These questions tend to be tactical and job specific. In a sales interview, the interviewer will use the process to determine how well you function in a selling situation. To accomplish this, the interviewer will position himself/herself as the customer. Sales interviewers often make decisions on "gut" feelings. As the customer, they will ask themselves, "If you came in to my office to sell me something, would I buy from you?" The interviewer will therefore be interested in your listening skills, i.e.: Do you wait until he/she is finished speaking or do you assume you know where he/she is headed and cut across what he/she is saying? Do you ask good questions and do you listen to the answer and comment appropriately or are you already thinking of your next question? Do you take an interest in his/her needs and show how you compliment those needs? Do you answer direct questions with direct answers and can you give specific examples of performance relative to those questions? Do you ask for the order?

Describe the most satisfying sale you ever closed.
Tell me about the last time you were under-bid on a contract. How did you handle it with your boss and the customer and what were the results?
Tell me about a time when your sales manager took an account away from you. What did you do and what were the results?
Explain what you did the last time you lost a major account. What did you do and what were the results?
Explain your actions the last time you had to introduce a new product. What were the results?
Tell me what strategies you used to build your territory? What were the results?
Tell me about the last time your company put through a price increase. How did you explain it to your customers and what were the results?
Tell me about the last time you were under-bid on a contract. How did you handle it with your boss and the customer and what were the results?
Tell me about a time when your sales manager took an account away from you. What did you do and what were the results?
Tell me about the last time you were taken by surprise on a sales call.
Tell me how you landed an account using your technical expertise.
Tell me about a time you were instrumental in preventing the loss of a mature account. What were the end results?
Tell me about a situation where you went into a company that was exclusively using a competitor's product. How were you able to persuade them to use your company's product?
Describe a situation where you had to overcome 1) product loyalty and 2) price objection. How did you handle it and what was the end result?
Tell me about a time when you entered a new sales territory. How did you plan and implement that plan?
At your last job, tell me how you kept track of you personal results against the results of your peers?
What kind of information did you track? Why did you track this information? How did this information benefit you? Were you required to track this information or did you investigate this on your own?
Tell me about a time you successfully maneuvered around a primary contact to gain direct access to the final decision-maker? Who was your initial contact?
How did you determine that he / she was not the decision maker?
What did you say to your contact to gain access to the decision-making authority?
How much time did it take before you gained access to the decision maker?
Give me an example of how you have developed relationships, listened to and understood the customer [both internal and external] providing solutions to customer needs?
What actions do you take to develop and sustain productive customer relationships?