Sales Interview Questions & Answers

My phone interview consisted mainly of the caller describing the different groups within the company and their respective areas. I was asked why I thought I would be good for the job, whether I liked targets, and why sales. She then invited me to the assessment day and emailed over the details.

Why Sales?

Listen to other people and take on board all of the teaching they provide.
Be good at public speaking.

On the Assessment day we were split into two groups and had to complete an assortment of activities. A lesson about the use of open questions. A dragons den style interview in which we worked in pairs to pitch a product, they gave us a small metal object and we had 20 minutes to work out what it was and how we were going to sell it. We had to role-play a board meeting in which each of us were given a character and their goals, in the end we were questioned on the other peoples goals and personalities. We also had to do a one-on-one role-play in which we had to incorporate all that we had learned into a sales call to the interviewer. There were also question and answer sessions with the interviewers as a group.

I received the opportunity to attend this interview through an agency. After registering with the agency and having a mock interview with them, they put my forward for this position.

The day of the interview, I was asked to attend the agency beforehand to practise. I then headed to the interview, which as a group assessment day.

Having to stand up and pitch about something that I knew absolutely nothing about was a really difficult thing to do.

Make sure that you are prepared for all possibilities, they could ask you anything.

At my assesment day, there were six other candidates and eight interviewers. We were first asked to get to know our partner and then stand up and introduce them to the room. The questions we had to ask them were things like; "what are your ambitions?" and "who's your greatest influence???? After this, we were each asked to stand up and present a product that we were required to bring to the interview and explain how it represented us now and in the future. I chose batteries (lots of energy, useful, rechargeable etc.), but other candidates chose all sorts of strange items.

The next part of the group interview was a task, which included the candidates acting as if they were on a hot air balloon that was going down, and it could only stay afloat if all but one of the people jumped to their death. Each candidate was given a piece of paper with a celebrity's name on it. I was Jennifer Anniston. I thought this was great as I knew a little bit about her, but then I realised that other candidates were celebrities such as Obama, David Cameron, Usain Bolt and Beyonce. We each had to stand up and pitch why we should be allowed to live, and then the whole group had to debate and come to a joint decision. After a vote, the Obama candidate won. At this stage, myself and another candidate were taken into another room where we were told that our applications had been unsuccessful.

The interview is beneficial to competitive and confident individuals but for many the atmosphere was stressful and at times, aggressive. It does not allow for people to shine but wants to bring their competitive nature out. It begins with group assessment where you describe your greatest non-academic achievement followed by the Nasa walking across the moon test ending with a timed 30 second pitch as to why Turnstone should hire your partner. The one on one interview is short, 3 minute presentation (not always required) and interrogative questions as to why you want to be in sales / start a career in sales.

You have 10 minutes to create a pitch as to why we should hire your partner

Make sure you are confident. It is what Turnstone are looking for and their interview is set out in such a way that they can see who is resilient, outspoken and their future employee. It is tough but the process clearly shows who suits a career in sales and centres on whether you actually want a career in sales.

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The telephone interview was pretty straight forward a few of the usual competency based questions. They're also determining your telephone manner as a large proportion of the job is over the phone. In person interview and panel interviews are basically a review of your cv and then a role play assignment is carried out.

"tell me about a time you showed initiative?" "Tell me what happened and how you dealt with it"

Prepare yourself well and ensure that your personality is suited to a sales job. If not, the job will not be easy. Be very money driven and goal orientated. During the role play be calm and let the other person speak. Agree with their objections and then show why they aren't relevant to your product.

Role play on the telephone selling a subscription to the online procurement platform

My initial interview was conducted over Skype, I was given a lot of information about the company during the interview, so I could decide whether the job was definitely for me or not.
The interview process was thorough with many stages, however they were conducted in a relaxed, but professional manner.

"What are your weaknesses?"
Quite difficult in an interview situation to spot and admit to your own weaknesses, so definitely see how they could convert into a positive.

Research the company before your interview. Be prepared to learn more about tailoring, and the technical aspects of this, but also to have a customer facing background would be advisory, as great customer service is something that the company holds high.

The assessment day consisted of different role play activities, a presentation, a trial run and an interview, with lunch provided.
The day ran smoothly, constantly giving insight into the day to day life that would be expected working for the company. After every task there was an opportunity to ask any questions and to gain feedback on your performance.
Prior to the assessment centre, we received each an information pack, with details of a presentation to prepare, on image, information about the company values, and what would be expected of you within the role advertised.

The interview process was smooth and organised, I was kept up to date with the progress of my application and told what each step would involve. I was asked about my previous sales and tailoring experience and how it would benefit me in the role. At the end of my interview, I was given the opportunity to ask any questions about the role that I may have.

Knowledge of the brand- as this took a lot of research

Research the company, knowledge on the brand is key and can aid both your presentation and sales techniques.
Research on tailoring techniques and current trends is also key, to ensure you can give great customer service and advise accordingly.

The assessment day consisted of tasks, groups actives and Q and A. I found it incredibly beneficial as it gave me a better understanding of what the job would entail. We were asked to prepare a presentation on 'The importance on Image' , followed by different sales exercises. This was helpful as it gave insight into different peoples views on image, and how the company would fit in to this. The team were approachable and friendly, giving advice as we went through the day.

The role I was applying for was in the online division. My initial phone interview took a brief 10 minutes and was with their head of HR. It was a simple straight forward interview where we simply quickly ran through my CV looking mainly at my previous work experience. Then I was invited down for an interview at their head office which was to take place with herself and the head of the sales department. The actual interview lasted around 30 minutes and started of with me being asked to quickly run through my CV, after this we went through some questions that had already been set out. These were questions such as what I knew about the company, what is it that appeals to me about the company, name a time when I have given excellent customer service and what does excellent customer service mean to me. After the questions they then went through the role, what it entailed and asked if I had any questions.

Describe to me a time you have given great customer service and why was it great?

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. Customer service seemed to come up a lot in the questions, so make sure you have a good understanding of what makes good customer service and try to think of a time you have given good customer service.

There was no assessment centre