Common sales interview questions

For sales executives, account managers, business development and retail sales roles. The questions you are likely to get, what the interviewer is listening for, and how to shape your answer.

  • 12 common questions
  • What they want to hear
  • What to avoid
See the questions Questions to ask them

What a sales interview is like

Sales interviews test two things at once: your track record and how you sell in the room. Expect questions about your targets and results, how you build a pipeline and handle rejection, and often a role-play, such as selling an everyday object to the interviewer or handling a difficult call. For business-to-business roles there may be a second stage where you present a plan for your first few months or pitch to a panel.

Prepare your numbers before anything else: your targets, how you did against them and over what period. Then pick three or four stories that show you finding new business, saving a deal you nearly lost and keeping a customer. Research the company’s products, customers and competitors, so you can talk about what they actually sell.

The answers below are structures with made-up detail, to show the shape of a good answer. Use your own real examples and your own words.

Sales interview questions and answers

Questions marked STAR want a real example: the situation, your task, the action you took and the result. For the others, follow the steps. Keep each answer to about two minutes.

  1. Opening

    Talk me through your sales experience so far.

    What they want to hear

    A quick, confident summary: what you sold, to whom, how you sold it and your best result. They are also judging how you come across, because that is how you would sound to a customer.

    Avoid

    A full career history, or figures you can’t back up. Keep it to about two minutes and let them ask for more.

    How to answer

    Start with
    What you sell now and who buys it: "I sell office software to small businesses, mostly by phone and video call."
    Then
    Your strongest result against target, with the period, and how you got it.
    Finish with
    Why this role is the right next step, linked to their product or market.

  2. Role-play

    Sell me this pen.

    What they want to hear

    Whether you ask questions before you pitch. Good salespeople find out what the buyer needs, link the product to it, handle an objection and then ask for the sale.

    Avoid

    Launching straight into features, or forgetting to close. Interviewers often stay silent or raise an objection on purpose: keep calm and keep asking questions.

    How to answer

    First
    Ask questions: "When did you last use a pen? What for? What annoyed you about it?"
    Then
    Sell the benefit that matches their answer, not every feature: "You said you sign contracts on the move, so this one won’t smudge or leak in your bag."
    Finish with
    Ask for the sale: "Shall I put you down for a box of ten?"

  3. Results

    How did you perform against your targets last year?

    What they want to hear

    Honest numbers with context: your target, what you achieved, the period and where you ranked in the team. They may check with a reference, so accuracy matters more than size.

    Avoid

    Rounding up, vague claims such as "I always smash my targets", or blaming the territory or the product for a miss.

    How to answer

    Give the figures
    Your target and your result for the year or quarter, in the measure your team used, such as revenue, margin, units or new accounts.
    Explain how
    One or two things you did that made the difference, such as more discovery calls or faster follow-up.
    Be honest about a miss
    If you missed a quarter, say why and what you changed afterwards.

  4. ExperienceSTAR

    Tell me about a deal you won that you were close to losing.

    What they want to hear

    Persistence with judgement: how you spotted the risk, what you did about it and that you understood the customer’s real concern.

    Avoid

    A story where you simply cut the price, or where the win was down to luck rather than anything you did.

    An example answer, with STAR

    Situation
    A customer was about to sign with a cheaper competitor two weeks before the end of the quarter.
    Task
    You needed to keep the deal without giving away the margin.
    Action
    You asked what was really driving the decision, found it was the set-up time, and arranged a quicker installation and a call with an existing customer.
    Result
    They signed at the original price, and renewed the following year.

  5. Process

    How do you build and manage your pipeline?

    What they want to hear

    A clear, repeatable method: where your leads come from, how you qualify them, how you keep the CRM up to date and how you decide where to spend your time.

    Avoid

    Saying you "just pick up the phone", or not knowing the CRM you have listed on your CV.

    How to answer

    Start with
    Your sources: inbound leads, cold calls, LinkedIn, referrals or existing accounts.
    Then
    How you qualify a lead, for example budget, authority, need and timing, and how you move deals through the stages in Salesforce or HubSpot.
    Finish with
    Your weekly routine: the time you block out for prospecting and how you review the pipeline with your manager.

  6. Objections

    A customer says, "It’s too expensive." What do you say?

    What they want to hear

    That you treat an objection as a question, find out what sits behind it and answer with value rather than a discount.

    Avoid

    Offering money off straight away, or arguing with the customer.

    How to answer

    First
    Acknowledge it and ask: "Too expensive compared with what?"
    Then
    Bring it back to what they told you matters: time saved, fewer problems, or the cost of doing nothing.
    Finish with
    Check you have answered it, then move to the next step. A discount, if there is one, comes last, not first.

  7. ResilienceSTAR

    Tell me about a run of rejection. How did you keep going?

    What they want to hear

    Resilience you can show, not just claim: how you stayed motivated, what you learned from the noes and what you changed.

    Avoid

    Pretending rejection never bothers you, or a story where things only improved because the market changed.

    An example answer, with STAR

    Situation
    A slow month of cold calling into a new sector, with very few meetings booked.
    Task
    You still needed to fill your pipeline for the next quarter.
    Action
    You listened back to your calls, rewrote your opening around the customer’s problem, and asked a top performer to sit with you for an afternoon.
    Result
    Meetings picked up the following month, and you shared the new opening with the team.

  8. Preparation

    How do you research a prospect before a first call or meeting?

    What they want to hear

    That you do your homework: you know the business, the person and a likely reason they would buy before you speak to them.

    Avoid

    Saying you prefer to "wing it", or relying only on a script.

    How to answer

    Start with
    The company: what it does, recent news, its website and its accounts or annual report if there are any.
    Then
    The person: their role and what they care about, from LinkedIn or a mutual contact.
    Finish with
    One or two questions you plan to ask, and a reason for the call that is about them, not you.

  9. Account managementSTAR

    Tell me about a customer relationship you grew over time.

    What they want to hear

    That you can keep and grow customers, not only win them. Account management roles in particular want to hear about renewals, upselling done well and trust.

    Avoid

    Taking credit for a team win without saying what your part was, or describing an upsell that didn’t help the customer.

    An example answer, with STAR

    Situation
    A small account that only bought one product line.
    Task
    Your aim was to grow the account without pushing.
    Action
    You held regular review calls, learned about a problem in another department and introduced the right colleague.
    Result
    They added a second service and signed a longer contract at renewal.

  10. Motivation

    Why do you want to sell our product?

    What they want to hear

    That you understand what they sell and who buys it, and that you can see why customers would want it. Belief in the product comes across in a sales role.

    Avoid

    Talking only about commission. It is fine to be motivated by pay, but lead with the product and the customer.

    How to answer

    Start with
    What you know about their product and market, in your own words.
    Then
    Why it suits your experience: the type of buyer, deal size or sales cycle you know.
    Finish with
    A specific reason, such as their customers, their growth or the way they sell.

  11. TeamworkSTAR

    Tell me about a time you worked with another team to put things right for a customer.

    What they want to hear

    That you work well with operations, customer service and marketing, and that you follow through after the sale.

    Avoid

    Blaming another department, or suggesting your job ends once the contract is signed.

    An example answer, with STAR

    Situation
    A new customer’s first delivery went wrong a week after you closed the deal.
    Task
    You needed to keep their trust and stop the order being cancelled.
    Action
    You called them the same day, worked with the operations team on a fix, agreed a new date and kept the customer updated until it arrived.
    Result
    The customer stayed, and later placed a second order.

  12. Planning

    How would you spend your first three months here?

    What they want to hear

    A realistic plan that shows you would learn before you sell: the product, the customers and the CRM first, then building your pipeline.

    Avoid

    Promising big numbers before you know the business, or a plan with no time for learning.

    How to answer

    First month
    Learn the product, shadow colleagues, listen to calls and get to know your territory or accounts.
    Second month
    Build your pipeline: start outreach, book meetings and agree targets with your manager.
    Third month
    Start closing, review what is working and adjust.

Questions to ask them

At the end you will usually be asked if you have any questions. Two or three thoughtful ones show you are serious about the job. Write them down and take them with you.

  • What does a good first year look like in this role, and how is it measured?
  • How are targets set, and how did the team do against them last year?
  • Where do new leads come from: marketing, existing accounts or my own prospecting?
  • What training and support do new starters get in the first few months?

Practise out loud with mock interview questions

Answers sound different said out loud. With a free account, our interview prep tool gives you practice questions for a sales job, from your CV or the job title alone, with a tip for each one. Each practice set uses one free use.

Practise out loud

Sales interviews: your questions

Will I have to do a role-play in a sales interview?

Often, yes. It might be selling an everyday object, handling a price objection or a short mock call. The interviewer wants to see you ask questions, listen and ask for the sale, so a calm, simple approach beats a polished script.

Should I bring proof of my sales figures?

Know your figures by heart: your targets, your results and the periods. Some employers ask for evidence later, such as a reference that confirms them, so only quote numbers you can back up. Never share confidential customer details.

What should I wear to a sales interview?

Dress as you would to meet the company’s customers. For business-to-business sales that usually means smart business clothes. For retail or showroom sales, look at what the staff wear and go one step smarter.

How do I answer sales interview questions with no sales experience?

Use jobs where you persuaded people or worked to a target: retail, hospitality, fundraising or customer service. Show you can handle rejection, learn quickly and listen. The sales CV template page shows how to present the same skills on paper.

Get the application ready

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Ready for the interview?

Pick three or four of these questions, write a few notes for each, and say your answers out loud before the day.

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