Sales Tests

What skills do salespeople typically need?

First and foremost, sales is about relationship building.

Good salespeople tend to be those who can create trust and rapport with their customer, while expertly communicating why the customer should buy what they’re selling. As a result, sales people tend to be confident and outgoing, but that’s not to say quieter people can’t be successful.

As well as creating connections with customers, sales is all about teamwork. You’ll need to be happy working closely with other sales people; knowing when to support each other, and when to step back and let someone else take on a sale.

There are a lot of other skills you’ll be expected to have. For example, your ability to negotiate and be persistent (yet polite), and how well you can flex your approach if things aren’t going your way. Having strong knowledge around what you’re selling is also valued, since it helps to elevate your expertise and build trust with your customer base.

What psychometric tests do firms use to assess these skills?

Many companies use psychometric tests as part of the sales testing process, to ensure well-rounded candidates who are as strong at numerical reasoning and written communication as they are at building relationships with their customers.

As well as these more traditional tests that assess your numerical and written skills, you may be asked to complete tests that more closely examine your personality, your ability to work through common workplace challenges and your aptitude for error checking.

So if you’re taking a sales test as part of the recruitment process for a sales role, it’s good to be prepared that you may be asked to complete any number of the following psychometric tests, outlined below.

Personality tests

Personality tests are designed to find out what kind of character you are, and by extension of that, how well you’re likely to fit into the role, team and overall company you’re applying to work for. This is particularly important in sales, where a person’s personality is so intrinsically linked to how successful they are at selling.

The test will be tailored to the job you’re applying for, and will ask you to select your response from a series of options in relation to the question you’ve just been asked.

Unlike a lot of aptitude tests, there’s normally no time limit on a personality test. The point is to read through the question carefully and answer honestly and instinctively. There are no ‘right or wrong’ answers, but there are answers that better reflect the ethos and values of the company.

Situational judgement tests

Similar to a personality test in that there are no ‘right or wrong’ answers, the situational judgement test will present you with a series of challenges and problems you’re likely to encounter working in sales, and ask you to choose your response from a few options.

This test is designed to give the employer a better idea of how you work, and offers them an early indication of what your strengths and weaknesses are likely to be.

Again, answering honestly is really important, but it’s always worth bearing in mind the skills and competencies a sales employer is likely to want to see demonstrated in your responses.

Numerical reasoning tests

The numerical reasoning test looks at how strong your basic mathematical skills are — essential for most sales roles.

You’ll be presented with graphs, tables and charts and asked to analyse the data in front of you in order to answer the questions.

Revisiting numerical reasoning tests before your sales test is really important. Not only will it help you to brush up on the skills you’re being tested on, it’ll also help you improve your speed (very important as the test is timed), your accuracy, and your confidence.

Error checking tests

Attention to detail is a skill highly prized in many roles, but especially sales.

The sales error checking test is exactly like it sounds and tests you on your ability to spot and respond to errors.

Practising error checking tests in advance of your sales test is really important as it’ll help build the skills you need to be successful in this area. You’ll need to be quick, thorough and accurate — which can be challenging if you’re not used to the demands of an error checking test.

Verbal reasoning tests

Communication is key in sales, and the verbal reasoning test looks to assess those skills to make sure you have what it takes.

Most commonly, you’ll be presented with a passage of text (you won’t need to have read up on the subject matter before the test), before being asked a series of questions on what you’ve just read. Normally you’ll have to respond with ‘true’, ‘false’ or ‘cannot say’.

You’ll need to focus your mind on what you’re reading, and try to remember any key bits of information so you can work through the questions quickly and accurately.

Five tips for sales tests

Preparing for the sales test is really important if you want to do well, here are our top five tips:

1. Do your research

Looking into the company you’re applying for is really important. Try and find out what their values are, how they like to do business and what’s important to them. This information will be particularly useful when you come to the situational judgement test and interviews.

2. Practice

Working your way through as many sales tests as you can before the one that counts is crucial if you want to improve your speed and accuracy. It’s especially important to spend time on any areas (for example, verbal reasoning) that you feel less confident in.

3. Think outside the box

Going over old tests can get dull, so why not try something new? Ask a friend to quiz you on a passage from your favourite book to sharpen your verbal reasoning skills, or play a mathematical computer game that’ll help prepare you for the numerical reasoning test.

4. Role play

Embodying the sales person you want to become can help to boost your skills and confidence. Ask a friend or family member to role play with you. They can give you feedback as to how strong they thought your selling skills were.

5. Keep calm

Tests are challenging, that’s the point. But if you do come to an area you’re struggling with, try not to panic. Take a deep breath, read the question again and if you really can’t work out the answer, make an educated guess.