“Whatever you are, be a good one.”
-Abraham Lincoln
Prepping for your next Real Estate sales interview? Even if you are experienced or fresh out of college, you must be feeling nervous. Add to that the pressure of interviewing for a Real Estate sales job. You don’t know what to prepare for because you don’t know what will be asked. So, you are nervous and except for the basics, mostly unprepared. Which is why we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions in Real Estate Sales interviews.
At Paramantra, we’ve worked with 250 Real Estate organisations for over 11 years and have compiled these questions after consulting over 100 hiring managers. What do they look for in the ideal candidate? Read on to find out.
To begin with, don’t memorise these answers. The pointers are used to help you frame answers that resonate with interviewers. Consider this is as a sketch which you complete with your unique personality traits.
Some general pointers to remember:
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Keep the responses short and to the point.
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Answer honestly but don’t divulge information that wasn’t asked for.
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Say “I don’t know the answer, but I will find out” when faced with a tough question.
- Maintain eye contact. Smile. Be Confident.
FAQs for Real Estate Sales Interviews
1. Tell us about the time you lost sales?
You expect interviewers to ask you about your achievements but they are interested in your failures. Why? Because all sales representatives feel their positive best when they close a deal. It is when you don’t, that your true grit is tested. Interviewers want to know how you react when the odds are against you and when things aren’t going as planned.
What to Say
Talk honestly about the time you failed, how you felt and most importantly how you overcame the failure. Talk about moments of frustration and disappointment before discussing the learning you took away from it.
What Not to Say
Don’t play the blame game. You could have lost a deal because of a colleague’s mistake or because of a competitor. Irrespective, it’s important to talk of your experience and learning rather than focus on how other people caused your failure. This attitude is the thing that interviewers resent the most.
2. What keeps you motivated in a sales job?
Working as a sales representative isn’t easy. You deal with different people with unique needs in unpredictable situations. Which is why interviewers want to understand what keeps a salesperson motivated.
What to Say
Talk about what motivates you the most. It could be the challenge the job presents, the euphoria of closing a deal or the confidence boost you get when you convert a tough client. Talk passionately, but briefly, about the aspect of sales that keeps you motivated even when things don’t go as planned.
What Not to Say
Anything you don’t feel because a) there is no “right” answer and b) interviewers can smell a lie from a distance. Also, the interviewer/s could turn into your future colleague/s who will definitely notice that your words don’t align with your actions.
3. How do you think the Real Estate industry operates?
Even if you expect this question, don’t take it lightly. This question is often posed even to experienced candidates to test if they’re updated about industry trends.
What to Say
Give a basic outline of industry operations before you go into trends, research, and insights. Give a few examples of online portals, journals or any other research you’ve read on the industry. This shows that you’re curious and keep yourself updated, so you can sell better. There is a lot of information on the Real Estate industry on the web, all you need to do is look.
What Not to Say
Any trend/fact about which you have little information. This will land you in trouble in case the interviewer is better informed about the subject. Interviewers want your perspective on the industry and not memorized definitions. Stick to what you know!
4. How do you decide who are the big players?
You should prepare for this answer even if the company has a marketing team and prospecting is not a direct part of your KPIs. You should be able to identify who to sell to and who your ideal customer is.
What to Say
The big players are usually the ones who make maximum investments in marketing. So newspaper adverts, hoardings, and online channels should give you these leads. Another option is to look at property portals to know which developers have maximum projects. List out these as part of the process you use to identify prospects.
What Not to Say
You won’t need to identify leads because you will work with marketing-generated leads. This is a no-no and will not land you any brownie points with the interviewers. Mostly because it shows a lack of initiative on your part.
5. What inspired you to take a job in sales/marketing?
Now, this is a tricky one. Maybe you were always clear about choosing sales as a career. But if you were clueless, like the rest of us, and took the first job straight out of college, then this one’s for you.
What to Say
You can be honest about wanting to experiment by choosing sales as a career. But follow this up with how the experiment worked well for you. Dwell on your achievements and how each of these inspired you to get better and do more.
What Not to Say
That you have been passionate about sales since you were a kid. Especially if this is something you don’t feel. So if you aren’t passionate, to begin with, there is little chance you will sound passionate.
Just practice answers to all these questions before your next Real Estate Sales interview and you will be good to go. If you are confident about these but unsure of how to prepare for sales mock calls then our sales scripts will help you out.
So on the day of your interview, wear your confidence and all will be okay. Good Luck!
