Interviewing for a sales job profile and got that twitchy feeling brewing in your stomach as you are not sure about what questions the interviewer gonna shoot at you. Well there is no need to panic as in this blog I am going to list what all questions you will be asked for sure and how you need to answer them in a professional yet unique manner which makes your reply stand out from rest of the other candidates and thus increase your chances of getting hired. You will get endless number of questions online and frankly speaking there is no limit to questions asked during an interview. It entirely depends upon your interviewer mood. What you can do on your part is to prepare yourself for those questions which are a for sure shot to be asked from you and in this blog I will cover all such questions.
Organisations hiring for sales profile want people who can achieve their target, handle setbacks and above all can deal with customers without loosing their temper. So what you need to do in your interview is to prove that you possess all these qualities and will be a perfect fit for that particular role in the organisation.
Before moving on to the interview questions and answers part, one tip that I want to give you all is that "BE CONFIDENT" in whatever you are saying as interviewer's main focus throughout the whole interview will always be on your communication skill. That's what they are hiring you for in the first place. Let's suppose if for some reason you don't know any answer, then avoid beating around the bush. Simply say "I am afraid I don't know answer to that." Don't think that by not giving the answer, it would leave a negative impact on the interviewer. NO, that's completely fine...interviewer is not there to check your academics. Don't forget that you are there for a sales profile and what interviewer is looking for in you is your good soft skill. So focus on that.
Now, here are the Top 10 Sales Interview Questions along with their noteworthy Answers -
TOP 10 SALES INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Tell me something about yourself.
2. Why do you want to be a part of this company ?
3. Why do you want to go for sales ?
4. What qualities do you have and how these qualities aligned with this job ?
5. What are your hobbies/interests ?
6. Why should we hire you ?
7. What according to you is important while selling ?
8. What is your work experience ?
9. Sell me a product.
10. What are your future plans ?
These are the questions which you will surely be asked during your sales interview. Now let's have a look at the answers that you need to give in order to stand out from the crowd and ace the interview.
PERFECT ANSWERS FOR SALES INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Tell me something about yourself.
Sample Answer -
I hail from (City Name). I have graduated from (College Name) with ABC percentile. I also did a summer internship with (Company Name). I am good at handling difficult situations and multi-tasking. I am also a good team player.
Tip -
Keep your answer very short, plain and up to the point. Just because it's very simple to talk about yourself, don't extend it a lot. Interviewer generally ask this question to initiate the interview, so just try to be brief while answering and stick to the basic information. In case if you have some job experience, then make sure to mention that as well.
2. Why do you want to be a part of this company ?
Sample Answer -
Your company is a very reputed company known for its standards and service quality. It is a well known brand out there in the market. I did my research on your company and I am very well aware of the benefits this company give to its employees. This company also has really good career prospects. So to start off with something of that sort will be a great boost for me.
Tip -
In case if you are going for a sales interview in a startup company, then you can frame your answer as "I did my research and found your company's portfolio really impressive. I went through the values of your company on the company's official website and I could really connect with them." Keep in mind, NEVER call startup a brand while answering for such question.
3. Why do you want to go for sales ?
Sample Answer -
I want to go in sales because the wide area of this field offers a large number of positions and diverse career options. So there is a lot of room to learn and grow myself.
Tip -
As a reply to this question, you can show the interviewer that apart from offering a decent pay scale, sales job asks for a tactical and strategic thinking that you are looking for in your job. Show your interviewer that you are constantly looking out for challenges so that your growth doesn't stop.
4. What qualities do you have and how these qualities aligned with this job ?
Sample Answer -
I have good communication skills. I am really good at convincing people and interacting with strangers. Apart from that I am a good listener who believes in listening to everyone's opinion without criticising and I as a person value time a lot because time in my opinion is something which once spent cannot be earned.
Tip -
For this question, you must remember that your answer should be focused around the qualities that a good salesperson must have as interviewer is looking for that candidate whose values can align with the company's value to ensure a best fit. Avoid mentioning qualities like good analytical skills, graphic designing and so on. These qualities are no doubt good to possess but not relevant to the job for which you are applying. So instead of rattling ones that are out of context, focus more on mentioning qualities which are required for that specific job profile.
5. What are your hobbies/interests ?
Sample Answer -
During my free time I like to read a lot. I love to sketch and I also love to dance as it helps me in relieving my stress.
Tip -
When it comes to your hobbies, you can mention whatever you like to do during your idle time. It can be anything but make sure whatever you mention you actually have knowledge about that particular stuff as your interviewer might ask you something more related to a particular hobby in order to cross verify that whether you actually like doing it or are only speaking for the sake of saying. In case if you feel like you don't have any hobby or anything worth mentioning, then also it's completely fine. No need to worry. Mention qualities which are quite productive like reading, back up your reply by giving a brief overview of any book out there and Kudos, you are good to go!!
6. Why should we hire you ?
Sample Answer -
I have the right combination of skills and experience required for this job. I am a fast learner, have good communication skills and great at teamwork. I will surely prove to be a great addition to the team and a valuable asset for the organisation. I will give my best and work with my maximum efforts. I think the job role being offered by you will serve my purpose along with the organisation's goal.
Tip -
In this question interviewer test your good pitching skills. So in order to convince your interviewer your reply should focus on what exactly makes you unique and a good fit for that position. Make your interviewer believe that you can give exceptional results and that hiring you would be in favour of the company.
7. What according to you is important for selling ?
Sample Answer -
Selling is basically the art of matching product benefits with customer needs and desires. So the important factor during selling is to first know about what exactly is your customer's demand and then communicate the value of your product or service accordingly for which you should also have proper information of your product.
Tip -
While replying to this question, make sure to show that you are very well aware of the fact that you need to maintain a customer connect during a sale as this is the main essence of sales and interviewer is looking for this element only in your response.
8. What is your work experience ?
Sample Answer -
(Here I am mentioning my work experience of being a Project Trainee just to give you all an idea of how exactly you need to frame your job duties. You can simply alter it by specifying duties according to your job profile.)
I have a 1 year work experience with ABC Bank as a Project Trainee where my duty was to maintain bank reconciliation registers, update uncleared cheques and conduct day to day project implementation. Apart from this I also did cold calling for business loan purposes.
Tip -
While telling about your work experience, make sure to include all projects that you were a part of and in case if you did any sort of selling or branding campaign, then mention that as well. It will give the interviewer a hint that you are already quite familiar with the sales profile. So this will leave a great impact.
If you are a fresher (recently graduated), then you can mention about your summer/winter internships.
Now, for those who are wondering what to say as they neither have any work experience nor they did any internship, in that case also no need to tense out...RELAX. Just remember, nobody is born with experience. It's something which you acquire during the course of time and your interviewer also understands this very well. Simply reply that you are a fresher who is there to gain valuable experience and will prove to be a lucrative asset for the organisation.
9. Sell me a product.
Sample Answer -
(Here I am pitching for the sale of a smartphone)
(Ques to interviewer)
* Are you looking for a smartphone ?
* How often times do you use your smartphone ?
* What problem did you face with your old phone which made you realise that it's time to purchase a new one ?
(Start your pitch)
Here, I got a perfect smartphone for you from ABC company. It's XYZ Pro. The phone is powered with 5000 mAh battery. So you can use it 24 hours without facing any inconvenience during your work.It supports VOOC flash charge. So you can continue with your work with a charging of 30 to 45 minutes. This phone comes with MTK Helio G85 octa-core processor, so you will also not face any hang issues while working. It have 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. So you can store ample data in it. This phone is priced at only Rs. 14,999. So basically you are getting specifications of Rs. 30,000 worth flagship smartphone for only Rs. 14,999.
This is a great deal and I think you should not let it go as we are also offering mobile exchange offer where you can avail a specific discount on your new phone in exchange of the old one but since it is a time limited offer so in my opinion now is the best time to go for the purchase.
(Close the sale)
What do you say, can I wrap this smartphone for you ?
If no ? Why not ? Would you like to go for this instead ?
Tip -
This question is something which will either make or break your chances of getting hired and during a sales interview, you will definitely come across this one. To be frank, there is no correct or incorrect answer of this question. This question is asked to check how quickly a candidate can think on the spot and what exactly will be his/her approach to the problem. No matter what product you are about to pitch for, just remember the basic framework of sales. For a perfect pitching, include all following points -
* Gather information from customer - The very first thing that you need to keep in mind while selling is to find what exactly is your customer's experience with the product he last used i.e. what were the problems that he faced during his use which made him decide to go for a new one, what exactly is he looking for in his new product, what is his usage, how much cost matter to him and so on.
Basically, you have to start by analysing your customer's needs and for that craft your pitch with the help of relevant questions.
* Respond according to gathered information - After gathering information about customer's needs, next step is to start your pitch by aligning product's features with the benefits that it will provide to the customer. Remember to connect features of the product with the benefits. Simply telling about the features would not help. You need to give reasons to your customer that why he should particularly go with the product that you are offering to him i.e. how this product will help in solving his purpose and make him believe that he won't face the same problems which he had with his old product.
* Close the sale - Now finally it's time to ask for the buy and close the sale. In case if the customer is still not ready to purchase, then don't forget to ask why so and if he would like to go for another product instead.
In short, whatever technique you are using while selling, just be sure to speak with full confidence, enthusiasm and a positive body language.
10. What are your future plans ?
Sample Answer -
As of now, I am looking forward to work with your company for the upcoming years and open to all the opportunities that the company may hold for me in future. I believe that making most out of the present is the best way of planning for the future.
Tip -
Keep your answer straightforward and focus on how your long term goals align with the opportunities that this company will provide. Avoid mentioning your personal goals unless they align with portraying you as a stronger candidate in future ( such as learning a new language).
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
We already discussed about what all questions you will face during your sales interview and how you have to tackle them. But in order to get hired, you have to give time and prepare yourself properly before the interview. As in all interview questions, you have to avoid rambling and that is possible only when you already have an idea of the context of the question. In order to gain such confidence, preparation is must. You have to keep your calm during the interview, don't panic, be confident in whatever you are saying. It is not necessary to cram the answers mentioned above. I have mentioned them to give you all a basic idea of how you have to frame your answers. Everyone is unique in his/her own way. Use that uniqueness to alter the above answers and make yourself stand out from the crowd.
The interviewer can also ask something related to the company as well, so make sure to go through company's official website one day before your interview. Have a quick look at company's objective, mission, vision, values, competitors, partners and so on. Also make yourself clear of what exactly does the role demands for which you are interviewing.
Now, take a deep breath...step out....and go get'em.
Always remember,
"IN LIFE, DOING THE BEST IS MORE IMPORTANT RATHER THAN BEING THE BEST"
I hope this blog helps you. Kindly comment down your opinions, suggestions or in case if you still have any query then feel free to ask.
I invested a lot of time and efforts in drafting this article and would really appreciate you all to share this blog with your friends, relatives or anyone you know who is going for an interview round and please do follow my blog to get updates of more such productive and insightful content from me.
YOU WILL SURELY ACE IT!!!
BE POSITIVE!!!
ALL THE BEST!!!
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