Sales is a field like no other – so it’s no surprise that sales job interviews can be interviews like no other. While it pays to prepare for traditional interview questions like “Tell us about yourself” or “What’s your greatest weakness?”, sales candidates will stand apart from the crowd by preparing for the specific types of questions they’ll face when interviewing for a sales position.
What questions should you expect in your next sales job interview? Take a look at these five “classics”:
- Tell me about your sales process at your current (or previous) job. Not all sales positions are the same. Hiring managers who know this will want to hear the details of your current and past sales experiences. Use this question to describe the sales process in a way that clearly and concisely highlights your best sales skills within the context of a detailed understanding of the sales process you’ve worked in before.
- Where are you most successful – in serving clients, or in developing a new territory? Why? Hiring managers ask this question for several reasons. First, it reveals whether your best skills are a good match for the skills required in the position for which you are interviewing. Second, it helps hiring managers evaluate how well you know your own strengths and weaknesses and how you apply them in a real-world sales environment. Spend some time thinking about what you do well and why – as well as how you can use your strengths to improve on or offset your weaknesses.
- Do you think you’ll still be enjoying this job in ten years? Why or why not? There are no guarantees that you’ll still be with this company in ten years. But a hiring manager who asks this question isn’t looking for guarantees – they’re looking for someone with the perseverance to stick with a sales job even when it’s tough, and the vision to see how their skills not only fit the company today, but can help it grow in the future.
- Describe a time you closed a sale quickly. Describe a time you navigated a long sales cycle. These questions address both short and long sales cycles, and they look for two different sets of skills. Many companies appreciate salespeople who can shorten a sales cycle. But they also recognize that negotiating a longer sales cycle takes strategic thinking, perseverance, and the ability to manage multiple concerns and variables at once – skills that aren’t always apparent when candidates only describe times they closed sales quickly. Prepare examples of both situations to demonstrate your abilities in both long and short sales cycles.
- What are your favorite closing techniques? Why? This question, obviously, asks you to describe your closing techniques. But it also asks for information that will help the hiring manager determine whether you’ll be a good cultural “fit” with the organization, how you treat customers, and more. Describe your favorite closing techniques in a way that highlights your strengths and dovetails with your understanding of the company’s culture and goals.
Talk to an experienced recruiter to learn more about the types of sales job interview questions you can expect, and the best ways to tackle them. At SMR Group, our experienced recruiters can help you connect with top employers and prepare for even the toughest interview questions. Contact us today to learn how we can help you in your career, or browse our open jobs today:
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