As sales has evolved and expanded, sales management has become multidisciplinary.  Sales managers - among other things - recruit, equip, forecast, fire, direct, and motivate.  Their objective is to increase sales and profitability as they hold responsibility for revenue generation at a firm.

Maybe you are looking to hire a standout sales manager.  Or maybe you are looking for more responsibility or need a stepping stone to reach your ultimate goal.  Whether you call yourself interviewer or interviewee, the questions below will help you sit down fully prepared to close the deal.

1. How would those who report to you describe your management style?

2. In your industry, what are signs of good quality in a product or service? How do you as a manager develop a commitment to quality among employees?

3. How would you describe the best manager you ever had?

4. Managers and companies typically have performance expectations of employees. In your opinion, what do employees have the right to expect of their immediate managers?

5. It is often said that a manager’s role is to get things done through others. Do you agree? If yes, what behaviors and/or policies do you believe are necessary to carry out that vision of the manager’s role? If not, why do you say that?

6. If you had to convince a reluctant coworker to accept your approach to a particular job, what would you do?

7. In a market where you face stiff competition from well-known companies with large market share and established brand recognition, how do you motivate your sales force to compete?

8. Sometimes managers make promises they know they can’t keep so that people are motivated to get things done. Is that ever justifiable? If yes, what circumstances would justify it?