Landing a job as an insurance sales manager is no easy feat You’ll likely have to impress the hiring manager by acing the interview And to do that, you need to be prepared for the most common insurance sales manager interview questions.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through the 10 most important insurance sales manager interview questions to expect. I’ll explain why hiring managers ask these questions and provide tips to help you craft winning answers.
Let’s dive in!
Why Interview Questions Matter
The interview is your chance to showcase your skills, experience and personality. Employers ask you questions to see if you’re a good fit for the job of insurance sales manager and the way the company works.
They don’t just care about your answers, but also:
- How you communicate
- Your thought process
- How you handle pressure
Acing the interview means adequately preparing. You need to reflect on your experience, skills and motivations. Be ready to provide specific examples that illustrate your capabilities.
Now let’s look at the top 10 questions to expect and how to tackle them.
1. Why Do You Want This Job?
This question tests your motivations. The interviewer wants to know why you’re pursuing this opportunity.
How to Answer
Explain why the role excites you. Show enthusiasm by highlighting aspects that appeal to you. Mention how your skills would allow you to excel in the position.
For example: “I’m excited about this opportunity because I love leading teams and enjoy coaching others to improve their skills. I also have a strong insurance background and your company’s values align with my own.”
2. What Insurance Experience Do You Have?
Since insurance knowledge is crucial, expect questions about your experience. Be ready to discuss your specific background.
How to Answer
Don’t just state your job titles. Dive into details about relevant responsibilities. Discuss projects where you developed insurance expertise.
For example: “I have over 7 years of experience in the insurance industry. As a sales manager at XYZ Company, I led a team of 10 agents. I trained new hires on policies and oversaw sales operations. I also handled renewals and claims to deepen my insurance knowledge.”
3. How Do You Motivate Your Team?
Insurance sales managers must motivate their team to meet goals. This question tests your people management skills.
How to Answer
Share techniques you use to motivate employees:
- Recognizing top performers
- Setting clear expectations
- Providing coaching and feedback
- Promoting collaboration and team building
Back it up with examples of how your approaches helped boost sales.
4. How Do You Handle Underperforming Employees?
You need to deal with underperformers without destroying morale. This question gauges your leadership abilities.
How to Answer
Explain your strategies for managing underperformers:
- Having candid one-on-one talks to understand issues
- Providing extra training and resources
- Setting written improvement plans with deadlines
- Monitoring progress and providing feedback
Emphasize you make personnel decisions based on facts.
5. Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?
This question reveals your career goals and interest in growing with the company.
How to Answer
Assure the interviewer you’re interested in a long-term position. Show how your goals align with the role. For example:
“In 5 years, I hope to be managing an expanded sales team after excelling as an insurance sales manager. I’m very interested in leadership roles at high-growth companies like this one.”
6. How Do You Stay Up-to-Date on Insurance Trends?
The industry constantly evolves, so you must demonstrate you stay current.
How to Answer
Share how you keep your insurance knowledge sharp:
- Reading industry publications
- Attending conferences and seminars
- Completing continuing education courses
- Networking with peers
Give specific examples of trends you follow.
7. What Sales Targets Have You Met?
Hiring managers want to know you can hit goals. Be ready to share sales figures.
How to Answer
Highlight sales targets you’ve achieved. Provide specifics about your role. For example:
“As a sales supervisor at XYZ, my team had a yearly goal of $5M in new policies. We exceeded this and reached $5.8M in 2021. I contributed by training agents and overseeing lead generation.”
Use numbers to quantify your success.
8. How Do You Handle Rejection?
Insurance sales means hearing “no” frequently. Share how you deal with rejection professionally.
How to Answer
Explain that you:
- Take feedback constructively, not personally
- Analyze conversations to improve approaches
- Learn from rejections to identify weak points
- Stay positive by focusing on goals vs individual setbacks
Convey that you have grit and resilience.
9. What Can You Do to Boost Our Market Share?
This shows if you understand the strategic parts of the job. Show you can increase market share.
How to Answer
Demonstrate you understand what drives growth:
- Networking with professional associations to generate referrals
- Building community goodwill through fundraising events
- Running targeted ad campaigns for desired demographics
- Partnering with 10 top vendors to cross-sell new policies
Recommend data-driven strategies to capture more market share.
10. Do You Have Any Questions for Me?
This gives you a chance to show enthusiasm and get insider intelligence.
How to Prepare
Ask smart questions that demonstrate your understanding of the role and company culture:
- “How are sales teams structured here? Is there collaboration between agents?”
- “How is performance measured and rewarded?”
- “What are some of the biggest challenges facing your sales department?”
Avoid questions about salary and benefits until receiving a job offer.
Ace the Insurance Sales Manager Interview!
Now you know what questions to expect and how to impress interviewers. Be sure to:
- Research the company and role
- Reflect on your experience and skills
- Prepare examples that show your capabilities
- Practice your answers until you can easily articulate them
With preparation and confidence, you’ll be ready to have a stellar interview and land the insurance sales manager job! Best of luck!
Want to know how to ace an upcoming insurance interview? We’ve got you covered.
Insurance helps people and their families get back on their feet after something bad happens, like a car accident or a natural disaster. If you study up on the answers to the insurance interview questions in this article, you might be the one helping out.
When you work in insurance, you’ll enjoy good pay and room for advancement (e. g. , insurance manager or underwriter). Based on how much commission you make, insurance sales agents can make up to $86,277 a year or more.
How can you do well in your insurance interview? Here are some tips for answering common questions and some examples of what to say, so you’ll be ready for anything that might come up before you meet with the hiring manager.
Before you jump into answering insurance interview questions, here are some tips to help you perform your best:
- Learn more about the insurance business. Look at the websites of your competitors, read up on current trends in the business, and figure out what will probably affect the market.
- Make a “60-second sell”: List your five best qualities to sell yourself in 60 seconds.
- Talk about how good you are at selling: explain how you’ll meet your sales goals and do well as an insurance salesperson.
- Learn about the duties of your job. Will you spend the whole day in the office, meeting with clients, doing paperwork, or staying late to work? Look at the job posting or look into other insurance jobs to learn what you’ll be doing all day.
- Bring your own questions. Asking your own questions will show that you are interested in the job and help you decide if it is a good fit for you. You could find out about the staff turnover rate, training and development, and tech support.
- Don’t talk about how much you want to be paid. Stop talking about the salary range you’re looking for until you get the first offer. Let them make the first move and negotiate later. You can, however, ask what their highest and lowest-paid employees make to get a general idea of the number you should expect.
Insurance Agent Interview Questions
When you answer insurance agent interview questions, you should talk about how you talk to customers and potential customers to make sales and keep business.
INSURANCE Interview Questions and Answers (Insurance Clerk, Insurance Broker, Agent & Manager)
FAQ
How do you ace a sales manager interview?
What does an insurance sales manager do?
