Sales Interview Questions & Answers

During a telephone interview with a recruitment company for this role, I was asked questions on why I wanted to work for them, when I have sold before, when I have used initiative and when I would be free for an assessment centre. The assessment centre happened to be the week after my phone interview so it was a fast turn around.

Upon turning up to the interview (hard location to find, taxi driver didn't know it so make sure you know it), I walked into a boardroom style room, with a table full of other candidates. When myself and two others turned up, this table was full so I had to sit behind them and this made me less viable. We were all given simple English and maths tests, nothing to worry about. Then there were three talks from people within the company who gave us details on the company itself, the role, and how we could progress within the company. The day was assessed on how much we asked them, how we responded and how well we did on a one minute (pre-prepared) presentation of ourselves. There were no one-to-one questions, so if you didn't feel you knew the answer, you were fine. Also, I took a copy of my CV and application and this was not needed.
All candidates were in smart attire but the people already working there were casually dressed. Although I turned down the next stage (a one to one interview, and then another telephone interview), I am pleased that I went and it helped me learn a lot about assessment centres and how they are run.
It lasted two and a half hours, instead of the five hours I was told.

To do a one minute, no note presentation on myself, the company and the role using four of eight key words.

Learn about the company - the CEO, the people in charge of each sector. The main drive for people who were there was for money, they liked people who were money focused. You do not need any prior IT knowledge.

All given English and maths questions, these were easy and no preparation was needed. We were given time at the start and in-between each talk from a member of the team to do these.

I went to a 3-hour Assessment day whereby the group of around 15-20 were split into 4 groups. Prior to the assessment day we were given the task of producing, individually, a 3 minute presentation (no powerpoint, just speaking) about why we would like a career in business to business sales and why we would be suitable for the role. This was presented to 2 members of the metamorphose team, after this they asked a few questions about my degree and work experience, what my key strengths and weaknesses were, what's my biggest success and what my greatest challenge has been so far.
After this, each group was given an object which they had to present in front of all the other groups and the metamorphose team in a QVC style. Following this, each group was given a list of 10 characteristics of which we had to pick our top five and rank the five in order of how important it was for a sales person to possess these characteristics. We then had to debate our choices with the other teams. Finally, we had to come up with an idea and pitch it to our target market, which was one of the interviewers in front of the other interviewers and teams. At the end of the 3 hours we were told if we had passed the assessment day.

What has been your biggest success and/or challenge to date?

Be assertive and ensure you make yourself known in the group tasks, but don't be over-dominating - make sure you're still polite and don't interrupt when other people are talking. Otherwise, be outgoing, confident and friendly.

Sell a product in a QVC style presentation, develop an idea and pitch/ sell it to our target market, debate the ideal characteristics for a sales person to have.

My initial telephone interview was with Jim Selley recruitment manager and lasted about 30 minutes. It was competence based questions where you were asked general questions like why have you applied for the job, where have you were before. What targets have you have to achieve, how successful you were. Examples of where you have worked hard etc. I was then invited to do a maths and English test online. This I found fine, you may want to have google open as there were some word association tests and some unusual words used. I then took part in a sales role play over the telephone where I was asked to play the part of a travel agent selling a trip to mexico, I had to identify which holiday was most applicable and sell it to the caller. I passed this stage and then had another online quiz which was more of a personality test this is very straight forward.
The face to face interview was took by Jim Selley and Geoff Spours contact centre manager. I would definitely recommend you wear shirt and tie as everyone is well dressed as you would expect. I would say theres a greater men to women ratio. The people all seemed nice and friendly.

I don't think any questions were difficult it was more a chance to get to know each other. They asked me about my history and my CV. I asked if they were looking for me to identify anything particular and he said no. I should have asked what is it your specifically looking for me to demonstrate as I felt Jim got a bit closed off when I asked this and he was like no just a general idea of your history. This left me in the dark about what they wanted me to show and I felt I waffled on a bit. I can sell Im a top seller in my current role but nerves got the better of me and all of my facts and figures went out of my head. I was asked about specific results and I actually under sold myself. I think the warmth of the office had a big impact as it was making me feel sick. I know if I was given the opportunity I would have earned £45,000 in year one as Im hard working, conscientious and thorough. Ive a sound understanding of mortgages having worked for Abbey in the past and Im very determined. Its a shame that they couldn't see this due to my nerves. I felt slightly uncomfortable selling myself as its a long time since I had a interview.

Find out about company knowledge and sell yourself at interview. Have some questions ready for the end about the business. I had these ready but time was running out so I didn't ask them. There was a maths and English test online and sales role play. All very straight forward, when selling the holiday make sure you offer the travel insurance and extra leg room and asked if they wish to book. Have a pen, paper and calculator ready for the online tests

there's no assessment day,.

The application process began with an array of competency questions which judged what I would do in given situations. The next step was an online testing platform which included numerical, pyschometric and verbal reasoning tests. The following stage was a telephone interview, this involved the interviewer getting an idea of my motivations as well as an understanding of what knowledge i had gained on the company. Other factors were tested including competency questions including what best motivates myself and give a situation where leadership and other qualities were expressed.
The next and final stage was a two day assessment centre. The first day was an opportunity to meet the other candidates and was not assessed. We were greeted by our recruitment manager who took us through a presentation on the company successes and what would be featured in the roles that we had applied for.

Get to know the organisation, how they operate, where and how. Search the internet for environmental influences and threats in their market as this was one area that i was recommended to look up after my telephone interview.

Be positive, confident and address each person you are presenting to and keep your presentation to the point and factual.

Try to contain your nerves, it helped to be relaxed in almost all of the exercises and I found taking an mp3 player while preparing for each exercise to be useful which was advised prior to the assessment day by the organisation.

try and think up as many potential questions as possible and think of answers, so you are prepared as much as you can be.

The assessment centre was an extremely pressurised experience. It involved 4 exercises including a face to face interview, a presentation which i had 45 minutes to absorb a large amount of information and then present for 20 minutes relating to it, I had a role play where I was required to adopt the role of a member of staff at the organisation convincing another colleague who was difficult to influence to adopt new practices and then a group exercise at the end of the day.

It was an intense experience where i had to draw on many capabilities that i have gained and put into practise while at university and I was particularly tested on my communication ability.

Initial interview was with a external agency that lasted around 1 hour.We had an initial chat about my CV then moved on the Competencies question. Finally I was asked to present a presentation on a product the company sells and manufactures.

Please describe your favorite brand and lay out the reasons for this

Research the companies culture!!

We performed 2 1 hour group task based on negotiations. One that had a marketing context and with a sales context. Then we performed an individual presentation based on a case study on a RB product.Finally we had an interview with employees of RB, that was similar to the first one with the agency.

My initial phone interview was with the manager of the summits division (the division in which i would be working)which lasted around 15 minutes. We ran through my CV and I was asked generic questions like what I knew about the company, why I want to pursue a career in sales, why I would be successful in such a role etc. I was successful at this stage and was invited back for a one to one interview at their head office in London with the same person. Again the interview took the same format asking similar questions, however at one stage we did a bit of role play where i was asked to sell him a holiday package. A few days later i recieved a phone call inviting me back for a second interview which was to be held with the CEO of the company. I was told to prepare a sales pitch and sent some information over to help with this. This was the final stage of the process and was simply doing a pitch with the CEO with a few simple questions similar to that asked in the first interview.

When asked on the spot to do role play of how i would go about selling him a holiday package

Be well prepared and you should be fine. Make sure you know the company, what they do, their competitors and why it is you want to have a career in sales. Also make sure you have a clear understanding of what motivates you and what you career aspirations are.

Prepare a sales pitch as if i was selling the product to one of their clients

The application process began with an array of competency questions which judged what I would do in given situations. The next step was an online testing platform which included numerical, pyschometric and verbal reasoning tests. The following stage was a telephone interview, this involved the interviewer getting an idea of my motivations as well as an understanding of what knowledge i had gained on the company. Other factors were tested including competency questions including what best motivates myself and give a situation where leadership and other qualities were expressed.
The next and final stage was a two day assessment centre. The first day was an opportunity to meet the other candidates and was not assessed. We were greeted by our recruitment manager who took us through a presentation on the company successes and what would be featured in the roles that we had applied for.

The most difficult element of the interview process had to be the numerical reasoning test. Mathematical problems is an area where I lack confidence and technical ability as I possess interests and more inherited capabilities in other areas such as leadership and drive.

Get to know the organisation, how they operate, where and how. Search the internet for environmental influences and threats in their market as this was one area that i was recommended to look up after my telephone interview.

Be positive, confident and address each person you are presenting to and keep your presentation to the point and factual.

Try to contain your nerves, it helped to be relaxed in almost all of the exercises and I found taking an mp3 player while preparing for each exercise to be useful which was advised prior to the assessment day by the organisation.

The assessment centre was an extremely pressurised experience. It involved 4 exercises including a face to face interview, a presentation which i had 45 minutes to absorb a large amount of information and then present for 20 minutes relating to it, I had a role play where I was required to adopt the role of a member of staff at the organisation convincing another colleague who was difficult to influence to adopt new practices and then a group exercise at the end of the day.

It was an intense experience where i had to draw on many capabilities that i have gained and put into practise while at university and I was particularly tested on my communication ability.

The initial phone interview was more of a chat, really pleasant, and all went well, i was then invited to attend an assessment day.

I think I may have attended a 'bad seed' as far as Celsius recruitment days go. I arrived to the group interview to find approx 45 potential candidates sat in this one room, around the walls rather than in rows, all attending the same assessment. Recruiters from Virgin, as well as two other companies were sat more central in the room, at a desk, not speaking just marking down what they thought, almost like judges in a panel show! Very odd.

The first stage was to fill out paperwork, which was simple enough. We then were spoken to by a senior member of the Celsius team. He just told us all what Celsius was all about, he seemed pleasant enough.

The next task was a Q&A, he asked us why people get into sales, why the I.T sector, and why we think they hire graduates. Again this was pleasant enough, all be it for the fact that with 45(~) people to answer it was spread very thin.

We then were asked to stand up and give a one minute presentation about who we were etc.

We then were split into 5 groups, and asked to format a sales strategy for a company provided, being red letter days, asked to pick a manager and two assistant managers in the group, then pitched it to the bossman again.

After this we were asked to complete more paperwork while they went out of the room to speak, once back they called out a series of names, asked them to leave the room and ask no questions, then the ones left over were told they hadn't made the cut. I was unsuccessful at this stage, however I believe that the next stage would have been one on one interviews with Celsius staff and the outside recruiters. All in all I think they were good, just their day was overbooked, and would have worked better with fewer people.

None were difficult, the only hard part was getting an answer in edgewise in a group so large

Be prepared to go in and be 'larger than life', do not hesitate or let manners stand in your way, if you want to say something make sure you say it otherwise you may find it hard to make an impression!

As above, construct a sales strategy, and give a one minute presentation about ourselves.

I applied for the job online by submitting my CV and after 2 weeks I received a call back from them where they interviewed my over the phone. After going through my CV, they invited me for an Interview at their Finsbury Place office in London. There were more than 15 other potential candidates on the day which built up pressure.

If you found out your company was doing something against the law, like fraud, what would you do?

I didn't like the role in particular as it needed too much relocation and the pay wasn't that good (base salary).
However if you do decide to go for the interview please ensure you do your research and ask as many questions as you can in the presentation and remember at any point of the day you are being analysed as a potential candidate and the more proactive you are the more chances of you getting the job.

On the interview day, to begin with we had a presentation to tell us about the company(at the same time asking us questions about the revenue, profit last year) to engage and pin point the potential candidates. You have to make sure you do your research as the selection process starts from that very first presentation. After this, I was sent to a meeting room where I had 3 people come to me and give me their brief and then asked me questions about myself, sales strategy etc. Two of them were rather calm and the other one was a little tough and giving me hard time.

The process had 3 steps.

Firstly, a telephone interview with a recruitment company lasting 30 minutes (presumably Thomson-Reuters outsource recruitment to this company for that initial stage). This was competency based as expected, with the interviewer asking a variety of questions based around my experiences and specifically asking for examples where I could explain instances of fulfilling the competencies required by the role. In addition, the interviewer asked some motivational based questions around why I had applied to TR, and why I had applied to sales specifically. The interview was fast paced but simple enough. It ended with logistical questions based on the role.

Having successfully passed this stage I was invited to a face-to-face interview at the canary wharf office in London. This interview was undertaken by a HR manager and a Sales representative from TR, who took turns to ask motivational and competency based questions. There were also a number of situational type questions around what I would do personally in a difficult sales type scenario etc. I was then asked to perform a 5 minute, on the cuff sales pitch for any item or service I wished (I was given 10 minutes to prepare in private). That was a difficult task, and felt pressured. The face to face interview took around an hour in total, was good natured and other than the sales pitch exercise, not particularly pressured or difficult.

The final stage was a full day assessment centre, detailed in the question below...

I was

The most difficult questions were undoubtedly the situational job-related questions which I was essentially unable to prepare for, because they were presumably designed to test my decision making abilities on the cuff. These included questions like...

"A senior manager (in a different service line) has asked you to prepare a report immediately but you have a particularly full workload, how do you react?" (or along those lines).

Remain calm. Preparation is absolutely essential, including researching the company, role, industry, competition, and latest news relating to the industry - and will give you the confidence to answer in the correct manner. Attempt to establish an early rapport with the interviewer by answering confidently with eye contact and clear, calm speech.

Remain professional throughout and try your very best to show some passion about the job role/industry (In my feedback this was apparently lacking).

The assessment centre was the most difficult of 3 that I have now experienced. A high level of industry and company knowledge was expected and tested at various points. There were 3 tasks.

1. Another face to face interview. This time based around my CV application to TR and why I believed I was suited to the specific sales role I had applied for. This was more formal than previous interviews, and particularly testing. It was fantastic experience. Not quite Apprentice-esque it was nevertheless difficult.

2. A group exercise in which 5 candidates had to together solve a complex logistical question in half an hour and present our solution back to 4 ever-present assessors. The problem was inherently unsolvable (at least I believe it was!) and clearly the aim of the exercise was to test team working skills as well as leadership and presumably some element of problem solving individually.

3. A presentation exercise (on my own) in which I was given a pack of materials and half an hour to prepare a presentation (given to two assessors), without the use of notes. The presentation was on a made up business solution TR had implemented at a made up client.