Ace Your Used Car Sales Manager Interview: The Top Questions You Need to Prepare For

In any industry, being a manager means having a unique set of skills. You need to know the ins and outs of the business and also know how to lead a group of employees. This is true in sales as well.

Lucky for you, we have some interview tips, some common questions for sales manager jobs, and advice that can help you get your dream job.

Additional Examples of Sales Manager Interview Questions

• As a manager, what changes would you make to make things better?
• How do you go about making and keeping good relationships with clients and customers?
• How would you deal with objections and talks during the sales process?
• What do you know about our company?
• How can you make sure that the goals and objectives of your company are shared by your sales team?
• Someone from your staff may have come up with a great idea, but how did you go about responding?
• Tell me about a time you implemented an out-of-the-box solution. If so, were you successful?.
• Do you have any tools that help you lead a group?
• Tell me about a time you did something you had never done before.
• What is one of your greatest successes on the job?
• Can you describe your approach to sales forecasting and budgeting?
• How do you measure the performance of your team? What metrics and KPIs do you use?

Sales Manager Interview Questions and Answers

• Tell me about yourself. In the case of being a sales manager, you should highlight your work history in sales and leadership roles, as well as any major skills and achievements you’ve had. Example Answer: I’ve been in charge of people for more than seven years as the sales manager at Johns Auto Sales. This very helpful experience has given me a strong background in management and a track record of putting together effective sales strategies. I can communicate clearly and pay close attention to details, which are important skills for a good sales manager. I’ve also built a strong network of contacts thanks to my communication skills, which puts me in a great position to meet sales goals. In general, I’m a strong leader who really wants the sales team to do well. I’m sure I can come up with good strategies, and I’m always looking for ways to get better and help the people I manage get better too.
• Tell me about your experience in sales. This kind of general question is likely to come up early in the interview, so be ready with your elevator pitch about yourself and your experience. When you answer, focus on how your work history, skills, and interests make you different from other people. In the past eight years, I’ve worked as a sales rep for two different companies. For the last three, I’ve been in charge of our sales team. I’ve been a mentor to our younger team members, helped them plan how to reach their goals, and helped our manager keep track of everyone’s progress during that time.
• We want to know why you chose to work in sales and what you love most about your job. When you answer, be specific to give them a full picture of what has driven you up to this point and what still drives you. Example Answer: I got my first sales job right after college. It was there that I realized I loved talking to customers and helping them find the right products for their needs. Even though this field has its ups and downs, I’ve stayed in love with it, and I’m now four years into a sales career.
• People who are hiring often ask, “What do you like most about working in sales?” to find out what you’re passionate about and if the duties of this role will be a good fit for you. The company also wants to know that you are happy with your job, since you will be the sales manager and set the tone for the whole office. Example Answer: I like a lot of things about my job, but the sales strategy is my favorite. I love coming up with a plan to solve a problem, whether it’s how to get a new client, find new markets to sell to, or meet my sales goal for the month.
• Interviewers will often ask, “Why do you want to be a sales manager?” because the job is so different from being a sales rep. They want to know what made you want to make the change. Example Answer: I’ve liked being a sales rep for seven years, but I’d really like to use my knowledge to help newer and younger employees do well. I know that my managers have helped me a lot, and I want to do the same for other people.
• A practical question you might see in an interview is, “What would you do if one of your sales reps missed their sales goals for a few months in a row?” The people who are hiring want to know how you’ll handle situations as a sales manager, so make sure you can answer with as much detail as you can. If you can, talk about a time when you dealt with something similar. I had a sales rep who missed his goal for two months in a row when I was in charge of the team. When I met with him to talk about his plan, I saw that he had been making fewer sales at the beginning of the month than at the end, so he had to work to catch up. This is what I told him, and I helped him set weekly goals that would help him reach his monthly goals. I checked in with him once a week for the next month to make sure he was still on track, and he met his whole-month goal. Since then, he hasn’t missed a goal while using the system.
• The interviewer will also ask, “What is your management style?” to get a better idea of how you’ll do in the job. Again, be as specific as you can. My management style changes depending on the person I’m in charge of and what they need, but in general, I like to set goals for my staff that they can reach and give them the tools they need to do so. For some, that means getting extra training, while for others, it means setting checkpoints and leaving the rest up to them.
• It’s a good idea to be ready for the question “What is your greatest strength?” because it comes up a lot in interviews for all kinds of jobs. When you answer, think about how your skill can help the business. Example Answer: I’m good at noticing what motivates individuals. Two sales reps at my last job were very different. One was happy only when he beat his own goals, and the other loved competing. I made a plan to reward them for breaking records, both their own and those of other people. In the two months that followed, our sales went up by five percent.
• It’s important to remember that hiring managers already know you have weak spots when you answer this question. They just want to see how you deal with them. Companies want to hire people who know their weaknesses and are working to improve them, so make sure that information is in your answer. Answer: I get too focused on the numbers and forget that the amount of sales my sales reps make depends on a lot of different things. So, I meet with each of them one-on-one every so often to see how things are going and see if they need anything from me to help them reach their goals. Now that I do that, I only have one or two months a year when someone doesn’t meet their goals, down from three or four months before.
• This is another more technical question that helps the interviewer figure out if you’ll be a good fit for the job. What data analysis tools have you used before? No matter how you answer this or similar questions, make sure you show that you’re willing to learn new things. Example Answer: I know how to use both HubSpot and Clari, but I’m also used to learning new software because I’ve had to learn a new data analysis tool at every job. I’m ready to do that here.
• When hiring a new sales rep, what traits would you look for? This is a big part of your new job, so interviewers want to know that you’ll be able to find good people to join the team. And once more, please share specific examples of times when you’ve used this. Example Answer: I’d like to hire someone who is honest, driven, good at customer service, and able to speak their mind. In sales, you need to be able to understand others and have a thick skin. I’d like to see examples of how candidates have used both of these skills. Also, I’d like to see how they handle fake sales situations that are tough to see how they do.
• Describe how you would train a new sales rep. This is another important job duty of a sales manager, so you need to know how you would handle it. Talk about the exact steps you would take and the goals you would set to make sure the process was finished on time. Answer: First, I would introduce the new employees to their team. Then, I would introduce them to important people in the rest of the company. I would also make sure that each sales rep got a tour of the facilities because they need to know how the business works. Also, I would make sure that each person had the most recent copies of our mission, vision, and values, as well as an organizational chart, directory, and company documents. My goal is to get all of this done in the first day or two. The next day, I would do some kind of team-building activity with the whole sales staff to bring them together. After that, I would show them how to use our software and processes and then put them in touch with a more experienced salesperson who could help them. All of this is what I want to get done in the first week. I would then set up regular check-ins with the worker to see how they were doing.
• Tell me about a time you failed at work. “What did you do?” No one does their job perfectly 100% of the time, so hiring managers look for people who can handle their mistakes well. Talk about a mistake you made, how you took responsibility for it, and what you did to make sure it wouldn’t happen again. When I had my first job, I told a client I would get them some product samples quickly. Someone else called after I hung up the phone, and I forgot to send the samples. When the client called a few days later to ask about them, I knew what had happened. I said I was sorry and that they would be there in one or two days. I told my boss what happened, said I was sorry again, and said I would send the samples overnight and pay for them myself. I now keep a notepad and pen next to my phone so I can write down everything I say in a call.
• When you answer this question, talk about what makes you different. For example, what made you good at sales? How will you use that experience to lead your team? Talk about what your managers did for you and how you want to do the same for others. You could also talk about any unusual skills or interests you have and how they could help the company. Answer: My first boss showed me how to set and reach my goals. Being able to believe in myself and know that I could reach my goals gave me the drive and confidence to succeed. I’m now going to do the same thing for other sales reps.
• How would you figure out how to balance the needs of your team with your own duties? Good leadership requires good time management, so your interviewers will want to know about yours. Give your interviewers a full picture of your skills in this area by talking about how you plan your week and decide which tasks are most important. As a way to make sure I finish everything on time, I make a lot of prioritized lists. As a sales manager, I would do the same thing for my tasks and the tasks of my team. I would make long-term lists of things I needed to do and then break those up into lists for each month or week. When it came to the team as a whole, I would use a project management system so that everyone could see what they needed to do. We’d also go over this list every week in meetings to make sure everyone was on the same page and that all the important things were taken care of. Then I’d keep an eye on it all week and get in touch with any employees who were behind. I would then figure out which of my tasks were the most important and set aside time to work on them, leaving room for anything else that might come up.
• Hiring managers want to hire people who know that different people are motivated in different ways. That’s why you shouldn’t give a single answer to this question. Answer: I’d start by making sure my team always had a good attitude about their work and knew I was here for them if they needed help. It would depend on the person after that because everyone has a different drive. But to bring people together, I would sometimes set challenges for the whole department that everyone could take part in.
• How do you set goals and make sure you reach them? As a manager, you’ll need to be able to do this for your team and yourself. The company you’re interviewing with wants to know that you can do this well, so be ready for this question. Answer: I always make my goals measurable so I know when I’ve reached them. Once I know what my goal is and when I need to reach it, I make a plan with due dates for each step that will help me reach my goal. I also give these to someone else so they can hold me responsible.
• When you answer this question, don’t just say what your biggest sales win was; also explain why it was so great. Answer: In my fourth month at my first job, I was named sales rep of the month. If I wanted to win, I knew when I started that I’d have to almost double my sales. That’s what I’m most proud of. After two months of hard work, I won the award for making a plan to boost my sales.
• Tell me about a challenge you faced at work. How did you answer? Hiring managers want to see people who can take on challenges, so talk about a time when you did this well. Again, make sure to describe your situation in detail, list the steps you took, and explain what happened as a result of those steps. Answer Example: I had to miss work for a week and a half last year because I was sick. There were still three weeks left in the month to meet my monthly sales goal when I got back. Making a plan for how I would reach my weekly goal helped me focus on what I needed to do. I also asked my manager for advice. After putting in a lot of work and getting help from my boss, I met my monthly goal.
• Where do you see yourself in five years? Companies looking to hire a sales manager want to know that you will be loyal and keen on staying up to date with the business. Talk about your plans to move up in sales and how you’ll make the store or team you’ll be managing better. Answer: In five years, I see myself as the sales manager who drives growth by coming up with new and creative ways to sell. Plus, I’ll have learned even more things that will make me even better at my job on the sales floor. I really work hard to keep up with the newest trends in my field and try to stay ahead of the curve. When five years are up, I’m sure that my hard work and dedication will show in the company’s bottom line.
• Have you ever had to fire someone? This is a bad duty that comes with being a manager, and your interviewers want to know if you can handle it. Say that you haven’t fired anyone before, and then explain what you would do in that situation. Someone had been consistently underperforming for about five months and wasn’t making any effort in the training and other chances we were giving her to improve. I had to fire them. I asked her to meet with me and an HR rep late one afternoon. We talked about how this job didn’t seem like a good fit for her, and I told her we had to part ways. I thanked her for her service and wished her the best in everything she did from now on. I also told her she didn’t have to go back to work the next day and that she could pack up her things after everyone else had left if she wanted to. That person in HR told her everything she needed to know about money and what to do next. Even though it was tough, the conversation was polite, and the company made the right decision because her replacement has been doing a great job.
• Why do you want to work here? Hiring managers want to know that you know what you’re getting into and that you care about the company and aren’t just looking for a way to get a managerial title. Do some research on the company’s mission, vision, and values to get ready for this question. Then, talk about why you want this particular job. I just moved to the area, and I knew I wanted to work for a company that cares about customer service and making sure their products are good. Since I saw that this company has won both of those awards, I’ve been looking for a job for a few months now. I thought this job would be a great fit for my skills and a chance to help an organization I’ve admired for a long time as soon as I saw it.
• Why should we hire you? This is your chance to explain what makes you the best candidate and how hiring you will help the business. If you want to know how I’ve helped other businesses and consumers, just know that you also sell to other businesses and consumers. When I get this job, I’ll be able to use my experience to help the sales team do well in both areas.

How To Nail The Interview at a Car Dealership! Car Sales and Interview Training for Beginners

FAQ

What makes a good used car salesman?

How do I prepare for a car sales interview?

If you are a car salesperson, the best way to effectively prepare for an interview is by practicing answering potential interview questions. In this article, we explore 40 of the most common car sales interview questions you might encounter and offer sample answers to help you prepare for your own.

What makes a good car sales interviewer?

It also helps the interviewer understand how the candidate might approach sales conversations and how they might handle different types of customers. Being able to think quickly, stay calm, and come up with creative solutions to customer objections can be essential to success in a car sales role. How to Answer:

What questions should you ask a sales manager?

These questions will relate directly to the role of a sales manager. You will want to focus on your leadership style and how you might handle difficult situations. Describe your professional development experience. Explain your experience with sales management. How will you approach different personalities on your team?

What is a sales interview question?

This question is designed to gauge a candidate’s ability to think on their feet, handle difficult conversations, and stay composed in the face of customer objections. It also helps the interviewer understand how the candidate might approach sales conversations and how they might handle different types of customers.