Frequently Asked TSR – Telesales Representative Interview Questions
Q – 1 What is Cold calling?
Ans- Cold calling is soliciting potential customers who were not expecting to speak with you. The term ‘cold’ refers to the fact that you haven’t laid any groundwork for your call. If you are calling prospects who have already expressed interest in your products, such as a prospect who fills out a postcard or website request for information, then it’s referred to as ‘warm calling.’
Q – 2 Sell me this …….?
Ans- This is a favorite sales interview question for trainee-type sales jobs. Sales interview answers to the “Sell me this product” question should clearly show your ability to uncover the customer’s needs and wants, to select key features of the product and to sell the benefits of these features to the customer.
The benefits should meet the customer’s needs and make the sale. A basic rule of selling is to sell the benefits the customer will gain from the product rather than the list of features the product has.
Q – 3 How to cope with rejection?
Ans- 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.
Q – 4 Do you like making cold calls?
Ans- Obviously the answer has to be yes. Go on to explain that you enjoy the challenge of calling a new person and trying to close a deal. Say that cold calling can teach you sales skills that can be transferred effectively to when you call previous customers. You can quickly learn to become better at sales when cold calling.
Q – 5 Why do you want to work in telesales?
Ans- If you are new to this career you can expect this question early on. This is where your preparation comes into play. Provide an answer that provides some personal reasons why you want to work in telesales and give a reason that is relevant to the specific job.
If, for example, the job is with an insurance company, say that you are keen to enter the insurance industry because it is an interesting and constantly developing market.
Q – 6 How can a call be made successful?
Ans- Following tips can help in make a call successful :
1. Make sure the first impression of the call is good as it is very important for the rest of the call.
2. Be professional yet courteous.
3. It is very important to be a dedicated to a call, the opposite can be sensed very easily on a call.
4. Clear the objective of the call before you make one.
5. At times it is important not to sell over the phone instead connect with the customer and make the deal in the business place.
Q – 7 Tell me What Do You Dislike About Sales?
Ans- 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.
Q – 8 What are common ways of telemarketing fraud?
Ans- Following are the ways of telemarketing fraud :
1. Charity purpose.
2. Asking for advance payment or fee.
3. Fraud by over capturing increased payments.
4. Bank related frauds.
5. Lottery
6. False representation of office supplies.
7. False verification calls.
Q – 9 What are good telephone etiquette?
Ans- 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 :
1. Be quick in answering the phone.
2. Always make sure that the customer is greeted well.
3. When putting a line on hold take permission prior to it from the customer on the other end.
4. When transferring a call make sure you do it the right way and make it polite.
5. At the end of a call make sure that the customer is satisfied and does not have any query or doubt in mind.
Q – 10 Tell me what is your psychology of selling?
Ans- This is where you demonstrate your understanding of the entire structure of selling. Focus on your view of selling as a professional service directed at showing the customer how your product or service meets their needs and improves their lives.
Prepare a concise sales interview answer that highlights your knowledge of how to communicate and build rapport with a client, ask the right questions, identify and understanding the client’s values, motives and needs, offer the appropriate solutions, handle objections and close the sale. Include adapting to different personality types and using persuasive communication skills.
Q – 11 What are your goals as a telemarketer?
Ans- 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.
Q – 12 Are You Uncomfortable With Making A Cold Call?
Ans- Any interview questions about your discomfort in sales should always be responded to with a “no” without any elaboration. If you are uncomfortable, reevaluate whether the position is right for you.
Q – 13 How to make a cold call to generate a lead?
Ans- 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.
Q – 14 What issues can rise from paying per appointment?
Ans- Here are a list of problems which are associated with paying per appointment :
1. Poor quality.
2. Rate of conversion is low.
3. Requirements for more meetings is not solved.
4. High competition.
5. Suppliers face a lot of problems.
6. Quality is deteriorated by quantity.
Q – 15 What are the disclosures required in telemarketing?
Ans- There are a few disclosures which are must before a person engages in telemarketing. Listed below are a list of issues that need to be disclosed.
1. Disclosure of identity on behalf of which the call is made at the starting of the call in a polite and fair manner.
2. There should be a proper description of the product or business being put forward.
3. The price and terms and conditions related to the product should be made very clear.
4. Any other information related to the product prescribed should be conveyed.
Q – 16 What do you consider the most important sales skills?
Ans- Sales is partly a skill and partly an art. You should answer that you should know the product well enough to be able to answer most questions about it. You should also be a good listener and be able to read a person’s mood and intention. You also need to be patient and not allow rejection to get you down.
Q – 17 Do you think unwanted marketing should be a crime?
Ans- 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.
Q – 18 What do not you like about sales?
Ans- 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.
Q – 19 Do you prefer a long or short term sales cycle?
Ans- I think there are interesting points to both types of sales. I like a longer sales cycle, as it gives me time to get to know the customer, and spend time educating them about the benefits and uses of the product. Shorter cycles are more intense, since you typically don’t have the luxury of too much personal knowledge of the customer, or the time for lengthy explanations.
You need to hit the high priority topics rather quickly.
Q – 20 What do you understand by b2b, b2c and b2g?
Ans- B2B stands for business to business which describes commercial transactions between businesses such as between a web development firm and a reseller. Such transactions are big in volume and thus b2b is flourishing today the most. 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. 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.
Q – 21 When can you join as TSR – Telesales Representatives?
Ans- If you are currently working, let the interviewer know and inform him that you will be resigning from there which may take a week or so to wrap up. Do not delay the call by long as this may give a wrong impression also do not convey that you will join on 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 in with them when you have been relieved from your duty from your last working place.
Q – 22 How will you make our telemarketing more effective?
Ans- 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.
Q – 23 Mention all the categories and sub-categories of telemarketing?
Ans- Marketing can be broadly classified into two categories :
1. B2B – business to business
2. B2C – business to customer
The categories can be further classified into four categories based on the process carried out which are :
Generating lead – Process of identifying a potential customer to make sale.
Sales – Selling out products
Outbound – Calls are made to the customers.
Inbound – Calls are received from the customer.
Q – 24 You just called a customer. What are the steps you will follow during the call?
Ans- When making a call to a customer the call should be directed in the following way.
1. Greet customer politely.
2. Identify yourself to the customer.
3. Make clear the objective of the call
Who you are calling for?
What you are calling for?
4. Give complete information of the product or business you are promoting.
5. Make the customer understand how the objective of the call can be beneficial for him/her.
6. Close in the call with a warm end note.
Q – 25 What is deceptive telemarketing and how can it be avoided?
Ans- Telemarketing is termed deceptive when misleading information of product is conveyed to attract customers. Deceptive telemarketing can be avoided by taking the following measures :
1. No telemarketer should represent a product with false or misleading information.
2. Lottery, chance and skill based offers should not be offered where :
► Delivery of prize is conditional and is not conveyed at beggining.
► Information about the prize is incorrect.
3. Offering products at no cost or less price when based on terms and conditions not specified before purchase should not be carried out.
4. Selling products at a very high rate.
Q – 26 What should be the priority in telemarketing according to you?
Ans- According to me customers should be the priority, if they do not buy we can not sell and thus they should be the foremost priority. The whole marketing sector runs due to end consumer so it should be our responsibility to make sure we have our customers satisfied and deliver what they expect from us.
This can be only achieved if every individual from a telecaller to the ceo takes up the responsibility of delivering to the customer and works on their part the right way. If this little bit is done then telemarketing can be made more effective, easy and set to the right perspective.
Q – 27 What is the difference between telesales and telemarketing?
Ans- If you are new to telesales you will probably be asked this; they wish to see that you understand the different roles. The main objective of telesales is to close a deal following every call; it is to sell a product or service. Telemarketing is more concerned with raising brand awareness and carrying out market research.
Q – 28 Tell us have you consistently met your sales goals?
Ans- I have always met or exceeded my professional sales goals, and most often my personal ones too, especially in the last few years. I think with experience, I have learned to set my personal goals at an attainable level, very high, but not unreachable.
Q – 29 What are the techniques that help build the trust of the caller?
Ans- The following techniques help you build the trust of the customer on the other end of the
telephone.
► Speak confidently
► Take control of the situation
► Show genuine interest
► Go above and beyond the call of duty
Q – 30 What are the characteristics that distinguish direct marketing?
Ans- Following are the characteristics that distinguish direct marketing :
1. The customers are pre targeted.
2. Customers are addressed directly.
3. The response of direct marketing is scalable.
4. The whole process is action driven.
5. Independent of business size.
Q – 31 List some of the effective listening strategies that would be helpful in the telemarketing industry?
Ans- For survival in the telemarketing industry it is extremely essential that one possesses or acquires the ability to effectively listen and comprehend. Some of the effective listening strategies are as follows:
► Understanding yourself
► Being yourself
► Never losing the personal touch
► Your attitude
► Be willing to listen
► Setting personal goals
► Being motivated
► Listening actively
► Paying attention
► Asking questions
► Sending appropriate feedback
Q – 32 What will you do when a customer needs to be put on hold but is not agreeing with it?
Ans- Many times the customer on the end line objects to be put on hold as he fears to be kept long on hold, in such situations following tips can be helpful :
1. Request the customer that it is important that he is put on hold. Make sure this is conveyed in a very polite way.
2. Clear out the objective due to which the line needs to be put on hold.
3. If the customer is very persistent on being on line as a co employee to retrieve the information that requires you to put the line on hold. During this be on line and keep the customer attended.
4. You can also ask the customer to disconnect the line for now and that you will give him a call back.
Q – 33 What are the factors that contribute to projecting a positive image of yourself to the caller?
Ans- In the telemarketing industry it is critical that you know how to use your voice and choose your words to project a positive image while placing or taking a call. Factors that impact image over the telephone are:
Vocal quality
Vocal tone
Rate of speech
Pitch of the tone
Attitude
Body language
Use of appropriate words
Q – 34 How do you think telemarketing can be made more effective?
Ans- 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.
Q – 35 What do you do if the dialer puts a Do Not Call number through to you by mistake?
Ans- As soon as I know that this is a DNC number, I will apologize at once to the customer for the error and assure them that their number will be immediately included in our internal DNC list.
I will also make a note in the CRM application so even if the system error happens again the next agent won’t be forced to deal with an escalated problem. I will also report the problem to my team leader or manager as soon as I hang up.
Q – 36 Targets and Marketplace based Telesales Representatives Interview Questions:
Ans- What is your sales target and how is it established?
How much time do you spend developing new business?
How do you target new accounts for prospecting?
How do you acquire new sales leads?
Who are your major competitors and why?
What business trends do you see developing in the market?
Q – 37 Telesales Representatives Relationships Based Interview Questions:
Ans- Explain your role as a team member of a sales force.
How do you deal with disagreements with others?
How do you organise yourself for daily activities?
What kind of people do you like to sell to?
How do you turn a buyer into a regular customer?
Why do people buy a product or service from you?
Describe the best and worst manager you’ve ever had.
How do you deal with angry and upset customers?
Q – 38 Your approach to sales in Telesales Representatives Interview Questions:
Ans- What makes a successful sales person?
How do you define a new customer’s needs and expectations?
What kind of problems do you have to solve as a salesperson?
How do you get a reading of people upon first meeting them?
How do you approach understanding your customer’s needs?
How do you establish rapport with a stranger on the telephone?
What do you consider the most crucial part of your job?
What kind of rewards are most satisfying to you?
Q – 39 Business Development based Telesales Representatives Interview Questions:
Ans- How much time do you spend on the different parts of your job?
What have you learned from the different sales jobs you’ve had?
How would you break in a new territory for an employer?
How many accounts do you like to handle at one time?
When do you find silence to be useful in selling?
What are the skills needed to be successful on the telephone?
How detailed are the sales reports you prepare?
What do you feel are your personal limitations?
How do you get people to work in cooperation with you?
Q – 40 TSR (Telesales Representatives) Job Interview Questions:
Ans-
► 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?
Q – 41 Telesales Representatives (TSR) Interview Questions Part Two:
Ans-
► What are the ways in which one can keep focus in telemarketing?
► What are the precautions that have to be taken when being a representative?
► What are the questions that have to be asked prior to dealing with them?
► What are the strategies adopted to call the customers?
► How essential is to call the customer after explaining about your product?
► What do you understand by do not call registry?
► What are the different methods through which a user can register for do not call registry?
► How to check the status of it?
► What does the term “Robocalling” implies?
► What are the different methods to file a complaint on receiving the call from telemarketing people after being listed on do not call registry?
Q – 42 TSR (Telesales Representatives) Interview Questions:
Ans-
► What does FCC mean? How does it help in handling the complaints done by user?
► What are the rules and regulations made by which telemarketers are limited to use the services?
► What are the laws that are present regarding recorded messages calls?
► What are the different methods to monitor the telemarketing?
► What will be the output of telemarketing in terms of the company’s gains?
► 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?
Q – 43 Telesales Representatives (TSR) Job Interview Questions:
Ans-
► 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?
Q – 44 Telesales Representatives (TSR) Interview Questions Part One:
Ans-
► What is the best way to sell a product?
► What is done in business-to-business telemarketing?
► How can you increase the customers to buy your products more?
► What is the difference between direct mail and cold calling?
► Why is it necessary to send announcements to the customers before calling them?
► How can you define a good prospect?
► Where can a list of good prospects be generated from?
► What are the sources through which communication can be done?
► What is the appropriate information required before contacting the customers?
► What are the sources of motivation in this field?
Q – 45 What is Auto dialer?
Ans- Telemarketing industries generally use an electronic device or a software to automatically dial phone numbers. These devices and softwares are called autodialers.
Q – 46 What is Spamming?
Ans- Random bulk messages used for telemarketing purposes are called spam and the process is termed as spamming
Q – 47 Explain Cold Calling?
Ans- Cold calling is the process in which customers are called for business interaction who have not been expecting so.
Q – 48 Tell us what are your strengths and weaknesses?
Ans- 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.
Q – 49 What To Expect In Your Interview in TSR – Telesales Representatives Job?
Ans- You will find that many employers are now using Competency Based Interviewing techniques when recruiting for Legal jobs. For Sales positions expect Competency Based and Behavioral questions exploring competencies such as:
► Excellent interpersonal skills
► Good planning and organisation skills
► Excellent communication and persuasion skills
► Determined and enthusiastic
► Ability to build relationships and make sales
Core competencies required in Marketing jobs include:
► Strong Analytical Thinking skills
► Ability to carry out research and develop plans
► Excellent communication skills
► An ability to build and maintain relationships
For each of the above you should expect 3-4 questions along with standard questions exploring your legal training and qualifications, reasons for choosing your career and reasons for applying.
For interviews for Sales and Marketing Management positions you should expect questions exploring:
► Your ability to motivate and inspire a team
► Your record with delivering against targets
► Skills with developing and building relationships with clients
► An ability to develop new sales leads, products and markets
Q – 50 How many calls per hour can you make on an average campaign?
Ans- Make sure you do your homework/research before you answer: My average call handle time was about X minutes at my previous job. On a similar campaign I can typically make 60/X calls per hour. On a predictive dialer I can usually make 10 to 20 percent more calls.
Q – 51 What do you think are the most important skills for sales success?
Ans- Put a number on the skills so that you can structure your sales interview answer around this. For example:
“I think the 3 most important sales skills are …”
Rather than referring to specific sales techniques focus on competencies and abilities that every successful salesperson needs, such as:
► the ability to adjust your approach to different people and situations
► the ability to ask the right questions and listen carefully
► the ability to deal with disappointment and rejection
► the ability to stay motivated with a high energy level
► the ability to plan and prepare
► the ability to influence and persuade
► the ability to negotiate and reach agreement
Q – 52 How to handle a high pressure environment?
Ans-
Your answer:
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.
Q – 53 Tell Me How Do You Move On From a Rejection?
Ans- Rejections are common within sales jobs, and one of the primary reasons that most personalities could not handle sales roles.
Try to downplay how hard you take rejections, but feel free and be honest about a technique you use to handle rejection or answer with something like, “I simply move on to the next prospect, because a rejection is simply a sign that the individual was not yet ready for our solution.”
Q – 54 Are you able to work with multiple phone lines?
Ans- Your answer: Yes, this has been part of my training, and my previous job entailed handling several lines. I have good multi-tasking skills and my previous employer can vouch for this.
Q – 55 What Do You See Are the Key Skills In?
Ans- Common sales interview questions and answers revolve around how you view the skills involved in a specific sales technique or aspect of the sales process. For example, “What do you see are the key skills in closing a sale?” Answers to these types of questions should always focus on responding to the buyer’s concerns and on how the product or service will benefit the recipient.
Q – 56 Have you ever had conflict with your team leader or manager?
Ans- This can be your answer: No, my work ethic is strong, so there’s been no reason for conflict. However, at times I have had disagreements on how to resolve a particular problem for a customer, but I have always been able to talk it out and find a solution that my team leader has supported.
Q – 57 What are the Most Important TSR Skills?
Ans- 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.”
Q – 58 How to handle an angry call from a customer?
Ans- First, you need to allow them to vent their anger. If they are abusive, tell them you’re willing to listen, but only if they stop using profanities. Next, hear what they have to say and note down key points. Third, re-state the main points so both of you are clear about the situation.
Fourth, find a solution that fits within your company’s policies and can redress the customer’s problem. Fifth, confirm that the problem has been solved and that the customer is satisfied with the solution. You may not be able to do all of this in one phone call, but this is the essential process.
The important part is to keep your cool at all times, and genuinely try to find a solution that will make the customer happy.
Q – 59 How to handle a customer who starts yelling at you as soon as they pick up and find out that you are a telemarketer?
Ans- 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.
Q – 60 Are you comfortable making some cold calls?
Ans- I am comfortable making cold calls. I have found that some of my most interesting sales have been the result of a cold call, to someone who was rather unsure of their interest in my product at our first meeting.
Q – 61 Why did you leave your last position?
Ans- This is a tricky question because “anything you say can and will be held against you!” Be careful and only answer with a positive tone. You can say that you didn’t find the job challenging enough for your skills, or that the workload was sporadic and you spent, say 40%, of your time on ‘idle’ mode.
Never speak ill of your last employer because it shows that you will do exactly the same once you leave this one! Protect the image of your previous employer, and your current one will respect you for it.