Getting a strong sales leader in place can transform a company in growth mode. But finding the right person is challenging. How do you get past the sales pitch and find the real deal? Salespeople are great at selling, especially when the product is themselves.
The interview is where the real story happens, but you need to know what to ask and how to listen to the answers to get that story. These are the questions that have helped us place dozens of candidates successfully. They will help you avoid those “great on paper” candidates whose potential never seems to come true in the real world.
Sales leadership is 100% about delivering results. How well can this person come up with a plan, rally a group of people around a common goal, and change course when needed to reach their goal?
Ask this: “In your last sales leadership position, what role did you play in revenue achievement?”
Pay attention: Did this person create the sales process and set revenue goals? Did they have a say in an existing sales strategy? Or did they only have to carry out the strategy? A company that wants to grow needs a strategist, not just a good tactician.
To find out if they like getting their hands dirty and building things, listen to them. Do they coach their sales team or do they spend most of their time in leadership meetings? A company that wants to grow needs someone who can professionalize the sales process from the ground up, not someone who can fit into an existing system.
Many sales leaders look great on paper and know how to dazzle during an interview. But as a company in growth mode, you need more than just a charismatic closer. Don’t be fooled by high sales numbers. A sales leader who made $100 million a year in a structured, mature enterprise environment might fail in an unstructured, entrepreneurial environment.
It’s more important than the numbers to show that you can build and lead teams and processes that work. If you ask these three questions of sales executives during interviews, you’ll find the kind of dynamic leader who can help your company grow and change as it does. LLR Partners believes that the wealth of experience and knowledge within our portfolio companies, network, and teams should be shared with other business leaders to help them grow. We hope you find these GrowthBits helpful and share them with your network. Read.
Hiring a Chief Sales Officer (CSO) is a critical decision for any organization. It’s very important to hire the right CSO because they are in charge of growing sales and making sure the team works well together.
This guide has 20 thoughtful interview questions that will help you figure out how skilled, experienced, and leadership-worthy a candidate is. We’ll also add some extra questions to help you learn more about the candidate’s personality and how well they’ll fit in with your company.
Hard Skills Interview Questions
These questions will help you assess the candidate’s technical knowledge and abilities
- Tell me about a time when you had to develop a strategic revenue plan. What was your process, and what were the key factors you considered?
- How do you use KPIs and other metrics to measure and improve sales performance?
- What digital marketing techniques have you used in the past to generate leads and drive sales?
- Describe your experience with sales forecasting and pipeline management.
- How do you stay up-to-date on the latest sales trends and technologies?
Behavioral Interview Questions
These questions will help you determine how the candidate has handled situations in the past and how they might approach similar challenges in the future:
- Describe a time when you had to overcome a major obstacle to achieve a sales goal.
- Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer or colleague.
- How do you motivate and inspire your sales team?
- Give me an example of a time when you had to make a tough decision under pressure.
- How do you handle conflict within your team?
Soft Skills Interview Questions
These questions will help you assess the candidate’s personal traits and cognitive skills
- Tell me about your leadership style.
- How do you build relationships with clients and stakeholders?
- How do you handle stress and pressure?
- Describe your communication style.
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Bonus Questions
These questions can help you get a better understanding of the candidate’s personality and fit within your company culture
- What are your salary expectations?
- Why are you interested in this particular position?
- What are your career goals?
- What do you know about our company and our products or services?
- Do you have any questions for me?
Additional Tips for Interviewing Chief Sales Officer Candidates
- Do your research. Before the interview, take some time to learn about the candidate’s background and experience. This will help you ask more informed questions and get a better sense of their qualifications.
- Prepare your questions in advance. This will help you stay focused and ensure that you cover all of the important topics.
- Create a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. This will help the candidate feel at ease and more likely to open up to you.
- Take notes. This will help you remember the details of the interview and make it easier to compare candidates later on.
- Follow up with the candidate. After the interview, send a thank-you note and let the candidate know when you expect to make a decision.
You have a better chance of hiring the best Chief Sales Officer for your company if you ask the right questions and use the tips above. Remember that the right CSO can have a big effect on the bottom line of your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the most important qualities to look for in a Chief Sales Officer?
- The most important qualities to look for in a Chief Sales Officer include strong leadership skills, a proven track record of success in sales, and a deep understanding of the sales process.
- What are some red flags to watch out for during the interview process?
- Some red flags to watch out for include a lack of experience, a poor track record, and a negative attitude.
- What are some additional resources that I can use to prepare for interviewing Chief Sales Officer candidates?
- There are a number of resources available to help you prepare for interviewing Chief Sales Officer candidates. Some of these resources include online articles, books, and websites.
Additional Resources
Can they build winning teams?
A growth company needs to get the right people on board, and not all sales leaders are good at that. Does this person know how to find, hire and keep a team that can drive revenue achievement?.
Ask this: “Tell me about the teams you’ve directly managed and how you built them?
Watch this: What did the sales team look like before and after they left? Does it show steady team and revenue growth? Did they use internal or external recruiters or an HR department for help? Most growth companies don’t have those resources, so they’ll need a sales leader who knows the market to build the team from scratch.
Ask this: “Walk me through how did you manage reps who failed to meet their quota?”
Listen for this question: What kind of process and schedule did they use? How long did it take to fire someone who didn’t meet quota? Every sales leader has their own style, but you want to know that they have a way to fire someone and aren’t afraid to make the tough choices. For those who insist, they want to see proof that they have their own way of developing teams and getting rid of them if needed. Have they done this before? Are they able to make tough decisions?
Can they build winning processes?
As your company matures, a repeatable and predictable sales process enables you to stabilize without losing momentum. Your sales manager needs to be able to think of creative ways to look at, change, and write down a process that works for all kinds of buyers and opportunities.
Ask this: “How do you see sales, marketing and customer success fitting together?”
What part of the customer lifecycle does this person play at the beginning and end? Did they only work on sales in previous jobs, or did they also have responsibilities in marketing and customer success? How did they work with these other departments to increase sales and opportunities?
Ask yourself, “What did the sales process look like when you started at your current or last job? How had it changed by the time you left? How did you affect that change?”
Ask yourself if this person knows how to critically look at the sales process and make changes to make it better? Or did they just follow a well-defined, locked-down sales process that was already in place? A company that wants to grow needs a sales leader who has shown they have the analytical and strategic skills to build a predictable and responsive sales process that meets the company’s revenue goals.
Many sales leaders look great on paper and know how to dazzle during an interview. But as a company in growth mode, you need more than just a charismatic closer. Don’t be fooled by high sales numbers. A sales leader who made $100 million a year in a structured, mature enterprise environment might fail in an unstructured, entrepreneurial environment.
It’s more important than the numbers to show that you can build and lead teams and processes that work. If you ask these three questions of sales executives during interviews, you’ll find the kind of dynamic leader who can help your company grow and change as it does. LLR Partners believes that the wealth of experience and knowledge within our portfolio companies, network, and teams should be shared with other business leaders to help them grow. We hope you find these GrowthBits helpful and share them with your network. Read.
