Great Sales Rep Job Interview Questions
You’re a business owner in the financial industry in the process of expanding your lines quickly. Your product or service is ready to go, and you used a service such as RepHunter to create a pool of qualified independent financial sales reps.
What are the job interview questions you need to build a team of commission-only sales reps that will bring you the most success?
Below we look at some essential job interview questions to ask your candidates when you’re staffing up a sales team, with reps selling financial services or selling any other type of product.
Work – Sales Reps Job Interview Questions
What is your experience with this line?
Make sure they understand and like the product. In today’s business environment, a lot of selling is coaching prospects through the selection process. On top of that, they need to counter competitors’ sales pitch and dispel misinformation. A depth of knowledge around the sales product is important. Likewise, an appreciation of its value is a hard sales tool to duplicate.
In the past, what were your quotas and how did you meet them?
A good sales rep must hit quotas, but to hire a good sales rep for your business, it’s important to drill down a bit more. Was the rep given leads by past companies, or did the rep pound the pavement to find their own? Are your rep’s numbers the product of renewals or new sales? Was the rep skilled at selling the highest priced packages, or selling many of the lowest? How long did it take the rep to close deals? This information is key for finding out who makes the best rep for your financial industry related product. Some reps will fit different businesses better than others.
Culture – Job Interview Questions
What are your hobbies/how do you like to spend your free time?
Make sure your sales reps fit the culture you are trying to create. Some companies like to incentivize sales reps by offering gift cards, vacations, cars, and so on. If your sales rep isn’t incentivized by what you have to offer, you may want to find someone else who will mesh with your company better.
What motivates you in your sales rep career?
A competitive rep has the drive to make sales. You can offer high commission and still end up with folks who don’t have the internal motivation to get things done for your company. In your interview, try to identify what makes this potential rep tick, and if their drive is a good fit for your product and sales cycle. Of course a sales rep will want to be able to get great commissions, but it’s more important to identify who has a talent and passion for selling itself, and not just chasing their own personal bottom line.
Get your interview questions right and you’ll find yourself with a qualified rep or hiring an independent sales rep team.
What questions do you think are important for interviewing sales reps in your industry?