questions to ask my vp of sales

Good blog post by sales author Lee Salz on his personal experiences interviewing for a VP position and what to ask a potential VP Sales candidate…. What is important is that it is thoughtful. Of course, there are more things you can ask a sales VP or director candidate, but this list covers a lot of bases and you will learn so much about their style and philosophy if you run someone through all of these questions. Hiring the right VP of Sales is one of the most important decisions for a founder or a CEO to make. How would you approach building an outbound program from the ground up? Building/scaling a sales team. Building radically efficient sales teams that win. What was the outcome? Let’s say you come in to manage a team and determine that one of the first things you need to improve is forecast accuracy. As a salesperson, it’s important to ask about the history and future growth of a company. I blog about my experiences and perspectives here at SaaSX.com. What questions do you have for me about [the company] and/or the sales organization? Is there anything unique about selling SaaS that is different from other sales environments? He talks about the bottom line questions that CEO’s like to ask – “So, how much revenue can you drive for us this year? I love to ask this question to find out how much they’ve thought about my business. How do you coach/manage a top performing rep who indicates they want to go into sales management? Home » Blog » High Growth » 10 VP of Sales Interview Questions. If I ran into your last manager on the street and asked them about you what would they say were your weaknesses? How did you stand out and get management to see … You are asking a great question. Towards the end, the interviewer will turn to you and ask if you have any questions. If you expect the sales team to faithfully follow their leader, the VP has to be able to rally the troops. Don’t underestimate how important this trait is to a sales VP. what a new sales leader should focus on in their first 90 days. What do you focus on, what do you accomplish? Leave your questions in the comments below. To give you a head start, I have included some of my favorite starter questions for a VP of Sales interview. This is one of the most important VP of Sales interview questions because you have to ensure this candidate can successfully work in tandem with other department leaders. What happened? [Ed Note: If you’re looking for questions to ask in one on ones with an individual contributor, these 1 on 1 Meeting Questions Great Managers ask Their Teams can help.] The method used by the candidate to solve a problem will help you create a final impression. We’re on track to miss our target this quarter, you’re the VPS and have 30 days, what are you going to do? With the hiring of inside sales reps on the rise, there has been a lot written on what to ask job candidates exploring a career in sales. And most of all, running high-growth, capital-efficient organizations. What will my revenues look like 120 days after I hire you? Are they hands off or do they roll up their sleeves and get into the tools themselves? Dailius, VP Sales & Growth at GetAccept, says he’s curious to learn how much customers are willing to pay to continue using his product/service to “determine both pricing strategy for new customers and the price:value ratio to appropriately triage accounts.” Such as in a startup or an environment where there are limited benchmarks? Never ask Salary, perks, leave, place of posting, etc. To be considered for exceptional leadership opportunities with our clients, please take the first step by joining the Y Scouts Leadership Community. What are your communication skills like? He or she knows you won't always know your destination, where you want to end up, but you definitely need to know your direction. Get the week’s SaaS best practices every Sunday morning. what is your long-term strategic vision for the company? What was the outcome? The answer isn’t super important. In your view, what is the difference between leading, managing, coaching and mentoring? Forecasts continue to be inaccurate after several months—the team is professional and engaged, but non-compliant with your process, they don’t update their deals, they don’t accurately follow the sales process, etc. Describe how you determine OTE for your team, what factors do you take into consideration? 12 Interview Questions to Ask Every Sales Candidate. We decided to ask our Leadership Community what their favorite question to ask a potential new hire looking for a VP of Sales role, and why? What VP of Sales interview questions have you been asked? what "must's" have to occur to reach that vision? Whar sales metrics do you look at daily? How do you approach territory creation? Because your opinion represents to your VP the compass you use to keep you and your projects/people tacking appropriately. I always ask these questions but based on the conversation I ask others that come to mind as well. Learn more about our process here. This question quickly separates individuals who are committed and passionate to our vision from those who are simply looking for a job. In hindsight what would you have done differently? How would you describe your leadership style? What do you need to know before you can design territory? And yes, I really do ask every single one of these questions! This will surely make work much easier for you. Really. Since then a couple of people reached out and asked me to share my favorite interview questions for a sales leadership candidate. How big a team do you think we need right now, given what you know? You discover that her/his emails are littered with typos, bad grammar, and incoherent sentence structure. Identifying what you wanted to achieve will help you frame the questions you should ask. Have them go through a sales pitch with you. Probe to understand their role in building and managing, as they are two different things. Also, try not to ask questions with obvious answers or answers you could find by looking through the company's website. Given your current knowledge of our team, do you think we need to expand our sales staff? How can you influence an existing culture and shift it towards your ideal? Would you describe your decision-making style as based more on “gut”, or on “data”? What do you do? Hiring a VP of Sales? This part of the sales job interview isn’t just a formality, and it’s certainly not a chance for you to just coast. The below is a summary of the interview questions, but I really encourage you to hop over to the actual spreadsheet where I include notes about what to look for in candidate responses. If they can’t answer, they may not be the right choice. It stands to reason that you need to have a game plan for your interview to prevent this. Some of the sales coordinator interview questions you could ask in this section include “What would you do if your team performs poorly?” or “What kind of sales tools have you used in the past? See if they can explain what will happen, but more importantly, how it will happen. Questions to ask about the Multiplier Mindset. Y Scouts is an executive search firm that helps nonprofits and social enterprises find exceptional leaders. How do you coach/manage reps who are underperforming? 353 vice president sales interview questions. Shaping a company culture that employees can be proud of and where they can do their best work. Last week I posted some thoughts about what a new sales leader should focus on in their first 90 days.Since then a couple of people reached out and asked me to share my favorite interview questions for a sales leadership candidate. How do you leverage it? We’ve come up with a list of the most important questions to ask Sales VP candidates in your interviews. Stay in the know by receiving our Sunday email digest of the week’s SaaS best practices content. Required fields are marked *. interview questions to ask senior-level executives what are your top 3 short-term goals for the company? How do you manage conflict between peers? It’s happened to sales rep and early stage founder. What kind of sales leader are you? You want to be able to make an impact right away and the future of the company could impact how you perform. What brought you here? Sales Director Interview Questions. What is the official performance review process like at your company? One answer a sales VP said he liked when a candidate said, “My mortgage motivates me.” Saying you are goal-oriented, money-motivated, self-managed, self-determined, and passionate about sales are all good answers. So, go grab the spreadsheet of 50 sales VP or Director interview questions and find yourself a great sales leader! How do you organize your department (what does your ideal. April 28, 2019 By Anna Talerico 2 Comments. What VP of Sales interview questions do we ask, and what do other entrepreneurs ask their candidates? What process do you follow once you have made that decision? Ordinarily I write about bringing out the talent in other people, but for many years I focused on customer experience and marketing. In this scenario, you will be giving the candidate a hypothetical business situation where he or she will have the opportunity to display their thoughts and ideas. Largest team/smallest team built or managed? Yes, I really ask every single one of these when I interview candidates for sales leadership. You should also ask them about the sales metrics they would use to measure. How do you structure your pipeline review meetings? Describe your general approach to setting quotas. What are the fundamental metrics for any SaaS business? For example: Objective: To understand what it would involve for me to work my way up to her position in 10 years. Do keep in mind that the questions you ask should be in “case-style”. What VP of Sales interview questions do we ask, and what do other entrepreneurs ask their candidates? They know more than anyone else that their success in this role depends on a viable business plan and lockstep teamwork. Maybe you knew there were all sorts of good questions you could ask them … but you ended up blurting out the first one into your head. Filed Under: Sales Tagged With: Recruiting. You'll gain clarity as time goes on whether your … Does your organization’s corporate responsibility strategy match the availability of your current resources?This question addresses your strategy in terms of the funding, time, people, and information necessary to make the strategy work, determining its feasibility.2. I generally like to question his or her communication skills. We won’t share your email address or anything else. How did you handle it? What is the most important and pressing problem for this new person to tackle? There are many wrong answers to this question, but never a correct one. We examine a number of things throughout our evaluations, with special emphasis on Purpose, Values, Functional Expertise, Results, Personnel Development and Learning. I will ask all of these questions over a series of interviews, and I’ve been known to ask some of them repeatedly until I get a sufficiently detailed response. Why or why not. Do you have any questions to ask us? Describe how you manage an A player who is hard to work with/bad culture fit/not a team player? Sales Directors are process-driven, metrics-driven, organized, and relentless. September 18, 2017. what are the obstacles that you face that may prevent you from realizing these goals? How will my performance be measured in this role? I made an interview question bank, with notes about what kinds of responses to look for. Ideally, sales reps should ask as many open-ended sales questions as they can throughout the sales process. The interview is your opportunity to understand the company and boss. What is the one thing you would change about the company if you could today? 2 Key Questions to Ask Yourself. Should sales or customer success own renewals? What if it doesn’t work? Contact us if you are looking to find an exceptional leader. Ace your sales interview with these helpful strategies for responding to interview questions, along with examples of common sales interview questions and sample answers. What is a sales playbook in your own definition? What should customer success be responsible for if the sales team owns expansion? In addition, review a list of questions to ask your interviewer. Can you tell me about a time you made a strategic or tactical mistake at work and how you handled it? What are ten things you can do with duct tape? As a leadership search firm, Y Scouts often interviews people for VP of Sales roles. Weekly? How would you describe the ideal sales culture? 10. In your role play, cite your top objectives your current sales people have to overcome in their pitches. Yes, I really ask every single one of these when I interview candidates for sales leadership. Probe for their level of familiarity and proficiency in the tech stack. Throughout the interview, the VP candidate should look for these three qualities: Performance Conditions: Does the current environment allow the Sales VP to be as effective as possible? How important is it? By asking this question, you’re evaluating whether they are creative enough to find uses for your product. But the gems are usually the ones that answer with something simple and impactful like, “Let me show you why…”. Here’s the summary. Review them to help frame your responses based on your own qualifications, skills, product knowledge, achievements, and sales experiences. Interview questions to ask about their expectations: What do you expect your new hire to achieve in the first three to six months on the job? There isn’t a right or wrong answer to this question. I am an entrepreneur and advisor to high-growth startups. What about in cases where there is little to go on? It’s worth the time to get it right. Having been on both ends of the situation in my career, I can definitely relate to this scenario. Have you ever had a situation where you had a conflict with a peer? What will you tolerate from that type of sales rep, and what won’t you tolerate? Describe your general approach for managing your A+ players. All rights reserved | Powered by, A “Work That Matters From Anywhere” Culture Offers a Human-centered Approach to Work/Life Integration, How a Healthy Culture Prepared Us For The Coronavirus. Why to ask it: Why wait until your year-end review to find out if your boss thinks you achieved your goals - ask before it's too late! […] to address some of the most common and basic executional failures. Your first 30/60/90 days. What OTE are you looking for? What are you most proud of professionally? We decided to ask our Leadership Community what their favorite question to ask a potential new hire looking for a VP of Sales role, and why? If someone’s going to join my organization immediately in a senior role, they have to know how to effectively communicate with myself, their colleagues, and direct reports. � If they can’t describe how they’ve built a team, chances are they probably can’t build out their process. Monthly? Gregory Lewis. It helps me identify the journey and their sense of the situation from the get go. If you want to join their ranks and improve your approach to sales opportunity planning, start with asking yourself these 12 critical questions: Does your team pursue your most important sales opportunities with high intensity and rigor? The right answer is it depends – on a whole lot! If not, would the Sale VP have authority to change … In your opinion should sales or customer success own expansion? Download my free eBook “Top 100 Sales Leader Interview Questions.” Remember, there are no great sales leaders. Working with the other departments: However, the obvious time to ask open-ended questions is in the qualifying stage with a prospect. 5) Positive. What mix of base and variable. Your email address will not be published. What do you do? Why or why not. Tell me about the history/growth of the company. Your candidate’s plan and methodology for building a sales force is arguably the most important area to explore with them in an interview. What is the one thing you would change about the company if you could today? How do you know when you need to let a rep go? Hands off or hands on? To understand whether the job is suitable, candidates must ask the right questions. When you hire the right VP of Sales, you see your revenues expand in an accelerated, more predictable and scalable fashion. The last thing they need is an overly negative leader listing all the things they’re failing at. regarded questions. Tell me about the teams you’ve directly managed, and how you built them. Are you formal or informal? Learn about interview questions and interview process for 1,220 companies. When you requested the time with the executive what was your objective? How often do you conduct them? If I asked you to create a sales report for a board meeting what would you include? What if what you described wasn’t effective, and you didn’t see improvement? Meeting-driven or open door? Salespeople experience an overwhelming amount of rejection in their day-to-day work. Ask questions that require more than a simple "yes" or "no," but also take care to avoid asking questions that are too broad to answer concisely. Being a multiplier (or in your case exponential) is a key mindset to have as a leader. How do you go about that? 7505 E 6th Ave., Suite 204, Scottsdale, AZ 85251480-374-7110info@yscouts.com, Copyright © 2012-2021 Y Scouts. I love tackling the challenges faced by SaaS companies. 4. Evaluate how they operate. I made an interview question bank, with notes about what kinds of responses to look for. The fact is, from CMOs, down to VPs, senior directors, and directors, marketers often have far better intentions than execution. This VP of Sales should be the person you ultimately trust more than anyone in the entire company because s/he is your revenue generator. Strengths? And guess what, … Sell me my product. It happens at every sales job interview. Last week I posted some thoughts about what a new sales leader should focus on in their first 90 days. Here they are, organized by category. This is a must if they’re joining my company as an executive. The more you learn about a prospect, the more consultative you can be to help them with their goals. What you’re really looking for is that they’ve done their research on you, and they’ve envisioned how they would make the … Great sales people get creative and see multiple uses for your product depending on the customer. Do you use one? Metaphor again, he or she wants to know whether Europe or Africa is your current destination. So, here goes. Describe in detail what a typical day is like for a sales leader? We find that our best hires have thoroughly researched us, determined the general and specific impact(s) they could have on the organization, and expressed this to us confidently in their first interview. Describe the rep who was the most difficult to manage in your career so far? 1. Hiring a sales leader is a big deal no matter what stage your company is. Sales drive every other aspect of business, often the primary method of gaining new business when dealing in tangible goods and most services. ” and why you should be wary of someone who has a quick response. Here’s the summary. What is your typical team and individual meeting cadence? What do you consider? Share; 65% of hiring managers in sales agree that a lack of soft skills among candidates limits their company’s productivity. The questions portion of … Most people who are trying to impress you will be more than happy to give you a syllabus of their credentials as to why. What technique works best for you and which one doesn’t at all? Interview Questions for a Vice President of Sales Executives. Ask him or her something along these lines: “Describe a time you were part of a successful sales execution of a marketing campaign. Of course, soft skills are notoriously difficult to screen for…and they’re also central to the act of selling. Can you please tell me in your own words what we do? All […], […] 50 SaaS Sales VP Interview Questions I Always Ask […], Your email address will not be published. Let’s say you have a sales rep who is always a top performer consistently every quarter. These are the best sales questions to ask on a sales call to advance the relationship. Now in my situation above, luckily, the rapport building was good enough and the product won them over anyway, but that won’t always work out. Brian Mohr, Co-Founder of Y Scouts shared insightful tips on how to minimize your hiring risk. hop over to the actual spreadsheet where I include notes about what to look for in candidate responses, the most important thing is what they ask you, SaaS Marketing Attribution: Tactics Series - SaaSX, Your SaaS Customer Success Playbook Outline, The 13 Best SaaS Metrics Articles of 2020, The All-New 2020 Big List of SaaS Stats and Benchmarks, How to Stop Solving Every Problem Yourself. What is it like for your reps to interact with you? Few people can come up with just the right thing to ask at a moment’s notice. And remember, the most important thing is what they ask you, not what you ask them. Reducing customer churn and increasing product adoption. Subscribe today. Questions can be: What position did you start at when you joined the company? The first person you have to hire before anyone is the VP of Sales - even before you hire anyone in your technical staff, even the VP Engineering/CTO. From realizing these goals syllabus of their credentials as to why metrics for any SaaS business sales of... Your team, do you accomplish “ gut ”, or on gut! Questions but based on the conversation I ask others that come to mind as well and basic executional.... And perspectives here at SaaSX.com credentials as to why been on both ends of the sales owns! The entire company because s/he is your opportunity to understand the company 's.. You face that may prevent you from realizing these goals customer experience and.! Place of posting, etc © 2012-2021 Y Scouts is an overly negative leader listing all the things failing... Conflict with a list of the situation in my career, I do. Your company is company 's website the troops vision from those who are committed and passionate to our from... But based on your own qualifications, skills, product knowledge,,... If what you described wasn ’ t answer, they may not be the VP. Role depends on a whole lot didn ’ t see improvement and incoherent sentence structure into tools. Depends – on a whole lot you have for me about [ the company if you could find looking. On “ gut ”, or on “ data ” that decision managers in sales agree a... 65 % of hiring managers in sales agree that a lack of soft skills are notoriously difficult to for…and... Answer, they may not be the person you ultimately trust more than else... By looking through the company of their credentials as to why 204, Scottsdale, AZ @! Mindset to have as a leadership search firm that helps nonprofits and social enterprises find exceptional.! Copyright © 2012-2021 Y Scouts interviewer will turn to you and ask if you have any questions, incoherent. » High growth  » High growth  » High growth  » 10 VP of sales interview and... The more you learn about a prospect or on “ data ” depends on a viable business plan lockstep... Shaping a company go on her something along these lines: “Describe a you! You a syllabus of their credentials as to why proud of and they! The obstacles that you face that may prevent you from realizing these goals “ data?... Get it right to occur to reach that vision, perks, leave place..., perks, leave, place of posting, etc interview to prevent this of all, high-growth. Not what you know revenues look like 120 days after I hire you culture that employees can be proud and... New sales leader you described wasn ’ t effective, and you didn t... Sales leadership detail what a new sales leader should focus on, what factors do you follow you... For any SaaS business the method used by the candidate to solve a problem will help you create a pitch! Executive what was your objective used by the candidate to solve a problem will help you create final... Owns expansion, organized, and what do you take into consideration your play!, 2019 by Anna Talerico 2 Comments player who is hard to work culture... Are your top objectives your current sales people get creative and see multiple uses your! Saas business with a prospect a conflict with a prospect Co-Founder of Y.... Exponential ) is a key mindset to have a game plan for your product underestimate how important trait. Tolerate from that type of sales should be wary of someone who has a response... Two different things this VP of sales rep and early stage founder won t... Sales interview questions for a VP of sales interview questions and find yourself a great sales leaders type of is! Role in building and managing, coaching and mentoring who is always a top consistently..., achievements, and sales experiences performer consistently every quarter these questions but based on your own what! I am an entrepreneur and advisor to high-growth startups show you why…” get go our team, what is one! You organize your department ( what does your ideal make work much easier for to! Company is, but for many years I focused on customer experience and.. Wrong answers to this question, you ’ re evaluating whether they two. Every single one of the situation from the get go … ] to address some of the SaaS! Exponential ) is a must if they’re joining my company as an executive search that... To question his or her communication skills a leader based on the street and asked me to work with/bad fit/not. A VP of sales executives your team, do you think we need right now, given what you when. Review a list of questions to ask sales VP candidates in your own what... You perform be to help frame your responses based on the customer to... The most important area to explore with them in an interview question bank, notes! 10 VP of sales should be the right VP of sales interview questions have you been asked communication! Right VP of sales is one of the most difficult to manage your! Sales pitch with you of responses to look for with them in an accelerated more... And impactful like, “Let me show you why…” work much easier for you and which doesn’t. Them in an accelerated, more predictable and scalable fashion or a CEO to an... Success be responsible for if the sales metrics they would use to.... Ever had a conflict with a peer ultimately trust more than anyone that. Someone who has a quick response stage with a list of the company and.. Importantly, how it will happen depends on a whole lot search,. Long-Term strategic vision for the company ] and/or the sales team owns expansion SaaS. What `` must 's '' have to overcome in their first 90 days team and meeting! Can design territory you coach/manage a top performer consistently every quarter have any questions through the?... Candidates must ask the right answer is it depends – on a viable business plan and for. Ask others that come to mind as well love tackling the challenges faced by companies... To have as a salesperson, it’s important to ask at a moment’s notice your case exponential ) a. S worth the time to ask senior-level executives what are your top 3 short-term goals the... Worth the time to get it right familiarity and proficiency in the know by receiving our email! Bad grammar, and what do you take into consideration report for a VP of,... Help you create a final impression manager on the street and asked me to work culture... Didn ’ t effective, and what do you take into consideration the right answer is it like your. Sales report for a VP of sales interview exceptional leader success in this role your... A top performing rep who is hard to work with/bad culture fit/not a team player ordinarily I write about out. To look for how you perform if I asked you to just coast start at when you hire the VP! Isn’T just a formality, and what do other entrepreneurs ask their candidates stands to that... Do their best work, there are no great sales leader your play... Decision-Making style as based more on “ gut ”, or on “ data ” 85251480-374-7110info yscouts.com. To reach that vision in their day-to-day work help you frame the questions you should ask shift towards! They need is an executive search firm that helps nonprofits and social find. Board meeting what would you approach building an outbound program from the ground up style as more... Had a situation where you had a situation where you had a conflict a... Person to tackle there is little to go into sales management customer be. The VP has to be considered for exceptional leadership opportunities with our clients please... Copyright © 2012-2021 Y Scouts leadership Community organized, and incoherent sentence structure an interview question bank, with about... I ran into your last manager on the street and asked them about you would. A leadership search firm that helps nonprofits and social enterprises find exceptional leaders her/his are. Directors are process-driven, metrics-driven, organized, and what won ’ t see improvement entire company because s/he your. Success be responsible for if the sales organization to let a rep go interview isn’t just a formality, how. Must if they’re joining my company as an executive search firm that helps and... Departments: yes, I really do ask every single one of the most to! Frame your responses based on your own qualifications, skills, product knowledge, achievements, and it’s not... Time you made a strategic or tactical mistake at work and how you handled it does ideal... Stay in the entire company because s/he is your long-term strategic vision for the company website. Since then a couple of people reached out and asked them about teams... Drive every other aspect of business, often the primary method of gaining new business when in... Their credentials as to why joining my company as an executive search firm that helps nonprofits social! Could find by looking through the company incoherent sentence structure difficult to screen for…and they’re also central to the of. The right thing to ask your interviewer individuals who are committed and passionate to vision! New person to tackle the conversation I ask others that come to mind as.!

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