Sales Manager interview questions and answers
This Sales Manager interview profile brings together a snapshot of what to look for in candidates with a balanced sample of suitable interview questions.
10 good sales manager interview questions
- Describe your product. What are the benefits? Who are your customers?
- Why do customers buy your product? What are the alternatives?
- Describe your customers’ buying decision process. Who approves or blocks the buying decision? What do you need to line up to close the sale?
- Recall a time when you mentored a colleague. Where did they start? Where are they now?
- Recall a time you resolved a conflict between two team members.
- At what point would you advise a sales rep to stop pursuing a customer?
- How would you deal with a sales rep who was underperforming?
- Have you ever changed a process to improve efficiency, lower costs, or increase revenue?
- Describe the sales process at your previous company. What worked well? What didn’t work well?
- How much experience do you have with writing training manuals or other reference documents for sales teams?
Here are 10 essential interview questions and sample answers to help identify the best candidates for this role.
1. Describe your product. What are the benefits? Who are your customers?
This question assesses the candidate’s understanding of the product they will be selling, its benefits, and the target customer base.
Sample answer:
“Our product is a cloud-based CRM software designed for small to medium-sized businesses. The benefits include better customer relationship management, streamlined sales processes, and data analytics. Our primary customers are SMEs in the tech industry.”
2. Why do customers buy your product? What are the alternatives?
This question gauges the candidate’s understanding of the product’s unique selling proposition and the competitive landscape.
Sample answer:
“Customers buy our product because it’s user-friendly and offers robust analytics. Alternatives include Salesforce and HubSpot, but we offer better pricing and customer service.”
3. Describe your customers’ buying decision process. Who approves or blocks the buying decision? What do you need to line up to close the sale?
This question evaluates the candidate’s understanding of the customer journey and the decision-making process.
Sample answer:
“Usually, the IT manager initiates the buying process, but the CFO approves the budget. To close the sale, we need to provide a product demo, a cost-benefit analysis, and customer testimonials.”
4. Recall a time when you mentored a colleague. Where did they start? Where are they now?
This question assesses the candidate’s leadership and mentoring skills.
Sample answer:
“I mentored a junior sales rep who started with a low sales record. After six months of coaching, he became one of the top performers in the team.”
5. Recall a time you resolved a conflict between two team members.
This question evaluates the candidate’s conflict resolution skills.
Sample answer:
“Two team members had a disagreement over client ownership. I facilitated a meeting to clarify roles and responsibilities, which resolved the issue.”
6. At what point would you advise a sales rep to stop pursuing a customer?
This question tests the candidate’s judgment and understanding of sales strategy.
Sample answer:
“If after multiple follow-ups and a product demo the customer is still not engaged or showing interest, it might be time to move on to more promising leads.”
7. How would you deal with a sales rep who was underperforming?
This question assesses the candidate’s management skills and how they handle underperformance.
Sample answer:
“I would first identify the reasons for underperformance through one-on-one meetings and then develop a performance improvement plan.”
8. Have you ever changed a process to improve efficiency, lower costs, or increase revenue?
This question gauges the candidate’s ability to bring about positive change.
Sample answer:
“Yes, I implemented a new lead qualification system that increased our conversion rate by 20% and reduced costs.”
9. Describe the sales process at your previous company. What worked well? What didn’t work well?
This question assesses the candidate’s experience and what they might bring to your sales process.
Sample answer:
“The previous company had a well-defined sales funnel, but the lead qualification process was inefficient. I suggested changes, which were implemented and led to a 15% increase in sales.”
10. How much experience do you have with writing training manuals or other reference documents for sales teams?
This question evaluates the candidate’s ability to create resources that can help the sales team.
Sample answer:
“I have written several training manuals that cover everything from product knowledge to sales techniques, which have been very beneficial for onboarding new team members.”
What does a good sales manager candidate look like?
A good Sales Manager candidate should have a strong track record in sales, excellent leadership skills, and a deep understanding of customer psychology and the sales process. They should be able to mentor team members, resolve conflicts, and contribute to the growth of the company.
Red flags
Be cautious of candidates who lack a proven sales record, avoid answering questions directly, or show little understanding of team dynamics and customer needs.
Sales Manager Interview Questions
Sales Managers, unlike Sales Directors, are not directly responsible for the long-term prosperity of your company. But, they should have big picture perspective and be capable of executing the Sales Director’s strategy. They may even be future Sales Directors, and as such they should have a similar mindset. They should be process-driven, metrics-driven, organized, and relentless.
Your Sales Manager candidates should have been Sales Representatives first, and should have excelled in that role. They’ll be driven by more than just quotas. Great candidates will apply to your company because they believe in the solution that your company provides and have a thorough understanding of your product and customers.
Day-to-day responsibilities may differ depending on the company, but generally this is a supervisor or team leader role. They’ll own several aspects of goal-setting and should be capable of training, motivating, and monitoring sales teams to meet those goals. Use these questions to determine whether or not your candidates have the hands-on, practical experience needed to succeed in this role.
See our regional sales manager interview questions for roles specific to a district or region.
Let’s summarize some of the questions and add a few more divided into specific types.
Operational and Situational questions
- Describe your product. What are the benefits? Who are your customers?
- Why do customers buy your product? What are the alternatives?
- Describe your customers’ buying decision process. Who approves or blocks the buying decision? What do you need to line up to close the sale?
- Recall a time when you mentored a colleague. Where did they start? Where are they now?
- Recall a time you resolved a conflict between two team members.
- At what point would you advise a sales rep to stop pursuing a customer?
- How would you deal with a sales rep who was underperforming?
- Have you ever changed a process to improve efficiency, lower costs, or increase revenue?
- Describe the sales process at your previous company. What worked well? What didn’t work well?
- How much experience do you have with writing training manuals or other reference documents for sales teams?
- Describe any experience you have in forecasting or developing quotas.
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