Sales Representative (Wholesale & Manufacturing) Interview Questions & Answers

Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses, government agencies, and other organizations.

Interviewers look for candidates that demonstrate excellent skills such as:

• Customer service skills
• Self-confidence
• Interpersonal skills
• Physical stamina

In this blog, we discuss commonly asked interview questions during job interviews for Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Representative positions. We also discuss the qualities that interviewers look for in successful candidates. In other words, we’re here to help you out!

Also, read more about frequently asked job interview questions here and check our job interview preparation checklist.

Skills Interviewers Look For In Successful Candidates

Below we discuss the skills you can highlight in your answers to demonstrate that you’re qualified for the job.

Customer-service skills

Why interviewers are interested in your customer-service skills:

Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to listen to the customer’s needs and concerns before and after the sale.

Learn more about customer-service interview questions and how to answer them!

Interpersonal skills

Why interviewers are interested in your interpersonal skills:

Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to work well with many types of people. They must be able to build good relationships with clients and with other members of the sales team.

Physical stamina

Why interviewers are interested in your physical stamina:

Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives are often on their feet for a long time and may carry heavy sample products.

Self-confidence

Why interviewers are interested in your self-confidence:

Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations. In addition, making a call to a potential customer who is not expecting to be contacted or ‘cold-calling’ requires confidence and composure.

(source: bls.gov)

Sales Representative (Wholesale & Manufacturing) Job Interview Questions & Answers

During a job interview, the hiring manager wants to discuss several things. Think of your:

• Employment history
• Skills and abilities
• Accomplishments
• Job qualifications
• Educational background
• Career goals
• Personality

Below you find a list of commonly asked interview questions.

Examples Of General Sales Representative (Wholesale & Manufacturing) Interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. How would you describe yourself?
3. Why do you want to work here?
4. What interests you about this position?
5. Walk me through your resume.
6. What motivates you?
7. Why are you leaving your current job?
8. Describe your work ethic.
9. What is your greatest strength?
10. How does your experience qualify you for this job?
11. What is your greatest weakness?
12. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
13. Tell me about a challenging work situation and how you overcame it.
14. What are your expectations for this position?
15. What are your career goals?
16. Why should we hire you?
17. What did you like most about your last position?
18. What did you like least about your last position?
19. How do you handle stress?
20. What is your greatest accomplishment?

Learn how to answer these common job interview questions!

Examples Of Specific Sales Representative (Wholesale & Manufacturing) Behavioral Interview Questions

Learn more about answering behavioral interview questions by using the STAR interview technique.

1. How do you define great customer service? Can you give me an example of how you provide excellent service to your customers?
2. What is your approach to stay up to date on new market trends and developments?
3. Tell me about a time you thought outside of the box to close a sale.
4. What is the hardest deal you ever had to close? What made it such a challenge? How did you close it?
5. What is your philosophy towards customer complaints? Can you give me an example of how you successfully deal with customer complaints?
6. How do you set and evaluate your sales targets as a wholesale and manufacturing sales representative? How often do you meet your sales targets?
7. Tell me about a time you turned an unhappy client into a happy one. What did you learn from the situation?
8. How do you find new clients, and how do you approach them? Can you give me an example?
9. Walk me through how you plan, organize, and prioritize your tasks on a typical day as a wholesale and manufacturing sales representative.
10. Describe a time you made a mistake. What happened, and how did you fix it? What did you learn from the situation?

Learn more about questions to ask the interviewer during your job interview.