Walking into a sales interview without preparation or armed with generic questions can leave you blending into the background. If you really want to stand out and get the insights you need to make an informed decision, you’ll need to ask the right questions. Well-crafted, thoughtful questions not only demonstrate your keen interest in the role but also show you’re thinking strategically about how you’ll succeed in the position. Here’s a guide to the supercharged questions that will set you apart in your next sales interview.
Experience, Skills, and Job Function
Start by understanding the core expectations of the role and what success looks like from the hiring team’s perspective. Use these questions to dig deep into the requirements and the company’s definition of success:
- Why this role? Why now?
Understanding the timing and reason for the opening can give you insights into the company’s current priorities or challenges. - What does success look like?
This is crucial for aligning your own goals with the company’s expectations from day one. - What is the ideal candidate profile?
Get clarity on whether your skills and experience match their expectations—or if there are gaps you need to address. - What does success look like to the CRO, CMO, CFO, CEO, and the team you manage?
Every executive has different priorities. Understanding their perspectives will help you tailor your approach and communication. - If this role can achieve one single thing in the first quarter/year, what should it be?
This question shows you’re goal-oriented and eager to make an impact right away. - What are the most urgent tasks to be completed in the first 30 days?
This helps you get a feel for immediate priorities and allows you to mentally prepare for the role. - What is the single thing that this role should do differently than its predecessor?
Asking this will give you insight into what didn’t work in the past and where the opportunity lies for you to stand out. - Tell the story of the most significant new business deal you were involved in this year?
You’ll learn about the sales team’s success, and also get a feel for the company’s sales process and what it values in a deal. - What is your USP? What are you doing to differentiate yourselves in your target market?
Understanding the company’s unique selling proposition and competitive differentiation will help you hit the ground running. - Does pipeline already exist for this role? Can you share this with me and how qualified is it?
You’ll want to know if you’re starting with a warm pipeline or if you’ll need to build it from scratch. - What is the target and commission scheme?
Targets and commission are crucial in sales, and asking this early on will help you decide if the opportunity aligns with your financial goals. - How are leads generated and converted, and how are sales initiated?
This shows your interest in the company’s sales process and lets you understand how much of your role will be hunting versus nurturing.
About the Company
Dig deeper into the company culture and values to ensure it’s a place where you’ll thrive. Sales success often depends on having the right environment, support, and shared vision:
- Can you describe the company culture and the values that are most important to the organisation?
It’s essential to know whether the company culture aligns with your values and work style. - Which of the company values resonates most with you?
This is a great way to build rapport with the interviewer while getting an honest perspective on the company’s culture. - What are the company’s objectives?
Knowing the broader objectives will help you align your efforts with the company’s vision. - Why did you join this company?
This can offer a personal perspective on the company’s appeal and the opportunities it provides. - Why do people love working for you? Why do they find it challenging?
This question provides a balanced view of the positives and potential challenges in the role or team dynamics. - What information do you give to candidates to show them the value of this opportunity?
You’ll get an insight into how they “sell” the company to potential hires and customers, and whether it’s convincing. - Could I speak to one of your reference customers about their engagement with the company and their experience of the products?
This shows you’re serious about understanding the product’s impact from the client’s perspective, and it demonstrates thoroughness in your due diligence.
Qualifying the Opportunity
Now, it’s time to gauge how realistic the opportunity is for you, and how likely you are to succeed if hired:
- Can I speak to two members of the team, preferably your highest achievers, to see if your description of the role, company, and ability to achieve success is true or bluff? And if I can’t, I’ll hunt them down on LinkedIn and ask them anyway!
This injects a bit of humour while showing that you’re serious about gathering real feedback from those in the trenches. - What are the chances an internal candidate gets the job?
Internal candidates are often front-runners for roles. This question gives you clarity on whether you’re really being considered. - What do you think is the biggest challenge (for me) in the role?
This will give you a heads-up on where you may face difficulties and allow you to proactively address them. - Where do you see I am a good fit for the role?
This helps you understand where your strengths align with their needs, giving you a chance to emphasise those areas. - During the course of this interview process, what have you heard or seen from me that would prevent you from putting me through to the next stage/hiring me?
A direct but insightful question that gives you a chance to address concerns before they become disqualifiers. - How do I compare to other candidates in the process, and in what areas are they better suited?
This is a bold question that shows confidence and a willingness to learn from feedback. - Who’s the biggest stakeholder for this role that I haven’t met yet? Or outside the interview process?
Stakeholder buy-in is crucial for success in any sales role. Knowing who you still need to win over helps you tailor your approach.
Final Thoughts
Asking intelligent, well-structured questions in a sales interview not only sets you apart but also ensures you walk away with a thorough understanding of the role, team, and company. In a sales career, success often hinges on asking the right questions at the right time, and the interview is the first test of that skill.
