- Stages
- 4
- Typical timeline
- 3 to 5 weeks
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Format
- Recruiter call, leadership interviews, 90-day plan presentation
Sales manager interviews focus on your team's results, how you coach and hire, and how you forecast and manage pipeline. Expect questions about team attainment, how you turned around an underperformer, how you run pipeline reviews and a presentation such as a 90-day plan or territory plan. Interviewers want specific numbers for your team and evidence that your coaching changed results. Strong candidates show both empathy for their reps and a firm grip on the numbers.
The interview process, stage by stage
- Recruiter screenTeam size, results and motivation.
- Hiring manager interviewLeadership style, coaching and team performance.
- PresentationA 90-day plan or territory plan for the role.
- Final interviewsSenior leaders and cross-functional partners.
How you're scored
Consistent team attainment with specific numbers.
Evidence that coaching improved individual reps.
Accurate forecasting and disciplined pipeline management.
Builds a motivated, accountable team.
Likely Sales Manager interview questions
How did your team perform against target over the last two years?
A strong answer includes: Exact team attainment by period, team size, how many reps hit target and what drove the results.
Tell me about a rep you turned around.
A strong answer includes: The diagnosis, the coaching plan, how you measured progress and the result in numbers.
Present your 90-day plan for this role.
A strong answer includes: Clear phases, early listening, top priorities with reasons, coaching and process plans, and metrics for success.
Every question for this interview, with what strong answers include. Free with an account for the first few; all of them with Pro.
Common mistakes
- Talking about your own selling instead of the team
- No examples of managing underperformance
- A 90-day plan with no priorities
- Forecasting based on gut feel
Questions to ask them
- How has the team performed over the last few quarters?
- What is the biggest challenge facing the team?
- How are targets set?
- What support do managers get from sales operations and enablement?
Candidate experiences
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Share your interviewFrequently asked questions
What is asked in a sales manager interview?
Your team's attainment, how you hire and coach reps, how you handle underperformance, how you forecast and run pipeline reviews, and often a 90-day plan presentation for the role.
How do I build a 90-day plan for a sales manager interview?
Split it into learning, planning and acting. Days 1 to 30: understand the team, pipeline and customers. Days 31 to 60: set priorities, coaching plans and process changes. Days 61 to 90: execute and measure. Include the metrics you will track.
How do I answer questions about managing underperformance?
Describe how you diagnosed the cause, set clear expectations with a plan and support, coached regularly, and the outcome, whether improvement or a fair exit.
What makes a good sales forecast?
Clear stage definitions, evidence-based deal probabilities, regular inspection of key deals, and comparing forecast to actuals to improve accuracy over time.