How best can I answer this question

[s2bounce]

"Tell me about a time when you have worked towards an individual sales target?"

[anonymous-user]

Surely the answer depends on what experience you have in sales?

[clived]

Honestly. Or you'll very quickly come unstuck on questioning...

Edited by clived on Friday 14th December 21:50

[s2bounce]

What points do I write about in brief

[crazy about cars]

First answer this , have you been in sales at all?

[s2bounce]

I have been selling credit hire but its my job for the last 10 years I have done customer service various other roles whilst there but it's been ages since I had a interview.
Just want to make sure I say want they want to hear

[davepoth]

s2bounce said:

Just want to make sure I say want they want to hear

You'll do fine in sales.

[TurricanII]

It sounds like a straightforward question to me... Not that I am a sales person... If you have not been given any specific target in your last role then I would think whether I could say that 'I set myself the target of improving month on month and managed to do this for x months', or 'I started off selling £x per month and was determined to get to a position of selling £y per month. I got there by....'

[Sogra]

An example might be

In my job as a xxxxxxx I was set a target of for a xxxxx period of time on xxxx product / service. To ensure I acheived this I identified xxxxxx prospects and made xxxx sales calls. I divided the target into working days to ensure I could acheive the target on a daily basis. I kept a daily record of my sales and checked off against my target to ensure I was on plan. When I had days where my sales were down I ensured I increased the number of calls to get me back on my target and during the 3 month period I acheived xxxx percent of my personal target.

It would help if the target was big (pound note value) and the percentage acheived was above 100%

[DarkHorseTerence]

OP : please take this the right way - but if I was recruiting and you wanted a job in sales and I knew you'd posted this question for such a simple interview question so fundamental to your potential role - you wouldnt get the job - no matter how well you answered it.

Initiative, Self Motivation, Self Reliance, Creative Thinking (both planned and 'off the cuff'), Energy.

All fundamental requirements of a successful sales person. Apply those to your interview yourself and demonstrate them and evidence them in interviews and you'll do great.......