Interview Tips for Sales ProfessionalsIt is a company’s sales department that is responsible for bringing new clients and driving revenue for the organization and hence finding right sales professionals is critical for a company’s success. This is why, HR department is very picky when it comes to hiring people for sales related job. One must prepare well and become familiar with the questions asked during a sales job interview to become an effective sales professional.

While there is no hard and fast rule on which questions your interviewer will ask, there are few basic question types you must prepare. The key is to have clear knowledge about facts and weave answers for any question using these facts.

Knowledge about Consumer Demand Trend –

A career in sales demands deep knowledge of the marketplace. You must do your research and keep yourself updated with the latest market trends and consumer behaviors. Read what consumers are buying and why. Research about latest innovations and expected change in consumer behavior. Having knowledge about case studies of some leading organizations is an added bonus. Subscribe to some industry publications and website for keeping yourself abreast with the current information.

Why Sales –

Given the challenges one faces in the sales industry, interviewer often wants to check interviewee’s motivation and ambition to succeed. When asked why you chose sales, use that as an opportunity to showcase your passion for sales and your career accomplishments in sales till now.

Importance of Contact –

Ability to build contacts plays a very important role in driving your success as a sales professional. A proactive sales professional leaves no stone unturned to make quality contacts in multiple departments. People inside the company will keep changing and therefore, it is important to have quality contacts with client and his company and not with people working there.

Selling Techniques –

A sales interview is as much about your techniques to sell as it is about your knowledge of the industry. Often the interviewer ask the interviewee to sell him a random thing just to get an idea about his capabilities. Prepare yourself well for such situations and approach the situation with creativity and wittiness.

In addition to the above points, you must prepare yourself for challenging questions like “What if you have to disagree with customer” or “How would you handle a situation where a customer is negative about your product”. Graceful handling of these questions show your ability to overcome challenges, which is a very important quality of a sales person. And finally, be positive and remember that the interviewer is there to hire you and he needs you as much as you need the job.