21 questions
Scoring rubric 1–5

Sales Interview Questions to Ask Candidates

Salespeople interview well by definition, so the questions have to be about numbers and specifics: quota and attainment by year, the deal cycle, a deal they lost and why, how they build pipeline when nobody hands them leads. Ask for the same figures from every candidate and check them against references. Confidence is the baseline in this role, not the evidence.

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The problem with sales interviews is that every candidate is good at them. The person across the table has practised handling objections for a living, and a vague question gets a polished answer.

The 21 questions below are built to get past that: they ask for numbers, named deals, and losses, and each one says what a strong answer contains and what should worry you. There are sections for SDRs and account executives, and a short one for sales managers.

21interview questions

4question sets by competency

1–5scoring rubric for every answer

Before you ask: get the numbers on the table first

Ask every candidate for the same figures in the first ten minutes, write them down, and come back to them. Sales is one of the few roles where performance is genuinely measurable, so use it. The table lists what to ask for by role and what a credible answer looks like.

Quota and attainment

Ask forEach of the last 2-3 years, in their currency

Credible answerSpecific percentages, including a bad year, and the reason

Deal size and cycle

Ask forAverage and largest, typical cycle length

Credible answerNumbers consistent with the product and the market they sold to

Pipeline source

Ask for% inbound vs self-generated

Credible answerHonest split; «all self-generated» is rare

Ranking

Ask forWhere they ranked on the team and team size

Credible answerA rank and a size, verifiable with references

Tools and process

Ask forCRM, methodology (MEDDIC, SPIN, Challenger…)

Credible answerThey can describe how they actually used it, not just name it

Pipeline and prospecting (SDR and AE)

Walk me through how you built pipeline in your last role when no leads were coming in. What worked and what did not?

What a strong answer shows: A specific process — sequences, referrals, events, a niche — with conversion numbers and something they stopped doing.
Red flag: Pipeline was always inbound, and they have never had to generate their own.

Tell me about a prospect you won who ignored you at first. How many touches, and what changed their mind?

What a strong answer shows: Persistence with a reason: a new angle, a trigger event, a referral. They can count the touches.
Red flag: «I kept following up» with no change in approach.

How do you qualify out? Tell me about a deal you walked away from.

What a strong answer shows: A clear qualification criterion and a real example of dropping a deal early, with what they did with the time instead.
Red flag: They never walk away. Every deal is worth chasing.

What did your average week look like: how many calls, emails, meetings, and how did you decide the mix?

What a strong answer shows: Real numbers and a rationale, with awareness of which activity actually produced meetings.
Red flag: Vague activity, or numbers that do not add up to the quota they described.

Tell me about a time you researched an account before reaching out. What did you find, and how did you use it?

What a strong answer shows: Something specific from the research and a first message built on it.
Red flag: The same template to everyone, personalised with the company name.

Discovery and closing (AE)

Walk me through your best discovery call. What did you learn that changed the deal?

What a strong answer shows: Questions they asked, a pain they uncovered that the prospect had not stated, and how it shaped the proposal.
Red flag: Discovery is a demo with questions at the end.

Tell me about a deal where you were not talking to the decision-maker. How did you get there?

What a strong answer shows: They mapped the buying group, found the economic buyer, and got the champion to bring them in.
Red flag: They kept working the contact they had and hoped.

Describe a deal you lost late. What was the real reason, and what would you do differently?

What a strong answer shows: An honest cause that includes their own mistake — a missed stakeholder, weak qualification, price positioning — and a change since.
Red flag: Every loss was price, timing, or the competitor’s lies.

Tell me about a time you held price under pressure. How did the conversation go?

What a strong answer shows: They reframed around value, traded rather than discounted, and can say what happened to the deal.
Red flag: They discounted to close, every time, and see it as normal.

What is your largest deal, and what did you personally do that made it happen?

What a strong answer shows: First-person actions across the cycle, with credit to the SE, the manager or the partner where due.
Red flag: The largest deal landed on them, or it is entirely their doing with no team.

How accurate was your forecast last year? Tell me about a deal you called wrong.

What a strong answer shows: A real accuracy figure, a specific miss, and a change to how they qualify commit deals.
Red flag: Their forecast is always right, or they do not forecast.

Resilience, coaching and habits (all levels)

Tell me about your worst quarter. What happened, and what did you do about it?

What a strong answer shows: A real bad quarter, an honest diagnosis, and specific actions — not just «I worked harder».
Red flag: They have never had a bad quarter, or it was entirely the territory’s fault.

What feedback from a manager or a coach changed the way you sell?

What a strong answer shows: Specific feedback, quoted, and a behaviour they can show changed.
Red flag: Nothing comes to mind.

How do you use your CRM — really? What did your pipeline hygiene look like?

What a strong answer shows: Honest habits, including what they neglected, and awareness of why it matters for forecasting.
Red flag: «Every deal updated in real time.» Nobody’s is.

What do you do in the first 30 days in a new territory or role?

What a strong answer shows: Learn the product and the customers first, build a list, book early meetings, and a realistic view of ramp.
Red flag: «Start closing» with no ramp plan.

Sell me on why you are leaving your current company.

What a strong answer shows: A straight answer, ideally with a number (quota change, territory cut, a manager change) and no trash talk.
Red flag: A long complaint about the current employer, or a reason this role would not fix.

For sales managers

Tell me about a rep you turned around. What did you see, what did you do, and what were their numbers before and after?

What a strong answer shows: A diagnosis (activity, skill, territory, will), specific coaching, and numbers.
Red flag: They «motivated» the rep, or the rep was moved out.

Describe a time you had to manage out a rep who was liked but not performing.

What a strong answer shows: Clear expectations in writing, a fair process, and a decision made in a reasonable time.
Red flag: Months of tolerance, or a dismissal with no process.

How do you run pipeline reviews so they are useful instead of an inspection?

What a strong answer shows: A structure focused on next steps and risks, with an example of a deal saved because of a review.
Red flag: The review is reading the CRM out loud.

How did you hire for your team? What did you look for, and which hire taught you the most?

What a strong answer shows: Specific signals they interview for, and a bad hire they learned from.
Red flag: Every hire was a success, or they hire on «hunger».

Tell me about a quarter your team missed. What did you tell leadership, and when?

What a strong answer shows: Early warning with a forecast and a plan, and ownership of the miss.
Red flag: Leadership found out at the end.

How to score the answers

Score the evidence, not the delivery. Every sales candidate will be articulate; only some will have the numbers, the named deals and the losses. Use the same scale for every candidate and put the figures they gave next to the score so the debrief can compare them.

1
No evidence
Confident generalities, no numbers, no named deals
2
Thin evidence
Numbers given but inconsistent, or deals described without their own actions
3
Solid evidence
Consistent numbers, a real deal with their actions, a loss with a cause
4
Strong evidence
Above, plus a bad quarter owned, a walked-away deal, and a change to how they sell
5
Exceptional
Above, plus references confirm the ranking and the process they described

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What are the best interview questions for a sales position?

Questions that demand numbers and specifics: quota and attainment by year, how they built pipeline without leads, a deal they lost late and the real reason, a deal they walked away from, their worst quarter. Ask the same figures from every candidate and verify them with references.

How do you interview an account executive versus an SDR?

SDR questions focus on prospecting: research, sequences, persistence with a change of angle, meetings booked per week. Account executive questions add discovery, multi-threading to the decision-maker, holding price, forecasting accuracy and losses. Both should be asked about their worst period and what they changed.

What are red flags in a sales interview?

No numbers, or numbers that do not add up; every loss was price or timing; they never walk away from a deal; they discount to close as a habit; their forecast is always right; and their reason for leaving is a complaint about the current employer rather than something this role fixes.

Should I ask a sales candidate to do a mock pitch or role play?

A short one, yes — ten minutes of discovery on your own product, not a pitch. It shows whether they ask questions before talking and how they handle a pushback. Score it with the same rubric and do not let it replace the questions about real deals.

How do you verify a sales candidate’s numbers?

Ask for the same figures early, write them down, and check consistency across the interview (quota, deal size and activity should add up). Then ask references specifically: quota attainment, rank on the team, and the process they used. Salespeople expect this, and the good ones welcome it.

Keep reading

Interview questions to ask candidates: the complete guide Customer service interview questions Manager interview questions Interview scorecard template (free Excel, Word and PDF)

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