Sales Interview Questions and Answers Part 3

14. What are the different channels of sales?

Answer:

The following the common channels of sales:

i. Retail: In retail selling, sales are done through a physical location such as a shop or showroom.

ii. Resellers: Resellers sell your product or service on an e-commerce platform or through their physical channel.

iii. Direct marketing: Here the sellers reach the customer by telephone, mail, door to door or by using digital technology.

iv. Sales outsourcing: Hiring a third party to do sales.

v. Automated Retail: Automated retail is self-service Kiosks.

vi. E-commerce: Here selling is done through websites or app.

vii. Wholesale: Distributors sell to retailers and e-commerce sellers.

viii. Import and export: Distributors in foreign market import their products and local distributors export products.

ix. Agents: Agents are authorized the person who represents you in the transaction and they work on commission.

15. What are the main reasons that lead to the loss of a deal?

Answer:

There are a lot of factors that help a salesperson close the deal. However, there are some common reasons for salespeople to be unable to close the deal:

i. Not identifying the correct audience: Not researching about their target audience and trying to sell to everyone can be a big waste of time.

ii. Engaging in other activities: Losing the focus can be a big reason to lose out on a deal.

iii. Focusing on customer service and post-sales activities: Involving sales people with the post sales and customer service activities can be another reason to lose out on sales.

iv. Not following up on time: This makes the prospect loose interest. Being unorganized can also be a reason behind lack of time to follow up.

v. Lack of personalization: Having a generalized sales pitch for all the customers is less appealing. Find out about them and curate a personalized pitch.

vi. Relying only on price advantage: Price is not always the most important reason behind sales. Focus on other factors like features, service, competition etc.

16. What do you know about our company?

Answer:

The key to answering this question efficiently is Research. You may not know about all the services the company offers but you should take some time and do some serious homework.

This question is an opportunity for you to let the interviewer know what initiative you have taken to know about them. Make sure you read about their founders, the people working there, their core values, their products etc. All this information can be easily found on their website.

  • Check if they are there on any social media platform.
  • Check if they were in news for some exceptional work done by them.
  • Check if they have won an award.

17. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Answer:

When you talk about your strengths make sure they are relevant to the role. You need to make a list of all the strength you possess and the strength required for the job. The common strengths are your strength required for the job.

When you mention your weakness, ensure that you talk about what measures you are taking to overcome your weakness.

You can say something like this: "I am flexible and adaptable. As a Salesperson, I make sure I meet my targets in the given deadline. I am motivated and I always achieve my sales goals.

As far as my weakness is concerned, I tend spend too much time making my sales report as I want it to be perfect. However, I have now started preparing a small report on daily basis for myself which has the details to be put in the final report which makes it less time consuming and helps to keep myself organized"   

18. Tell us about yourself.

Answer:

To answer this question you need to prepare yourself. You can highlight your work history, talk about your skills, your achievements etc.

The interviewer would want to know why you are a good fit for the job.

You can say something like: I am (your name) working for ABC company from the past 3 years as a Sales representative where my main focus is to establish a customer relationship with the aim to sell the company's product and services. I am self- motivated. I am always on my sales target but last year I was able to exceed my target by 12%.

I have good client management and negotiation skills which help me perform better. I like to interact with different people. I love to visit and explore new places every year. I have excellent communication skills.

I believe you are looking for a sales representative for your new product. With the types of skills and experience I possess, I find myself to be a good fit for this position.

19. Why is Sales your career choice?

Answer:

Sales as a career involves finding right prospects to sell goods or services. In sales you sell huge range of diverse products. The interviewer would like to understand what you find rewarding in a sales career.

To answer this question you can say something like: I am a kind of person who likes to build and foster relationships with customers.

Being in sales, I get the opportunity to help and guide people to make a right decision about a product or service. It gives me a chance to understand their problems and provide the best possible solution.

20. Why are you looking for a change?

Answer:

Make sure you don't speak poorly about your current employer or your job. It gives a bad impression and also questions your professionalism. While answering this question make sure you are reasonable and stable.

You can say something like: "I am looking to grow professionally. I believe this job will help me improve and enhance my skills. I am keen to take more responsibility and face new challenges."