Sales Interview Tips (and Tricks!)
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Original post date: August 14, 2024
Natalie Chapman

Congratulations! Your CV got you through the door, and now it’s time for your sales interview. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned veteran in the job-hunting process or looking for your first sales job; you’ll want to put in some serious prep if you want to succeed. But what should you do? 

This blog will become your little black book of sales interview tips and tricks. It’ll include: 

  • How to Prepare 
  • What to Expect 
  • What to Do After Your Interview 

How to Prepare for Your Next Sales Interview 

There are quite a few things you’ll want to prepare for. 

First, you’ll need to understand the interview process. 

As part of your interview request, you should be given an overview of the steps or interview style. If you haven’t (that’s a red flag), then you should find out: 

  • The style of the interview (Individual, Group, Panel, Telephone, or Video). 
  • Who will be attending the interview. 
  • If you need to prepare anything (like a presentation). 
  • The dress code (Smart Casual, Business Smart). 
  • What the next stages are. 

One important thing to double-check: the dress code. This might sound like a silly thing to mention, but it’s so important to dress appropriately for your sales interview. So, make sure you find this out and get it sorted before your interview. 

Next, you’ll need to research the company. 

Just like you would for a sales meeting, you’ll need to put in a bit of preparation beforehand if you want to ace your interview. There are three key things that you’ll want to do for this: 

1) Assess the Company

And we don’t mean a quick Google search. We mean an x-ray search covering: 

  • What services they offer and the problems they solve 
  • Their goals and values 
  • Key people within the business  

The best tools you can use for this are: 

  • Google 
  • Social Media 
  • Word-of-mouth 

2) Assess the Job Advert

Go back to the job advert and pick out any key details you can link your experience to. You should have tailored your CV to the job anyway, so finding this should be quick. But, have a look at: 

  • The hard and soft skills 
  • The responsibilities you’ll undertake 
  • The benefits they’ll offer 

With this information, you might want to create a sales presentation or another tailored CV- it can be a fantastic thing to leave with the employer! 

3) Write Things Down

Be it on a phone or with a pen make a list of: 

  • The Red and Green flags your research has identified 
  • Notable experiences that you’ve got that you want to highlight 
  • Questions you want to ask, even prompt how you want to introduce yourself. 
  • Common interview questions and how you’d respond 

We’ll explain more of the bottom two points later. But make sure you write down everything and bring your notes to your interview.  

 

Recruiter Tip: Don’t leave your interview preparation to the night before. Start as soon as you get your interview request so that you can get everything sorted – there’s no such thing as being overprepared!

Finally, prepare what to bring to your sales interview! 

The night before your interview, you’ll want to get yourself sorted: 

  • Get your interview attire out and ready. 
  • Have the questions you want to ask on hand. 
  • Bring evidence of your achievements. 
  • If you’re going into the same industry, you might want to bring a contact book (if you’re not under restrictive covenants!). 
  • Get your route sorted! Have a look on Google/Apple Maps and know where you are going. 

What to Expect in a Sales Interview 

After professionally introducing yourself, you’ll more than likely be thrown straight into it. 

Most sales interviews will fall under an Individual (where it’s just you and the interviewer) or a Panel (where it’s you and multiple members of the business) style. 

With both, the interviewers are going to have a one-on-one conversation that’ll cover: 

Recruiter Tip: Don’t leave your interview preparation to the night before. Start as soon as you get your interview request so that you can get everything sorted – there’s no such thing as being overprepared!

Common Sales Interview Questions 

As part of your preparation, you might have uncovered some common sales interview questions. Here are our top 10: 

1. What do you know about our company? 

2. Tell me a bit about yourself. 

3. How do you generate, develop, and close sales opportunities? 

4. Tell me about the hardest sale you’ve had. 

5. Why did you get into sales? 

6. How do you handle rejection? 

7. Why are you looking for a new role? 

8. How would you handle a challenging or demanding client? 

9. How do you figure out if a prospect is a good fit? 

10. Which is more important: Sales Goals or Customer Satisfaction? 

Questions to Ask the Interviewer 

Remember, interviews are a two-way process. The employer is there to sell the company and role to you, just as much as you are there to sell yourself. You should have prepared these before your interview, although more will come up. 

However, here are 5 questions you should ask: 

1. Can you describe the sales method your team follows? 

2. What do you enjoy about your role and working here? 

3. What makes someone successful in this role? 

4. Can you provide me with an example of someone in the same department who was promoted? 

5. What sets your products/services apart from competitors? 

How to Stand Out in a Sales Interview 

You’re a salesperson, so selling yourself should be easy, right? Well, truthfully, we can all get a bit stuck with how to stand out in a sales interview. So, here are some top tips from our expert recruiters: 

  • Use your personality to build a relationship with the interviewer. 
  • Know your numbers. Don’t come with buzzwords that anyone could use; come armed with your numbers! 
  • Back up your soft skills with real-life examples. Show how you’ve demonstrated your negotiation, problem-solving, communication, and product knowledge to win business. 

How you present yourself in a sales interview is another way to stand out. Focus on these three areas: 

1

Your Introduction

Always start with a polite greeting and be professional. If you can, it’s a good opportunity to initially thank the interviewer for the opportunity. For bonus points, you can even throw in some of your research! E.g., “Hello, I’m Jane, and thank you for meeting with me today. I’m excited to learn more about the company, particularly X services, and how I might fit in here.” 

2

Attitude

Don’t let your confidence turn into arrogance. Even the best of the best will work from the moment the interview starts until the end – even if they’re 99% sure they’ve got the job. A sales interview is a fantastic opportunity to show off your Active Listening skills as well – so make sure you use this. 

3

How You Close

Make sure you finish as strong as you started. If you feel like it’s gone well, ask the interviewer if they have any initial reservations that you can address. Also, be proactive and ask what the next steps are! 

What to Do After Your Sales Interview 

Much like in sales, the work doesn’t stop once you’ve left the meeting. Some might argue that it’s just begun. Here’s what you’re going to need to do: 

Follow Up

Send a thank-you email after the interview. Whilst you may need to be a bit patient, you might need to chase for feedback.

Reflect

Think about the positives and negatives that have been brought to light after the interview.

Continue Your Search

If things are taking a while, look at the market. You might need to apply to other jobs if this one goes quiet.

Are you currently in limbo in your current interview process? Well, let us pave the way for your job search! Check out our current sales jobs today! 

Key Takeaways from Our Sales Interview Tips? 

We might have gone a bit further than just some sales interview tips. But that’s how we like to do things – do the right thing and give you all the tools to succeed. 

But the biggest thing we’d want you to take away from this interview guide is: Be Prepared. Going the extra mile during this stage can make a world of difference. Without it, you will be giving others a competitive edge – which you don’t want to do! 

The Experts Behind This Guide 

This has been a collaborative effort between our marketing team and our sales recruitment specialist. Let us introduce our Sales Specialist: 

N. Chapman Divisional Manager Building Materials Recruitment

Natalie Chapman heads up our building materials division and exclusively recruits sales roles across the UK. She’s helped hundreds of salespeople find their next job within this sector, which has so much to give. Three of them – Dan, Amanda, and Emma – shared their experience of joining the sector. Learn about joining the building materials industry on our YouTube Channel.