What are your best questions that you ask during interviews for sales roles? Drop them in the comments below!
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Sr. Director, Commercial Learning8 months ago
Not basic at all Chad! Yours are tried and tested ways to quickly tell how much energy and effort they did to prepare for a given sales (interview) call. Thank you for sharing.
Sr. Director, Commercial Learning8 months ago
Developed these with the help of several other sales managers along my career. Reference and share them often. Hope they add value here.Approach to Sales:
· How do you identify and qualify potential leads or prospects?
· What strategies do you employ to build and maintain strong relationships with clients?
Historical Sales Performance:
· How do you measure and track your sales performance?
· Can you describe a time when you fell short of your sales targets and how you addressed it?
Ability to Work Autonomously:
· How do you prioritize and manage your sales activities and pipeline without direct supervision?
· Can you give an example of a situation where you had to make a judgment call without consulting your manager?
Ability to Work in Remote Teams:
· How do you effectively collaborate and communicate with team members when working remotely?
· What tools or technologies do you utilize to stay organized and connected when working remotely?
Leadership Style:
· Describe your preferred leadership style and how it aligns with your approach to sales.
· Can you share an example of a time when you coached or mentored a team member to improve their sales performance?
CEO in Services (non-Government)8 months ago
I like to ask questions about how they self-assess themselves and what they have learned. For example, "Tell me about an opportunity that you had expected to win, yet didn't?" What happened? What did you learn? How would you change your approach now that this is behind you? Sr. Director, Commercial Learning8 months ago
This is great Julie, thank you for sharing. Will add this to my list for sure; we win or we learn!
COO in Software7 months ago
Agree with the previous answers. I also like to add a question to see how they think on their feet. An example would be: "If you were recruiting someone, give me the order of importance of the following and why: 1. Existing relevant relationships, 2. How quickly they learn, 3. How hard they work". It can be very interesting to see their interpretation, approach, reply and explanation to a question that does not have one right answer!
"Tell me in your own words what you know about our company." "Now, how would you present our [company or product/s] to a prospect?"
I'm always shocked at how few candidates bother to do any research on the company they're interviewing with. And, they often haven't even envisioned themselves within the role they're seeking.
In this question, I'm looking for the candidate to concisely summarize who the company is, then break into their sales methodology. I'm looking to see 1) Did they research the company? 2) Can they present concisely (organized thought)? 3) Do they ask questions and mold their pitch, or do they try to "speed-and-feed"? and 4) How do they handle pressure? This isn't a "sell me this pencil" moment. This does tell me a lot about how the candidate prepares for important meetings and sales situations.