The 25 key questions to ask a sales manager in the digital age
Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2024 10:47 am
If we are looking to hire a new sales manager, we need to ask the right questions at the time of the interview to ensure that this professional is prepared to meet the demands of the new job market.
Questions for a sales manager can be framed within what Harvard University has called: skills of 21st century professionals.
If you've never heard of this topic, here we'll show you what they are and what questions and answers for the sales area fit the profile of today's workers.
Frequently asked questions for a sales manager who wants to join the company
Following Harvard's list of guadeloupe consumer email considerations, we separated 4 soft skills and 4 hard skills to differentiate which would be the best questions for a sales manager in each of them.
Innovation and creative thinking
Within the questionnaire for a sales manager, it is key to include questions that allow those in charge of the Human Resources department to analyze the candidate's creativity and innovation skills.
Nearly 84% of executives think that innovation is important for growth strategies , but only 6% are satisfied with the performance in this aspect. For this reason, if we want sales managers to be the ones who drive the company's innovative engine, we can ask the following questions:
We have X problem. How would you solve it?
How can our company attract more customers?
How could we improve sales of product X if we are far behind our competitors?
Collaboration
A Google study linked the best performing teams with high levels of collaboration. This is why the questions for a sales manager in the selection process should include questions about successful experiences that he or she carried out in a coordinated manner with his or her team and what results were achieved.
The concept of collaboration also refers to Networking, which in the sales area is essential to establish relationships with potential allies and to get to know the market first-hand. Within the questionnaire for a sales manager we can include the following questions:
Can you name an experience where you and your team worked together to achieve your goals?
How can your professional or contact network help our company increase prospects?
Do you think collaboration is important within a sales team ?
Adaptability
In a world that changes at the speed of our own, professionals must not only know how to adapt but do so quickly. When interviewing a sales manager, you should analyze how resilient they have been throughout their professional career and how they have reacted to changes in the work environment that have impacted them.
21st century professionals must have a high capacity to recover from adversity and reinvent themselves to continue achieving established objectives. The questionnaire for a sales manager could include:
What do you do when a client or prospect says no?
Have you been responsible (directly or indirectly) for the loss of an important business or client for your company? How did you handle it?
What were your main challenges during the Covid19 pandemic?
What do you think about sudden changes in leaders, teams, areas of action…?
Time management
The hustle and bustle of everyday life always makes us complain about the same thing: I don't have time! However, for a sales manager this response would be inconceivable.
The questionnaire for a sales manager should include questions that lead us to investigate how the candidate manages his time and what his tools or good practices are.
Have you ever missed deadlines or schedules?
How do you organize your day to attend meetings, call or visit clients, handle administrative matters, etc.?
How can the productivity of a sales team be improved ?
Having structured the (expected) questions and answers for sales leaders in the field of soft skills, we will now move on to hard skills.
Data management and analysis
The fastest-growing companies use data strategically to create value for both the company and the customer. According to a study, managing and analyzing data allows companies to add services to existing offerings, develop new business models, and sell products and services based on the information analyzed.
Questions for a sales manager can be framed within what Harvard University has called: skills of 21st century professionals.
If you've never heard of this topic, here we'll show you what they are and what questions and answers for the sales area fit the profile of today's workers.
Frequently asked questions for a sales manager who wants to join the company
Following Harvard's list of guadeloupe consumer email considerations, we separated 4 soft skills and 4 hard skills to differentiate which would be the best questions for a sales manager in each of them.
Innovation and creative thinking
Within the questionnaire for a sales manager, it is key to include questions that allow those in charge of the Human Resources department to analyze the candidate's creativity and innovation skills.
Nearly 84% of executives think that innovation is important for growth strategies , but only 6% are satisfied with the performance in this aspect. For this reason, if we want sales managers to be the ones who drive the company's innovative engine, we can ask the following questions:
We have X problem. How would you solve it?
How can our company attract more customers?
How could we improve sales of product X if we are far behind our competitors?
Collaboration
A Google study linked the best performing teams with high levels of collaboration. This is why the questions for a sales manager in the selection process should include questions about successful experiences that he or she carried out in a coordinated manner with his or her team and what results were achieved.
The concept of collaboration also refers to Networking, which in the sales area is essential to establish relationships with potential allies and to get to know the market first-hand. Within the questionnaire for a sales manager we can include the following questions:
Can you name an experience where you and your team worked together to achieve your goals?
How can your professional or contact network help our company increase prospects?
Do you think collaboration is important within a sales team ?
Adaptability
In a world that changes at the speed of our own, professionals must not only know how to adapt but do so quickly. When interviewing a sales manager, you should analyze how resilient they have been throughout their professional career and how they have reacted to changes in the work environment that have impacted them.
21st century professionals must have a high capacity to recover from adversity and reinvent themselves to continue achieving established objectives. The questionnaire for a sales manager could include:
What do you do when a client or prospect says no?
Have you been responsible (directly or indirectly) for the loss of an important business or client for your company? How did you handle it?
What were your main challenges during the Covid19 pandemic?
What do you think about sudden changes in leaders, teams, areas of action…?
Time management
The hustle and bustle of everyday life always makes us complain about the same thing: I don't have time! However, for a sales manager this response would be inconceivable.
The questionnaire for a sales manager should include questions that lead us to investigate how the candidate manages his time and what his tools or good practices are.
Have you ever missed deadlines or schedules?
How do you organize your day to attend meetings, call or visit clients, handle administrative matters, etc.?
How can the productivity of a sales team be improved ?
Having structured the (expected) questions and answers for sales leaders in the field of soft skills, we will now move on to hard skills.
Data management and analysis
The fastest-growing companies use data strategically to create value for both the company and the customer. According to a study, managing and analyzing data allows companies to add services to existing offerings, develop new business models, and sell products and services based on the information analyzed.