Sales-101 Salesforce Certified Sales Foundations Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

Approved budget, authority, business need, and timing are key factors that the sales rep should consider when assessing the probability of winning the business. These factors are also known as BANT criteria, which are used to qualify a prospect as a potential customer. Approved budget means that the prospect has enough money to buy the product. Authority means that the prospect has the power or influence to make a purchase decision. Business need means that the prospect has a problem or challenge that the product can solve. Timing means that the prospect is ready or willing to buy withina reasonable time frame.References:https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/sales-process/#qualify

Team selling is a strategy of using a group of salespeople with different skills and expertise to sell toand serve major accounts. The primary benefit of team selling at a key account is that it leverages the collective expertise of the team members to meet the customer’s expectations and needs. Team selling can help create value for the customer by providingcustomized solutions, addressing complex problems, and delivering superior service. Team selling can also help build trust and loyalty with the customer by demonstrating commitment, collaboration, and professionalism. References:

Cert Prep: Salesforce Certified Sales Representative, unit “Build and Maintain Relationships with Key Accounts”

Team Selling: The Secret Weapon in Major Accounts

Identifying potential trigger events as the reason to reach out to prospects is what the sales rep can do to gain their interest when assigned to high-value prospects. A trigger event is an occurrence or change that creates an opportunity or need for a product or service, such as a merger, expansion, launch, etc. Identifying trigger events helps to show relevance, timeliness, and value to the prospects, as well as to capture their attention and curiosity.References:https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/lead-generation/#lead-generation-strategies

The main objective of a value proposition presentation is to show the prospect how the solution can solve their problems, fulfill their needs, and provide them with benefits that outweigh the costs. A value proposition presentation should highlight the unique features and advantages of the solution, as well as quantify the expected outcomes and ROI for the prospect.References:https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/value-proposition/#value-proposition-presentation

Data integrity is the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of data in the pipeline. Data integrity is essential for effective forecasting, reporting, and decision making. A sales representative who works at a heavily siloed company may face challenges in gathering insights for renewals, such as customer satisfaction, usage, feedback, and retention. To improve data integrity in thepipeline working across silos, the sales rep should collaborate with other customer-facing teams, such as service, support, marketing, and product. By sharing information and insights with these teams, the sales rep can gain a holistic view of the customer’s needs, expectations, and challenges, and plan accordingly for renewals. The other options are not effective ways to improve data integrity, as they may compromise customer trust, violate privacy, or reduce profitability. References:

Cert Prep: Salesforce Certified Sales Representative, unit “Assess Risks and Opportunities”

[Sales Rep Training], unit “Create Effective SellingHabits”

Product knowledge isthe skill that the sales rep needs to address this challenge, because it enables the sales rep to confidently and convincingly explain how their product is superior to the competitor’s product, and how it can better solve the customer’s needs and challenges. The sales rep should be able to highlight the unique features and benefits of their product, and differentiate it from the competitor’s product in terms of value, quality, and performance. Sales acumen and forecasting are not the best answers, because they are not directly related to the challenge of dealing with a customer who is comparing products. Sales acumen is the ability to understand the sales process and the customer’s behavior, and apply the best strategies and techniques to close the deal. Forecasting is the ability to predict the future sales outcomes based on the current pipeline and historical data. References: Certification - Sales Representative - Trailhead, [Sales Rep Training: Create Effective Selling Habits - Trailhead]

Design thinking is a creative problem-solving process that involves understanding the customer’s needs, challenges, and goals, and generating innovative solutions that address them. Design thinking is based on five stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. By using design thinking, sales representatives can help their customers discover new possibilities, overcome obstacles, and create value. References:

Cert Prep: Salesforce Certified Sales Representative, unit “Use Design Thinking to Solve Customer Problems”.

What isDesign Thinking? — updated 2024 | IxDF

Design thinking, explained | MIT Sloan

A forecast is a projection of how much revenue you can generate in a quarter. A forecast rollup is the aggregation of a set of opportunities based on three dimensions: time, categories, and territories. Time refers to the fiscal period, such as month or quarter, that the forecast covers. Categories refer to the stages of the sales process, such as commit, best case, or pipeline. Territories refer to the sales regions or markets that the forecast applies to. References:

Certification - Sales Representative - Trailhead

Cert Prep: Salesforce Certified Sales Representative - Trailhead

[Forecasting Guide - Salesforce Help]

Educating prospects about the key benefits of new products through storytelling is an effective approach. Storytelling involves sharing examples, customer success stories, or hypothetical scenarios that illustrate how the product can be used and the benefits it delivers. This method helps prospects visualize the product in action and understand its value in a real-world context. Salesforce often highlights the importance of storytelling in sales to make products more relatable and to create a connection with potential customers.

The duration of a contract is one of the factors that affect the value of a deal, along with the price, terms, and conditions. Longer contracts can increase thecash flow predictability for both the seller and the buyer, as they reduce the uncertainty and variability of future payments and revenues. Longer contracts can also help build stronger and more loyal relationships with customers, as they demonstrate trustand commitment. On the other hand, shorter contracts can increase the risk of losing customers to competitors, as they offer more opportunities for switching or renegotiating. Shorter contracts can also create more pressure on the seller to deliver valuequickly and consistently, as they have less time to prove their worth and earn customer satisfaction. References:

Cert Prep:Salesforce Certified Sales Representative, unit “Assess Risks and Opportunities”

[Sales Rep Training], unit “Create Effective Selling Habits”

In the qualification process, a sales representative should consider aspects of a prospect's buying culture and climate such as the decision-making process, urgency for change, and openness to new solutions. Understanding these elements helps the sales rep tailor their approach to align with the prospect's priorities and decision-making dynamics. Knowing who is involved in the decision-making, how urgent the need for a solution is, and how receptive the organization is to adopting new technologies or approaches can significantly impact the strategy for engaging with the prospect and ultimately, the success of the sale. Salesforce advocates for a thorough qualification process that includes assessing these factors to better understand the prospect's needs and how to effectively addressthem.

A cold call is a phone call to a potential customer who has not expressed any prior interest in your product or service. The key elements of a successful cold call are a compelling hook and open-ended questions. A compelling hook is a brief statement that captures the attention of the prospect and shows them how your product or service can solve their problem or meet their need. Open-endedquestions are questions that require more than a yes or no answer, and that encourage the prospect to share more information about their situation, goals, challenges, and preferences. By using a compelling hook and open-ended questions, you can engage theprospect, build rapport, qualify them as a lead, and move them to the next stage of the sales process. References:

Cert Prep: Salesforce Certified Sales Representative, unit “Generate Leads and Opportunities”

[Sales Rep Training], unit “Prepare Your Team to Sell Successfully”

Determining if the customer needs have changed is a potential benefit of revisiting dead opportunities. Dead opportunities are prospects who did not buy the product for various reasons, such as budget, timing, or fit. Revisiting dead opportunities can help to identify if their situation has changed, if their pain points have increased, or if they are more open to considering the product again.References:https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/lead-generation/#lead-generation-strategies

Brainstorming, observation, and surveys are three elicitation techniques that the sales rep should use to gain a better understanding of their customer’s business strategies, goals, initiatives, and challenges. Elicitation is the process of gathering information from various sources using different methods. Brainstorming is a technique that involves generating ideas or solutions through creative thinking and collaboration. Observation is a technique that involves watching or monitoring how customers perform their tasks or use their products. Surveys are a technique that involves collecting feedback or opinions from customers using structured questions or scales. References:https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/content/learn/modules/sales-representative-certification-prep/sales-representative-certification-prep-prepare-for-your-exam

Updating the opportunity’s stage and forecast category to reflect therecent progress is what the sales rep should do to ensure accurate forecasting. An opportunity is a qualified prospect who has a high probability of buying the product. An opportunity stage is a measure of how far along the opportunity is in the sales process, such as prospecting, qualification, proposal, negotiation, etc. A forecast category is a measure of how likely the opportunity is to close as won, such as pipeline, best case, commit, closed, etc. Updating the opportunity’s stage and forecast category helps to reflect the current status and potential outcome of the opportunity, as well as to provide a realistic and reliable prediction of future sales revenue.References:https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/sales-forecasting/#sales-forecasting-definition