Situational Sales Manager Interview Questions To Ask Applicants
Ask your applicants these nine situational sales manager interview questions to learn how they respond to challenging situations.
What Do You Hate Most About Cold Calling
Every prospect isnt going to be an inbound lead . This is why candidates must be comfortable with the idea of picking up the phone and calling a stranger.
Its okay if someone says they hate when no one answersbeing sent to voicemail is frustrating when youre eager to connect with human beings. But if the candidate tells you they cant stand rejection or being hung up on during sales calls, thats a warning sign youll want to probe into this area some more.
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7. What Did Your Last Product Do for Your Customers?
Good salespeople wont just talk about product features or their different SaaS plans. Theyll understand how their products served a particular need and solved pain points for different market segments.
The candidate may turn this into a mini sales pitch to show off their skills or simply give you an overview. Either way, this shows how well they understood their companys role in their customers lives, whether B2B or B2C.
8. What Do You Know About Our Company and Our Product?
This is often a make-or-break question. Each of your sales candidates should have done extensive research into your business before the job interview. And if they knew who on your team theyd be interviewing with, they should have combed through any info they could, just like with a sales prospect.
Are they actually familiar with your product or did they send their resume out everywhere and hope for the best? This is also a shining opportunity for them to transition into pitching your product. But if they didnt, follow up with our next prompt.
9. Pitch Me Our Companys Product./Pitch me Your Companys Product.
Roleplaying should always, always be a part of your sales interviewing process. Its a prime chance for you to see each candidate in action and learn how they perform under pressure. But heres the secret to getting the most out of this exercise: Dont share your roleplay identity right away see if they ask for it first.
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Tell Me About A Time Working With Another Was Challenging
Interviewers ask this because:
They want to be sure they are bringing someone onto the team who knows how to resolve conflict productively. Drama slows a sales team down.
How to answer:
Be careful not to throw anyone under the busthats not a good look.
Example answer:
A colleague and I were working together on a challenging project and had frequent differing opinions about the direction of it. My colleague would go to others in the organization to get their input on the project, and would not include me in the conversations.
At first, I thought my coworker was trying to cut me out of the project. After giving it some thought, I decided I needed to talk to my colleague and explain my concerns as plainly as possible. I discovered that they were not, in fact, trying to exclude me from the project, but felt unqualified to be working on it and wanted to get advice from others on how to proceed.
I suggested that we go together to get advice. The advice we got from others helped us collaborate more effectively and finish the project.
Operations Managers Need To Work With Large Amounts Of Data Daily Tell Me About Your Go
The data may be used for budgeting purposes or used to help understand how the team might be able to speed up processes within the organization. As such, your candidate should have a high level of familiarity with statistical software and be comfortable performing data analysis. What to look for in an answer:
- Knowledge of commonly used statistical and data processing software
- Level of experience in using these programs
- Love for data-driven work and business analysis
Teamwork is an important skill for sales operations managers to have. Employers ask this question to make sure you can work well with others and collaborate on projects. In your answer, explain how you use teamwork skills in your daily job. Share a specific example of when you used teamwork to accomplish a goal or project.
To help you prepare, weve put together a list of the most common sales operations manager interview questions and answers.
Example: I am the best candidate for this sales operations manager position because I have extensive experience managing teams and overseeing projects. In my previous role as a sales operations manager, I managed a team of five people who were responsible for creating marketing campaigns. I also oversaw the entire process from start to finish, which included hiring new employees and training them on our processes.
Tom Andrews jumped onto Sales Operations Demystified to share his knowledge and experience in Sales Operations.
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What Do You Think Will Be Your Biggest Challenge In Your First Three Months As An Sdr Or Ae
Interviewers ask this because:
This is a chance to show that you know that sales roles are demanding. We often hear sales leaders hesitant to hire those who havent worked in a sales environment before, and when we press them, they say its because successful sales people know what to expect from the job.
How to answer:
- Acknowledge you know this is a difficult role
- Mention your traits that help you remain positive and bounce back
- Talk about why it is worth it for you to succeed in this role
Example answer:
I think the SDR role will teach me how to bounce back from rejection. Ill have to get used to hearing no frequently.
I consider myself a very optimistic person and I dont take criticisms to heart, so while this may be a challenge, it wont be impossible to overcome. Im not a quitter, and I always see challenges through to the end, so I will treat this as a learning opportunity that will only make me better and more resilient in the future!
How Would You Describe Our Product To Someone Outside The Company
It will hurt your chances of standing out if you dont understand what product the company is selling before your interview. So when asked to describe the companys product, go into as much detail as possible.
Example:I would describe as a product that serves workers in the tech industry. This product helps learn about tech companies that are hiring as well as engage them with content that can help them further develop their skills and industry knowledge.
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What Does A Good Manager Need To Do Within This Organization
The goal of this question is twofold. First, you want to find out their management style and goals for their employees. They should touch on metrics for success, staff development, and executive communication.
You also want to understand how much research theyve done about your company and the sales organization. If they make sweeping statements about attracting more enterprise business when your website clearly states your mission is to help SMBs grow its probably a sign this candidate hasnt done their homework.
Why Do You Want To Manage People
There are plenty of reasons to want to be a manager, but its important to ask yourself what about having a team will motivate you. Thats what Dathan Brown, Sales Manager at ActiveCampaign, suggests. really need to be people-focused. If you just want more money, thats very much the wrong reason to go into management, Brown said. Thats a great reason to stay a sales rep go sell more. Youre going to need to legitimately care about a team.
Example:I found it rewarding whenever I had the opportunity to collaborate with my fellow sales reps, and believe I would thrive as a manager of people because of my enthusiasm for assisting my coworkers as well as my understanding of the daily pressure that sales reps face.
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What’s Something You Taught Yourself Recently
It’s important for any business to invest in their staff’s education and skillset. But it’s equally important for team members to be able to take on the initiative to teach themselves where they can.
This demonstrates self-awareness and a desire to learn and grow. Do they aim for quick wins or are they actively trying to develop themselves, both personally and professionally?
The Ultimate Guide To Sales Manager Job Interviews With 20 Sales Manager Interview Questions And Example Answers
Job interviews for sales management jobs can be very challenging. Youll be asked a number of tricky questions about your skills, achievements, experiences and sales ability. In order to stand out from the competition, you need be ready to ace these questions.
This guide includes 20 common sales management job interview questions, as well as example answers and tips to help you succeeding in your job interview.
Study the questions in this guide and prepare your answers in line with our job interview tips to give yourself a better chance of standing out from the crowd.
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What Made Your Best Manager Your Best Manager
Interviewers ask this because:
They want to know if theyll be able to offer you a situation where you can thrive.
How to answer:
Be specific! Name one or two specific things your manager did to help you reach your goals at work. Maybe they set aside time to help you develop a new skill, frequently gave helpful feedback, or never let a win go unrecognized.
Think about what matters most to you and let it shine through in your answer.
Are There Any Recent Technologies Youve Learned Or Heard About That Are Particularly Exciting To You
Interviewers ask this because:
A natural sense of curiosity is a critical criteria for being a strong seller, and wanting to learn about technology that helps us improve shows that curiosity. It also shows that as buyer needs and preferences change, you are ready to meet them where they are.
How to answer:
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In Six Months How Will You Know Youre Successful
Its important to view this question through the eyes of a manager. Once Kirhofer became a manager, he understood this question better. Yes, its great to hit the number, but you also have to look at how you hit the number, he said.
Example: I think its important to look at how my team is doing both as a whole and on an individual level. I would measure success by seeing if all my reps are performing consistently month over month, quarter over quarter, and year over year. I also think success goes beyond the numbers. The more qualitative piece comes such as how engaged my reps are and how I am working to motivate them are equally important. I would analyze the success of our onboarding, ongoing training and potentially compensation too.
How Would You Explain What Does To A Person Unfamiliar With What We Do
Can this candidate distill complex ideas into simple, easy-to-understand messages? That’s what this question will find out.
Part of a sales manager’s job is to regularly translate executive directives and news to their sales staff in clear, digestible ways. Ensure they can do this concisely and without a patronizing tone, before moving forward.
Now, let’s review some behavioral questions to get a better understanding of how the candidate may perform on the job.
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Some Employees Stick To Old Procedures And Resist Change As Operations Manager How Do You Motivate Them To Adopt New Processes
Your operations manager will play a critical role in ensuring that your teams and projects are on track. The operations team is the bulwark that ensures that everyone feels supported in their work. However, your candidate may inherit a team with senior staff who have already become used to a certain way of solving problems and may be less receptive to changing their methods to ones that may improve efficiency. They should be able to handle these situations with grace. What to look for in an answer:
- Compassion and ability to empathize
- Process for motivating staff to try new procedures
- Positive disposition
What Is The Biggest Challenge That You Foresee In This Job
Here, the interviewer wants to know whether you can deal with challenging situations
Tip #1: Describe a huge challenge that you anticipate in this job
Tip #1: Demonstrate that you can handle challenges at work
Sample Answer
I anticipate a challenge in dealing with difficult customers. These include individuals who refuse to pay for the companys products and those that damage their already purchased products but insist the products were faulty and they should be compensated. To handle such cases, I will ensure to understand the companys policies regarding such cases so that I can take appropriate actions. I will also seek help from relevant department as need arises.
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Putting It All Together
Now, you should have some great questions to ask in a sales interview at the ready. Make sure to keep a few in mind every time you interview. That way, you can figure out if the job is the right fit while also showcasing yourself as an enthusiastic candidate, creating a win-win for everyone involved.
Good luck!
Tell Me About The History/growth Of The Company
As a salesperson, its important to ask about the history and future growth of a company. You want to be able to make an impact right away and the future of the company could impact how you perform.
For example, if the company is in maintenance mode, then your role would be more of an account executive or client management-oriented.
On the other hand, if the company is rapidly expanding or rolling out new products, then you would be spending more time hunting and finding new business.
The priorities of the company indicate where you will be spending your time as a sales rep.
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Can You Describe A Time Your Team Was Working Under A Lot Of Pressure To Meet A Quota Or A Tight Deadline How Did You Keep Morale Up
Experiencing burnout while working in sales is very common. Between shooting for ambitious quotas and working under tight deadlines, sales teams are often under a lot of pressure to perform.
This question is designed to give you an understanding of how the candidate would support their team during a stressful or demanding time. While ultimately their job is to ensure the company meets its sales goals, the well-being of employees should be a top priority. Look for a candidate who advocates for making sure reps feel supported and have what they need to succeed when the pressure is on.
Sales Behavioural Interview Questions With Sample Answers
Sales behavioural interview questions aim to assess a candidate’s ability to handle and resolve customer queries, their experience selling a company’s products or services, and closing more sales. The interview questions focus on understanding whether a candidate has a good skill set of hard and soft skills, such as adaptability, customer service, confidence, resilience, and active listening. Here are some questions, along with sample answers, to help you prepare for your interviews:
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Filling The Sales Team Gaps
Assessing gaps in your current sales team is another important aspect to keep in mind when interviewing for a new sales role. High-performing team players can do a lot more for your sales team than simply collaborating well, they could fill the gaps in skills that your current team is lacking.
Lets say that your current sales reps arent the strongest in following up. They close sales easily with highly responsive prospects, which helps them hit their targets each time, but their less responsive leads go completely cold quickly.
A new sales team member who is on top of their follow-up game can improve the atmosphere because:
- They will likely improve elements like pipeline velocity and deal conversion rate, thus making the team more successful
- They can help other team members cultivate that skill and become better sales representatives
Its important for you to take the time to assess your teams strengths and weaknesses against their individual and team goals, as well as the mission of your company.
The best way to do this is by speaking with each of your sales people individually to gain a deep understanding of areas your candidate might be particularly valuable.
This will also be a great opportunity for you to encourage improvement and learning, and plan future sales training events. Most successful sales teams are those that are always growing, so take this as a chance to not only bring your sales people closer, but also continually help them develop their skills.
