Sales and Business Development jobs are one of the top evergreen non-tech jobs in India. Whether the economy is doing good or bad, everyone needs good salespersons. And if you are an ace sales professional, then you can look forward to a lucrative career.
Candidates from all kinds of fields join the sales function. In fact, many engineering companies and tech companies prefer engineering graduates to join their sales team because they have better product knowledge.
If you are planning to pursue a career in sales and business development, then you should first know the common sales interview questions you will have to handle to get the job.
Here is a list of common interview questions for fresher sales jobs –
1. What made you get into sales?
This is one of the most common sales interview questions where the recruiter wants to know why you chose this profession particularly. You need to showcase how much you enjoy the thrill of this job profile and the process of connecting with people.
Don’t let the recruiter think that you are getting into sales only because you didn’t get any tech job or because you don’t know what to do with your career.
2. What you know about the company?
One of the questions that will lead you to interview success is this question about the company. Salespeople often have to pursue clients who they don’t know much about, and they have to research.
Recruiters expect that you exhibit this same quality even during the interview.
Do a bit of research and ensure that you at least know what’s written about the company on its website and press. Make sure you know the kind of products and services it sells.
3. Have you ever worked with team members you didn’t like? How did you deal with it?
Sales might be an individual contributor role, but you certainly have to work with a range of people; including clients. You may not always like all the people you work with, hence this is one of the most commonly asked questions in a sales interview.
The recruiter wants examples from your college life about working with team members and any issues that may have cropped with them. Give examples of how you overcame your dislike or distrust for a person but work towards a common goal.
4. Tell us an instance where you failed to achieve your goals and what did you do?
This is one of the often asked sales interview questions that test the attitude of the job candidate. You need to, first of all, be positive and give examples where you failed but overcame the problem and worked on it and proved yourself again.
Sales is a tough profession. For every positive response, you will have to go through twenty negative responses! This is why only those with an optimistic attitude and go-getter personality achieve career success in sales.
5. How to do you generate, develop and, close sales?
The recruiter understands that as a fresher you may not have all the answers about handling a sale but what is expected is at least a textbook understanding of what sales mean. This is one of the sales interview questions where you need to prepare in advance. Learn what sales professional do, how they generate leads and how to convert them.
Learn how to answer these sales interview questions by preparing for them through a mock interview. You might get tense and not respond effectively reducing your chances of interview success. Instead, sign up for a tool like the Mock AI to get job interview tips, and feedback on your body language, communication etc.
If you are an experienced sales professional, then you might benefit from these five sales interview questions –
1. How did you cultivate and find new clients?
2. How do you address customer issues or problems?
3. Did you ever have a difficult sale and how did you manage the situation?
4. What’s your least favorite part of the sales process?
5. How do you research prospects before a call or meeting?
Are there any other sales interview questions you have come with during your sales interviews that you need help with? Ask us how to answer them best in the comments below.
Additional Read: 6 Qualities You Need To Have To Be A Good Sales Representative
