MockQuestions

Sales Engineers Mock Interview

31 Questions Created By

To help you prepare for your Sales Engineers interview, here are 31 interview questions and answer examples.

First Question

31 Sales Engineers Interview Questions

10 Interview Questions With Sample Answers

1.   Tell me about a time you had to handle conflict. How did you resolve it?

How to Answer

As a sales engineer, you will need to deal with differing opinions from time to time. Cite an example of a time when you were able to successfully manage conflict in your career. Include ways in which you were able to respond calmly and objectively.

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

Answer Example

"I am generally very adept at managing conflict. One example that I can give you is quite recent. Last month I had a client who had been over-billed in error. They were quite upset with the oversight as they are a long-term client. I reassured them that our billing department would review their previous invoices to ensure this was a one-time incident. It turned out very well, and they appreciated my transparency and willingness to solve the problem immediately."

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

2.   What is your greatest strength?

How to Answer

The interviewer wants to learn about qualities that you possess that others may not. Think about a few of your strengths and figure out how these strengths make you a standout sales engineer. A successful answer will also highlight how these qualities will eventually win clients and improve the company if you get the job.

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

Answer Example

"My greatest quality is finesse. I pride myself on being able to improvise and fine-tune for different reasons. When it comes to prospecting, I can relate with clients and communicate with them on a deeper level. I go the extra mile by finding out what they are like and what they like. During pitching and proposal, I'll make sure to customize my presentation decks so that clients feel that they are special, no matter how small the deal is. As a sale closes, I ensure I'm with the client every step of the way, even when an account manager is already assigned to them. Post-sale, I send personalized notes and thoughtful gifts, but keep it all professional."

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

3.   What is your greatest weakness? What are you doing to improve it?

How to Answer

When interviewers ask about your greatest weakness, they want to learn that you are self-aware. They also want to learn that you recognize your weaknesses and are also working on improvements. Keep your answer career-related and end on a positive note by talking about what steps you are taking to better your skills in that area.

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

Answer Example

"Based on my performance reviews, as well as colleague feedback, I would say that my greatest weakness is being too focused on details. Sometimes, I forget the bigger picture because I spend too long ruminating on the finer points. In my mind, my work represents me, so any small mistake represents my work ethic. So, I've taken a step back, and I've developed a system to combat my tendency to over-engineer everything. Whenever I have a deliverable, I jot down the three most important aspects and the main objective for the activity. If I start to go over any of those, I really make a conscious effort to stop. I do this by limiting my time on each activity and boxing my calendar out with specific tasks."

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

4.   What do you like about sales?

How to Answer

Sales requires a particular set of skills and attributes. It also requires you to be passionate about sales. Talk a bit about your passion for sales and why you think your personality fits the job well. Remember to keep your answer professional and aligned with the job description.

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

Answer Example

"I've always considered myself to be assertive. Growing up, I was that kid who always got voted to be the group leader, and I never shied away from it. I've always liked that I have the opportunity to persuade people and possibly change their opinion on certain things. This is what draws me to sales. It's that challenge of winning someone over by educating them or giving them more information. I think my passion shows in the effort I put into communicating with clients, whatever phase of the sales pipeline they're in. It gives me a lot of joy when I see that my solutions work for them and that the product or service I sell them makes their work easier."

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

5.   What do you do outside of work to better yourself as a Sales Engineer?

How to Answer

A successful response will reveal activities outside of work that helps develop your salesmanship. These activities may not be as typical as networking or objection handling, so think outside the box. Keep the organization's culture in mind. The interviewer may be looking for your personality, not just your salesmanship.

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

Answer Example

"I'm a movie buff, so I watch a lot of movies during my spare time. What I'm really interested in is narrative techniques and how different directors and writers tackle storytelling. I think that in sales, there's a huge opportunity to leverage storytelling when crafting our value proposition to our prospects. It's important to me because it makes the pitch more engaging for both parties. The facts and statistics are always there, but narrative helps put everything into context."

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

6.   Would you describe yourself as persuasive? Why?

How to Answer

Strong salespeople will generally identify as persuasive individuals. Talk to the interviewer about the reasons you think you are persuasive. Cite at least one example to demonstrate your persuasion skills.

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

Answer Example

"I do consider myself to be a persuasive individual. Whenever I put forth an idea or solution, I typically have an easy time getting others to accept my idea or solution because I can support it well with facts or anecdotes. Two months ago, I proposed to my supervisor that we start recording our discovery calls with clients. Of course, we would first get their permission before we would record. This way, we can gather best practices from successful calls and share them with the team. Not only will we have data available, but we'll also have a sort of paper trail to keep ourselves and our clients accountable. I showed them some statistics from other sales groups who have been successful with this practice, and we rolled it out by the next week."

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

7.   What motivates you?

How to Answer

Sales roles are highly dynamic, so you need to demonstrate to the interviewer that the source of your motivation is something sustainable. They will want to learn that you are a good fit for their culture, so make sure to do your research beforehand. Cite examples of how you keep yourself motivated, as well as different ways your superiors and colleagues can keep you motivated.

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

Answer Example

"Personally, I'm motivated by upward mobility. I know that everything I do in my job, whether successful or not, helps plants the seeds toward a bigger role in the future. In the workplace, I am easily motivated by words of positivity and encouragement from bosses and peers. I am also highly motivated by personal improvement. I strive to outdo myself every day."

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

8.   What steps are you taking to continuously improve your skills as a Sales Engineer?

How to Answer

When hiring managers ask about how you are improving your skills, they are looking to learn about your work-related passions. Instead of gauging how self-aware you are, they are more concerned about your commitment to the sales engineering role. Talk about specific skills and attributes that you are either actively working on or intend to work on down the road. Further, describe how you are honing and refining these skills.

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

Answer Example

"As a Sales Engineer, the skills that I want to develop further are my facilitation skills and my market analysis skills. My facilitation skills are at par with my colleagues, but I would love to improve them at a leadership level. I've been going over free e-Learning modules on the subject. As for my market analysis skills, I recently joined a forum with other sales engineers. The exchange of ideas has really helped me discover opportunities that weren't as obvious to me before."

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

9.   What kind of communicator are you? Talk about how your communication style has helped you become an effective Sales Engineer.

How to Answer

Sales Engineering requires a complex set of communication skills. The role requires one to be adept at relating with different levels of leaders and a variety of technical subject matter experts. Talk about how and why your communication style fits these requirements.

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

Answer Example

"As a communicator, I consider myself to be very intentional. This means that I don't make any assumptions when I engage with clients or colleagues. I'm very deliberate with the information I share, as well as my motives. Further, I ensure that my word choice, voice inflection, body language, and other non-verbal aspects of communication are all congruent with my goals. For example, if I go into a meeting with people that I hadn't met before, I'll be sure to share any relevant information before the meeting, as well as a high-level agenda. During the meeting, I will go over the agenda and expected outcomes and speak in terms that are comprehensible to the audience. I'll do everything so that my non-verbal communication is cohesive with my verbal communication at all times."

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

10.   What was the most successful sales project you worked on?

How to Answer

Success in sales engineering can be attributed to many aspects, such as the dollar value of the sale, its complexity, or the value of the new client relationship, among others. A successful answer will outline the prospect's need, the reason you consider it to be successful, and the result of the project. Talk about how you facilitated the project and led it to success.

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

Answer Example

"I have had many successful projects in my career, but my favorite one was the $5M project I closed with Company XYZ. They were my biggest client to date. From the beginning, I knew that the new software we were able to roll out was a perfect fit for them. I worked tirelessly with the client and our development team. The and the deadline was tight because we were up against a giant competitor. Not only was I able to meet all of my client's expectations, but I was also awarded top sales engineer of the year. Because the relationship was so successful, I was able to use that experience as a case study for prospecting new clients."

Written by Ryan Brown on August 16th, 2021

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