Effective Work Samples for Hiring Top Sales Consultants

Sales consultants are the lifeblood of revenue generation for many organizations. Unlike traditional sales roles that focus primarily on transactions, sales consultants must build trust, understand complex client needs, and position solutions that deliver genuine value. Finding candidates who can balance relationship building with revenue targets requires more than just reviewing resumes and conducting standard interviews.

Traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true sales capabilities. Many candidates can articulate sales methodologies and strategies eloquently in conversation but struggle to execute them effectively in real-world scenarios. This disconnect leads to hiring decisions based on interview performance rather than actual sales competence.

Work samples and role plays provide a window into how candidates think on their feet, handle objections, build rapport, and guide prospects through a consultative sales process. These exercises reveal critical skills that might otherwise remain hidden until months into the role—when the cost of a poor hire has already accumulated.

By implementing the following work samples in your hiring process, you'll gain objective data on each candidate's sales approach, communication style, and problem-solving abilities. These insights allow you to compare candidates more effectively and identify those who will truly excel in consultative selling environments rather than those who simply interview well.

Activity #1: Discovery Call Role Play

This exercise simulates one of the most critical moments in the sales process: the initial discovery conversation. A sales consultant's ability to ask thoughtful questions, identify pain points, and build rapport during discovery directly impacts their success in later stages of the sales cycle.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a fictional but realistic buyer persona with specific business challenges, goals, and potential objections.
• Provide the candidate with basic information about your company's products/services and the prospect's industry and role 24 hours before the interview.
• Assign an interviewer to play the role of the prospect, with consistent responses for all candidates.
• Limit the role play to 15-20 minutes, focusing on the discovery portion of the sales process.
• Record the session (with candidate permission) for evaluation by the hiring team.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided materials about the company's offerings and the prospect's background.
• Prepare an approach for conducting an effective discovery call with this prospect.
• During the role play, focus on understanding the prospect's situation, challenges, and goals rather than immediately pitching solutions.
• Ask thoughtful questions that reveal the prospect's business needs and personal motivations.
• Take notes during the conversation to demonstrate active listening and information retention.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the role play, provide immediate feedback on one strength (e.g., "Your questions about operational challenges revealed important information") and one area for improvement (e.g., "You could dig deeper into the financial impact of their current challenges").
• Give the candidate 5 minutes to reflect, then ask them to redo a portion of the conversation implementing the feedback.
• Observe how receptive they are to coaching and their ability to adapt their approach.

Activity #2: Solution Presentation Based on Client Requirements

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to translate client needs into compelling solution presentations—a fundamental skill for consultative selling that differentiates top performers.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a detailed client scenario with specific business challenges, goals, and requirements.
• Include relevant information about budget constraints, decision-making process, and competitive considerations.
• Provide this information to candidates 24-48 hours before the interview.
• Prepare evaluation criteria focused on how well the candidate tailors your solution to the specific client needs rather than delivering a generic pitch.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the client scenario and research the company's solutions that would address the client's needs.
• Prepare a 10-15 minute presentation that demonstrates how specific aspects of your solution address the client's unique challenges.
• Focus on value and outcomes rather than features and specifications.
• Be prepared to explain your rationale for recommending specific solutions and how they align with the client's business objectives.
• Include relevant questions you would ask to further refine your recommendations.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the presentation, provide specific feedback on one strength (e.g., "You effectively connected our solution's analytics capabilities to their revenue visibility challenges") and one area for improvement (e.g., "The ROI calculation could be more clearly tied to their specific business metrics").
• Ask the candidate to revise a portion of their presentation based on this feedback.
• Evaluate their ability to quickly incorporate feedback and strengthen their value proposition.

Activity #3: Objection Handling Scenario

This exercise tests a candidate's ability to navigate resistance—a critical skill that separates average sales consultants from exceptional ones who can maintain momentum through challenging conversations.

Directions for the Company:

• Develop 3-5 realistic objections commonly encountered in your sales process (e.g., price concerns, implementation timeline, competitive alternatives).
• Create a scenario where these objections arise during a late-stage sales conversation.
• Assign an interviewer to present these objections naturally during a role play, using consistent language and intensity for all candidates.
• Focus evaluation on the candidate's approach to addressing concerns rather than specific product knowledge.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Listen carefully to understand the root cause of each objection before responding.
• Acknowledge the concern and validate the prospect's perspective.
• Respond to each objection with relevant information, examples, or clarifying questions.
• Avoid becoming defensive or dismissive of the prospect's concerns.
• After addressing the objection, check for understanding and acceptance before moving forward.
• Be prepared to handle multiple objections that may build upon each other.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on one strength in their objection handling approach (e.g., "You effectively used customer examples to address their implementation timeline concerns") and one area for improvement (e.g., "When addressing the pricing objection, consider exploring their budget constraints more deeply before offering alternatives").
• Give the candidate an opportunity to handle a similar objection again, implementing the feedback.
• Note their adaptability and whether they maintain composure while incorporating the feedback.

Activity #4: Account Strategy and Planning Exercise

This exercise evaluates a candidate's strategic thinking and planning capabilities—essential skills for sales consultants who must manage complex sales cycles and multiple stakeholders.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a realistic account scenario with multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and potential obstacles to closing.
• Include information about the account's organizational structure, decision-making process, and relevant industry challenges.
• Provide this information to candidates 24-48 hours before the interview.
• Prepare evaluation criteria focused on strategic thinking, resource allocation, and risk management.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Develop a 90-day account strategy that outlines your approach to advancing this opportunity.
• Identify key stakeholders and their potential interests, concerns, and influence.
• Create a stakeholder map showing relationships and power dynamics within the account.
• Outline specific actions you would take to build relationships, address concerns, and move the opportunity forward.
• Include potential obstacles and your contingency plans.
• Be prepared to discuss how you would measure progress and adjust your strategy as needed.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on one strength of their strategic approach (e.g., "Your identification of the technical team as hidden influencers shows strong account insight") and one area for improvement (e.g., "Consider developing a more specific plan for engaging the financial decision-makers earlier in the process").
• Ask the candidate to revise a portion of their strategy based on this feedback.
• Evaluate their ability to incorporate feedback while maintaining a coherent overall approach.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allocate for these work samples in our interview process?

Each work sample typically requires 30-45 minutes, including setup, execution, feedback, and the candidate's opportunity to implement feedback. We recommend spreading these across different interview stages rather than conducting all four in a single session, which could be overwhelming for candidates.

Should we expect candidates to have detailed knowledge of our products for these exercises?

No. These exercises are designed to evaluate sales methodology and approach rather than product knowledge. Provide candidates with enough information about your solutions to be successful, but focus evaluation on their sales process, questioning techniques, and ability to connect solutions to client needs.

How should we evaluate candidates who have experience in different industries?

Focus on the transferable sales skills demonstrated in these exercises rather than industry-specific knowledge. Strong consultative selling skills, effective questioning, and strategic thinking are valuable across industries. Consider how quickly candidates grasp new concepts and adapt their approach to your specific market.

What if a candidate performs poorly on one exercise but excels at others?

Consider which exercises most closely align with the critical responsibilities of your specific sales consultant role. A candidate who excels at discovery and objection handling but struggles with formal presentations might still be excellent for roles focused on new business development, while presentation skills might be more critical for enterprise account management.

Should we share these exercises with candidates in advance?

For Activities #2 and #4, providing information 24-48 hours in advance is recommended as these require preparation and reflect real-world scenarios where sales consultants would have time to prepare. Activities #1 and #3 can be shared with minimal advance notice as they test the candidate's ability to think on their feet.

How do we ensure consistency when different interviewers conduct these exercises?

Create detailed rubrics for each exercise with specific criteria aligned to your sales methodology. Train all interviewers on proper administration and evaluation of the exercises. Consider having the same person play the client role across all candidates for role-playing exercises to ensure consistent delivery of objections and scenarios.

The investment in implementing these work samples will yield significant returns through improved hiring decisions and reduced turnover in your sales organization. By observing candidates in action rather than simply discussing their past experiences, you'll identify those with the skills and adaptability needed to succeed in consultative sales roles.

For more resources to enhance your hiring process, explore our AI-powered tools for creating customized job descriptions, generating targeted interview questions, and developing comprehensive interview guides.

Ready to build a complete interview guide for your Sales Consultant role? Sign up for a free Yardstick account today