Account Executive interview questions and answers
This Account Executive interview profile brings together a snapshot of what to look for in candidates with a balanced sample of suitable interview questions.
Are you a candidate?
Crush your interview with our guide
Account Executive Interview Questions
Account executives are the main players in your company’s business development efforts. Depending on the company and sector, they may be responsible for finding and closing deals, managing contacts with clients or both.
Experience in sales or customer service is preferred for senior roles. If you’re hiring for an entry level position, look for enthusiastic, outgoing, curious and smart candidates. The best among them will demonstrate their capabilities by asking the right questions and showing ample interest in your services or products.
You can ask the following questions to evaluate the core traits of excellent account executives. It’s also a good idea to ask them to make a brief presentation or a sales pitch for a few minutes. You’re looking for excellent communication and negotiation skills, a business acumen and confident manner. The candidate you’ll end up hiring should complement all these with a great deal of initiative, persistence and problem-solving aptitude.
Operational and Situational questions
- What do you find most satisfying about this job?
- How do you handle rejection?
- Are you comfortable with cold-calling?
- What methods do you use to discover sales opportunities?
- What does a demo/presentation need to be effective?
- How do you build a successful business relationship?
- How familiar are you with CRM?
- Do you use social media to identify prospects?
- If a prospective client kept presenting you with excuses not to buy, what would you do?
- Imagine you have to solve problems for multiple clients at the same time. How do you prioritize?
Behavioral questions
- Recall a time when you faced a dissatisfied and aggressive customer. How did you handle it?
- Describe a time you solved a client’s problem
- What was the most difficult deal you had to close?
- Tell me about a time you successfully negotiated a customer contract
- Describe a time you managed to reach an objective when odds were against you
- What was your most complicated sales cycle in past positions?
- Was there a time when you lost the chance to engage a prospect? What happened and what did you learn?