There are many people who just know how to interview well. They'll razzle and dazzle you with what seem to be all the right answers. So how do you get past that and find out more about the person behind those baby blue, green or brown eyes?

Here are a few great questions you can ask salespeople that do not usually elicit pat answers and will provide you with some great insights on the person behind the applicant.

1. Do you make mistakes? If the applicant answers, “no,” beware. Everyone makes mistakes once in awhile. People who won’t admit to making an occasional mistake probably won’t take responsibility for their mistakes either. Also, people who can admit that they make mistakes are more likely to learn from them.

2. Are you more interested in money or just doing a job well? This is a tricky one. When asked, most applicants, even those applying for a sales position, will try and second-guess that you are looking for someone who takes pride in doing a job well. Certainly you want this type of person, but you also must remember that you are in the sales business. You desperately need people who want to make money. If money isn't important, why would someone want to be in a sales position? You will always be better off with someone who wants to sell and make money than someone who takes more interest in doing operational tasks.

3. What do you want to be when you grow up? Or, where do you see yourself five years from now? Don't let an applicant's age hinder you from asking this question; you're looking to learn more about the applicant's aspirations. Are they looking for responsibility of any kind or just something to fill their day? Is the applicant only going to stay with you for a few months? This question can get a variety of responses. Beware if you hear “I really want to be a policeman, I’m just looking for a job with you until I get what I really want.” Don’t laugh. It’s happened.

4. What do you think determines a person’s progress in a good company? Think about the information this question can get you. The applicant may respond with things like, “doing a good job,” “dependability,” “working well with customers,” etc. Those things are all well and good, but you’re looking for the performance-oriented answer. Bells and whistles should start going off in your head when you hear responses that ring of accountability for sales performance.

5. Your application tells me a great deal about your experience. What isn't on this application that you would like me to know? This is a great question. With all of the limits put on an interviewer legally in terms of what you can and can’t ask, this allows the applicant to tell you just about anything they want. And sometimes the responses are very interesting.