Sales Phone Interview Questions
Before the actual one on one interview, many companies have introduced the concept of phone interviewing to cut down on the number of applicants. This is called as initial screening interview. An interview is conducted through the phone and candidates are screened to see if they fit the company's requirements.
The first few questions of a phone interview are the standard ones as below.
- Is this the correct time to speak to you?
- Can you quickly brief me about yourself?
- What is your work experience in this field?
- What do you understand about this job? How would you describe the job profile?
- Mention one strong and one weak point about you.
- What were the reasons for quitting the previous company?
- How long can we expect you to work for us?
- How would your clients describe you? / What would your customers say about you?
- What do you know about our company?
- Why do you want to work for our company?
Phone interview will gradually proceed towards specific sales related questions like these mentioned below.
- How would you describe your organizational skill?
Organizational skills mean planning, coordinating, executing and receiving feedback. Explain your organizational skills with the help of an example.
- Give us an example about your supervisory skills.
Speak about an incident that highlights your alertness and attention for details. This will certainly impress the panelist.
- In your opinion, what do you think are the challenges faced by a sale professional?
In general, the main concern of a sale professional is meeting the monthly/ annual sales target. Apart from that, you can also mention some other factors that pose a challenge to the sales professionals.
- What has been your biggest achievement in sales till today?
You might have mentioned this in your resume. However, do not shy away from speaking about your accomplishments. Speak about your proud moments but keep your confidence level in check.
- What has been your biggest failure in sales till today?
Obviously, you have not mentioned this in your resume. However, you will have to give them an example where you were not up to the mark. Do not try to push the blame onto some other person for the mistakes you have made. Be mature to own up your faults and let them know what steps you took to rectify them/ to learn from them.
- In terms of percentage, what was your contribution to the sales growth in your previous company?
Have a rough idea about your contribution to the increment in sales in your previous organization. Interviewers do not expect you to give the exact figure. Hence, an approximate value should be good enough.
- Would you be comfortable relocating to another place? / Would you be comfortable if your job involves extensive traveling to meet clients?
You should prepare to answer for this question in advance. Readiness to relocation or transfer should be decided upon before you face the interviewer. You cannot give a wrong commitment to your potential employer if you cannot honor it.
Thus, these are the phone interviewing questions that can be asked to sales professionals during the interview.
