What they are really asking

Sales managers ask this because they've hired people who liked the idea of sales and hated the reality. They want to know what will keep you going after the tenth "no" in a day. Money is part of it for almost everyone, and that's fine to say, but money alone doesn't get people through a bad month.

The trap is a speech about being "a people person." Many people like people and still dislike selling. A better answer names the part of the work you actually enjoy, such as the problem solving, the competition or the relationships, and shows that you know the hard parts too.

A shape that works

What you like, a moment, the hard part. Name one real thing you enjoy about selling. Give a short moment when you felt it. Then mention the part that's tough, like rejection or targets, and how you deal with it. Adding the hard part makes the whole answer more believable, because every salesperson knows it's there.

Model answers

Listen to how each answer is built, then make it yours.

Answer 1: an account executive for software in New York
Answer 2: a real estate agent in Mumbai
Answer 3: a retail assistant moving into business sales in Kyoto

Check yourself

1Why is "I'm a people person" a weak answer?
2What does mentioning commission do in the first answer?

Practice · 3 min

Write down the one part of selling, or of persuading people in any job, that you really enjoy. Add a short real moment and one hard part with how you handle it. Record the answer in under one minute. Check that "people person" doesn't appear anywhere.

Your recording stays on this device. Nothing is uploaded.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.