Interview Guide Sales EQ & IQ · needed for success at your sales organization is to use the “TAO” interview process. This approach helps you create interview questions to determine

Interview Guide Sales EQ & IQ

1

Emotional Intelligence For Sales Leadership

BUILDING LEADERS. REDEFINING SALES.

Get This Right or Nothing Else Matters!

Hiring and selection of top salespeople is one of the most important and often, one of the most

difficult skills for sales managers to learn and master. But getting the right people on the “sales

bus” is critical to your success in achieving consistent revenue goals.

You’ve got systems and processes for everything else at your company. Get a system for hiring

and selection at your company. Stop making excuses that there are not good salespeople in the

market. There are good salespeople--you just don’t have a system for identifying and recruiting

“A” players.

Hiring top sales talent is no easy task. More than one sales manager has been frustrated

because he discovered he hired a terrific interviewer---not a terrific salesperson.

APPLY THE EQ SKILL OF DELAYED GRATIFICATION

Top sales managers apply delayed gratification skills and consistently incorporate recruiting into

their busy schedules, EVEN WHEN THEY DON’T HAVE TIME. It’s easy to get fall in the trap of

recruiting, only when you have an opening. But the result, as you know, is desperation hiring. A

quota needs to be hit. Customers need to hear and see from a salesperson.

Great sales managers are like great sales people. They are always prospecting for great

talent. They have a full sales pipeline of qualified sales candidates!

I hope the following examples of behavior-based interview questions will help you uncover red

flags BEFORE they turn into fires! Eliminate your personal bias when interviewing and make

sure you are hearing evidence that a candidate can show past “evidence” that he or she has

demonstrated the necessary competencies and skills needed for success at your company. In

the book, I share many Sales EQ interview questions. In this guide, I also share Sales IQ

interview questions to consider in your hiring process.

To your success,

Colleen Stanley

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Behavior Based Interviewing Skills

A convenient way to determine if your potential candidate possesses the key competencies

needed for success at your sales organization is to use the “TAO” interview process. This

approach helps you create interview questions to determine if your candidate possesses the

right skills, attitudes and habits to be on your sales team.

The definition of TAO:

1. TASK 2. ACTION 3. OUTCOME

THREE areas must be analyzed to determine if your potential sales candidate has

demonstrated previous experience or accomplishment in specific competencies needed for

success at your sales organization. The interviewer must understand:

1. The Task (situation or responsibilities) leading to the applicant’s action. Your goal is to test the competency without stating the competency.

2. The specific Actions taken or not taken by the applicant. Get the story. Get evidence of the competency. “Tell me about…give me an example of...share with me...”

3. The Outcomes caused by these Actions. What changed? What happened? What did the candidate learn?

“Look and listen for evidence, not just information!”

A = Action

T = Task

O = Outcome

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SALES IQ INTERVIEW QUESTIONS – INDUSTRY AND SALES EXPERIENCE

TAO EXAMPLES

Competency - Quota Attainment

Task: Describe your achievement of your previous sales quotas.

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Action:

• How was your quota set?

• How was your quota measured?

• What happened if you didn’t achieve quota?

• What percentage of increase in sales did you achieve each year?

• Did you grow your book of business by acquiring new clients or growing existing customers?

• How did your sales results compare to the top producer?

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Outcomes You Are Looking and Listening For:

• Did the candidate demonstrate discipline in sales activity and results?

• Was there an increase in sales year over year?

• Did you uncover evidence of new business growth each year?

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Competency – Prospecting – Sourcing of Opportunities

Task: Describe the strategy and process you use to find new prospects.

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Action:

• What % of your time did you invest in prospecting in your previous roles?

• How did you determine which companies to approach?

• How did you obtain your leads for prospecting?

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• Did you uncover tangible proof that your candidate has been effective at sourcing his/her own leads?

• Did the candidate have a defined approach to business development and results?

• Was the candidate successful because of his/her efforts or was the candidate successful only when a lead was given to them?

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Competency - Prospecting – Sourcing and Development of Leads

Task: What percentage of leads were generated by the company(s) you’ve worked for? Give me an example of business that you opened and closed where there was no previous relationship with the company.

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Action:

• What was the follow-up approach with prospects throughout the sales process?

• What support will you need to be successful in uncovering new opportunities?

• How do you track your prospecting efforts?

• What is the net number of new opportunities you needed in your pipeline to achieve your sales goal?

• How did you prioritize your opportunities?

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• Did the candidate demonstrate evidence that he/she has sourced their own opportunities? Or, were they successful at prospecting because of the company’s marketing and lead generation systems? (It’s important to see that you have a match in what your company has in place for business development.)

• Did the candidate demonstrate an understanding of the sales numbers needed for success in his/her role? I.e. Do they understand their business?

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Competency - Prospecting – Capabilities

Task: Check and see if your candidate can demonstrate these competencies

• Let me hear your cold call? Let me hear how you get past gatekeepers?

• What is the most creative thing you have done to bring in business?

• What organizations are you involved in? What does that look like?

• Who do you consider referral partners?

• How do you currently use the social media tools?

• Describe your email prospecting system. ______________________________________________________________________

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Action:

• Clarify and redirect – “Tell me more, give me another specific example, what does that look and sound like?”

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• Did the candidate ever engage in outbound prospecting? Does he/she sound conversational and confident when prospecting?

• Is this candidate well versed in the many different approaches required to be a successful business development person?

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Competency – Selling Value Not Price

Task: Tell me about a time when you negotiated value over price with a prospect or client?

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Action:

• What was your response to customers demanding pricing concessions?

• How did you win against a competitor who consistently sold on low price?

• How long did you retain customers when you were the highest priced vendor? What did you do to achieve that retention?

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• Did the salesperson demonstrate the ability to able to overcome price objections?

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Competency - Metrics and Accountability

Task: Tell me about reporting and metrics in your prior positions.

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Action:

• How often did you update your manager?

• What did you find challenging?

• Were you required to do any reporting to management? What type?

• What type of forecasting were you charged with providing to your manager? What did you do to ensure the accuracy of your sales pipeline?

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• Is the candidate effectively using a CRM tool?

• Is the candidate used to being held accountable to metrics and results? (If not, you might have an uphill battle in front of you.)

• Does the candidate demonstrate a good understanding of sales forecasting and the importance of it?

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Competency - Customer Focus – Exceeding Client Expectations

Task: Describe a situation where you went over and above what was expected to exceed a customer’s expectations.

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Action:

• How did you feel about that?

• What made you take the extra steps to exceed client expectations?

• Was it your idea or your sales mangers idea to “go the extra mile?”

• How often do you exceed client expectations?

• What was the outcome?

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• Did the candidate demonstrate that he/she is willing to do what it takes to delight clients?

• Did the candidate have more than one example? Is this a habit or a one-time event?

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Competency - Sales Process

Task: What was your approach in managing your territory and accounts?

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Action:

• How many clients did you manage?

• How did you prioritize the management of clients?

• Tell me about your sales approach to ‘gaining wallet share’ with existing clients? Give

me two examples.

• How do you organize your week?

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• Did the salesperson have a plan?

• Did he/she demonstrate the ability to work smarter, not harder?

• Was the candidate’s approach to territory/account management a focused approach or a

shotgun approach to territory management?

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Competency - Work Ethic

Task: Tell me about your first job.

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Action:

• What age were you?

• How did you get the job? Did you get the job or did your parents get you the job?

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• Did the candidate demonstrate a work ethic at a young age?

• Did the candidate show initiative in obtaining the job or was the job the result of his parents showing initiative? (Is the candidate a product of helicopter parents or not!)

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Competency - Work Ethic

Task: What is the hardest you have ever worked in your life? Tell me about work you’ve had to do, that was ‘beneath your pay grade,’ in order to get the job done?

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Action:

• How long did you work at that job?

• What were the hours required? What made the job hard?

• What do you consider a long work week?

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• Has the candidate ever worked very hard? (Your definition of hard work might be very different than your candidate’s definition.)

• Did the candidate demonstrate evidence of a “I’ll do whatever it takes” attitude?

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SALES EQ INTERVIEW QUESTIONS – SOFT SKILLS.

TAO EXAMPLES

Competency - Resiliency/Self-Regard/Personal Accountability

Task: What is the biggest sales mistake you’ve ever made?

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Action:

• What did you learn?

• How did you apply the lessons learned in future selling situations?

• What changed as a result of you applying the lessons learned?

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• Did the candidate demonstrate the ability to acknowledge mistakes?

• Did the candidate demonstrate the ability to learn and apply lessons from making mistakes?

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Competency - Resiliency/Self-Regard/Personal Accountability

Task: Describe a time when you had to apologize for your behavior. I.e. Bad attitude, lack of follow through, being rude to a colleague.

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Action:

• Was this the first time this behavior happened?

• What did you put in place to change your future actions and responses?

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• Did the candidate “own” the error or give excuses for the action or behavior?

• Did the candidate demonstrate that learning, change and improvement happened as a result of owning up to the mistake? ______________________________________________________________________

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Competency: Resiliency/Personal Accountability

Task: Tell me about a time when you did everything right, but you still lost the deal because of something out of your control.

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Action:

• What specifically did you do to win the opportunity?

• What else could you have done?

• What was out of your control?

• After you lost the deal, what was your follow-up with the prospect/customer?

• How did you take that information and apply to your next deal?

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• Was the reason the candidate lost the opportunity really out of their control or did they not show good judgment or initiative?

• Did the candidate demonstrate that he/she learned from this situation?

• Did they follow-up with the prospect?

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Competency: Humility

Task: Tell me about the most important accomplishments of your career.

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Action:

• Who helped you achieve these accomplishments?

• What made that accomplishment so important?

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• Did the candidate demonstrate humility or did they take full credit for accomplishments?

• Did the candidate give credit to others?

• How often did the candidate use the word “I” versus “We?”

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Competency – Learning or Laggard - Learning Aptitude and Attitude

Task: In your previous positions, how did you learn the product?

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Action:

• What training did you receive?

• What additional training did you seek out to become an expert?

• What topic do you consider yourself an expert in?

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• Did the candidate demonstrate the ability to learn new things?

• Did the candidate seek a proactive approach to learning and development?

• Has the candidate demonstrated the initiative to become an expert?

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Task: Tell me about the last three sales/business books you have read or listened to.

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Action:

• What inspired you to read those particular books?

• Did you choose to read/listen to the books or was this learning required by your sales manager?

• Did you purchase the book or did your company?

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• Did the candidate demonstrate a motivation to stay relevant in business?

• Did the candidate demonstrate a motivation for continuous improvement?

• Was the candidate proactive or reactive in learning new knowledge and skills?

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Task: Tell me about three skills you’ve mastered in your selling career in which you had no prior experience or knowledge.

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Action:

• Did you seek out the new skills and knowledge or was learning of new skills and knowledge a mandate from your sales manager?

• How did you go about learning the new skills and knowledge?

• Have you ever invested in your own development?

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• Did the candidate show initiative in taking charge of their professional development?

• Did the candidate demonstrate that he/she has the ability to learn and apply knowledge?

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Competency – Passion and Perseverance – “Campers or Climbers”

Task: Share with me the biggest adversity you’ve faced.

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Action:

• What did you learn from the adversity?

• How have you applied the lessons from the adversity?

• How long did it take for you to recover from the setback?

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• Has the candidate faced any real adversity?

• Did the candidate share a real adversity or just a good answer to an interview question?

• Did the candidate demonstrate the ability to recover and move on?

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Task: Tell me about a goal that you set that took over a year to achieve.

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Action:

• Why did it take a year to achieve?

• What set-backs did you encounter along the way

• What made you set the goal? Why was this goal important to achieve?

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• Did the candidate demonstrate the ability to keep climbing?

• Did the candidate demonstrate the ability to set a goal and keep taking the necessary

steps to achieve the goal?

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Task: Tell me about a time when you had to take on something with little guidance or resources.

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Action:

• What was the reason for lack of guidance?

• How did you know what to do?

• What resources did you tap into to achieve your goal?

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• Did the candidate achieve the goal?

• Did the candidate show resourcefulness in finding resources and accomplishing the goal?

• Did the candidate demonstrate a ‘figure it out’ attitude?

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Competency: Self Starting and Self-Management

Task: What support will you need to be successful in this role?

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Action:

• What type of support have you received in prior positions?

• When have you not received enough support? What did that look and sound like?

• What did you do when you did not have enough support?

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• Is this candidate going to require a lot of direction or do they have the ability to take charge and “figure it out?”

• Did the candidate demonstrate the ability to be successful, even when they were faced with limited resources and support?

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Competency: Interpersonal Skills – The Ability to Build Relationships

Task: Give me an example of a relationship you nurtured over time that eventually developed into business.

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Actions:

• How did you cultivate that relationship?

• What did you do to maintain the relationship?

• How long have you had the relationship?

• How has this relationship helped you in business? Referrals? Introductions?

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• Did your candidate demonstrate the ability to put in the work, not only to build a relationship, but to keep a relationship?

• What has been the outcome of the business relationship?

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Competency: Emotion Management and Self-Awareness

Task: Describe a stressful or difficult situation where you had to maintain your composure.

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Action:

• What did you do to maintain the composure?

• How do you think you did?

• If you had it to do over, what would you do the same? Differently?

• What part did you play in creating some of the stress?

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• Did the candidate demonstrate the ability to manage emotions?

• If the candidate did not manage emotions, did he/she share what they’ve done to effectively manage emotions in future situations?

• Did the candidate show ownership or blame in their answers?

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Competency - Teamwork – “It Takes A Sales Village”

Task: Give me an example of when you have to work with other departments and personnel in order to close business.

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Action:

• What were the departments you worked with and how did you engage them?

• How did you balance your priorities with their priorities?

• What did you do to create a collaborative process?

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• Has this candidate had to work with other people and departments to accomplish a sales goal?

• Did the candidate demonstrate empathy in working with other departments? I.e. Understanding competing priorities.

• Did the candidate accomplish the goal of new business?

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Competency - Teamwork – “It Takes A Sales Village”

Task: Give me an example of what you’ve done to build relationships with other people and departments in your previous organizations?

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Action:

• How did you find the time with so many other priorities?

• What changed because of this relationship building?

• Who was the most difficult person to build a relationship with and why?

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• Did the candidate demonstrate interpersonal skills?

• Did the candidate demonstrate examples of proactively setting aside time for relationship building?

• Did the candidate demonstrate the ability to work with difficult people?

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Job Profile Scoring the Candidate

Competency

Score 1-4

Interviewer 1

Interviewer

2

Interviewer 3

Average Score

(Example) Initiative 1 – 4 3 2 1 2

Sales IQ Skills

Industry experience

Years of sales

Achievement of quota

Sales EQ Skills

Personal accountability

Learning aptitude

Humility

Culture Fit

Teamwork

Interpersonal skills

Self-awareness

Other – “Non-Negotiables”

GET THIS RIGHT OR NOTHING ELSE MATTERS!

Documents

Interview Guide Sales EQ & IQ · needed for success at your sales organization is to use the “TAO” interview process. This approach helps you create interview questions to determine