This post will focus on B2B sales interview questions. We have hired many Business Development Reps (BDRs) and Account Executives (AEs) over the years.  VA Partners has a multi-step interview process.  Here are some examples of the B2B sales interview questions I would ask in our initial short screening interview and then in the longer second interview.  In each case I will state the question and what I am looking to get from the response. For each interview I am making notes and providing an overall ranking to make it easier to remember and refer to recorded information through the interview process. There are many references to red flags in the document. A red flag would be a big issue that would disqualify them from the job. As an example, they could say they don’t like making phone calls. This is a big part of the sales job here for both BDRs and AEs.

Initial interview 15 to 20 minutes and here are some of my favourite B2B sales interview questions. The purpose of this round of interviews is to narrow the list of candidates. 

• What interested you about VA Partners? I am looking to see if they have done research on the company. If they don’t know anything about us that is not a good sign.
• What got you excited about the role from the job description?  The responses will let you know how well they prepare and what they think the fit is.
• Why do you want to leave your current role? The answer again should highlight their motivation and could expose some red flags.
• Why do you think you would make/are a good salesperson? I am looking for the traits they think has lead them to be successful and how that meshes with our ideas on what makes a good sales person.

Some of the additional things I talk about or look for in the initial interview outside of the questions.

• We will always talk about salary range, start date, and the job expectations in this initial interview.  Both parties need to be aligned or it isn’t worth proceeding.
• I am also looking for how professional they are taking this and the home work environment is.

The second longer interview would typically take about an hour. If the position includes an in-office component I will try and do this in our office so they can see what it is like.  If the candidate is working remotely the interview will be conducted over a video call.  B2B sales interview question. There will be a smaller group of candidates moving to the second round of interviews. Here are some of my top questions.

• What is your favourite thing about sales?  Then ask this one after they have answered. What have you liked the least?
  • I am looking for their motivation and what they enjoy in sales.  Answers to both questions can be potential red flags if they are misaligned with the role and expected activities.
• What is the best thing about a sales job?  What is the most challenging?
  • Again, I am looking for motivation and red flags.
• When I say CRM how does that make you feel?
  •  A CRM is an essential part of our daily work so someone that has good experience using it is key.
• Ho do you manage your day?
  • I usually like to ask specific questions, but here I am looking for how they generally organize their day. Being organized and multitasking is important at VA Partners.
• Tell me about how you use LinkedIn?
  • This is a great tool for B2B sales, and I am trying to understand their comfort with it.
• Tell me about the best sales win/project you have worked on and why? Start at the beginning.
  • I am looking for why it was a big win as well as the steps they took to close.  This will help in how active they were with the opportunity. I am asking for specifics, not generally how they did it. I may ask them for another example as well. People usually have one good store prepared, but not always a second one.
• Tell me about ________________ from your resume.
  • I like to ask about a specific job, award, project, or win.  
• If I talked to your last manager, what would they tell me is something that you were the best at?  Tell me about what you did that drove them crazy? For the thing you want to improve, what was done?
  • This is a three-part question with a break in between each question for their response. I am looking for red flags, but I am also looking for coachability. It is okay to have something you need to work on. Did you work on it?
• Tell me about your biggest sales loss.  What would you have done differently?
  • No one wins 100% of the time, it is okay to have losses. Could they identify why and have they changed their approach.  This again leads back to being coachable.

There are a few other steps after the first two interviews that we follow.

• My business partner Steve will do an interview with a small number of candidates.
• After the interview Steve and I will review notes and select the top one or two candidates to proceed with.
• We allow the candidates to talk with a team member about what it is like to work at VA Partners. The goal is to make sure they feel comfortable with the work environment and the type of work we do.
• There is a catch-up meeting with the candidate to answer any more questions and make sure they are still interested in proceeding. We will ask for two references that had managed the candidate.  In some cases, if they are recently out of school we may ask for a professor/instructor.
• Checking multiple references is a must.  We have had candidates have fake references before or misrepresent their professional role.  Again, we are looking for red flags that would give us pause to process.
• The finals step is to send a formal offer and agree on a start date.

Let me know if I missed any of your go to B2B sales interview questions.  If you need some help getting ready to grow your sales team connect with me.