Interviews can be nerve-wracking, especially if you go in without knowing what to expect. They can be heartbreaking if you go in thinking you know what to expect when you are bombarded with questions you never knew existed.
We are here to make sure you are the most prepared sales director interviewee in the room. In this guide, we take you through:
- The top 5 questions you'll be asked in a sales director interview
- Why hiring managers ask these questions
- The best way to answer the questions
- More tips to prepare for the interview
You could also look at our Mock Interview Service to increase your chances of getting an interview by 68% and improve your chances of scoring a job by 33%.
Top 5 interview questions & answers for sales directors
Away from the regular interview questions, interviewers ask at all job interviews. They also throw in several role-specific questions.
The role-specific questions are meant to assess whether candidates are a good fit for a position. They also determine the match of your skillset to perform the said skills.
Let's get into the questions.
Question 1: From experience, what sales techniques are most effective?
This question is meant to test a candidate's adaptability to the company. It also helps the interviewer to assess the candidate's background in a sales director role.
The answer to this question should reveal an interviewee's knowledge of different sales strategies and their understanding of why some are better than others.
It should also affirm a candidate's confidence in their experience and knowledge of the industry, making them valuable employees.
Question 2: What Would You Change About Our Sales Process?
Employers ask this question to evaluate an interviewee's grasp of the industry. It is more of a trick question that reveals whether one has researched a company's sales process, and the answer will tell this.
Furthermore, the answer reveals the benefits a candidate will bring the company, such as a perspective change, which may determine their fit into a company. An applicant should also prove their ability to develop and implement a sales process effectively.
Question 3: What Mistake Did You Make in Your Last Role, and What Did You Learn From It?
People learn their most valuable lessons from failures. A hiring manager will ask this question to test an interviewee's willingness and ability to learn from past mistakes. It also reveals a candidate's sense of responsibility and capability to own up to these mistakes.
When faced with such a question, one needs to highlight a minor and well-intentioned mistake followed by a positive lesson. An example of a good answer could be:
"When I first came into the sales director role, I did not know when to stop making sales. This shifted my focus from giving my team the support they deserved. Eventually, I learned this was detrimental and shifted my focus to mentoring and coaching my team to reach their sales goals."
Question 4: How Would You Train a New Sales Rep?
Sales directors are typically responsible for hiring and onboarding new salespeople. Interviewers ask this question to evaluate an applicant's understanding of the importance of helping team members achieve their goals.
The best answer should entail an organized, detailed, and engaging plan that will help to attract and retain new hires. An applicant stands a higher chance of getting this question right if they review the company's hiring process beforehand.
Question 5: How Do You Motivate Your Sales Team?
Employers ask this question to assess an applicant's leadership skills, which are essential when filling a sales director role. In sales, a team can be easily demotivated due to strict deadlines and overbearing clients. This question helps to determine whether the candidate can support the sales team even when work is stressful and demanding.
The answer should showcase an applicant's ability to prioritize employees' well-being and create a healthy and positive work environment. It should be based on previous strategies to develop a productive sales team.
How to prepare for a sales director interview
Impressing a hiring manager takes more than answering questions correctly. Other critical ways to prepare for a successful interview include:
Research the Company
Researching a company before an interview sets applicants apart and provides them with an opportunity to learn more about a company. With background information on a company, one has an insider view provided by understanding an organization's vision, mission, core values, and culture.
For a Sales Director position, the research should be focused on a company's products or services and projects as many questions will be based on these.
Clean Up Your Portfolio and Tidy Up Your Personal Branding
A portfolio is a window that allows interviewers a view of the candidate's work and evidence of the results. A link to an updated digital portfolio should be included on an applicant's befitting resume, revealing both experience and displaying one's personal brand in the best light.
Prepare Your Questions for the Interviewer
Many managers appreciate candidates who ask questions at the end of the interview. It also reveals the kind of team one will be joining. It is an excellent idea to combine open and closed-ended questions to make the session interactive.
Tips On How to Close the Interview
There is no one fixed way to close an interview, but there are a few ways one could conclude to leave a lasting impression.
- Remind interviewees of one's best skills
- Explaining a gap in the resume
- Restating one's interest in the position
- Concluding on a polite note
Takeaways: sales director interview questions & answers
When going in for an interview, applicants should keep the following tips in mind:
- Know what to expect
- Review the job description
- Research the company
- Be confident while answering the questions
- Clearly define their management style
This guide provides you with all the tips you need to ace job interviews for director sales questions adequately. We also have another guide that takes the same approach to answer interview questions for a marketing director role.
Make one that's truly you.
