When you are interviewing for a sales position, your goal is to sell yourself to the hiring manager. A sales job interview is among the most challenging of interviews — interviewers will have high expectations for your persuasive powers, and candidates will need to do more than simply respond to questions.


Because your job, if you're hired, will require you to be an effective salesperson, the hiring manager will expect candidates to do just.

You'll need to sell yourself, your qualifications for the job, and show the interviewer that you have the ability to close a deal.

Below, you'll find helpful strategies for how to respond to interview questions, along with examples of common sales interview questions and sample answers. Review them to help frame your responses based on your own qualifications, skills, product knowledge, achievements, and sales experiences. Also review a list of questions to ask your interviewer.

Tips for Answering Interview Questions

Every response you give to interview questions should include concrete examples of your sales achievements. It's important to be clear about how you can help the company and grow sales. Include numbers to back up statements. For example, you might say, "At XYZ company, I was responsible for bringing on ABC account, signing a contract that resulted in XX profit over YY time."

If you quantified your achievements on your resume, share some of those numbers and percentages in your responses.

If you didn't include numbers on your resume, take a few minutes to make a list of your best achievements to share with your interviewer. Saying "I increased annual sales by 50% year over year" sounds much better than "I increased sales last year."

Interviewers will be looking for you to demonstrate that you have the necessary skills.


Review this list of sales skills, and look for ways to highlight your mastery of them in your answers.

In addition, be sure to tailor your responses to reflect the company's products, services, and goals. Spend time on the company website and researching the company online, so you are clear about the company's mission. The more you know about the company, the better equipped you'll be to respond.

Sales Interview Questions and Sample Answers

Are you comfortable making cold calls? - Best Answers

If you’re interviewing for a cold-calling sales position, you’ll need to convince your potential employer that you have the chops to persuade complete strangers to buy the company’s product or service. Here are some possible interview questions you might be asked and ways you can answer to prove your mettle. Customize your answers to play up your personal strengths.

What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?
Bring up strengths that are important for telemarketing, such being a good listener, understanding customer needs, relating to customers and being a persuasive speaker.


When you point out a weakness, always follow up with how you’ve worked to overcome it, especially in a job setting.

Are You Comfortable Making Cold Calls?

Don't just say yes. Follow it up with why. For example:

Absolutely. I enjoy reaching out to people with new products and ideas.
I am comfortable making cold calls. I have found that some of my most interesting sales have been the result of a cold call, to someone who was rather unsure of their interest in my product at our first meeting.
I don't mind making cold calls, but I prefer to start my sales cycle with a customer who has shown some interest in the product. Warm leads are proven to be more cost-effective in the long term, and they are a more efficient use of my time spent calling.
What Motivates You to Sell?
With cold calling, keeping your motivation high is key. Convince the interviewer of your enthusiasm with these answers:

I really enjoy educating people on products that could help them or make their lives more enjoyable. I like to keep in mind that they would never know about these products if I didn’t make that call.
I feel a lot of pride when I complete a sale and provide a great service to a new customer.
I am very competitive and enjoy achieving and surpassing sales goals.
I love the teamwork environment of working in a call center.
How Many Calls Per Hour Can You Make?
You might hear this question if you come to the interview with prior telemarketing experience.


Be prepared to share how long your average call handle time was and how many calls on average you accomplished per hour. Explain any variables, such as if you used predictive dialing, and how those variables increased or decreased your efficiency.

How Do You Handle Negative Customer Reactions?
It’s inevitable that you’ll encounter angry customers who resent telemarketing calls. Explain your philosophy of handling such calls, and if you can, provide a specific instance that you handled well. For example:

I know customers are not always in the mood to receive a call. I find that apologizing often calms customers down. I always try to set up a callback time, because I don’t want the customer to miss out on the valuable product or service I am offering them.
Is Cold Calling Dead?
Some interviewers may throw in this trick question to measure your level of enthusiasm or knowledge of the industry. If the answer were yes, you wouldn’t even be interviewing for this position. So prep yourself with a positive spin on the question:

A lot of conditions in sales can change, but connecting with people never does. When I pick up the phone and call potential buyers, I control what I say and how I say it. I can keep the call focused on the customer and the value the product can provide

Have you consistently met your sales goals? - Best Answers

Ace Interview Questions About Meeting Sales Goals
During an interview for a sales job, the interviewer will likely ask you a question about whether you’ve met your sales goals in the past. He or she will ask this as a way to see if you will likely meet sales goals with their company in the future.

Acing a sales interview is all about whether you can sell yourself as the best candidate for the job. Answering this question well can help you demonstrate your sales skills, and impress the interviewer.


Below are tips for answering an interview question about meeting sales goals, as well as sample answers.

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