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Being a manager in any industry requires a unique set of skills since you need to both be familiar with the ins and outs of the business and have the people and strategy skills to lead a team of employees. This is true in sales as well.
Luckily, we’ve got some tips to help you interview better, some common sales manager job interview questions, and advice that can help you land your dream job.
Key Takeaways:As a candidate, your interviewer will assess your leadership and persuasion skills, as well as want to know if you have sales experience.
As an interviewer, look for candidates who have a charismatic and persuasive personality, as well as the sales and management experience to back it up.
Looking for a job? These position are hiring now near you:
Tell me about yourself. In the context of being a sales manager, you should focus on your professional background in leadership and sales positions, as well as any major skills you have and accomplishments you've made.
Example Answer:
I have been in leadership roles, including my position as a sales manager at John's Auto Sales for over 7 years. This invaluable experience has given me a strong background in management and a proven track record of implementing successful sales strategies.
I am an excellent communicator and have a keen eye for detail, which are essential qualities for a successful sales manager. Further, my communication skills have allowed me to develop a strong network of contacts, which allows me to be at the forefront of meeting sales goals.
Overall, I am a strong leader with a passion for driving the success of the sales team. I am confident in my ability to develop effective strategies, and I am always looking for ways to improve myself and the team I manage.
Tell me about your experience in sales. You’re likely going to have to answer a general question like this early on in the interview, so have your elevator pitch about yourself and your experience prepared.
Interviewers want to get to know how your work history, skills, and passions make you unique, so focus on this in your answer.
Example Answer:
I’ve been a sales rep at two different companies during the past eight years, and for the past three, I’ve been head of our sales team. During that time, I’ve mentored our younger team members, helped them strategize ways to reach their goals, and assisted our manager with keeping track of everyone’s progress.
Why did you start working in sales? Interviewers want to hear your story and what you love about your job. Be specific when you answer to give them a complete picture of what has motivated you up to this point and what continues to drive you.
Example Answer:
I got my first sales job right out of college, and while I was working in that position, I realized I loved getting to connect with customers and finding a way to meet their needs with our products. Even though the ups and downs that come with this field, that love has continued, and now I’m four years into a sales career.
What do you like most about working in sales? Hiring managers often ask this question to see what you’re passionate about and if the responsibilities of this specific role will be a good fit for you.
They also want to see that you have a positive attitude about your job because, as a sales manager, you’re going to be the one who sets the tone for the rest of the office.
Example Answer:
While there are many aspects of my job I like, I especially enjoy the strategy of sales. Whether that’s figuring out how to woo a new client, finding new markets to tap into, or figuring out how I’m going to meet my sales goal for the month, I get excited when I get to create a plan to solve a problem.
Why do you want to be a sales manager? Because being a sales manager is so different from being a sales rep, interviewers will often ask this question to find out what your motivation is for the change.
Example Answer:
While I’ve enjoyed being a sales rep, I’d love to be able to put my seven years of experience to work helping younger and newer employees succeed. I know my managers have played a large part in my success, and I want to do that for others.
What would you do if one of your sales reps misses their sales goals for a few months in a row? This is an example of a practical question you’ll likely encounter in an interview.
Hiring managers want to see how you’ll respond to situations that you’ll face as a sales manager, so make sure you’re ready to answer with as much detail as possible. If you can, give an example of how you’ve handled a similar situation.
Example Answer:
When I was leading a team of sales reps, I had one who missed his goal two months in a row. I sat down with him to talk about his strategy, and I noticed that he had been making fewer sales at the beginning of the month than at the end, requiring him to play catch up.
I pointed this out to him and helped him create weekly goals that would put him on track to meet his monthly goals. I checked in with him every week for the next month to make sure he was still on pace, and he successfully met his monthly goal. He’s continued to use the system and hasn’t missed a goal since.
What is your management style? This is another question that interviewers use to get a better idea of how you’ll operate in the role. Again, be as specific as you can.
Example Answer:
My management style changes based on who I’m managing and their needs, but in general I like to focus on creating achievable goals for my staff and giving them the resources they need to get there. For some, that’s special training, while for others it’s setting checkpoints and then trusting them to do the rest.
What is your greatest strength? This is a common interview question to encounter no matter what type of job you’re applying for, so it’s a good idea to be ready for it. When you answer, focus on how your strength can help the company.
Example Answer:
I’m good at noticing what motivates individuals. At my last job, I had one sales rep who was only satisfied when he beat his own goals and another who thrived on competition. I set up a system that would reward them for beating both their records and others’. Our number of sales jumped by five percent during the two months after that.
What is your greatest weakness? The main thing to remember when answering this question is that hiring managers already know you have weak spots and just want to see how you respond to them.
Companies want employees who are self-aware and taking active steps to overcome their weaknesses, so make sure you include that information in your answer.
Example Answer:
I tend to get too focused on the numbers and forget that my sales reps have a lot of different factors affecting how much they’re selling. Because of that, I hold regular one-on-one meetings with each of them to find out how everything is going and to see if they need anything from me to help them reach their goals.”
“Since I’ve started doing that, I’ve only had one or two months a year where someone missed their goals instead of the three or four that we used to have.
Which data analysis tools do you have experience with? This is another more technical question that allows interviewers to see if you’ll be a good fit for the position. Whatever you answer for this or similar questions, make sure you also communicate that you’re willing to learn new skills as well.
Example Answer:
I’m familiar with both HubSpot and Clari, but since I’ve had to learn a new data analysis tool at each job I’ve had, I’m also used to learning new software and am open to doing that here.
If you were hiring a new sales rep, what qualities would you look for? Since this will be a large part of your new responsibilities, interviewers want to know that you’ll find effective employees to add to the team. Again, if you have specific examples of when you’ve put this into practice, share them.
Example Answer:
I would want to hire someone with strong communication skills, drive, customer service skills, and assertiveness. Sales require both empathy and thick skin, so I’d want to hear examples of how candidates have used each of these skills. I’d also want to put them through hypothetical situations with difficult sales to see how they handle it.
Describe how you would train a new sales rep. This is another major responsibility of a sales manager, so you must know how you would handle it. Talk about the specific steps you would take and goals you would set to make sure you completed the process promptly.
Example Answer:
I would start by introducing the new hires to their team, and then I would introduce them to key people in the rest of the organization. Each sales rep needs to have a solid understanding of how the company works, so I would also make sure they took a tour of the facilities.
I would also make sure each one had up-to-date company documents such as an organizational chart, directory, and a copy of our mission, vision, and values. My goal would be to complete all this during the first day or two. The next day, I would do a team bonding activity of some kind with the entire sales staff to create camaraderie there.
After that, I would teach them our software and processes and then connect them with a more senior salesperson to mentor them. My goal would be to accomplish all of this during the first week. After that, I’d set up regular check-ins with the employee to see how they were doing.
Tell me about a time you failed at work. What did you do? No one does their job perfectly 100% of the time, so hiring managers want to find someone who will handle their failures well.
Talk about a specific mistake you made and how you owned up to it, as well as the steps you took to make sure it didn’t happen again.
Example Answer:
At my first job, I promised a client that I would rush some product samples to them. After I hung up the phone, someone else called, and I completely forgot to send the samples. A few days later, the client called asking about them, and I realized what had happened.
I apologized and promised that they’d be there in the next day or two. I then told my manager what had happened, apologized again, and said I was going to overnight the samples and pay for them out of my pocket. Now I keep a notepad and pen next to my phone so that I can write down everything I promise in a conversation.
What made you successful as a sales rep? How will you use your experience to manage your team? When you answer this question, take this opportunity to communicate what makes you unique.
Talk about what your managers did for you and how you want to do that for others or mention any unusual combinations of skills or passions you have and how they could benefit the organization.
Example Answer:
My first manager taught me how to set and achieve goals. Knowing that someone else believed in me and that I could achieve my goals gave me the confidence and drive to be successful. Now, I want to do the same for other sales reps.
How would you balance your team’s needs with your responsibilities? Successful leadership requires strong time management skills, so your interviewers will want to hear about yours.
Share your specific system for planning your week and prioritizing tasks to give your interviewers a complete picture of your skills in this area.
Example Answer:
I make a lot of prioritized lists to make sure I get everything done on time, so as a sales manager, I would do the same thing for both my tasks and the rest of the team’s. I would make long-term to-do lists and then break those down into monthly or weekly lists.
Whatever pertained to the team as a whole I would put on a project management system so that everyone could see their tasks. I would also hold weekly meetings where we’d go over this list to make sure everyone was on the same page and every priority was covered.
Then I would track it throughout the week and follow up with any employees who were falling behind. In the meantime, I would figure out which of my tasks were the top priority and schedule time to work on those so that I still had time for anything unexpected.
How would you motivate your team? Hiring managers want someone who knows that everyone is motivated differently. Because of this, stay away from one-size-fits-all answers to this question.
Example Answer:
I’d start by creating a culture of having a positive outlook about our work and making sure that my team knew I was there to support them. Beyond that, it would depend on the person, because everyone is motivated differently. To build camaraderie, though, I would hold occasional department-wide challenges for everyone to get involved in.
How do you set goals and make sure you meet them? As a manager, you’re going to need to be able to set goals for yourself and your team and then make sure you all meet them.
Your potential employer wants to know that you’ll be able to do this well, so go into your interview ready for this question.
Example Answer:
I always set measurable goals so that I know when I’ve achieved them. Once I set the goal and the deadline for when I need to reach it, I create a series of action steps with deadlines that will allow me to accomplish my goal. I also share these with someone else so that they can keep me accountable.
What is your greatest sales accomplishment? When you answer this question, don’t just stop at what your greatest accomplishment was; talk about why it was so great as well.
Example Answer:
I won sales rep of the month my fourth month at my first job. I’m most proud of that because I knew I wanted to win it when I started but that I’d have to nearly double my sales to do it. I created a plan for increasing my sales, and after two months of hard work, I won the award.
Tell me about a challenge you faced at work. How did you respond? Hiring managers want to find candidates who will face challenges head-on, so talk about a time you did this well.
Again, be sure to include the details of your situation, the steps you took, and the results of your actions.
Example Answer:
Last year, I was out of the office for a week and a half for health reasons. When I got back, I still needed to make my monthly sales goal, but I only had three weeks to do it. I figured out what my weekly goal needed to be and then strategized how I would go about reaching that. I also asked my manager for advice.
With a lot of hard work and support from my manager, I was able to reach my quota for the month.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Companies hiring a sales manager want to know that you will be loyal and dedicated to keeping up with the industry. Talk about how you plan to advance your sales career, and how you intend to improve the store or team you'll be managing.
Example Answer:
In five years, I see myself as the sales manager who pushes positive growth through new and innovative sales strategies. I will have gained even more experience and expertise that will allow me to be even more effective on the sales floor.
I am immensely dedicated to staying up to date on the latest trends in my field and strive to stay ahead of the curve. At the end of five years, I am confident that my dedication and hard work will be reflected in the company’s bottom line.
Have you ever had to fire anyone? Tell me about it. This is an unfortunate responsibility that comes with being a manager, and your interviewers want to know you can handle it. If you haven’t had experience firing someone, say so, and then explain what you would do in that situation.
Example Answer:
I had to fire someone who had been consistently underperforming for about five months and wasn’t showing any effort in the training and other remediation opportunities we were providing for her.
I asked her to meet with me and an HR rep late one afternoon, where I let her know that this position didn’t seem like it was a good fit for her and that we were going to need to part ways.
I thanked her for her service, wished her the best in her future endeavors, and let her know that she wouldn’t need to come back to work the next day, but that she could wait until everyone had left to pack up her things if she’d like to. The HR rep gave her all the financial information she needed and let her know what her next steps were.
It was a difficult conversation, but it was civil and ended up being the right choice for the company because her replacement has been incredibly high-performing.
Why do you want to work here? Hiring managers want to know that you’re aware of what you’re getting into and that you’re invested in the organization, not just looking for any opportunity to earn a managerial title.
Prepare for this question by researching the company and its mission, vision, and values, and then communicate what attracted you to this particular position.
Example Answer:
I recently relocated to the area, and I knew I wanted to work for an organization that values quality products and customer service. I saw that this company has been recognized for both of those, so I’ve been watching for an open position for a few months now.
As soon as I saw this one, I thought it would be a great fit for my skills and an opportunity to further an organization I’ve long admired.
Why should we hire you? This is your opportunity to talk about what sets you apart as a candidate and how hiring you will benefit the company.
Example Answer:
My background in selling both directly to the consumer and to other businesses will benefit your company since you sell to both of those as well. If I’m hired for this position, I’ll be able to use my experience to lead the sales team to success in both areas.
Can you name some improvements you would make as a manager?
What is your approach to building and maintaining strong relationships with clients and customers?
How would you handle objections and negotiations during the sales process?
What do you know about our company?
How do you ensure that your sales team is aligned with company goals and objectives?
Have you ever had one of your employees approach you with an innovative idea? How did you respond?
Tell me about a time you implemented an out-of-the-box solution. If so, were you successful?
Do you use any tools to aid you in leading a team?
Tell me about a time you tackled a task you’d never done before.
What is one of your greatest successes on the job?
Can you describe your approach to sales forecasting and budgeting?
What metrics and key performance indicators do you use to measure your team's performance?
All of the possible Interview questions for the sales manager job might seem overwhelming at first, but there are some effective steps you can take to prepare:
As a Candidate:Research. Look into the company you're applying for and try to learn about their sales strategies, who they employ, etc. Going into your interview with this knowledge will make it easier to talk about your relevant skills.
Communication and Customer Service. Being successful in sales, especially as a manager, is all about effective communication skills. Be sure to provide examples of how you've negotiated your way to success.
Examples of Leadership. Compose specific examples of times when you showed exceptional leadership. These examples are the best way for you to show an interviewer that you're capable of undertaking a management position.
Review the Job Description. Use the job description to construct your ideal candidate, but do not overlook candidates who are proven to be good communicators and excellent leaders.
Explain Responsibilities. Ensure your candidates are aware of the responsibilities they would have as a sales manager. This includes things like how your company's sales strategies, how many employees they'll manage, and more.
Provide a Timeline. Provide your prospective sales manager with an accurate hiring process timeline.