Sales manager interview: how to conduct and pass it correctly?

A sales manager is an irreplaceable employee in any organization. His knowledge, temperament, charisma and ability to speak beautifully are the key to the financial well-being and prosperity of the company, because it is he who earns money for the company.

Applicants for the position of sales manager must have certain personal qualities, knowledge and talents: beautifully and competently offer a product or service, be able to convince a potential buyer to open his wallet and give his money, have the talent of an orator, know psychology, strive for career growth, be ambitious, want to earn as much money as possible.

The personal salary of a sales manager directly depends on his activity, competence and natural talents. Usually it consists of a small fixed salary and a percentage determined by the employer with each transaction concluded by the manager. The sales manager must be proactive and stress-resistant. It is activity that allows a specialist of this level to look for new ways and opportunities for making money, while not paying attention to the negative that can be received from a potential client.

In order to competently interview a job seeker for the job of a sales manager, the employer (HR manager) must draw up a plan to check if the candidate is suitable for the job. A list of prepared questions will make it easier for the recruiter to conduct the meeting.

The employer uses different “tools” to determine if a candidate for a sales manager is suitable for the job: visually evaluates the appearance, determines the psychotype of the applicant, his manner of behaving with strangers, self-confidence, answers to questions asked... Sometimes the employer conducts group interviews when several candidates for the same seat are present at the meeting at the same time. This method allows you to compare applicants with each other and identify which of them is better suited for this position. How the interview proceeds directly depends on whether the applicant will get this job or not.

The optimal interview structure consists of specific points and questions.

• First, the recruiter must:
  • introduce yourself (name, patronymic and position);
  • clarify how much time the applicant has;
  • provide the candidate with information about the structure of the interview.
• Invite the applicant to self-present: who I am, what I have achieved, what I strive for.
• Through questions and answers:
  • identify skills, motivation and aspirations;
  • clarify the desired salary.
• Answers to the questions of the candidate for the position:
  • tell about the vacancy, the requirements for it;
  • answer other questions of the applicant.
• Completion of the interview:
  • the recruiter must know how he will choose the candidate, who will make the final decision;
  • inform the candidate when there will be a response;
  • leave contacts in case of unforeseen situations.

To find out if a candidate is suitable for the sales position, the recruiter must ask specific questions, gradually moving from general to personal. There is a standard list of questions for the applicant for this position.

• Why did you come to us, to our organization?
• On a scale of zero to ten, rate your knowledge.
• What salary are you interested in?
• What salary in numbers do you plan to receive in a few years?
• What should be your working day?
• How do you plan to attract leads?
• What's your most successful completed trade?
• What do you do if a potential buyer does not want to continue the conversation and flatly refuses to buy a product or service?
• Are you ready to meet the approved sales plan?
• How will you organize your working day under conditions of increased workload? Prioritize.
• Do you have an established customer base?
• What should a sales manager look like in a business meeting?
• In your experience, what was the hardest deal for you?
• In your opinion, what is the main factor influencing a successful sale?
• Why did you leave your previous job? Causes?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses as a person and as a salesperson?
• How did your former work colleagues describe you?
• Why exactly should you get this job?
• If the decision is positive, how will you start your first day at work?

When selecting employees for the company, the HR manager uses various tools: a classic interview, psychological testing, case interviews. A case is a simulated or real problem situation that causes discussion, requires analysis and various options for solving it.Cases are also called a situational interview, which allows you to reveal the candidate's ability to think out of the ordinary, to correctly build logical chains - inferences and conclusions, to effectively solve a specific problem.

Ready-made case interviews are conventionally divided into several categories, which are checked:

• the applicant has certain skills;
• values, views, motivation;
• the candidate's behavior model, his personal qualities, character.

Each case consists of a specific situation and invites the applicant to find the best way out of it.

To successfully pass a job interview, the applicant must carefully prepare for a meeting with a potential employer, prepare answers to possible questions, analyze his appearance and behavior. Preliminary preparation will help the candidate to be confident, to answer the questions posed clearly and distinctly, not to get nervous, not to panic. In order to prepare well for the interview and not fail, the applicant must:

• get detailed information about the company (what it does, how many years it has been in the market, the address of the interview);
• analyze your appearance, find out if the company has a dress code, choose the right clothes and accessories (the best option is a business style of clothing: white top, dark bottom);
• analyze your resume (how accurately it reflects the knowledge and personality of the applicant), be ready to quickly answer any question on the content of the resume.

To successfully pass an interview, you need:

• do not be late for an appointment, but do not come too early, the best option is to come to the office 10 minutes before the start of the interview, so that you have time to look around, calm down, if necessary, take off your outerwear;
• do not show that you really need this job and you are interested in it;
• do not fawn, do not flatter, do not give compliments to a potential employer - it is better to show a polite, friendly attitude;
• answer provocative questions boldly, without embarrassment (this is how the recruiter checks the reaction of the future employee), do not be stupid, do not get lost, do not switch to an increased tone of conversation, do not be rude, and most importantly - do not be silent;
• ask the employer questions about the daily routine, job responsibilities, workflow organization;
• no need to ask the employer about his personal life, family;
• do not ask about the possibility of being late or leaving work before the end of the working day.

There are several questions that you should definitely ask a potential employer.

• Why was there a vacancy? is it temporary or permanent, for what reasons did the previous manager leave this position?
• What keeps a recruiter in this particular company, why does he work here? Here you can get some useful information for yourself.
• What are the job responsibilities for this vacancy, what tasks will you need to solve in the first place?
• What has been the sales success of the company over the past 3-5 years? The answer to this question will allow the candidate to identify how successful the company is, whether it plans to expand, introduce new products and services.
• What is the next step on the part of the employer? Many candidates for a vacancy during the interview are stressed, fall into a stupor and do not ask this very important question, but you just need to ask for the position.

The applicant for the position of a sales manager must be ready to answer the employer's questions regarding education, experience in sales, the number of successful transactions and their amount in rubles, as well as what is his / her marital status at the moment, personal preferences in life, hobbies and hobbies ...

There is no need to talk about your failures and disappointments in life - this is not interesting to anyone. Try to turn the dialogue with the recruiter into an interesting and objective story about yourself.

• "Tell us about your experience in sales, about your education?"... Received a higher education in the specialty "Accounting and Auditing", currently I am receiving additional education in the field of sales, I study remotely.
• "Where do you see yourself in a few years?" I am a successful seller, I have my own wholesale company. Or I became the head of the financial and economic department.
• "If the client is out of sorts, annoyed and does not want to listen to you, what will you do?" I will be calm and polite, and despite the negative, I will continue to advise the client on goods and services.
• "Tell us what are your strengths and weaknesses?" I am purposeful, active, ambitious - this is my strength. Weakness is stubbornness, self-criticism.

The outcome of the interview may vary depending on the situation:

• you may be immediately denied a job if the employer already understands that the candidate is not suitable for this position;
• will be asked to wait for a call or e-mail;
• they promise to hire - in this case, you do not need to show your delight and joy too clearly, because everything can quickly change.

To make a positive impression on the employer and get the job, set yourself up for success and victory before each interview. Be discreet and polite with any answer, conduct the dialogue confidently and competently.