Naturally, the most important thing to focus on when interviewing any sales rep is their skill set – namely, their sales skills and ultimately their communication skills. Being able to think on their feet and show fast problem-solving skills is extremely important, as is their understanding of the whole sales process. By preparing a set of thoughtful questions, you can delve into their experience, skills, and motivations, which will help you gain a deeper understanding of their capabilities and their suitability for the role you are offering. Using an approach that focuses on past experiences in sales situations can provide you with valuable insights as to how the candidate copes with conflicts and resolving problems, how they handle challenging situations, and above all, it can allow them to demonstrate their key skills.
By outlining the details that you think would make a successful interview, you can start to create the questions that you would expect your candidate to have researched and prepared for. Obviously, any top performing rep would know about the company they work for and the products and services they are offering, and quizzing your candidate on your business and the items you sell is a great way to see how they would cope with an inquisitive client.
Interview questions that involve asking a person to identify their strengths and weaknesses, providing a concise overview of their background, skills, and ambitions for the future, and why they think the company should hire them are common interview questions used in most types of interviews. A top sales rep should be able to communicate easily and be able to elicit trust from their potential clients, and therefore should be able to answer these types of questions concisely and confidently. They should be prepared to discuss their sales achievements and be comfortable demonstrating their knowledge of sales techniques. Asking thoughtful questions about the company and the role they will be playing shows that they have thought about and prepared for the interview.
Key Areas to Access When Interviewing Sales Reps
- Asking questions about the experiences and behaviors of your potential employee will give you an understanding of their aspirations and career goals, and an insight into their alignment with the company’s growth.
- Finding out about the company and industry knowledge can help you to assess their commitment to the job if they are keeping themselves informed about the industry’s trends and have a good understanding of the products or services your company has to offer.
- A good candidate needs to be self-motivated and goal-oriented. They need to show a strong desire to become successful and prove that they can think on their feet and work on their own.
- “He who never made a mistake, never made anything.” Be wary of an over-confident person who will not accept that something was their fault or learn from their mistakes. Ask questions to see how they would handle setbacks, how they could learn from a negative situation, and whether they are prepared to adapt to changing situations. Flexibility is the key!
- Your top sales rep needs to be responsible and accountable for their actions. Will they meet deadlines and close deals? Do they own their actions? Your candidate should be accountable for their own actions; that way they will look back and learn from the action and improve it for next time, or be confident of what they did and why they did it.
- Delving into a person’s past experiences will give you valuable insight into how they will handle certain situations, how they will approach challenges, and if they can adapt and change their strategy should it be necessary. It will also give them a chance to demonstrate their key skills, and you will have a chance to see if their approach is suitable for the role you are offering them.
10 Questions to Consider…
1) Walk me through your current sales process.
This is one of the most common sales interview questions because it will give you an immediate insight into the sales approach of your candidate, and they should be able to explain clearly, step-by-step, their sales pitch.
2) How do you decide a prospect isn’t the right fit?
A good sales rep needs to focus their energy on worthwhile leads and be able to differentiate those from bottom-of-the-pile leads in order to achieve or exceed their sales quota.
3) Tell me 2-3 times about a lost opportunity.
Things don’t always go smoothly, and being able to pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and learn from mistakes makes you a stronger person.
4) When you lose a deal, how do you follow up with that prospect?
Sales reps have to expect and embrace the “no,” as few deals are made in the first meeting, so following up is a crucial part of the job, and what makes a true go-getter.
5) When you’ve received constructive feedback in the past, how do you respond?
Using constructive feedback to improve oneself is what makes a successful person, and being able to recognize weaknesses will help fuel better results in the future.
6) Teach me something.
What they teach you doesn’t really matter; you are looking for their ability to think on their feet and keep you engaged with enthusiasm and clarity.
7) What did your last product do for your customer?
This will demonstrate their understanding of the product they sell and the particular needs it fulfills.
8) What do you know about our company and our product?
You will discover whether they just want any job, or specifically one with your company.
9) Pitch me our company’s product.
Role-playing can tell you so much!
10) Are you ready to jump on a sales call right now?
Be wary of a “yes!” A top sales rep will realize that they don’t know your product, customer objections or sales process, so rather than cold calling, they should be looking for their ideal customer.
If your business is looking to bring on exceptional sales talent, working with an experienced sales recruiting partner can streamline the process. From identifying high-performing candidates to ensuring they align with your company’s goals and culture, the right recruiting approach can help you secure sales professionals who consistently deliver results.