sales interview questions and answers examples

The best way to reduce the stress is to be prepared. Take the time to review the common interview questions you will most likely be asked. Also, review sample answers and advice on how to answer these typical interview questions.

Here are the questions you’re most likely to be asked in a job interview:

• Tell me about yourself?
• What are your greatest weaknesses?
• What experience do you have for Sales?
• Tell me about a suggestion you have made on Sales job?
• What is your vision for the inside sales team?
• Why do you think you would do well for this Sales job?
• What kind of salary are you looking for Sales?
• Why do you enjoy selling?
• What attracts you to the industry you are in?
• What are your favorite selling books?
• What is it you like about sales?
• Where do you want sales to lead you in your career?
• How am I measured as an inside sales rep?
• As a sales professional, what do you see as your primary and secondary roles within a company?
• What are the qualities that you have to say that you are a good sales person?
• Describe a time where a creative approach to meeting an objective didn’t work and what you did next?
• Tell me about the product you sold in your last job.
• What other inside sales team pose the greatest threat to this company and why?
• What is your biggest difficulty in selling?
• Give me an example of a recent difficult sale and how you closed the deal.
• Tell me about a recent sale that you failed to get.
• What things do you do to close a sale?
• What challenges am I likely to face?
• Describe a situation with a client or prospect where you could have taken a different approach. What would you have done differently?
• Can you tell me how you became proficient in selling and how were you able to improve yourself as time goes by?
• Describe a couple of instances, big or small, where you took a different approach in achieving an objective outside the company direction?
• What do you think are the most important skills in succeeding in sales?
• What are your top three open-ended questions for initial sales calls?
• What are the top two or three most important sales skills one should possess? Why?
• Tell me about your two most satisfying sales deals and why they were your best.
• Tell me about one of the most time-consuming sales you have had and what have you done to get that sale.
• Tell me about two deals you’ve lost. Why did you lose them? Who was the competitor you lost them to? What did you learn from losing them?
• How do you deal with rejection?
• What areas would your two most recent Managers say you should improve upon to become stronger?
• How do you prepare for a presentation?
• How do you handle negotiations?
• Tell me about a time you made a mistake with a client and describe how you handled the error?
• In your current sales environment, describe the process you go through to qualify your prospects?
• What is your biggest difficulty in selling?
• Tell me about a recent sale that you lost to a competitor.
• Give me an example of a recent difficult sale and how you closed the deal.
• Describe a time you led a group of people, the primary challenges you faced and how you handled them?
• What would you say your one or two biggest failures or mistakes were? What did you learn from them?
• What are some of the challenges you see that are facing this industry?
• What do you like and dislike about the sales process and why?
• What type of sales cycle is most rewarding to you? A long cycle for a big-ticket item or a series of smaller, more frequent sales.
• What’s the average length of a sales cycle?
• Describe your typical sales cycle.
• What do you feel are the two most important things you need from a company to get off on the right track?
• How would your present prospects and customers describe you as their sales representative?
• Does your company support the sales force?
• Describe a time your company did not deliver on its product or service and how you responded?
• Describe how you present a solution to your prospective client?
• At what stage in the sales process do you present the ROI to the prospect?
• What are the most common complaint inside salespeople make about your company culture?
• Describe one or two of the most difficult challenges and/ or rejections you’ve faced in the past and how you responded?
• What is it in sales position that interests you the most and makes you stay in this type of industry?
• In your current position, how much time would you say you spend directly with prospects and customers throughout the sales day?
• How good of a fit do you think I am for this inside sales role?
• How do you ensure that your sales targets are exceeded each month?