By Dorcas Karuana,
Here is sample interview question and answers for a sales and marketing Position
1. Tell us about yourself?
I am Jane Wangui, a sales professional with over 5 years working experience. I am knowledgeable in the process of sales and marketing from the idea stage to when the marketing program actually hit the streets to be sold. In addition, I have been a team sales team leader with a proven record of achieving sales target and meeting set deadlines.
I am a graduate of Bachelor of Commerce- Sales and Marketing option from Kenyatta University and a Certified Marketing professional who hold a post graduate Diploma in Sales and Marketing. I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
2. What Do You Know About Our Products/Business?
Based on the research I’ve done, the company is an industry leader. When I visited your web site, I was impressed with the mission and vision and also found some impressive information about the many products that you deal with. In particular,
This
is the company I’ve been looking for; I want to be where things are
developing, changing, and growing; to make a meaningful contribution to
that development and growth.
I would want to be part of an excellent diverse workforce, rendering your diversity a source of strength.
3. Can You Tell Me About a Successful Marketing Campaign You Helped Develop?
Planning a marketing campaign starts with understanding your position in the marketplace and ends with details such as the wording of an advertisement.
As a sales Lead in ABC Company, I was part of the team that came up with a marketing campaign for a new product in the market. First we described your product and its features and benefits in detail, focusing on how it differs from the competition in terms of pricing, service, distribution and placement.
Secondly, we looked at the various market segments to introduce demand for the product; describing the type of target customer in terms of demographics: age, sex, family composition, earnings, geographical location, lifestyle, purchasing patterns, buying objections, and the like. This was to know exactly who will be driving your growth.
Then we came up with a strategy for communicating the message that would produce growth. This involved finding out what the target customers read and listen to, as well as spelling out our promotional objectives. We crafted a message that addresses their needs and differentiates the product or service from the competition.
4. What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?
I would say that my greatest strength is my ability to follow through. In sales, I have found that I am most successful when I pay attention to every piece of the sales cycle, from the first contact, to the thank you at the completion of the sale.
I believe one of my weaknesses is my impatience. Whenever I work in a team and any of the team members do not perform up to my expectation, I tend to get extremely impatient and annoyed. I do understand if they’re working hard and if their sales portion is difficult, but there are occasions when a person can’t do an assignment due to incompetence and laziness. I’m trying to work on this weakness by explaining things to some people in greater detail and encouraging ‘lazier’ individuals by reminding them of deadlines.”
5. What Motivates You?
I am motivated by constant progress of making a sale and having a new customer on my list, as well as ensure that my company’s clients get the best customer service I can provide. I have always felt that it’s important, both to me personally, and for the company and the clients, to provide a positive customer experience.
6. Why do you want to leave your current job?
I’m currently looking for new opportunities because I don’t feel that I am able to continue to grow at my current company. In speaking to other employees at your company and reading the website, I realize that growth and mobility is something that is a big focus and priority at [company you're interviewing at]. That is the type of place I want to spend the next years in my career. I’ve had an amazing experience overall at [past company] but I think now is the right time to move on.
7. Do you prefer working alone or in a team?
I would like to work in an environment where there is a blend of both since both are two side of a coin. Its great working in teams while sharing and learning ideas with each other as well as emergence of creative solutions and sharing of the work load. However, it’s also great to sit at my own desk and work hard productively. Therefore I would like to work independently towards a team goal
8. Do you have a proven record of accomplishment in sales?
Yes I do, in my previous work, I led a team of sales and marketing executives in a promotional campaign that resulted in increased sales of Kshs 10 Million and the company exceeding its annual sales targets by 25%. As a result, I was seconded by national sales manager to support sales teams in other regions and ensure that their quarterly targets were achieved which has increased my territories client base by 30%.
9. How do you find prospective clients?
Email Cold Call- This way, I send my prospect client an email, with a write up of the product and how it can be of benefit to his/her company, and follow up a few days later if I haven’t got any reply by then. I then ask for a one to one meeting where I can discuss the proposal further with the client as I give samples.
Also, I do a lot of networking by attending as many events as I can but always make sure that they are the ones my prospects attend as well. I try to make friends with the prospects; and many of the connections actually result in a business being done.
10. Give an example of when you had to change your approach to a prospect because the initial one failed.
I always maintain performance and my effectiveness in different situations and faced with different people. Include how you are able to adjust your approach to match different demands and challenges.
11. Tell me about a time you worked hard for a sale but didn’t get it in the end, how did you handle the situation?”
I am very resilient and I know the key to continued success in sales is the ability to handle disappointment and rejection.
have maintained enthusiasm and performance after disappointment. I take negativity in my stride and bounce back quickly.
Include examples in your sales interview answer of persistence and determination in finding solutions to obstacles or challenges.
12. What do you regard as the biggest challenge in a sales position?
The greatest challenge I’ve faced in my career to date has to be the key role I played in helping my company survive the recent recession. The company was undoubtedly ill-prepared for the advent and impact of the recession; their financial reserves were just too weak. After a spate of redundancies, those of us who were left faced an uphill struggle to keep sales levels up and costs down while maintaining our standards of customer service.
I learned a great deal from the experience. It was a great challenge. While we certainly did have a tough time of it, we successfully rode out the recession and the cost control measures which I personally devised and implemented ultimately resulted in a significantly healthier bottom line than we had had before the recession.
Dorcas is a Human Resource Consultant at Corporate Staffing Services. Email: dorcas@corporatestaffing.co.ke Website: www.corporatestaffing.co.ke
Here is sample interview question and answers for a sales and marketing Position
1. Tell us about yourself?
I am Jane Wangui, a sales professional with over 5 years working experience. I am knowledgeable in the process of sales and marketing from the idea stage to when the marketing program actually hit the streets to be sold. In addition, I have been a team sales team leader with a proven record of achieving sales target and meeting set deadlines.
I am a graduate of Bachelor of Commerce- Sales and Marketing option from Kenyatta University and a Certified Marketing professional who hold a post graduate Diploma in Sales and Marketing. I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
2. What Do You Know About Our Products/Business?
Based on the research I’ve done, the company is an industry leader. When I visited your web site, I was impressed with the mission and vision and also found some impressive information about the many products that you deal with. In particular,
This
is the company I’ve been looking for; I want to be where things are
developing, changing, and growing; to make a meaningful contribution to
that development and growth.I would want to be part of an excellent diverse workforce, rendering your diversity a source of strength.
3. Can You Tell Me About a Successful Marketing Campaign You Helped Develop?
Planning a marketing campaign starts with understanding your position in the marketplace and ends with details such as the wording of an advertisement.
As a sales Lead in ABC Company, I was part of the team that came up with a marketing campaign for a new product in the market. First we described your product and its features and benefits in detail, focusing on how it differs from the competition in terms of pricing, service, distribution and placement.
Secondly, we looked at the various market segments to introduce demand for the product; describing the type of target customer in terms of demographics: age, sex, family composition, earnings, geographical location, lifestyle, purchasing patterns, buying objections, and the like. This was to know exactly who will be driving your growth.
Then we came up with a strategy for communicating the message that would produce growth. This involved finding out what the target customers read and listen to, as well as spelling out our promotional objectives. We crafted a message that addresses their needs and differentiates the product or service from the competition.
4. What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?
I would say that my greatest strength is my ability to follow through. In sales, I have found that I am most successful when I pay attention to every piece of the sales cycle, from the first contact, to the thank you at the completion of the sale.
I believe one of my weaknesses is my impatience. Whenever I work in a team and any of the team members do not perform up to my expectation, I tend to get extremely impatient and annoyed. I do understand if they’re working hard and if their sales portion is difficult, but there are occasions when a person can’t do an assignment due to incompetence and laziness. I’m trying to work on this weakness by explaining things to some people in greater detail and encouraging ‘lazier’ individuals by reminding them of deadlines.”
5. What Motivates You?
I am motivated by constant progress of making a sale and having a new customer on my list, as well as ensure that my company’s clients get the best customer service I can provide. I have always felt that it’s important, both to me personally, and for the company and the clients, to provide a positive customer experience.
6. Why do you want to leave your current job?
I’m currently looking for new opportunities because I don’t feel that I am able to continue to grow at my current company. In speaking to other employees at your company and reading the website, I realize that growth and mobility is something that is a big focus and priority at [company you're interviewing at]. That is the type of place I want to spend the next years in my career. I’ve had an amazing experience overall at [past company] but I think now is the right time to move on.
7. Do you prefer working alone or in a team?
I would like to work in an environment where there is a blend of both since both are two side of a coin. Its great working in teams while sharing and learning ideas with each other as well as emergence of creative solutions and sharing of the work load. However, it’s also great to sit at my own desk and work hard productively. Therefore I would like to work independently towards a team goal
8. Do you have a proven record of accomplishment in sales?
Yes I do, in my previous work, I led a team of sales and marketing executives in a promotional campaign that resulted in increased sales of Kshs 10 Million and the company exceeding its annual sales targets by 25%. As a result, I was seconded by national sales manager to support sales teams in other regions and ensure that their quarterly targets were achieved which has increased my territories client base by 30%.
9. How do you find prospective clients?
Email Cold Call- This way, I send my prospect client an email, with a write up of the product and how it can be of benefit to his/her company, and follow up a few days later if I haven’t got any reply by then. I then ask for a one to one meeting where I can discuss the proposal further with the client as I give samples.
Also, I do a lot of networking by attending as many events as I can but always make sure that they are the ones my prospects attend as well. I try to make friends with the prospects; and many of the connections actually result in a business being done.
10. Give an example of when you had to change your approach to a prospect because the initial one failed.
I always maintain performance and my effectiveness in different situations and faced with different people. Include how you are able to adjust your approach to match different demands and challenges.
11. Tell me about a time you worked hard for a sale but didn’t get it in the end, how did you handle the situation?”
I am very resilient and I know the key to continued success in sales is the ability to handle disappointment and rejection.
have maintained enthusiasm and performance after disappointment. I take negativity in my stride and bounce back quickly.
Include examples in your sales interview answer of persistence and determination in finding solutions to obstacles or challenges.
12. What do you regard as the biggest challenge in a sales position?
The greatest challenge I’ve faced in my career to date has to be the key role I played in helping my company survive the recent recession. The company was undoubtedly ill-prepared for the advent and impact of the recession; their financial reserves were just too weak. After a spate of redundancies, those of us who were left faced an uphill struggle to keep sales levels up and costs down while maintaining our standards of customer service.
I learned a great deal from the experience. It was a great challenge. While we certainly did have a tough time of it, we successfully rode out the recession and the cost control measures which I personally devised and implemented ultimately resulted in a significantly healthier bottom line than we had had before the recession.
Dorcas is a Human Resource Consultant at Corporate Staffing Services. Email: dorcas@corporatestaffing.co.ke Website: www.corporatestaffing.co.ke
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