A customer who signed three months ago says you mis-sold them and wants to cancel. How do you handle it?
What the interviewer wants to hear
- Listen fully and stay non-defensive
- Review what was promised in notes, emails and recordings
- Own any genuine mistake
- Work with customer success on a fix
- Agree a fair resolution and learn from it
Model answer
I would first listen without defending myself, asking what they expected and where the product fell short. Then I would review the facts: my CRM notes, emails, the proposal and any call recordings, to see what was actually promised. If I over-promised or a misunderstanding came from me, I would own it clearly. Next I would work with customer success and product on a plan to close the gap, such as configuration help, training or a workaround, and offer it with a timeline. If the gap cannot be closed, I would escalate to my manager to agree a fair outcome, which might include adjusted terms. Afterwards I would reflect honestly on how the expectation was created, and change how I describe that area in future deals.
Can you answer it under time pressure?
Take a timed hard round and get scored on every answer.
More hard Sales Executive questions
- Tell me about a time you missed your quota. What happened and what did you change?
- The business team wants your product, but procurement is pushing hard for a 25% discount near quarter end. How do you handle the negotiation?
- Your manager wants you to add a deal to commit to make the team forecast look better, but you believe it will not close this quarter. What do you do?
- You learn late in the cycle that the prospect is leaning towards a competitor. How do you respond?
- You are given a new territory with no existing pipeline and a quota starting in 90 days. How would you plan your first three months?
- Your manager wants you to push through a deal you believe the customer will regret. What do you do?
- You have a mid-size customer paying $50,000 a year. How would you try to grow them to $150,000 over two years?
- Your commission plan pays most on a product that is often not the right fit for your customers. How do you handle this?
- You take over a territory where most of the pipeline is old, inactive or unqualified. How do you rebuild it quickly?