1. What do you know about B2G?
B2G stands for business to government and is a derivative of B2B and is described as transaction between business and government in which a business entity supplies services or goods to a government sector or firm and can be stated as public sector marketing.
2. Explain what are the Most Important Sales Skills?
Not everyone can handle sales. You need to have the right attitude and abilities. At your job interview, the interviewer will be looking for your sales skills, and the aspects of the process that help close deals. An example of a good answer includes "The ability to recognize both verbal and non-verbal cues to adapt the sales strategies you implement to impress the prospective buyer."
3. Why do you want to work here as Telesales Representative?
To answer this question you must have researched the company. Reply with the company's attributes as you see them and how your qualities match them.
4. Explain how can a call be made successful?
Following tips can help in make a call successful :
☛ Make sure the first impression of the call is good as it is very important for the rest of the call.
☛ Be professional yet courteous.
☛ It is very important to be a dedicated to a call, the opposite can be sensed very easily on a call.
☛ Clear the objective of the call before you make one.
☛ At times it is important not to sell over the phone instead connect with the customer and make the deal in the business place.
5. Tell me what don't you like about sales?
This can be a very difficult question to answer. It is designed to trip people up who are not too keen on sales specifically. In sales, a good answer would be that you sometimes dislike having to abandon a lead even when it starts to become clear that they will not commit. This answer should indicate that you are eager to close deals and pursue harder markets.
6. Tell us how will you make our telemarketing more effective?
This very ambitious question is designed to test the candidate. If you have a history in sales you may well have some good ideas, so share these and say that you will be able to see how your experience and knowledge can be used to enhance processes when you start in the role. If you have no experience, say that your enthusiasm and desire to learn from a great team will help the team to become more effective.
7. Tell us do you think unwanted marketing should be a crime?
Unwanted marketing is a crime by the law but one can opt out of it by filing a petition or a request in court. Only some firms are exempted from this law. To avoid unwanted marketing one can file a request in the court to be in the list of numbers which are not to be called by telemarketing firms. I personally think that one should not barge into somebody's private space causing any form of inconvenience to the end user. Telemarketing should be handled more responsibly to avoid such situations and maintain standards of marketing and not degrade them.
8. Tell me what is Auto dialer?
Telemarketing industries generally use an electronic device or a software to automatically dial phone numbers. These devices and softwares are called autodialers.
9. Tell us what Do You Dislike About Sales?
Any time you are asked to provide a negative trait about the position you are applying for, you should tread carefully. An example of an answer that effectively resolves the question is, "Walking away from a sale when I know the prospect could benefit from our solution." This answer shows you know that there are times where you need to walk away and show that you understand that sales is about solutions.
10. Tell us how do you cope with rejection?
Say that in telesales, especially with cold calling, you should expect a high percentage of rejection. Explain that you never take it personally and simply move on to the next customer. Say that confidence is a vital asset in sales.
11. What do you know about B2C?
B2C stands for business to consumer and describes transaction between business and consumer. It can be best explained by defining retail in which tangible goods are sold from stores or fixed location directly to the consumer.
12. Tell us what is your biggest achievement?
If possible, think work related. There will hopefully be a number of things you are most proud of in your career to date. Think about your key achievements; were they commercial, people or process orientated? What was the cause and effect? How were you involved, what was improved, saved or developed?
13. Explain what are the common telemarketing fraud?
Following are the common telemarketing fraud :
☛ Charity purpose.
☛ Asking for advance payment or fee.
☛ Fraud by over capturing increased payments.
☛ Bank related frauds.
☛ Lottery
☛ False representation of office supplies.
☛ False verification calls.
14. Tell us how would you make a cold call to generate a lead?
Turning a cold call into lead is not easy but it is not impossible either. If handled with the right motivation and skill a cold call can be changed into a lead. It can actually be put down as the way that cold calls are perceived by the person making the call and the fear of failure. The key should be to back track for a moment and then offer what you have when you have completely understood what is the landscape of the situation. Always step in with a positive attitude as for this situation it is very important.
15. Tell me what do you know about the centre/company/role?
You are not required to be an expert on the organisation or role, but a genuine interest and basic understanding is expected. If you are working with a recruitment consultant then they should be able to provide you with extra details and assist with preparation.
In addition, look for and use press releases, corporate and social websites. Ring the call centre to see how they handle your call: do they offer 'up-sell', 'cross-sell', how was the service? Read the job description to prepare for this question, a few key facts or some knowledge show a genuine interest and commercial awareness.
16. Explain how do you think telemarketing can be made more effective?
To make telemarketing more efficient every call should be planned with an objective in mind. The opening statements made by the telecaller should be made interesting to grab interest. It is the contribution of each tele-caller that makes telemarketing successful and thus each tele-caller should be motivated enough to make a deal and be clear with his objective. The objection for tele callers in the sector are easy to crack and thus a response to each should be prepared in advance to cross the hurdle and make sale.
17. Explain why do you want this job as Telesales Representative?
Whilst more money, shorter hours or less of a commute are all potential factors for your next role, they are unlikely to make you the 'stand out' candidate of the day.
Know what the company are looking for and the potential job available, and align this with your career to date. Highlight your relevant experience, goals and aspirations in line with the role, to showcase why you are the best person for the job.
18. Tell us what are good telephone etiquettes?
When attending a client or customer on phone some basic telephone etiquettes should be followed. Following are telephone etiquettes that should be followed by a tele caller :
☛ Be quick in answering the phone.
☛ Always make sure that the customer is greeted well.
☛ When putting a line on hold take permission prior to it from the customer on the other end.
☛ When transferring a call make sure you do it the right way and make it polite.
☛ At the end of a call make sure that the customer is satisfied and does not have any query or doubt in mind.
19. Explain what are your goals as a telemarketer?
My goal is to have a very short learning curve on this particular product portfolio. By doing this, I can aim to be among the top performers in the next 3-6 months. After showing consistent results for another 6 to 12 months, I will aim to become a team leader in the same company because I believe that growing with the same company will give me a strong foundation for my career growth.
20. Tell me how would your team/manager describe you?
Try to think about how you would describe yourself if someone asked you for your strengths, then relate these to what people say about you; peers, agents, managers and stakeholders. Have three or four at the ready, ideally in line with the role you are being interviewed for. Have examples or situations ready, in case your interviewer wants to drill down as to why you think or believe these are your key strengths.
21. Tell me when can you join?
If you are currently working, let the interviewer know and inform him that you will be resigning from there which may need you to serve the notice period.
If you promise to inform them the next day, do so. Do not delay.
Do not commit to join the next working day just to leave an impression when you have some chores left to be attended which will delay the process.
Be honest and straight as most of the firms are familiar with the procedure of resignation and will grant the time to join them when you have been relieved from your duty from your last working place.
22. Explain what are your strengths and weaknesses?
Your answer should be relevant to telemarketing, so you could say: I have the ability to talk effectively and persuade people. I am a good listener, and that helps me identify customer needs so I can sell more effectively. My one weakness is that I sometimes get too involved with customers, but I have counseled with my previous manager on this and I believe I no longer have that problem.
23. Tell me what are the key factors which make a successful call centre?
Fundamentally, if you look under the skin of the best teams and call centres, they do have certain things in common: clear communication, consistency, fun, performance management, leadership, engagement, incentives, etc.
Think what made up the best team or company you have been a part of or have seen. Have examples to back up any statements for how you would play a part in, or create, this team or environment yourself.
24. Tell us what are the characteristics that distinguish direct marketing?
Following are the characteristics that distinguish direct marketing :
☛ The customers are pre targeted.
☛ Customers are addressed directly.
☛ The response of direct marketing is scalable.
☛ The whole process is action driven.
☛ Independent of business size.
Not every customer is in the right mood for a sales call, and I understand that. Irate customers are part of the game, and I can easily calm them down with an apology; however, I will usually attempt to get a callback time so a valuable potential customer doesn't lose out on the great benefits your products can give them.
26. Explain how do you manage change?
Change is an essential part of life in any call centre environment, as the industry strives to achieve best practice for their customers and stakeholders. Have some examples on how you personally managed, or were affected by, some change. What was your focus, what were you aiming to achieve and how did you deliver the outcome? Know what the problems encountered were and what was learned through and following the transformation.
27. Tell us what is the biggest challenge you have faced in work in the past 12 months?
This is often an opening question, as it allows you to use one of your strongest examples and may help you relax. For the interviewer, it is also an indication of where your natural focus or achievements may be - people development, process, cost reduction, change etc.
28. Tell me what is deceptive telemarketing and how can it be avoided?
Telemarketing is termed deceptive when misleading information of product is conveyed to attract customers. Deceptive telemarketing can be avoided by taking the following measures :
☛ No telemarketer should represent a product with false or misleading information.
☛ Lottery, chance and skill based offers should not be offered where :
☛ Delivery of prize is conditional and is not conveyed at begining.
☛ Information about the prize is incorrect.
☛ Offering products at no cost or less price when based on terms and conditions not specified before purchase should not be carried out.
☛ Selling products at a very high rate.
29. Explain how would you handle a high pressure environment?
I am highly organized, and I prioritize my workload so that everything gets done on time and with high quality. I also leave room for urgent tasks that might be assigned to me so that my schedule is basically unaffected by emergencies.
30. Explain what was your reason for leaving as Telesales Representative?
Wherever possible be positive, even if your role was short term or didn't quite work out as expected, as it will have added extra experience or skills to your career history.
Although you are now looking to move on, acknowledge what you learned and what was on offer at the time. Demonstrate good reasons for the decisions you made and show that you understood what was to be gained, or acknowledge what you have learned from your past employer.
31. General Telesales Representative Job Interview Questions:
☛ What is ASA? What does it offer to companies?
☛ What are market connections?
☛ How are market connections used to establish their status in market?
☛ How to find out the client type with which the company is working?
☛ How to check about the calling status and dependency of the company on consumers?
☛ What is the purpose of auto dialer?
☛ When to use auto dialer?
☛ What are the methods through which the customers are charged to avail the services?
☛ What is the difference between commission and pay per appointment?
☛ What are the differences between tele-sales and telemarketing?
☛ What are the tools available to compare the telemarketing result with mail shots?
☛ What are the provisions does ASA provide for delivering the project on behalf of clients?
☛ What are the rules and regulations ASA follows for their projects?
☛ How can one manage sales for a company?
☛ How does a company become aware of the requirements of the customers?
☛ What are the two major categories that are used with telemarketing?
☛ What is the difference between outbound and inbound?
☛ What are the negative impacts associated with telemarketing?
☛ What are the regulations that are being formed on the use of telemarketing?
☛ What does one understand by outsourcing the telemarketing activities?
☛ What are the optimizations methods used for telemarketers?
☛ What are the different types of scripts used in telemarketing?
☛ How to persuade customers to take up the product even if they are not interested?
☛ Why telemarketers should know about the process of catalog creation?
☛ Why is telemarketing associated with various types of scams and frauds?
32. Fresh Telesales Representative Interview Questions:
☛ What motivates you as a sales professional?
☛ How would you describe the corporate culture of your past company?
☛ What traits do you believe make up the most effective sales representatives?
☛ What sales quotas are you accustomed to?
☛ How comfortable are you with cold-calling?
☛ How long was the average sales cycle at your previous jobs?
☛ Who were your most profitable target markets at your previous jobs?
☛ How would you describe your sales technique?
☛ What are some common hurdles you're facing right now as a sales representative in your current position?
☛ Can you give me an example of a complex contract negotiation you've completed and how you did it?
☛ How did your past organization position itself in the market?
☛ How would you describe your ideal sales manager?
☛ What are some of the traits you look for in a leader?
☛ Give me an example of when you've prospected a lead creatively, and what are the steps you took to do so?
☛ Where would you like to see yourself improve in the area of sales?
☛ What does the term "consultative selling" mean to you?
☛ How much was an average sale at your previous position?
☛ Give me an example of how you handled a difficult client in order to get the sale, and what did you learn from the experience?
☛ What was a typical day like at your past position?
☛ What was your compensation package at your past position?
☛ Can you give me an example pitch of the product or service you were selling at your previous position?
☛ What types of managers do you learn best under?
☛ Why are you looking to leave your current position?
☛ How do you define success?
☛ How would you describe the selling style of your former manager?
33. Role-specific Telesales Representative Interview Questions:
☛ What is your experience in sales/customer service?
☛ What telecom technologies have you used in the past?
☛ In telemarketing you don't have the benefit of face-to-face contact. How can you fill this gap?
☛ Have you worked with quotas? Did you manage to meet them?
☛ What is the difference between B2B and B2C? How does each concept change how you approach a prospect?
☛ How do you engage the prospect's attention?
☛ What do you have to say when answering a call?
☛ What factors, in your opinion, are more likely to close a deal?
☛ How do you deal with rejection?
☛ What do you know of our company's products?
34. Operational and Situational Telesales Representative Interview Questions:
☛ Here is a script that can be used during a call. What do you like about it and what would you change?
☛ Choose one of our products and sell it to me
☛ If you needed to put a prospect on hold, what would you do to avoid upsetting them?
☛ Walk me through a call assuming the prospect is moderately interested
35. Behavioral Telesales Representative Interview Questions:
☛ Sometimes telesales reps are faced with suspiciousness. How do you overcome this barrier?
☛ Have you ever had to deal with an aggressive prospect? How did you handle it?
☛ What was the most successful sale you made in your previous job?
☛ Have you ever implemented a change that resulted in higher sales?
☛ Have you ever made a mistake during a call? What did you learn?
☛ Have you ever had to call someone more than once to make a sale?
