Sales Job Interview Questions

[wagner]

I have applied for a sales job within my company and need some help. What kinds of typical sales interview questions should I prepare for? It has been a very long time since I have interviewed for a job so any help would be great.

 

I have already pulled the revenue data I have access to so I have some talking points. I am also going to make a 30/60/90 day plan as well.

 

The Googles have given me some ideas, but I would like some real person feedback as well.

 

Thanks,

[Buck531]

Just bribe the guy interviewing you and tell him you have nude pics of his wife and another guy and you want the highest pay possible.

 

J/k. I got nothing.

[Sledhead36]

-What are the 3 major challenges your company faces this year?

-Always talk in reference to what you offer the company rather than what they can do for you.

-know as much as you can about their business as well as the competition.

-Ask about their top salesperson and why they think that person has been so successful.

[mmrmnhrm]

You overslept at the hotel and are due to meet your prospect in ten minutes. It will take two minutes to drive there or five to walk (it's a nice spring day, so there's no worry about arriving hot/sweaty/unkempt), and while you're all dressed and ready to go, you've found that you locked the keys in your rental last night, and all your stuff is in the trunk. Calling for a cop/AAA will require at least half an hour before they arrive. What do you do?

[wagner]

You overslept at the hotel and are due to meet your prospect in ten minutes. It will take two minutes to drive there or five to walk (it's a nice spring day, so there's no worry about arriving hot/sweaty/unkempt), and while you're all dressed and ready to go, you've found that you locked the keys in your rental last night, and all your stuff is in the trunk. Calling for a cop/AAA will require at least half an hour before they arrive. What do you do?

 

Break out window of the rental, get my shit, go to meeting and go full rock star, celebrate landing the sale by going on Charlie Sheen bender of trashbags of coke, whiskey and hookers. Return rental with 2 hookers in the trunk and no fucks given (beause I took the insurance) and go on with my week like I run this town

 

Next Question.

[wagner]

-What are the 3 major challenges your company faces this year?

-Always talk in reference to what you offer the company rather than what they can do for you.

-know as much as you can about their business as well as the competition.

-Ask about their top salesperson and why they think that person has been so successful.

 

Good stuff, I will prep for these and do some research on the top salesperson.

 

The guy I will be interviewing with used to be the sales person for a region I cover and I have gone on sales calls with him. I am pretty sure he was the top salesperson until he took over as the territory manager.

[mmrmnhrm]

Break out window of the rental, get my shit, go to meeting and go full rock star, celebrate landing the sale by going on Charlie Sheen bender of trashbags of coke, whiskey and hookers. Return rental with 2 hookers in the trunk and no fucks given (beause I took the insurance) and go on with my week like I run this town

 

Next Question.

 

You treat the question as a joke, but it's one I was actually asked, verbatim, when interviewing for a sales engineering role a couple years back. If you go into the interview with that kind of attitude, even with the correct answer (which yours is), you will fail.

[wagner]

You treat the question as a joke, but it's one I was actually asked, verbatim, when interviewing for a sales engineering role a couple years back. If you go into the interview with that kind of attitude, even with the correct answer (which yours is), you will fail.

 

LOL, I thought the queston was a joke.....

 

I know how to turn the professional on when I need to :fuckyeah:

[LJ]

I'm wearing white gloves, sell me your ketchup popsicles

[El Karacho1647545492]

My GM always avoids sales-type questions in terms of "what do you think you can bring to the company" since anyone can regurgitate statistics that make them look good. He always asks questions to identify your personality type and make sure you're malleable. There are a lot of personalities that can be successful in sales, and many that can't. the #1 thing is to hunger to learn, because in sales you're going to need to spend your entire career learning and adapting to a changing environment.

[Trouble Maker]

I'm wearing white gloves, sell me your ketchup popsicles

 

There's always money in the ketchup popsicle stand.

[iwishiwascool]

I've been on both sides of that desk.

 

As the hiring agent, I asked questions that tried to figure out what the sales person would be like after the initial enthusiasm wore off and shit got hard. Depending on the sales cycle "the dip" between figuring out the territory and a steady stream of orders can be a significantly long time. Having the preparation and strategy to deal with that is what makes or breaks a sales pro.

 

As a sales pro, I'd want to know about how the territory was managed before, what info exists on the current accounts and prospecting and how much of my time I will have to spend determining the decision maker, company hierarchy, and repairing botched relationships. Each company/territory I've taken over there was either no CMS or it was done on note cards, it's appalling how some people run their businesses.

[SRTurbo04]

Pm tim i think he's in pharmaceutical sales or runs people that do sales and im sure has interviewed these people a ton, pick his brain.

[Drewhop]

A wise friend of mine once told me. "If you have the skills for the job. Interviewers are really looking to see if they can put up with your ass for 8 hours a day."

[Zx2guy19]

I always ask scenario questions. As others said, anyone can spit out tons of numbers and stats about how awesome they are...it takes a good salesperson to think on their feet and improvise.

 

Here is one I like to ask:

 

"After a presentation to potential customers, you are asked a question by the audience that you have no idea the answer to. Do you wing it and make something up and correct yourself later or do you inform that you do not know (and potentially look unprepared) in front of everyone?"

 

I've gotten some interesting responses to that one.

 

For what it's worth, if your answer to the late/AAA/hooker question was what you typed, I'd fucking hiring you right on the spot. And I mean that. Too many people are too uptight.

[Akula]

Selling is about selling yourself. /thread

[Tractor]

First impressions and interviewing is something that I'm so bad at I should probably write a book about it. Its sad really because once a company hires me they realize I'm a great employee and quickly move into a lead position. Same with personal first impressions, most would think I'm a quite guy, but I'm completely the opposite once I get going.

[Twistedrx7]

*Talk in specific instances when asked a question.

*Stay away from leading questions and always answer with a behavior response.

*Do not say we or they, just I, unless the question calls for it.

*Give a beginning, middle and end to your story, in that order. Supply enough details but do not drag the story out.

*This interview is all about you and what you have done.

 

Do not wear cologne, i wouldnt want to be trapped in a room with someone who put on too much

Make appropriate eye contact, do not stare them down

Professional dress attire

speak confidently and positively

[wagner]

*Talk in specific instances when asked a question.

*Stay away from leading questions and always answer with a behavior response.

*Do not say we or they, just I, unless the question calls for it.

*Give a beginning, middle and end to your story, in that order. Supply enough details but do not drag the story out.

*This interview is all about you and what you have done.

 

Do not wear cologne, i wouldnt want to be trapped in a room with someone who put on too much

Make appropriate eye contact, do not stare them down

Professional dress attire

speak confidently and positively

 

Well I was going to wear my jorts and flippy flops, guess I will have to bust out the suit and tie

 

Good stuff so far, gives me some ideas on what to be ready for. Are their any "standard type" questions I should get some examples ready for?

[RS69]

Break out window of the rental, get my shit, go to meeting and go full rock star, celebrate landing the sale by going on Charlie Sheen bender of trashbags of coke, whiskey and hookers. Return rental with 2 hookers in the trunk and no fucks given (beause I took the insurance) and go on with my week like I run this town

 

Next Question.

 

Don't care, still like this answer.

[mmrmnhrm]

Well I was going to wear my jorts and flippy flops, guess I will have to bust out the suit and tie

 

Depending on the company, this could be correct dress code. I forget if it's American Eagle or Abercrombie, but one of those places actually has "shorts and sandals" written into their standard office dress code.