1. The 25 Best
Sales Interview
Questions
To Recruit Superstar Reps

2. Sales hiring can be tricky.

3. Sales representative is the second-
most difficult position to fill in 2015.*
*ManpowerGroup Talent Shortage Survey, 2015

4. Don’t fret...

5. Sales representative is the second-
most difficult position to fill in 2015.
…These 25 interview questions
will help you hire the best of the
bunch.

6. What’s your opinion of the role of
learning in sales?1

7. Look for candidates who are
life-long learners, which is
becoming increasingly
important in sales.

8. How do you keep up-to-date on your
target market?2

9. Candidates should be able to
to find and keep up-to-date
with relevant industry content.

10. 3 Explain something to me.

11. This technically isn’t a
question, but tests if your
candidate is innately helpful.

12. What’s worse: not making quota every
month or not having happy customers?4

13. Depending on company
goals, either could be right.
But beware of reps who value
quota more than customer needs.

14. 5 How would you approach a short sales
cycle differently than a long one?

15. Short cycles require closers.
Longer sales cycles need a
more tailored approach. Reps
should know the difference.

16. When do you stop pursuing a client?6

17. In general, the more persistent
and tenacious reps are, the
better.

18. 7 What kind of customer are you most
comfortable selling to?

19. Make sure their answer is
related to the buying process, not
an arbitrary demographic.

20. What’s your least favorite part of the
sales process?8

21. Make sure their least favorite
step isn’t the most important part
of your process.

22. 9 What motivates you?

23. Think about your company
culture. If you emphasize
teamwork, “competition” may
not be the best answer.

24. What is your ultimate career
aspiration?10

25. If a candidate’s goals can’t be
met at your company, you
might be interviewing again
sooner than you’d like.

26. 11 What are three adjectives a former
client would use to describe you?

27. Listen for synonyms of
“helpful” – sales is becoming
increasingly consultative.

28. Like these questions?

29. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
We’ve got plenty more sales tips
and tricks up our sleeve.

30. For even more great sales
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Sales Blog today.

31. For even more great sales
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32. How do you keep a smile on your face
during a hard day?12

33. Observe how the candidate
handles rejection. Do they
bounce back quickly?

34. 13 Why do you want to be a salesperson?

35. Commission checks -- while part
of the allure of sales -- is not
the ideal answer.

36. Have you ever had a losing streak?
How did you turn it around?14

37. Slumps are part of the job.
What did they learn from their
last losing streak?

38. 15What do you think our company/sales
organization could do better?

39. This question reveals if a
candidate did their research,
and whether they’re creative.

40. In your last role, how much time did you
spend hunting or farming, and why?16

41. Beware of candidates who
can only hunt or farm. Both
skills are vital to selling well.

42. 17 How do you handle customer
objections?

43. “I wing it” isn’t a good
answer. Preparation and process
are crucial to overcoming
prospect objections.

44. Have you asked a prospect why they
didn’t buy? What did you learn?18

45. Salespeople who learn from
both their failures and their
successes are valuable hires.

46. 19 What role does social media play in
your selling process?

47. If the candidate hasn’t used
social media before, make
sure they’re willing to learn.

48. What role does content play in your
selling process?20

49. Like social media, candidates
who don’t already engage
with content should want to
start doing so.

50. 21 How do you research prospects? What
information do you look for before calls?

51. Ensure that candidates use
LinkedIn to find information on
prospects so they can tailor
communication.

52. Have you ever turned a prospect
away? If so, why?22

53. Make sure candidates are
comfortable turning away
prospects that aren’t a good fit.

54. 23 What are some of your favorite
questions to ask prospects?

55. Open-ended questions that help
reps thoroughly understand
prospects’ needs are as good
as gold.

56. What’s your take on collaboration
within a sales team?24

57. Collaboration makes for a
good work environment and
improves knowledge sharing.

58. 25 If you were hired, what would you do
during your first month?

59. Their plan doesn’t have to
blow you away. But if they
have one at all, you have a
self-starter on your hands.

60. Did you find these questions helpful?

61. There’s plenty more where that
came from.

62. For even more great sales
content, subscribe to the HubSpot
Sales Blog today!

63. For even more great sales
content, subscribe to the HubSpot
Sales Blog today!
You’re only a click away! >>

64. Thanks for reading!