Sales Interview Questions and Answers

Sales and marketing can be two tough industries if you aren’t prepared for the work. Sales, especially in a results-oriented position, requires you to not only control a conversation, but make the buyers feel like they are the ones in charge. Marketing is similar in this way because you need to make a product or service appeal to your target demographic, but make the consumer feel as if they are making the right choice in purchasing your product.

Sales and marketing are also competitive industries, often times with set goals and competitions in-office for the best results. Employers will be looking to see if you can make the cut and be successful under pressure. For that reason, many prospective salespeople are left out during the interview process. Don’t be unprepared–here are some common sales interview questions and answers that you may also come across in marketing interviews.

Are you comfortable cold-calling?

You’re really lucky if you’ve worked in sales and never had to cold-call anyone. Typically this is the first step for entry level sales-people, as strong sales leads are given to those who have proven they can already close a deal. If you are new to the sales world, the answer to this question should always be “yes.” An employer is looking to see if you are confident with your abilities to adapt to a new consumer, and a potential buyer you have no previous knowledge on.

What are some examples of your sales/marketing experience?

If you’re a decorated salesperson or marketing specialist this answer is a no-brainer. However, if you’ve never had a job in sales or marketing, you might have to get a little creative. Try to think back to past jobs, whether it be in retail, the food industry, a customer service job, or anything that can relate to either industry. If you’ve been a server or retail worker, up-selling, or enticing customers to order additional products is an example of past sales experience in a non-corporate environment. Having good rapport with customers means that you can carry that over to potential buyers. Have you ever had to set up a display or design promotional flyers and brochures? Make sure to highlight your success with concrete results like an increase in revenue or customers.

What’s the worst thing about sales/marketing?

Whenever an interviewer frames a question to have a negative answer, you should always try to minimize the negative and turn it into a positive. You don’t want to point to any intrinsic flaws in your personality. Saying you’re bad with people and have a hard time gaining their trust just makes the prospective employer feel like you’re not suitable for the position. Instead frame the negative as a positive saying something like “I care so much about completing a project/closing a deal that I often go above and beyond and work too many hours.” This shows them that you’re motivated and excited for the employment prospect.

How do you deal with rejection?

There will always be rejection in these industries. Whether it’s not being able to close a sale, or having a marketing strategy be rejected by a director, you have to be able to manage your emotions well and stay on track. What the employer is looking for is that you’ve learned from your mistakes and you are prepared to implement new strategies in the next project to avoid the same pitfalls. They also want to know that you are prepared to handle rejection expediently so you can quickly move onto the next project without ruminating on failure.

There are many other potential questions that employers may ask when you interview for a marketing or sales job. Make sure that you answer the questions with a sales mentality in mind. Employers aren’t looking for the exact answers, but how you interact with a person, how likable you are, and how you respond to adversity.