Sales Interview Questions to Ask Candidates

The best sales interviews ask for evidence, not opinions: what the candidate achieved, how, and against what target - followed by a role-play that shows how they really sell. Use the same core questions for every candidate and score the answers, so you compare people fairly.

Below are 25 questions in six groups, with what a strong answer sounds like, and a simple role-play you can run in ten minutes.

Results and track record

1. "What was your target in your last role, and what did you achieve?" A strong answer gives numbers, the period, and how they compared with the team.
2. "Tell me about your biggest sale. How did it happen, from first contact to close?" Look for a clear process, not luck.
3. "Tell me about a month or quarter when you missed target. What happened and what did you change?" Honest ownership and a specific change are good signs.
4. "How was your performance measured, and who would confirm it?" This sets up your reference check.

Prospecting

1. "How do you find new customers when your current list runs dry?" Look for several concrete methods - referrals, visits, calls, networks, digital channels.
2. "How many new prospects did you contact in a typical week?" In many sales roles, activity levels are an early predictor of results.
3. "How do you decide which prospects to spend time on?" Good salespeople qualify - they do not chase everyone.

Understanding customers

1. "Walk me through how you start a conversation with a new customer." Strong candidates ask questions before they pitch.
2. "What questions do you ask to understand what a customer needs?" Listen for open questions about problems, budget and decisions.
3. "Tell me about a time you discovered a customer needed something different from what they first asked for."

Handling objections

1. "A customer says, 'It's too expensive.' What do you say?" Look for questions and value, not an immediate discount.
2. "A customer says, 'I need to think about it.' What do you do?"
3. "Tell me about a sale you saved after the customer said no."
4. "When do you walk away from a deal?" Knowing when to stop protects margin and time.

Closing and follow-up

1. "How do you know a customer is ready to buy?"
2. "How do you ask for the order?" Hesitation here is a common weakness.
3. "What do you do in the week after a sale?" Good answers mention delivery, payment and the next sale.
4. "How do you keep track of follow-ups?" Look for a system - a CRM, a notebook, a routine - not memory.

Resilience and self-management

1. "How do you handle a day of rejections?"
2. "How do you plan your week?" Field roles especially need a planned route and targets for visits.
3. "What motivates you apart from commission?"
4. "Tell me about a time you disagreed with a manager about a target. What happened?"

Fit for this role

1. "What do you know about our product and our customers?" Preparation is a selling skill.
2. "Sell me something you sold in your last job." A quick, informal test before the role-play.
3. "What would you need from us to succeed in the first three months?"

The role-play

Run a ten-minute role-play based on a real situation in the job:

1. Brief the candidate for two minutes: who the customer is, what they sell, and one fact about the customer's situation.
2. Play the customer. Give them a realistic objection - price, a competitor, timing.
3. Score against the same points for every candidate:

Questions to avoid

Keep every question about the job. Avoid asking about pregnancy or plans for children, marital status, religion, ethnicity or tribe, health or disability, or age unless a specific, lawful requirement of the job demands it. Kenya's Employment Act prohibits discrimination against prospective employees as well as employees, and questions like these can be evidence of discrimination.

After the interview

• Check references with previous sales managers: confirm the targets and results the candidate described.
• Run background checks with the candidate's consent for roles that handle cash, stock or customer data - see how to run a legal background check in Kenya.
• Decide quickly. Strong salespeople often have other offers.

For the full process, see how to hire salespeople in Kenya.

How Cazini helps

Cazini generates role-specific interview kits from your job description, lets each panel member score candidates on the same questions with their own scorecard, and combines the scores so you can compare candidates fairly. See hiring.

Sources

• Employment Act, 2007 (Ministry of Labour copy, PDF)

Frequently asked questions

What should I ask in a sales interview?+

Ask for evidence of past results - targets and achievement - and how they were achieved, how the candidate finds new customers, how they handle objections and rejection, how they close, and how they organise their week. Then test them with a short role-play.

How do I know if a sales candidate is lying about their numbers?+

Ask how the target was set, how achievement was measured, what the team average was and who their manager was - then check with that manager in the reference. Vague or shifting answers are a warning sign.

Should a sales interview include a role-play?+

Yes. A short role-play of a real customer conversation, including an objection, shows how a candidate actually sells - which an interview answer cannot.

What questions should I avoid in an interview in Kenya?+

Avoid questions about pregnancy, marital status, religion, ethnicity, health or other personal matters unrelated to the job. The Employment Act prohibits discrimination against prospective employees, including in recruitment.