Telesales interview: tips and questions.
Telesales staff usually work in call centres or within specific telesales departments of large companies. The job is to contact existing customers or potential new customers to purchase the company’s products or service.
Some people in telesales may be asked to deal with market research for their own or another company to find out the general public’s response to specific products. An excellent telesales person must always be polite, even when customers are rude and may blame them for ringing at an inopportune time.
It is essential to remain calm, and try to explain to the customer exactly what you are offering. Some telesales staff make appointments for sales representatives to go and see the customer, so it is important to enter the correct information regarding the date and time. If you are selling products, you will need to produce an invoice or receipt for the item sold, so being able to operate a computer quickly and accurately is also important.
Telesales staff often work in a large open-plan office with their own workstations. They wear a headset so that the customer can hear them clearly, and it also leaves the hands free for typing any orders.
Many people who work in telesales don’t have formal qualifications, although many university students work in call-centres during vacations, and some may return after completing their degree.
The Interview
An aptitude for the work rather than specific qualifications is important, although any relevant qualifications should be clarified. Before attending an interview take a look at the website of the company to get an insight into their business.
Ensure you are smartly dressed and arrive in plenty of time for your interview. Smile at the interviewer and make a point to remember their name and use it occasionally. During the interview, you may be asked if you would like to see the department where you’ll work if you are successful. This should be accepted and once you’ve had a tour of that part of the business, speak positively about it. Be enthusiastic – a telesales person must always appear to be happy, as this creates the rapport with potential customers.
Ensure that you speak clearly throughout the interview as your voice is important. It is the only opportunity to assist the customer to like you, and therefore want to purchase the product you are selling.
At the end of the interview thank the interviewer for showing you round and make it clear that you want the job if it is offered to you.
Telesales is a great first job if you can get into it and have the confidence. You will end up speaking to rude customers who will swear at you etc, you must NOT lose your temper or give in to the urge swear back. At all times you need to remain calm and collected.
As a potential telesales employee, you will be expected to have key set of characteristics. Your interviewer will ask you questions that will give you the opportunity to put these forward and hopefully you will finish the interview having left a positive impression. Some of the characteristics you will require for a career in telesales are listed below.
Excellent communicator– This one is obviously going to be key to success in your interview. The majority of time in this job will be spent communicating with either customers or members of the sales team. It therefore stands to reason that you should be able to portray yourself as someone who is a good listener, and can put a message across in a clear and concise manner.
Patience– From time to time it is inevitable that you will need to deal with irate customers. Regardless of the amount of abuse you might be receiving, it is a requirement to remain calm and attempt to defuse the situation.
Teamwork– You must be able to work as part of a team. Telesales shop floors are often set out in a way that splits the workforce into cells. Each cell will be expected to work as a team.
Enthusiasm– All employers, regardless of the industry, want to see there workforce enthusiatically working away. You don’t necessarily need to have a painted on smile but moping around will decrease your own production and could have adverse affects on those around you.
With the characteristics and how you employ them weighed off, you should do plenty of research on the company itself. Find out all you can so that you can tailor your answers to suit the way the company works.
For example,
Question: Why do you want to work here?
Answer: "Having seen your advertisement for staff online, I decided to look into how I would fit in to the position. I believe I have a strong work ethic and particularly enjoy working as part of a team. I also consider my communication skills to be of a high standard. Although I do not have direct experience in this industry I do believe I have some relevant skills which I have developed in a previous post as a Taxi company’s controller. I had to deal with customers on the phone constantly throughout my shift and believe I built up a strong relationship with many of them."
Question: How would you deal with an angry and abusive customer?
Answer: "First I would listen to the complaint to ascertain what the root cause of the anger was. I would then maintain a calm level voice in an attempt to get the customer to begin mirroring my tones. Once calmed down I would endeavour to fully understand the customers problem, and hopefully be able to provide the solution."