For many salespeople, selling a product or service is second nature. But closing the deal on a job interview can sometimes feel like a tough sell.
Fortunately, some of the same skills it takes to be a successful salesperson can help you become the perfect job candidate. Among those skills is preparedness—like knowing what interview questions might be coming your way.
To
help you close that interview deal, we’ve rounded up some of the most
common sales interview questions. Read on, and prepare to ace them!
1. Tell Me About a Time You Lost a Sale.
Every
salesperson has lost sales. That’s unavoidable. But what matters is
that you can easily admit this—and that you recount a loss with
optimism, rather than pointing a finger at others. Interviewers want to
know why you think the loss happened, and what you learned from it.
Salespeople who can turn lost sales into learning opportunities are
ideal job candidates. Those who talk about who or what was to
blame...not so much.
Bonus Tip
It demonstrates self-awareness to point out a personal flaw and how you’ve overcome it. A good answer might be, “I didn’t fully understand the customer’s pain points. Now, I always ask these additional discovery questions, and I’m better able to meet customers’ needs.”
2. Walk Me Through a Sale You Closed.
This is not the time to talk about an easy sale. Interviewers want to see how methodically a candidate approaches the complex sales process, and how they overcome challenges.
Choose a sale that was a bit of a
struggle and required clever problem-solving. And it shouldn’t be all
about you, you, you. “I would also expect them to demonstrate how much
of a team player they are,” says Laurie Spieler, VP of Sales for
marketing data provider Lusha. “It is concerning if they only speak
about how they were responsible for the win.”
Bonus Tip
“I offered a discount” is not how your sales story should end. Interviewers want to know how a candidate elevated the value of a product, not how the customer convinced them to undervalue it.
3. Tell Me About Your Targets.
Sales
is a numbers game. Sales candidates should be able to rattle off their
quotas, goals, and what their final numbers were. “Our advice to
candidates is to know your numbers and where you stood within the team,”
says Sabrina N. Balmick, Marketing Manager for sales recruitment
specialty firm ACA Talent. “Everyone is looking for salespeople these
days, and everyone wants the cream of the crop—as a salesperson, your
numbers can potentially help you shine.”
Bonus Tip
Interviewers are looking for competitive salespeople, and team sports are how many salespeople first learned to balance competitiveness and teamwork. Mentioning a background in sports never hurts, especially if it helps you connect with your interviewer.
4. How Should a Commission Plan Be Structured?
Some companies offer high commission, low pay. Others do the opposite. There’s also profit sharing, territory volume pay, and many other options. The right answer to this question isn’t about telling a prospective employer what to do; it’s about demonstrating that you get the company’s goals and priorities—and how they align with yours.
“This is an opportunity for candidates to
show an understanding of a ‘win-win’ scenario, and an appreciation that
any commission structure should not only reflect their performance, but
also be tied to broader company objectives,” Spieler says.
Bonus Tip
Most employers are looking for partners who can help grow the company, not sales mercenaries who hit targets at any expense. It’s frustrating for interviewers when candidates talk about commissions with only themselves in mind. Avoid that, and you’ll be ahead of the game.
5. How Do You Organize Your Day?
The
correct answer is going to sound a little boring. Be boring. Sales jobs
have plenty of excitement, but there’s a daily grind to the work, too.
It takes organizational skills and endurance to get to the thrilling
moments. Interviewers want to know a candidate is willing to put in the
hard, unglamorous work. “I always ask about the average daily number of
cold calls, how many result in appointments, and how many become
customers,” says Bruce A. Hurwitz, executive recruiter and career
counselor for Hurwitz Strategic Staffing.
Bonus Tip
It’s okay to admit that these are monotonous tasks. What matters is that you do them anyway, and that closing sales makes them worthwhile.
6. Tell Me About Myself and My Company.
Okay,
this is not a direct question an interviewer is likely to ask. It is,
however, something they want candidates to do to demonstrate their
research chops. Learn everything possible about the company and product,
and weave your knowledge into the interview.
Bonus Tip
Read up on the interviewer, too. Noting that you share an alma mater or know someone from their hometown isn’t an exercise in flattery; it shows you know how to prepare for a sales call.
In the end, an
interview is just a sales meeting—the candidate is the product, and the
interviewer is the customer. Treat it as such, prepare for these
questions, and you’ll close the deal.