鈥澛�

• 鈥淲hat got you into sales?鈥�

• 鈥淲hy do you want to work in sales?鈥�

2. What interests you most about selling our products?聽

Interviewers ask this question to gauge your knowledge of and experience with the products and whether you like them and believe in their value. Your answer can offer them insights into how authentic you can be when selling the products to customers.听聽

How to answer:聽

• Scour the company鈥檚 products and services page and gather details on what each one does, how it works, how it鈥檚 made, and the benefits and outcomes customers can expect.听聽

• Research competitive products and look for specific differences.听

• If possible, purchase a few of the products and experience them yourself.听

• Prepare to draw upon your product knowledge or first-hand experience using the products to emphasize their value.听

• Prepare to discuss how you can use your knowledge of and experience with the products in your sales process.听聽聽

Other forms this question might take:聽

• 鈥淲hat do you like about our products?鈥澛�

• 鈥淲hat do you think of our products?鈥�

3. What past experiences make you good at sales?

Interviewers ask this question to learn more about your past experiences and understand your sales potential.

How to answer:聽

• Reflect on prior experiences鈥攜our sales background, other professional experience, your academic history, and personal experiences鈥攁nd jot down specific instances that could relate to sales. For example, prior experience writing product descriptions for an e-commerce company could help you describe products more skillfully as a sales rep.听

• Prepare to discuss what you learned from each experience and how you can apply them to the position you want to fill.听

Other forms this question might take:聽

• 鈥淭ell me about your sales experience.鈥�

• 鈥淲hat鈥檚 your background in sales?鈥�

• 鈥淲hat kind of sales jobs have you had?鈥�

4. What traits do you have that make you good at sales?

Interviewers ask this question to learn more about your internal qualities and how you see yourself as a salesperson.听聽聽

How to answer:聽

• Reflect on the qualities you admire about yourself and how they relate to sales. Examples might include empathy, which helps you understand customers better, or diligence, which helps you follow up with prospects and close deals.听

• Prepare to describe specific sales scenarios when you leveraged these traits to succeed.听

Other forms this question might take:聽

• 鈥淲hat makes you good at sales?鈥�

• 鈥淲hat qualities does someone need to be good at sales?鈥�

5. Sell our product to me.听

Interviewers ask this question to witness your sales potential, how you perform under pressure, and your method of presenting the product to a potential customer.听

How to answer:聽

• Research the company鈥檚 target customer, their pain points, goals, and experiences with the products. You can find out a good bit by reviewing the company鈥檚 social media accounts, reading followers鈥� comments on posts, and any online customer reviews.听聽

• Review your notes from researching and experiencing the company鈥檚 products, especially their benefits and outcomes.听聽

• Reflect on your past sales successes and prepare to walk your interviewer through a sales conversation.听

Other forms this question might take:聽

• 鈥淗ow would you sell this product to one of our customers?鈥�

• 鈥淪ell me this product.鈥�

6. What sales technologies do you have experience using?聽

Interviewers ask this question to discover your familiarity with sales technologies, including whether you鈥檒l need training to use the company's programs to sell products.听

How to answer:聽

• Make a list of sales technologies you鈥檝e used and details of your experience with them. What were you able to accomplish using them? How did they make the sales process easier?

• Investigate the latest technologies in the company鈥檚 industry that you don鈥檛 have experience using. Write down your questions about them, what interests you, and your ideas for how you might use them.听

• Prepare to answer honestly about your sales technology experience and discuss which tools the company may want you to use.听

Other forms this question might take:聽

• 鈥淗ave you used [technology] before?鈥�

• 鈥淗ow comfortable are you with [technology]?鈥�

7. Tell me about a time when you met your sales goals.听

Interviewers ask this question to understand your past sales success, how you set and meet goals, and the kind of success you can bring to the company.听

How to answer:聽

• Reflect on your sales experience and the goals you鈥檝e been able to meet. Write down the details in quantifiable terms, such as the goal sales volume.听

• Prepare to tell a story about the sales situation, the goal, and the actions you took to meet the goal.听

Other forms this question might take:聽

• 鈥淲hat sales experiences are you most proud of?鈥�

• 鈥淭ell me about a sale you closed or a goal you met.鈥�

8. Tell me about when you did not meet your sales goals.

Interviewers ask this question to get a fuller picture of your sales experience and how you recover from setbacks.听

How to answer:

• As with telling a story about successfully meeting goals, take some time to reflect on your unmet sales goals.听聽

• Prepare to tell a story about the sales situation: What was the challenge? What factors prevented you from meeting the goals? What did you do in the aftermath to get back on track? What did you learn from the experience?聽

Other forms this question might take:聽

• 鈥淒escribe a time when you did not close a deal or meet a sales goal.鈥�

• 鈥淲hat do you do when a sales situation doesn鈥檛 go as planned?鈥�

9. How do you build rapport with customers?聽

Interviewers ask this question to understand how you approach encounters with customers, your communication style, and how you might bring this approach to the company鈥檚 sales process.听聽

How to answer:聽

• Reflect on customer encounters that resulted in a good rapport and closing the sales. What details of your communication style contributed to these successes?聽

• Prepare to tell a story about these specific encounters, emphasize details of your communication style, along with your analysis of why your communication style worked.听

Other forms this question might take:聽

• 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the best way to talk with customers and build relationships with them?鈥�

• 鈥淭ell me about a time when you established a good relationship with a customer and it resulted in a sale.鈥澛�

10. How do you keep up with sales trends in [industry]?

Interviewers ask this question to understand how you operate in sales beyond mastering the sales processes and meeting your goals. Keeping up with trends, including new technologies and the latest research on consumer behavior, can greatly contribute to your career development.听

How to answer:聽

• Make a list of sales educational resources you subscribe to, trade journals you read, classes or trainings you鈥檝e taken, and sales influencers you follow.听

• Reflect on what you鈥檝e learned from the above. If possible, take a moment to investigate sales trends in your industry that you might not be aware of, and familiarize yourself with the resource where you learned about these trends.听

• Prepare to share your learnings with interviewers and your ideas for how you can apply these learnings to the job you鈥檙e applying for.听

Other forms this question might take:聽

• 鈥淲hat do you do to learn more about sales?鈥�

• 鈥淲hat do you do to stay current with the latest sales techniques?鈥�

For more ideas on telling stories to captivate your sales interviewers, hear from Mandy Bynum, CEO and Founder of a consulting firm, who has interviewed over 2,000 candidates for entry-level sales roles:聽

4 Questions to ask in a sales interview聽

Most interviewers will invite you to ask questions throughout the interview and at the end. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate your interest in the company, enthusiasm for the role, and commitment to making an empowered sales career decision. Draw from the example questions below to prepare your questions:聽聽

1. 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 you鈥檙e applying for. In addition, it shows interviewers that you are interested in finding out if you鈥檙e a good fit for the position.听

2. What types of objections do your reps typically face?

Overcoming customers鈥� objections when selling is an important part of the sales process and a skill that any sales professional should build. Asking this question shows that you want to understand the company鈥檚 target customer and overcome their objections successfully.听

3. What鈥檚 your sales process?

Having an effective sales process can increase your conversion rate. Many companies or sales teams will train their staff to use a specific process of guiding customers toward a purchase decision. Asking this question demonstrates your conscientious sales mindset and can give you insights into whether your sales approaches align with the company.听

4. What technologies do you use?

In many industries, much of the sales process鈥攆rom lead generation to data management鈥攊s being automated in various programs and apps, requiring sales professionals to become proficient at using them. Asking this question shows that you want to be on the cutting edge of sales technology, are mindful of the company鈥檚 sales process, and want to become efficient at selling.听

How to prepare for a sales interview聽

In addition to preparing for sales interview questions, you鈥檒l also need to prepare for the interview experience. Use these six sales interview tips to boost your confidence and present your value to an employer:聽聽

1. Research the sales role, particularly for the industry you鈥檙e applying to work in.

2. Research the company you want to work for.

3. Investigate the company鈥檚 sales strategy and goals.

4. Review your sales achievements in previous roles.

5. Practice STAR answers to behavioural and situational questions.听

6. Select appropriate interview attire.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

*Glassdoor salary information is from February 2024.