This article provides you with the common counter sales interview questions along with their sample answers to help you ace your chances of getting a job in your upcoming interview.
1. Why Are You Interested In This Role?
Besides having a diploma in customer care service, I have been a counter sales personnel at a fast-food outlet for 2 years now. I have gained a lot of experience in attending to customers and providing them with the best solutions. I would respond to the queries and concerns of the customer on time with all the courtesy that it deserves. I possess very excellent communication, sales, and customer service skills. I am looking for a bigger challenge than the one I already have to help me grow in this career. After going through your job posting for this role, I believe that I can get this opportunity here. I will utilize all the skills and experience that I have to exceed your expectations for this role.
2. What Are The Roles Of A Counter Sale?
Counter sales personnel are responsible for managing the sales process beginning from the time of the initial request of the customer to the execution of the order. Other duties include:
- Greeting customers as they enter the store
- Ensuring that customers are contented with the products provided to them
- Providing outstanding customer service as well as customer satisfaction
- Ensuring that the space is clean and neat all the time
- Building and maintaining excellent relationships with customers
- Creating and updating customer’s data in the database for future reference
- Managing the store inventory as well as reporting how it is to the sales manager
- Understanding the specifications and requirements of customers
- Offering the right solutions to the customers
- Solving customer’s issues and complaints about the products
- Processing customers payments
- Reporting accidents and any mishaps to the store manager
3. What Are The Qualities That Counter Sales Need To Be Successful?
To be effective in this role, a counter sale personnel should have outstanding communication, customer service, sales, interpersonal, decision-making, and organizational skills. He or she needs to have the ability to explain the specifications of the products to customers as well as the ability to meet sales targets. To be successful in this role, a counter sale will also need to know how to multitask, work under minimal supervision, solve customers’ problems promptly, and work in a team environment. Additionally, he should have a strong work ethic and be an attractive and presentable individual.
4. What Major Challenges Did You Face During Your Last Role? How Did You Manage Them?
In my early days as a counter salesperson, I had difficulties mastering the specifications of many products. This would make me not respond to the questions asked by customers on time. I would keep customers waiting as I seek clarity from my colleagues. I realized that customers were lacking confidence in me and I had to do something about it. I devoted myself to learning about all the products’ specifications.I developed a strategy of remembering the details of all the products that were being sold in the store. This made it easy for me to explain the product professionally and clearly. Within a few months, I was able to win many returning customers.
5. Describe Your Daily Routine As A Counter Sale Personnel.
When I report for work every morning, I begin by reporting to the sales manager to know if there are tasks that I needed to perform my usual tasks which include:
- Greeting customers and taking their orders
- Processing customers payments
- Responding to customers’ queries and offering solutions promptly
- Providing excellent product descriptions to customers
- Following up on customers’ orders to prevent frustrations and delays
- Keeping the product inventory updated
- Ensuring that the customer area is neat and clean
- Ascertaining that every customer is satisfied before leaving the store
6. Describe Briefly About Your Experience?
I have been a counter salesperson for three years in a fast food outlet. During this time, I have gained expertise in attending to customers and providing them with the best solutions. I would respond to the queries and concerns of my customer on time with all the courtesy that it deserves. Previously, I was named as the best counter sales personnel in providing product demonstrations to our customers. Besides, I have also developed the necessary skills to perform this role including outstanding communication, customer service, sales, interpersonal, decision-making, and organizational skills. Should you hire me for this role, I will begin by building and maintaining excellent relationships with clients through my strong customer service and communication skills. I will aim to increase sales that will alter your revenue status positively.
7. What Kind Of Strategies And Mindset Are Required For This Role?
This role requires a counter sale to have very strong communication, customer care service, and judgment skills. He must know how to approach prospects and turn them into customers in a respectable and presentable way. This will demand him to dress attractively and decent. A counter sale must know how to effectively explain the products’ specifications n a clear way. Another strategy required is knowing how to win customers’ royalty to ensure repeats in the store.
8. What Is The Biggest Challenge You Foresee In This Job?
The biggest challenge I foresee in this role is the advancement that is taking place in the technology. Technology is replacing human labor rapidly. However, there is a need to maintain a balance between human labor and artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence cannot succeed in this role alone. Even if it makes this role simple, there needs to be human labor to build and maintain relationships that help in winning the royalty of customers.
9. How Do You Stay Motivated At Work?
I have a good relationship with my manager and colleagues. This has created a cohesive environment for me to work in. Furthermore, my strong customer service and communication skills have resulted in returning customers. Ensuring that customers get satisfied with what is offered to them makes me stay motivated. I ensure to follow up on their order to ensure that they are not delayed. I also like responding to customers’ inquiries promptly and correctly. This has contributed to having good relationships with my clients. Finding out that customers are satisfied while leaving our store is a great motivation for me.
10. Describe A Time You Failed In This Role And The Lesson You Learned?
There is a time a customer approached me as I was in the middle of processing a customer’s payment. I can attest that I did not have the best attitude while assisting her. My response was a bit curt though this is not my typical standard. I could tell that she noticed it. When I realized this, I tried to adjust my attitude. Looking back, I regret that mistake. Today, I always take a beat before responding to a customer, and I don’t let past frustrations influence the new interaction.
11. Why Do You Feel You Are Qualified For This Role?
I have a bachelor’s degree in sales and marketing as well as a diploma in customer care service. I’m proficient in Microsoft office and other retail software. Previously, I have been working as a counter sale at a fast food outlet. During this time, I have been able to interact well with different customers thus gaining interpersonal skills. I have also gained expertise in attending to customers and providing them with the best solutions. I can respond to the queries and concerns of my customer on time with all the courtesy that it deserves.
Besides, I can demonstrate excellent personal appearance as well as the ability to explain product specifications to customers through my strong communication and interpersonal skills. My conflict management skill, customer care service, and knowledge of cash register are on another level. Therefore, I believe that I can exceed your expectations for this role.
12. Share With Us Your Greatest Achievement
My greatest achievement is being voted as the best counter sales personnel in explaining product specifications to customers. This encouraged me to continue being the best version of myself. I have my strategy of memorizing specifications about products and I can memorize as many products as possible. My strong communication, interpersonal, and customer care service skills have contributed to the winning of that award. Should you give me this opportunity to work with you, I will work with the same attitude.
13. Differentiate Between Cross Selling And Upselling
Cross-selling is the act in which a counter sale invites a customer to purchase a related or complementary product. Cross-selling identifies items that satisfy complementary needs that the original item could not do without. Upselling is the act of encouraging a buyer to purchase a higher-end item than the one he or she had purposed to buy.
14. Highlight Some Importance Of Cross-Selling And Upselling
Both cross-selling and upselling are important techniques that every counter sale personnel should have. This is because the techniques help in making more profit for the business. These techniques offer customer satisfaction because customers are given all the options available for them to make an informed decision before purchasing a product. The point of upselling and cross-selling demonstrate that you care for the needs of your customers and can lead to customer loyalty.
15. What Is Which Closing?
Which closing is the process of encouraging a customer to decide between two products? As a counter sales personnel, you should be able to explain the specifications of the product you are selling to your customers for them to make the right decisions before you do which closing.
16. As A Counter Sales Personnel, How Do You Recognize Buying Signals?
There are many factors that I look for when talking with customers such as:
- Positive body language including signals such as smiling, nodding, and leaning into your conversations. In my opinion, these are signs that a customer is interested in what I am offering.
- When a customer voluntarily asks for details and the price of a product.
- When customers are talking about how they will use an item or a product you are selling
- When a customer directly asks to buy a product
- When a customer spends a lot of time looking at a product or reviewing a product more than once. It is an indication that the customer is seeking assurance but is not finding it.
17. Why Do You Think Short Is Experienced In A Cash Register?
In my opinion, short happens when the one performing payment transactions lose focus while giving or receiving cash. The one receiving cash can get distracted by other buyers in the queue or staff members. It can happen when the cashier is chatting with other people while giving out or receiving cash.
18. This Role Demands You Have Strong Customer Care Service. Kindly Demonstrate What Good Customer Service Mean To You
In my opinion, good customer service begins with a counter sales personnel having a thorough knowledge of the product he or she is selling. This will enhance the communication the counter sale will have with the customer including being able to assist buyers to make the best purchasing choices. When customers realize that you know a product well, they are likely to trust you and build a good relationship with you. I also believe in talking politely to customers as well as actively listening to them. Other good customer service includes being friendly to customers, ensuring that the store is clean, customers are not waiting long for their orders, etc
19. As A Counter Sales Person, Why Should You Be Concerned With Having Good Customer Care Service?
Customer service is important because it enhances customer loyalty including increasing the number of times a customer visits and buys from a store. It can generate positive word of mouth about a store and help grow the amount of cash each customer spends on every single purchase he or she makes.
20. What Would You Do If You Did Not Know How To Help A Customer?
I would let the customer know that I need to seek more information regarding the issue. Then I would request the customer to give me some time to consult with my manager or colleagues not forgetting to apologize for the delay that I could be causing. After reaching out to a colleague who is more knowledgeable about the issue, I would now come back with the right answer. However, if the issue is more complex, I would request my colleague to respond to the client personally.
21. What Would You Do If A Customer Said You Were Taking Too Long To Handle An Issue?
I will begin by acknowledging that feedback without defending myself. I would then give my customer an estimate upfront of the duration that I would take on that task including why the tasks might take some time. I will then continue looking for a practical solution. Once I’m done finding the solution, I would reach back to the customers either physically, calling back, or providing an update by email. My focus would be to ensure that the customer is satisfied with our interaction.
22. If A Customer Is Upset About A Known Problem With Your Product, How Would You Handle The Situation?
I would begin by apologizing to the customer. I will then provide a full refund for the product or trade in the item for a different one. I would do this as I adhere to the specific guidelines set by the company for mitigating such problems.
23. How Would You Handle A Long Sales Cycle?
I normally target the prospects who seem to have the greatest need for what I am offering. I ensure to appeal to the greatest need of my prospects while performing my roles. I always use a unique selling proposition. I provide outstanding reasons why prospects should buy the products that I am selling. I also have a system for collecting the contact details of my prospects. I use these details to reach out to them with periodic reminders as well as offers.
24. Share With Me About Your Greatest Strong Point In Relation To This Role.
Besides having excellent customer care skills, I have a good memory. I can memorize a lot of information regarding products. This helps me to have a grasp of every product’s specification thus being able to conduct effective product demonstrations. I also have very strong communications skill that enables me to reach out to my prospects easily.
25. Kindly Describe Your Ability To Deal With Job Pressures And Stresses
I am more focused and I achieve positive results when working under pressure. My ability to multitask helps me maintain balance while working in stressful situations. Besides, I am a flexible person who can work even during odd hours. I understand that I need to keep a level head to achieve positive results.
Conclusion
It is not possible to predict exactly the questions that you will be asked in the interview. However, reviewing the above questions along with how best to answer them can give you a snapshot of what to expect during the interview.
