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Did you know that 92% of interactions with customers are telephone-based?
Day by day more businesses have begun to incorporate telesales into their sales processes. With this, the demand for competent well-performing sales reps has only rapidly grown.
Are you looking to get into the field of telesales, but don’t know how to prep for interviews?
Well, look no further.
In this article, let us take a look at some of the most popular telesales interview questions of 2022 as well as how to answer them all!
Telesales is the process of selling products and services of a company over the phone. It is carried out either by phoning your potential customers or by answering calls received from customers.
In fact, many people start their careers in the field of telesales. If you’re interested in applying for a telesales job, you must ensure that you’re familiar with some common questions.
As such, here are some commonly asked telesales interview questions:
If you’re relatively new to this career, you should expect this question quite early on. This is where your preparation comes in.
Try to answer using some personal reasons supporting why you wish to work in telesales. Along with this, you should provide a reason that is connected to the specific job position.
For example, say the job is with an insurance company. You could tell the interviewer that the industry interests you and that it has a constantly growing market.
Again, if you are new to the field, you will most likely be asked this. The interviewer wants to know your understanding of the different roles.
Simply put, the main aim of telesales is to close a deal with every call. Your primary purpose is to sell a product or service.
In contrast, telemarketing is more focused on increasing brand awareness and conducting market research.
You can learn more about the differences between the two in this article.
Sales is partly an art and partly a skill. You should let the interviewer know that you know enough about their products to answer questions about them.
Moreover, you should demonstrate good listening skills and be able to read a person’s mood. In addition to this, you will need to be patient and determined. It’s important to not let rejection get you down.
This question is often quite difficult to answer. Its main purpose is to trick people, specifically those who aren’t particularly inclined towards sales.
However, a good answer could be saying that you dislike abandoning leads, even when they are unlikely to convert.
Overall, your answer should convey that you are eager to close sales deals. Moreover, it should show that you’re ready to work hard to gain and retain clients.
This is an important question intended to thoroughly assess candidates. If you have prior experience in sales, you may have some good ideas.
Share those experiences. Elaborate on how your knowledge and experience can help you enhance processes once you start.
If you have no experience, express your enthusiasm and your desire to learn from a great team. End with saying how you will aid the team to become as effective as they can be.
Telesales jobs can require a particular skill set that differs from other sales jobs. There is little to no in-person interaction for employees.
As such, it can be more challenging to build relationships and rapport with your prospects and customers. Hence, when applying for a telesales job, you’re expected to not only show punctuality, but also professionalism.
Interviewers commonly tend to take into account your attitude alongside the skills you possess. Furthermore, they may ask questions revolving around how you react and respond to work-based scenarios.
When interviewing for a telesales job, interviewers can ask a wide range of different questions, such as:
Firstly, you would convey to the customer that it’s very important that they are put on hold. Ensure that this is done politely.
Secondly, you quickly manage and complete the reason/process why the call has been put on hold.
However, sometimes the customer is excessively persistent about staying on the line as the employee completes said process. In these cases, stay online and keep your tcustomer attended to.
Lastly, you can now ask the customer to disconnect the call and register a callback at a later date.
Having to repeat the same script and words with every customer is a recurring theme in telesales jobs.
For this question, you can say that you have a liking for jobs that involve repetitive work. You can support this by saying it is because here you don’t have to worry about thinking. This is because the scripts and sales pitches are already prepared.
Furthermore, you can mention that although you’d be working with the same scripts, prospects would be different each day.
Use an example to demonstrate your sales strategy.
Suppose you are selling a pen. State that it is important to tell your customers about its features. Moreover, talk about what purpose they will need it for – school, work, etc.
Then, connect the two and elaborate on how the product matches the purpose you need it for.
Ensure that the first impression of the entire call is good and that you’re polite during the whole call. Remember to maintain a professional attitude.
It is always important to be dedicated to every call. When you are not, the customer can tell.
Finally, it is not always important to make the sale over the call itself. You can even just use the call to form a connection with your customer and close the deal.
Interviewers tend to ask this question to gain an understanding of your perception of the industry. Moreover, they want to know what areas they could improve.
This question tests your critical thinking and gives you an opportunity to share your ideas. These ideas are ones you believe could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of telesales.
Share specific examples of how you have handled certain situations. Highlight the improvements that have led to the increasing effectiveness of telesales.
For example – “I believe telesales can be all the more effective when each call has a specific objective. When I make a call, I first think about my goal in talking with the prospect.
My desire to fulfil said goal motivates me to understand as well as identify the needs of the prospect. This helps me to answer any questions they might have.
I also make it a point to think about possible questions they might ask. In addition, I also think about how to answer them as a step of my goal-setting process.”
Many skills are considered important in the field of telesales. Those include communication, listening, negotiation as well as motivation.
When an interviewer asks about what you think is the most important skill, they are testing you. They want to see if you have the right skill set. Moreover, they are testing your ability to identify what skills exactly promote success in a telesales role.
While thinking about your answer, recollect those from the job posting and identify the ones that’re applicable to you.
It is a known fact that salespeople are faced with rejection on a regular basis. Consequently, interviewers may want to know how you would respond to such situations with prospects who decline a purchase.
When answering this, it is helpful to demonstrate professionalism. You can do this by describing a past situation where you calmly and positively accepted rejection.
Telesales is a very diverse industry. It can involve both selling directly to consumers or businesses, based on the product offered.
A strong telesales rep has to understand the main differences between these two audiences.
Interviewers ask this question to learn whether you understand how to sell to different audiences. In your answer, you should include a brief summary of B2B and B2C. Talk about the differences in selling to both.
For example – “B2B is centred around transactions carried out between businesses. Meanwhile, B2C refers to transactions between a business as well as a consumer.
One of the main differences between the two is the challenges experienced by a business and its employees. This is especially visible when compared to those faced by an individual consumer.
I have experience with selling to both types of audiences.
Furthermore, I base the information I’m sharing during a call on the needs of my audience. This is to avoid using a generic approach to sales.”
Also Read: B2B Telesales Tips
While being prepared for possible interview questions is a necessity, there are also other things to keep in mind.
Here are some tips to remember when you’re applying for telesales jobs:
Firstly, when interviewing for a job in telesales, it is important to make a good first impression. When selling over the phone, there’s a limited amount of time for you to make a positive impression.
Interviewers will be on the lookout for candidates who seem instantly likeable. They will also favour you if you’re capable of building rapport quickly.
Secondly, remember to let your personality shine during the interview. Don’t be afraid to converse with the interviewers and even be a little informal.
Employers would not want to hire those who struggle to make an impression on customers.
Lastly, aim to be enthusiastic and positive. But, remember to speak clearly and with passion. If you have sales experience, don’t hesitate to bring it up.
Especially if you have any awards or achievements, such as ‘Salesperson of the Month’. This will only further show that you have a great track record.
Overall, a career in telesales can actually be quite rewarding in various ways.
With a little guidance, you too will be able to get into a good role, even with minimum experience. Remember that good preparation is the foundation for acing any interview including telesales.
With this article, you are now well-aware of the popular telesales job interview questions and answers. And, you too can ace any telesales interview you apply for.
Take your telecallers’ efficiency to the next level, get started with NeoDove today!
FREE GUIDE
Get your copy of the ultimate guide to lead generation through telecalling (scripts included)