B2B Outside Sales Representative - Chicago
Posted Sep 28, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a territory or book of business customers you built from scratch. How did you find your first accounts?
What they are checking: Whether they can prospect on their own, which matters in a role built on finding new business customers.
Tell me about a time you turned a one-time buyer into a recurring account.
What they are checking: Whether they can grow accounts over time, since the goal is recurring B2B sales, not one-off orders.
Tell me about a deal you lost. What did you learn from it?
What they are checking: Whether they reflect honestly on losses and improve their approach.
What would you do
What kinds of Chicago businesses would you target first for Ace for Business, and why?
What they are checking: Whether they think strategically about which businesses buy hardware and supplies regularly.
This role connects customers with participating Ace retailers. How would you build trust with a local store owner?
What they are checking: Whether they see retailers as partners and can make the arrangement work for the store too.
A customer needs a special order item quickly, but the local retailer cannot get it in time. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they solve problems creatively using vendor resources, special order and delivery options without overpromising.
How do you plan your week when you are covering a large territory?
What they are checking: Whether they manage their time and routes well enough to spend most of it with customers.
About the work
How do you run a discovery conversation or site visit with a business customer?
What they are checking: Whether they ask about the customer's operations and needs before pitching products.
How do you use a CRM to manage your pipeline and follow-up?
What they are checking: Whether they keep disciplined records, since the posting names CRM activity and pipeline building directly.
How would you explain trade credit or other business programs to a small contractor?
What they are checking: Whether they can explain business offers simply so customers see real value.
What does consultative selling mean to you?
What they are checking: Whether they understand selling as solving customer problems rather than pushing whatever is on hand.
Practice this interview out loud.
Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Ace Hardware from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.
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