Customer Communication Interview Preparation Guide

When asking this question, an employer isn't interested who you find it difficult to work with. They want to know what you do to ensure an effective working relationship with such individuals.
A possible answer for this question could be: I get on with all types of people, but get frustrated when working with those who don't share my work ethic.
In these situations, I find that by developing a good rapport the person, letting them know how important their contribution is to getting the job done, and appealing to their better nature things get done.

When preparing your answer for this question, bear in mind that the employer is most interested in the tools you use to deal with conflict.
Choose an example where you had to work hard to come to a mutually beneficial outcome. Points that you may want to consider when preparing your answer:
Emphasize that you always act calmly even if the other party is aggressive and that you never personalize a situation. Mention that you actively listen and try to understand the other person's viewpoint. Show that you are open to the idea that a third position may exist and that by working together a creative solution may be found. Highlight that if approached correctly you think conflict can be positive as it can deepen your awareness of a situation, sharpen your focus and force you to think outside of the box.

Once again, the employer is more interested in the tools you use to effectively communicate a complex idea, rather than the idea itself. Points to bear in mind when explaining your methodology:
When communicating complex ideas, you keep your message simple and straightforward - avoiding technical jargon and overusing statistics. You don't expect people to have the same background knowledge as you and are careful to introduce your idea in clear, concise terms. You find that giving examples, using pictures and graphs helps clarify difficult concepts and can be useful as people have different learning styles. You always encourage questions and if somebody is having difficulty understanding, you are quick to adapt your style.

Be specific when answering questions about your accomplishments with other companies. By simply stating, I ran several online marketing campaigns does not adequately show what you can do for the company.
A more appropriate answer would be: I started a social media campaign that used targeted advertising systems to market the company's services to youth in North America. In order to elaborate - this will further project your knowledge of different campaigns - use numbers that support the project such as, Within three financial quarters, sales increased by 427% and brand recognition vastly improved by 10% within the target demographic.

Marketing demands a lot in terms of creativity. When answering questions such as this, it is important to make sure you include as much creative thinking in your response as there was in the actual project. When discussing a campaign that you felt was successful, make sure to include why you feel it was a success, what contributed to making it a success and point out key tactics that you can identify with, which made the campaign successful.

In times of economic strain, this question is most relevant for a marketing professional. As marketing is one of the most important functions within a company, when finances are tight a marketing budget, which may once have been limitless can be squeezed down to close to nothing. This is yet another area which will require a creative answer that also highlights your planning and ambition in terms of working under pressure.
Also, the best way to answer questions about the future is to focus on accomplishments of the past. In other words, when asked about how you would deal with possible future scenarios, refer to your past accomplishments. Your answers should focus on successful campaigns with statement such as, While I was with my previous company I initiated both low-cost lead generation strategies and several viral marketing campaigns using an almost in-existent budget to boost profits by 200%.

An interviewer will ask his question in order to assess how you handle a failed plan, as this is quite inevitable. It is important that you are able to recognize the key reasons why a strategy went wrong and what you learnt from the experience.
Campaigns may fail for many different reasons, including: poor research and groundwork, poor planning and follow-through of objectives and goals or ineffective communication. Be open about why the campaign failed, take accountability and focus on what you learnt.

When answering this question make sure to show how cultural, social, personal and psychological factors all impact consumer behavior. Provide an example of a marketing campaign or project you developed and how you used these four key factors to develop and optimize your project.

Coming up with new and effective ways to market a product in such a tight economy is a tough challenge and these days customers have more power than ever. It is getting more difficult for marketing initiatives to effectively meet these new customer demands. Keep these and other factors in mind when tackling this question, relate your personal experience of the challenges you have encountered and discuss the creative ways in which you handled them.

An interview for a marketing position is one where preparation is of particular importance. In order to provide accurate answers you need to remember the specifics of past marketing strategies from memory and know as much as possible about the marketing strategies (and products/services being marketed) about the company you are applying for, its current economic climate, their target consumer, and best practices to reach them.