Sales manager interview questions

What this hire must get done

Write the scorecard before you interview, then hire against it. Set the bracketed targets from your own numbers.

What to tell candidates before the interview

Say the hard parts plainly. People who wouldn't stay drop out early, and the ones who stay knew what they signed up for.

• Describe the team as it is today: how many reps, who's new, who's struggling, and whether the business leans on one top producer.
• Say how the week splits between ride-alongs, the office and any appointments they run themselves, and that ride-alongs follow the reps into [evenings and Saturdays].
• Spell out what they decide alone, like hiring, firing, discounts and lead assignment, and what needs the owner, like changes to the pay plan.
• Show their own pay in writing: base, any override or bonus on team sales, and whether it's paid on sold jobs or on jobs that stay sold.

How to run the interview

1. Same questions, same order. Ask every candidate the questions below and the same follow-ups. It is the only way to compare people fairly.
2. Two interviewers. An owner or manager and someone who does the work. Take notes on what the candidate says, not on how you feel about them.
3. Score right after each answer. 5 sounds like the strong answer, 3 like the mixed one, 1 like the weak one. Use 2 and 4 for answers in between.
4. Rate alone, then compare. Compare candidates question by question, and talk only after everyone has scored. Big gaps are worth a conversation.

1. Technical · Reading the numbers

   A rep's close rate matches the team's, but their average sold job is about a third lower. What could explain that, and how would you find out which it is?

   Good managers test a few explanations against the data before coaching. Weak ones coach their first guess.

   Follow-ups

   • What would you pull from the CRM first?
   • What would you watch for on a ride-along?
   • What would change your mind?

   5Strong

   Lists real causes: showing only the lowest option, discounting, smaller job types or lead sources, skipped discovery, nerves about price. Checks proposals, discount records and results by lead source, then rides along to confirm before coaching one behavior.

   3Mixed

   Names likely causes but jumps to a coaching plan for one of them without checking which it is.

   1Weak

   Tells the rep to sell bigger jobs, or adds a bonus for big tickets.

2. Behavioral · Reading the numbers

   Walk me through the last pipeline review you ran with a rep. What did you look at, and what came out of it?

   A real pipeline review ends with a few actions. A weak one ends with a forecast nobody believes.

   Follow-ups

   • How did you decide which deals were real?
   • What did you do about proposals with no next step?
   • How did your forecast compare with what actually closed?

   5Strong

   Describes a recent review: each proposal's age, last contact and dated next step, deals to close out as lost, and two or three agreed actions. Knows how their forecasts compared with actual sales and what they changed.

   3Mixed

   Goes deal by deal but ends with general advice and no specific actions, or never checks the forecast against what closed.

   1Weak

   Asks reps what they think will close and passes that on as the forecast.

3. Behavioral · Coaching

   Tell me about the last ride-along where you saw something you had to correct. What did you tell the rep afterward, and what changed in their next appointments?

   Coaching shows up in what the rep does next week. This asks for proof of the change, not a description of a coaching style.

   Follow-ups

   • How did you open that conversation?
   • How did you practice the fix with them?
   • How did you check that it stuck?

   5Strong

   Names the specific behavior, talked privately soon after, asked for the rep's view first, focused on one fix, practiced it in role-play, and checked on the next ride-along or in the numbers. Can say what changed.

   3Mixed

   Gave clear, fair feedback but didn't practice it with the rep or check whether anything changed.

   1Weak

   Took over the appointment in front of the customer, or talks about motivating reps with no specific behavior.

4. Situational · Coaching

   On a ride-along, a rep skips the questions, goes straight to the price, and the homeowner signs anyway. What do you do?

   A win can hide a bad habit. This shows whether the candidate coaches the process or only the result.

   Follow-ups

   • What do you say to the rep in the car?
   • Why does it matter if the sale closed?
   • When would you step in during the appointment itself?

   5Strong

   Stays quiet in the home unless something is dishonest or unlawful. Afterward, credits the close, asks how the rep knew the job was right for this home, ties skipped discovery to cancellations, smaller jobs and wrong scope, and agrees on one change to watch next time.

   3Mixed

   Praises the close and mentions the skipped questions, but with no plan to follow up.

   1Weak

   Says nothing because it closed, or corrects the rep in front of the homeowner.

5. Behavioral · Hiring and ramping

   Think of two reps you hired, one who worked out and one who didn't. What in your hiring process could have told you which was which?

   A manager who studies their own hires gets better at hiring. One who blames bad luck makes the same hire twice.

   Follow-ups

   • What did each one do in the interview or role-play?
   • What did you change in how you hire afterward?
   • What do you ask references now?

   5Strong

   Compares specific signs, like how each handled an objection in a role-play, what references said or how they talked about past customers, and names a change to their hiring that has worked since.

   3Mixed

   Describes both hires clearly but puts the outcome down mostly to luck or the market.

   1Weak

   Hires on gut feel or confidence, or blames the failed hire entirely.

6. Technical · Hiring and ramping

   You hire a rep from outside the trade. Walk me through their first thirty days, and what has to be true before they run appointments alone.

   A ramp plan is the difference between a rep who sells in month two and one who quits in month two.

   Follow-ups

   • What do they practice before they meet a real customer?
   • How do you assign leads while they're new?
   • How does their pay work while they ramp?

   5Strong

   Product and price-book training, shadowing, role-plays that include the contract and cancellation forms, appointments run together, then solo with ride-along reviews. Sets clear checkpoints for going solo, gives early leads that suit a new rep, and explains training pay or draw in writing.

   3Mixed

   Has shadowing and a few role-plays, but no clear standard for when a rep goes solo.

   1Weak

   Throws them in because that's how the candidate learned.

7. Situational · Lead sources and the owner

   It's the busy season, and there are more appointments this week than your reps can run. Two senior reps want all the big-ticket leads. How do you decide who gets which?

   Lead assignment decides who earns, who learns and how many leads go cold. Favoritism here quietly costs you both sales and reps.

   Follow-ups

   • What numbers would you use to assign them?
   • What does a new rep get while this is going on?
   • What do you tell the owner or marketing if you still can't run them all?

   5Strong

   Gets every lead called fast first, then assigns by each rep's close rate on that job type, location and open slots, under a rule every rep can see. Gives new reps leads they can win with a ride-along, and tells the owner early which sources to slow down.

   3Mixed

   Uses a fair, simple rule like taking turns, but ignores who closes which job types best, or lets leads wait while deciding.

   1Weak

   Gives the big leads to the loudest or longest-serving reps, or assigns by gut feel.

8. Technical · Pay plans

   Walk me through a commission plan you'd set up for in-home reps. What does it pay on, and how does it handle cancellations and discounts?

   The pay plan coaches every rep every day. A bad one quietly pays reps to discount and push.

   Follow-ups

   • When does a rep get paid on a sale?
   • What happens to commission when a rep discounts?
   • How would you explain the plan so a new rep can check their own pay?

   5Strong

   Pays on sold price or margin against the price book, so discounts cut commission. Pays once the sale is past the cancellation period or installed, with clear rules for cancellations. Sets any draw with an end date. Puts it in writing, signed, simple enough for a rep to check.

   3Mixed

   Has a sensible plan but is vague about cancellations or how discounts change pay.

   1Weak

   Pays a flat percentage of revenue at signing, with no rule for cancellations.

9. Situational · Holding the line

   Your top producer brings in a third of team sales. You learn they tell homeowners prices are good only today, and this month two customers canceled saying they felt pushed. What do you do?

   Fake deadlines drive cancellations and complaints, and every other rep notices what the top producer gets away with.

   Follow-ups

   • What do you say to the rep, and when?
   • What do you tell the owner?
   • What would make you let them go?

   5Strong

   Meets the rep within days with the facts and states the rule plainly. Reviews recent sales, calls affected customers if needed, documents it and sets a consequence for a repeat, up to letting them go. Tells the owner the revenue risk and checks whether the pay plan rewards it.

   3Mixed

   Coaches the rep privately and means it, but sets no consequence and doesn't check their next sales.

   1Weak

   Lets it go because of the numbers, or waits until the busy season ends.

10. Technical · Lead sources and the owner

    Walk me through the monthly sales report you'd give the owner. What's on it, and what would make you call the owner before the month ends?

    The owner spends the marketing budget and sets prices from this report. A manager who only reports totals hides the problems until they're expensive.

    Follow-ups

    • Which numbers do you show by lead source, and which by rep?
    • How do you show cancellations and discounts?
    • Tell me about a time a report you gave showed bad news. How did you present it?

    5Strong

    Shows sales against target, close rate, average job, cancellations and discounts by rep and by lead source, plus cost per sold job and a forecast with its track record. Calls the owner early on a lead source that stopped closing, a cancellation spike or a promise production can't keep.

    3Mixed

    Reports the right numbers but as totals for the team, so a weak source or a struggling rep stays hidden until the month is over.

    1Weak

    Reports revenue sold and little else, or waits for the month-end meeting to share bad news.

Work exercise: diagnose a month of rep data

Build a made-up month for [five] reps: leads, appointments run, closes, average sold job, cancellations and discounts, with each lead's source. Plant two problems, such as the rep with the best close rate also having the most cancellations and discounts, and a lead source where few leads become appointments. Give finalists [30] minutes to find both, say what else they'd check, and write a coaching plan for one rep. Then play that rep for [10] minutes while they open the coaching talk.

Use made-up materials, never real customer work, and keep it to the time shown. Follow your own safety rules for anything hands-on.

Reference check questions

Tell finalists you'll call a former manager, and get their permission first. Ask about what they did, not whether they were nice.

• Which reps got better while working for them, and what did they do that made the difference?
• How did cancellations and discounts on their team compare with the rest of the company, or with before they took over?
• Tell me about a time a rep on their team crossed a line with a customer. What did they do about it?
• How did they work with marketing and production when sales and capacity didn't match? Would you want to work with them again?

Questions to skip, and what to ask instead

Ask only what the job needs. Questions that touch age, health, family or pay history can break federal, state or local law, even when you mean well.

• SkipDo you still have the energy for evening ride-alongs at this point in your career?

  AskRide-alongs run [two evenings and one Saturday a week]. What would you need to make that schedule work?

• SkipCan you bring your last company's pay plan, price book or customer list?

  AskAsk whether they've signed a non-compete or non-solicitation agreement, and read it before you make an offer. Use the made-up data in the work exercise to see how they think.

• SkipWhat was your override at your last company?

  AskThis role pays [base plus an override on team sales that stay sold]. What pay range would you need to make the move?

Common mistakes when hiring a sales manager

• Promoting your best rep by default

  Selling and teaching others to sell are different skills. Put your top rep through the same questions, data exercise and coaching role-play as outside candidates, and decide on the scores.

• Judging a candidate by their old team's totals

  A team's numbers depend on its leads, prices and market. Ask what was true before they arrived, what they changed, and which numbers moved because of it.

• Hiring a manager to fix a lead problem

  If reps run too few appointments or the leads rarely close, a new manager won't fix that alone. Look at results by lead source before you hire, and tell finalists what you found.

Sales manager interview FAQ