Medical Device Sales Mock Interview
Master 30 Medical Device Sales interview questions covering clinical knowledge, consultative selling, and OR experience.
Question 27 of 30
Do you have any experience with making cold calls?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
How to Answer
What to Avoid
If Yes (Answer Example):
If No (Answer Example):
Community Answers
Jenna has 6 years of in-house and agency recruiting experience for roles in the consumer packaged goods and adult beverage industries.
The interviewer wants to learn more about your background and sales experience with this question. Cold calls are a standard method of generating leads and finding opportunities across industries. While many higher-level roles and larger companies have moved away from this strategy, experience cold calling shows an inability to persevere through objections and repeated no's. It also teaches the caller how to engage someone quickly, with little to no prior knowledge of their interests or needs.
Jenna has 6 years of in-house and agency recruiting experience for roles in the consumer packaged goods and adult beverage industries.
If you do have experience making cold calls, make sure to describe your experience to the interviewer. Tell them how you decided who to call, about how many calls you made per day or hour, and, if you know, what your success rate was. The interviewer does not want a simple "yes," they want to hear how comfortable you are making cold calls and if you were successful at it.
If you do not have experience making cold calls, give the Interviewer an example of the most relevant experience you do have! Don't let yourself get stuck providing a simple "no." Every question is an opportunity to showcase the skills you DO have, even the ones that are about skills you don't!
Jenna has 6 years of in-house and agency recruiting experience for roles in the consumer packaged goods and adult beverage industries.
Cold calls have a bit of a bad reputation but be careful not to speak negatively about the subject of any question as it may be a touchpoint for the interviewer or worse, a vital part of the role!
Jenna has 6 years of in-house and agency recruiting experience for roles in the consumer packaged goods and adult beverage industries.
"I have a lot of experience making cold calls! In my first sales role with ABC Company, I began my training period by making up to 150 cold calls each day working to generate interest that the account managers would later follow up on. It was therefore vital that I was able to not only grab my audience's interest but to use my time with them to gather as much information as possible about what their needs may be."
Jenna has 6 years of in-house and agency recruiting experience for roles in the consumer packaged goods and adult beverage industries.
"I haven't made a traditional, no-knowledge cold call before but I was responsible for handling the initial outreach for new leads in my last role. For me, that meant calling a sales target out of the blue and working to convince them to schedule a time to speak with me further about what services we were able to provide them."
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Anonymous Answer
Absolutely. Making cold-calls was where my sales career first started. When I started my business selling to physicians, I was making 100 cold calls a day - both local and across the country to generate interest. I would try to set up f2f meetings, and if not, then would try to meet with them virtually to close deals.
Marcie's Feedback
Wow - 100 cold calls a day! No doubt the interviewer will be impressed with that stat! Have you made cold calls for any other companies that you can also mention? Can you also talk about what kind of success you've had using this method? Do you tend to land many demos or meetings this way? How have you improved your cold calling over the years?
Anonymous Answer
No, I do not have specific cold-call experiences. I know that I will be able to catch on quickly to the proper terminology and phrasing that is appropriate to have successful sales calls.
Jaymie's Feedback
Great start! Consider also reassuring the interviewer you are not intimidated by this and are driven to meet goals. That will also go a long way.
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