How to assess sales candidates in 5 questions?

There is no such thing as a one size fits all interview script.

Whether you believe in a competence based or purely behavioral approach to interviewing sales candidates, these essentials should always be covered.

What do you know about our company and why would it be a fit for you?

A good sales profile comes prepared and shows interest.

They will be your company ambassador, and this could be a representation of how they handle client meetings.

By explaining why they would be a good fit you can see if the role is clear to the candidate and if they are applying for the right reasons.

How did you get into sales?

Does the candidate talk about someone they looked up to?

Did they always know they would end up in sales, followed their gut feeling or just ended up there by accident?

You’ll be able to assess their motivation and if they are in this for the long run or just to give it a try.

Instead of talking about success - can you tell me more about your biggest sales failure and how you handled it?

This is a question most candidates will not expect.

It will show the candidate’s vulnerability or will tell you more about how they cope with an unpleasant question.

Did they attribute this failure to themselves or point the finger at others?

Did they analyze this failure, their shortcomings, the situation?

And most importantly, did they learn from this mistake and are able to avoid this in the future?

What do you do when results are down? How do you motivate yourself and the team?

Resilience is a key trait for sales profiles.

They will get two no’s for every yes and that’s why it’s crucial to assess how they overcome setbacks.

Do they suffer in silence? Drag it out? Or can they be the positive game changer within the team?

Which part of the sales cycle excites you the most?

Oh so simple, yet very effective to tell if you are dealing with a hunting or farming profile.