Regional Sales Manager Interview Questions

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What experience do you have relating to regional sales management? See answer
What is your management style in terms of running your team and territory? See answer
How would you approach a sales rep who has missed quota three months in a row? See answer
What made you successful as a senior sales rep in your previous role? See answer
What skills and qualifications would you look for when hiring a sales rep for your team? See answer
If you were assigned to oversee the expansion of sales into a new region, what market research would you perform to understand the area? See answer
How do you mitigate travel costs for your staff when they visit potential clients on sales calls?
Describe some of your favorite team-building techniques and how they specifically relate to success in sales.
How do you break up large organizational sales goals into smaller benchmarks for your team?
Do you have any experience creating sales scripts for your staff to use as a guide when making cold calls or following up on sales leads?
What would you do if a district manager submitted a large purchase order but you didn’t have immediate access to that amount of products?
What kind of sales promotions would you like to implement and why do you think they would work well with our products?
Are you comfortable speaking in front of large groups of people to give sales presentations or train your sales staff?
What would you do if one of your sales teams was consistently overspending on company accounts but also brought in the most sales in the region?
How do you differentiate between a normal fluctuation in sales numbers and a downward trend that could impact the company?

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6 Regional Sales Manager Interview Questions and Answers

Q:

What experience do you have relating to regional sales management?

A:

Listen for specifics relating to this particular job post. See if the candidate asks a lot of relevant questions, which shows a willingness to learn and a trainable personality. Look for pride and confidence when the applicant discusses their related work experience. Even better is if they speak with excitement in their tone. See if they speak to direct experience with the sales tools your company uses as well.

What to look for in an answer:

A deep understanding of the job duties for this role
Actual experience in a similar role
Confidence in their explanation

Example:

“After college, I started my career as a sales rep. I loved the thrill of landing new clients and worked my way up.”

Q:

What is your management style in terms of running your team and territory?

A:

Listen for terms such as persuasive, consultative, progressive or situational. Often, situational is the most effective style since it is flexible â depending on the situation. You want to hire a regional sales manager who can adapt to different situations and scenarios without disrupting the company’s or team’s objectives. Quotas, products and services can change at any time. Not to mention, as the role evolves, it is advantageous to hire someone who is also willing to learn and change.

What to look for in an answer:

Willingness to work with different personalities and sales styles
Proven ability to learn new sales methodologies
Experience improving quota achievement

Example:

“I have a situational style where I like to empower others while being adaptable to necessary changes in the field.”

Q:

How would you approach a sales rep who has missed quota three months in a row?

A:

Look for real-world examples of how the candidate approached a sales rep who has missed quota and turned it around. Listen for cues about management style and perspective on missing quotas. Is the applicant motivated enough to ensure everyone meets their quota, or is the candidate more lackadaisical if someone underachieves on a consistent basis? Do they take responsibility for everyone’s success? The best answer would convey motivation and a flexible management style.

What to look for in an answer:

Ability to successfully convince sales reps to meet their quotas
Effective coaching style
A manager who takes responsibility for success

Example:

“First, I would check if the sales rep was following our sales processes. If not, we would plug in the holes and offer more training where needed.”

Q:

What made you successful as a senior sales rep in your previous role?

A:

Look for answers that convey someone who likes to think big and continuously overachieves. See if they talk about anything that makes them special or about what motivates them. Listen for examples of how they were able to exceed their quota month after month. You can find out about what types of activities they were really good at and how they responded when they didn’t meet their quota. What’s important for you with their answer is to get an idea of how they can transfer their experience to the sales manager position in your company.

What to look for in an answer:

Examples of enjoying the challenges that come with sales
A motivated individual who enjoys accolades
A candidate who is confident

Example:

“I have always loved overcoming objectives and making sales. I thrive on it. I also challenge myself to improve year after year.”

Q:

What skills and qualifications would you look for when hiring a sales rep for your team?

A:

You want a candidate who hires applicants with a track record of success. If they were a sales manager, or senior sales rep, in their previous role, then they should have experience managing other sales reps. Look for defined experience and know-how around what it takes to be successful in sales. Work ethic, motivation and coachability are all critical.

What to look for in an answer:

Willingness to hire the best
Experience supervising other successful sales reps
Detailed response of exact criteria for hiring sales reps

Example:

“I often like to work with people who are successful, motivated, coachable, good listeners and curious.”

Q:

If you were assigned to oversee the expansion of sales into a new region, what market research would you perform to understand the area?

A:

Regional sales managers need to understand the local economy, demographics, culture and competition to promote sales in their territory. Strong candidates should be able to determine the most important information they need to gather and how to start collecting it based on geographical boundaries. By asking this question, interviewers can learn about a candidate's perspective on market research and get an idea of how they would develop their strategic marketing plan when they join the company.

An exemplary response should demonstrate:

Example types of market research
Strong reasoning skills
Focus on goals

One possible response could be:

Example:

"When entering an entirely new territory, I'd begin by analyzing how competitors operate in the area, using surveys and focus groups to analyze how we could fill a need in that area or differentiate from established businesses. I'd analyze the demographic information of the area and explore how to adapt current sales strategies to target key group and spread brand awareness. Next I'd project sales benchmarks and set goals for contac ting leads."

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