It doesn’t matter how many sales interviews you’ve participated in, it can still be a nerve-wracking experience.
And while you can come prepared with your own questions and information on the company, you’re not always going to know which questions they’re going to ask you in the sales interview.
However, there are some common questions that come up in sales interviews that salespeople tend to mess up time and again.
In a recent episode of The Sales Evangelist podcast, Kathleen Steffey discusses these common, difficult sales interview questions and the best ways to answer them.
1. What does your sales process look like?
- During the interview, a sales rep might be asked to talk about their selling process from beginning to end. Surprisingly, many sales reps aren’t able to articulate what their sales process looks like.
- Before a sales interview, the candidate should think about how they can articulate their process, write it down, and go over it in their head. That way, when they’re asked this question, they will have it down.
2. Where did you come in against quota?
- Another common question where sales candidates fumble is when they’re asked where they came in against quota.
- If you came in above quota or below quota, you need to have an exact number to tell the interviewer. We’ve seen many sales leaders pass on candidates because they don’t know where exactly they came in against quota.
3. How do you hunt for new business and what is your prospecting strategy?
- Ten or even five years ago, a good answer would have been that a rep was pounding the pavement or making a ton of cold calls with a few emails. But in today’s world, the new business development and prospecting strategies have changed quite a bit.
- Again, a candidate should really think about their prospecting strategy and write it down. And make sure to go beyond the number of calls or emails you send daily. Really think about the strategy behind your decisions and convey that to the interviewer. For example, how are you targeting your audience, who are you calling and why, how many times do you reach out and why?
4. How do you differentiate yourself in your selling process?
- There are so many sales reps out there today and so many people trying to reach your inbox, it can be difficult to stand out and really get someone’s attention. But the ones that do, are the sales reps that will be successful.
- One way to stand out, for example, is sending someone a coffee or takeout during a Zoom call. Just because you’re behind a camera doesn’t mean you can’t still go the extra mile and treat your prospect to coffee.
To listen to more great sales interview tips and examples, please check out the full episode: TSE 1456: How To Answer Difficult Sales Interview Questions on thesalesevangelist.com