Question: Describe a time when you had difficulty making a sale because you had trouble understanding your client’s wants and needs. What happened and what did you do?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Have you ever found it difficult to make a sale because you had trouble understanding the customer’s requirements? Why do you think this happened? What did you do about it?

Follow-up questions:

How do you feel whenever this happens?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Active Listening,Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Complex Problem Solving,Social – Coordination (Adjusting one’s own actions in relation to others),Social – Social Perceptiveness

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility)

Other Factors:

Personality-Job Fit

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events,Mental Processes – Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Work Context (Person-Job/Team/Org Fit):

Interpersonal Relationships – Deal With External Customers

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Adaptability/Flexibility,Analytical Thinking,Patience

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate’s patience.
The candidate’s creative thinking.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The candidate’s lack of patience.
The candidate’s lack of mental flexibility.

Sample Answer:

We had this client last year with vague description of his requirements. We were not able to present right away because we needed to clarify and ensure that we understood what they needed. We always tailor-fit our presentation according to client needs. Good thing the client was cooperative and we were able to close the deal.

Question Source: Unknown