Interview Questions for Sales Positions4 min read

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When hiring sales professionals, it is important to keep in mind that the best salespeople have not only technical know-how but also the soft skills that help them earn your customer’s trust. To identify the best professionals among the pool of applicants, it is important to use the best interview questions that help you determine the people with the right skill set.

Just getting started? Use this Sales Assistant Job Description to attract the right candidates.

What Traits to Look For in Sales Professionals?

People who make the best sales professionals are those that can consistently and instantly make a positive impression on people, and possess an upbeat attitude towards life and work in general. They possess great communication skills and exhibit enthusiasm and passion for the position. Given that a sales professional is often the point of contact between a company and its target audience, you want to ensure that your choice of hiring anybody to fill the role is spot on.

What Questions to Ask When Interviewing for a Sales Position?

The sort of questions to ask when interviewing for a sales position are those that help draw the candidate out so that the depth of their personality shines through (or their lack of it becomes apparent). Be on the lookout for concise and positive answers that share why the candidate is applying for the position and why they believe they will make a good fit.

Check 201 Interview Questions for every occasion.

Sales Assistant Interview Questions

1. Why did you choose to apply to this assistant position?
2. Do you have any experience in a similar role?
3. How would you handle a difficult customer?
4. How do you feel when you close a sale?
5. Do you enjoy working in a team?
6. How do you handle the pressures that come with target-centered work?
7. Why do you think offering stellar service to clients is important?
8. What strategy would you use to sell an add-on product to a customer?
9. Do you think competition helps a sales team or breaks it?
10. What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?
11. Tell me your greatest career achievement to date.
12. Why do you want to work here?
13. Who is your greatest inspiration?
14. What do you know about our company and its values?

Sales Manager Interview Questions

1. Talk about yourself.
2. What makes you interested in working in sales?
3. Are you versed with data analysis?
4. Tell us in your opinion what the skills and experience necessary for success in this position are.
5. Why work as a sales manager?
6. Imagine I am a sales rep who has failed to meet the quota for 3 consecutive months, what would you say to me?
7. What do you think is the biggest motivator for sales reps?
8. To what do you attribute your success as a sales rep?
9. How would your experience as a sales rep influence the way you manage your sales team?
10. How important is money to you as a professional in this field?
11. How would you describe a successful rep coaching session?
12. Tell me what you like and what you don’t like about the sales process?
13. Are you comfortable with technology?
14. What do you think is the most effective way to train new reps?
15. What do you think makes a good leader?
16. What would qualify someone as a good manager within this organization?
17. How would you explain our processes to someone who is unfamiliar with them?

Technical Sales Interview Questions

1. What would you do if a client was dealing with a technical issue which none of your suggestions is able to solve?
2. How would you proceed to explain the benefits of our product over that of a competitor?
3. An important prospective client requests a feature which we do not offer—who do you reach out to and how do you respond to the potential client?
4. How would you respond if your manager sets an unrealistic goal?
5. Describe your typical sales call for a sales engineer?
6. Who do you think make up our customer base and what do you know about our products?
7. Tell us about the software you consider important for the job? Why are they important and how?
8. Any experience with remote access software?
9. Tell us about your biggest lead-generating success.
10. Tell us how you make sure your audience understands complex technical terms.
11. Tell us about the time when you faced your biggest challenge in communicating technical details. How did you overcome it?
12. How do you stay motivated to be good at your job?
13. Tell us about a successful sales project you worked on. Who were those on the team and what was your role?