Sales Executive interview questions and answers
Use these Sales Executive interview questions as a guide to discover the right qualifications for sales executives in candidates.
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Sales Executive Interview Questions
Sales executives are on the front lines of sales operations. Great candidates are outgoing with some sales or customer service experience. Industry-specific knowledge isn’t critical (any good salesperson can be trained) but it might help you during the initial screening.
The following questions can give you ideas on how to conduct interviews. Find out if candidates possess a pleasant personality, confidence and presentation skills. Ask them to sell you something to see them in action. For experienced executives, their past work will give you insight into their knowledge of sales techniques, their persistence and competitiveness. The best among them will show an interest in your products and be enthusiastic about selling them.
Depending on the company, the title might also refer to people in charge of the sales department. Interviews in this case should be geared towards knowledge of the field, strategizing and leadership.
Operational and Situational questions
- If you were trying to sell to a prospect but they kept refusing, when would you stop pursuing them?
- Imagine you cold-call a prospect. What questions would you ask to understand their requirements? How would you arrange a meeting in-person?
- If a customer kept asking you to lower the price of your product so they can buy, how would handle it?
- Imagine you were attending an event on the company’s behalf. What would you do to generate leads or sales?
Role-specific questions
- What’s your attitude towards cold-calling?
- Are you familiar with our product? Can you sell it to me?
- Can you handle rejection and how?
- What’s your experience with supervising others?
- What steps do you take to ensure your customers remain satisfied?
- How familiar are you with Salesforce or other CRM software?
Behavioral questions
- Tell me about the most difficult sale you’ve ever had to make
- Explain how you managed to meet your quotas in the past
- Recall a time you lost a client or a prospect. What went wrong and what did you learn?
- Tell me about a time you handled a customer complaint
- Describe a time you managed to motivate an underperforming subordinate
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