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How to Answer the Interview Question "How Do You Improve Sales in a Business?"

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It's a good idea to be prepared for any question you could encounter during a job interview. If you're interviewing for a sales position, be ready for questions that center around your efforts and experience with customers. You may also be asked about your closing ratios and how you would improve sales in a business. When you're interested in a sales position, your potential employer wants to know how you're going to increase their product or service's image and profits.

Know Thy Product

One answer to give for improving sales in a business is increasing the product knowledge of those agents out pounding the pavement. Suggest that training sessions are key for new sales people as well as refresher courses for the seasoned pros. Exceptional product knowledge is a quality of top sales people because they know what features to sell to each customer. They can also answer questions on the spot in order to better close the sale, rather than needing to find out the information later and perhaps miss the sale altogether.

No "I" in Team

Making sure every staff member is a viable part of the sales process also increases sales in a business. The selling process isn't just designated to those given the title of salesperson. When customers call a business for assistance, they are impacted by every employee they encounter. Therefore, everyone from the receptionist to the CEO affects a customer's attitude. You can answer a related interview question with the example of a customer who calls a business and encounters a rude receptionist and subsequently never calls back to talk to a sales agent.

Personalize Your Efforts

Customers want to know that they are valued. One way to make them feel like they matter is to individualize each sales pitch. Customizing every individual effort means getting to know what is important to each customer and selling to that point. In an interview, you can give the example of someone searching for a new car. If the customer states that he can't fit his growing family into his current vehicle, the salesperson would promote the safety and roominess of minivans. Getting to know personal facts about customers, such as birthdays and anniversaries, and remembering them, also helps individualize the sales process.

Market to Everyone

Talk about one of the simplest ways to increase sales within a business, which is having the sales force inform everyone they encounter about what they do. From standing in line at the bank to sitting next to someone at a concert, the sales person who isn't shy and can talk about their company's product or service to anyone will increase sales. Networking is key to successful selling because customers sometimes buy because of referrals alone. The most subtle conversation with a stranger can lead to a big sale for a business.

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Based in the Midwest, Gina Scott has been writing professionally since 2008. She has worked in real estate since 2004 and has expertise in pop culture and health-related topics. She has also self-published a book on how to overcome chronic health conditions. Scott holds a Master of Arts in higher-education administration from Ball State University.

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