How to Answer “Why Sales” for Freshers

If you are looking for a career where you can help people and businesses grow, then sales may be just right for you! It’s a great career option for those who have strong communication skills, strive to be their best, and don’t mind a bit of competition.

If you’re just entering the world of sales, especially as a fresher, you will constantly get asked this question – Why sales?

This is exactly when you need to step up and showcase your passion for the field of sales. But it is always good to be prepared with a good answer. You want to cover everything but also keep it short and precise. So in this blog, we will look into what the interviewer is looking for and the points you need to cover.

Also read – How to get a sales job without any sales experience (5 Practical Steps)

The intent of the interviewer while asking the question

People from all different kinds of educational qualifications and experiences apply for sales jobs. This makes it tough for the interviewers to identify the right candidates. Hence after the usual introduction and covering other aspects of your resume, the interviewer will ask you this question to understand the following – 

Passion for sales

Sales positions are probably one of the most applied to jobs by freshers from all different backgrounds. It is very important for the interviewers to identify the candidates who are genuinely passionate about sales from the others.

A lot of the candidates would not even have any kind of background or experience in sales, especially if you are a fresher. Hence by asking the candidates “Why Sales” they are basically trying to understand the motivation behind why the candidate choose sales as a career to pursue. They will most likely ask follow-up questions as well just to make sure the answer is genuine.

Evaluation of Sales skills

If you haven’t already figured it out, here is a secret –  you are actually selling yourself while interviewing for a sales position. Communication skills, objection handling, and research abilities are some of the attributes first noticed by the interviewer.

The confidence with which you speak, the way you answer the follow-up questions, and the prior research you have done before the interview will all be considered. 

Do your skills align with the organization’s goals?

Usually interviewers and looking for candidates with a specific skill set. If the employee possesses these skills but lacks the experience, they can still get considered for further rounds.

These skills are usually mentioned in the job description along with the job posting. Hence if the candidate is mindful enough to work on those skills and is confident enough to mention them in their answer, they will have an upper hand.

Points you must cover in your answer as a Fresher

This question will probably be asked after your self-introduction and a small discussion about your resume. Hence the points covered in your resume do not have tangible enough proof to vouch for your sales skills but were good enough to get you this call. So now you do rest by talking about – 

Real-life experience that helped you identify your passion for sales

As a fresher, you are going to lack real-world experiences in the sales field. Which makes it a little more tricky to explain your passion for sales. If you have internship experience in a related field, you can use that and emphasize the particular challenges you faced and liked to overcome. 

If you dont have any experience or educational background in sales, use experiences from your personal or college life where you used certain skills which are sales-related – like communication skills, objection handling, or research. Emphasize how you enjoyed using those skills and look forward to pursuing a career where you can develop those skills.

The skills you possess 

First thing – thoroughly read the job description posted. You will see the list of responsibilities and more importantly, the requirements mentioned. Make a list of the skills mentioned within them and frame the answer accordingly for every organization. This will give you a good idea about the skills you have, and the ones you need to develop.

This will let them know that not only that you have the skills needed but also have done the necessary research needed.

How you stand out among other candidates

Most of the candidates interviewed will mention similar skills as you. Hence it is important to add certain points that will help you stand out from the competition.

Telling the interviewer that you are a hard worker, goal-driven and a fast learner will not help you stand out. These aren’t tangible facts that the interviewer can bank on.

You need to highlight extra activities you have done that make you better than other candidates for that role. This could be an internship or some additional online courses you took. You can gain practical experience about the different software’s used by sales professionals and mention that as well.

Sample Answer

You are applying for the role of Sales Development Representative (SDR) at XYZ organization.

Interviewer – “Why Sales?”

Candidate – “During my college years and also during my internship I worked on a few different projects. I was very interested in two aspects while working on these projects –  the research and the final presentation. I enjoyed scouring the internet to find the right resources needed and also presenting all my findings to a person or a group of people. This also helped to develop my objection handling skills. So after college when I had to decide what career I wanted to pursue, I knew sales was the way to go. It is the perfect field for me to develop the skills I already have and grow faster in a competitive environment. For the same reason I have taken up some Udemy courses to further refine my sales skills and also I’m currently learning Hubspot and Mailchimp as they are important tools for sales-related processes. And that’s what brings me here today and I’m looking to put myself and my skills to work in XYZ’s sales team.”

Bonus tips

• Be honest. Use true stories. It will make it easier to answer follow up questions
• Be confident. You dont want to sound like you are just winging the answer.
• Do your research and make the answer relateable to the organization.
• Keep it short and precise. No more than 1 min.

Conclusion

Sales is a competitive field. Getting into sales is pretty competitive as well. So it’s very important you do your research and be prepared before every interview. Your answer should be authentic and also relatable.

We hope you enjoyed our article on How to answer “ Why Sales” for freshers. We know that you can make the most of your job interviews and land the job you want when you know the correct way to answer the tough questions. So what are you waiting for?  Get out there and start applying for sales jobs. 

The more applications you send out, the better your chances will be of getting a job. You need to find as many sales jobs as you can and apply for them and have follow-up conversations with the people that are responsible for hiring. Remember that persistence is key here. It is an important trait in every sales professional. 

If you have any other ideas on how to get into sales, please leave them in the comments section below. We would love to hear them. Thank you for reading, and good luck in your search!