Interview Guide for

Sales Development Manager

This comprehensive interview guide for a Sales Development Manager provides a structured approach to identifying and assessing top talent who can lead high-performing SDR teams. Designed with practical questions and a proven evaluation framework, this guide helps hiring managers make confident decisions based on objective criteria rather than gut feelings alone.

How to Use This Guide

This interview guide is a powerful tool to help you identify the best candidate for your Sales Development Manager position. Here's how to make the most of it:

Customize: Adapt the questions and evaluation criteria to align with your [Company]'s specific sales development process, team structure, and cultural values.
Collaborate: Share this guide with all interviewers to ensure everyone understands their role in the assessment process and the key competencies to evaluate.
Consistency: Use the same core questions for all candidates to create a fair comparison baseline, while using follow-up questions to explore each candidate's unique experiences.
Independence: Each interviewer should complete their assessment independently before discussing candidates in the debrief meeting to prevent group bias.
Preparation: Review the guide and candidate's resume before interviews to focus on areas most relevant to your evaluation.

For more effective interviewing techniques, check out our blog post on how to conduct a job interview and our guide to using structured interviews when hiring.

Job Description

Sales Development Manager

About [Company]

[Company] is a leading [Industry] company dedicated to [brief description of company mission and values]. We are passionate about innovation, customer satisfaction, and growth. We are looking for a highly motivated and results-oriented Sales Development Manager to join our growing team in [Location].

The Role

The Sales Development Manager will be responsible for building and leading a high-performing team of Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) focused on generating qualified leads and pipeline for our sales organization. This role is critical to our company's growth strategy, serving as the bridge between marketing and sales to ensure a robust pipeline of qualified opportunities for our Account Executives.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Development
Recruit, onboard, train, and mentor a team of SDRs
Provide ongoing coaching and performance management to drive individual and team success
Foster a positive and collaborative team environment
Motivate and inspire the team to achieve and exceed targets
Strategic Planning & Execution
Develop and execute a comprehensive sales development strategy aligned with overall sales and marketing goals
Identify and implement effective prospecting techniques
Define and optimize the lead qualification process
Collaborate with marketing and sales teams to ensure alignment and effective lead handoff
Analyze performance data and identify areas for improvement
Performance Management & Reporting
Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for the SDR team
Monitor and report on team performance, including lead generation, qualification rates, and pipeline contribution
Analyze data to identify trends and make data-driven recommendations
Manage and maintain the team's CRM and relevant sales technology
Process Optimization
Continuously evaluate and improve sales development processes and workflows
Implement best practices for lead generation, qualification, and handoff
Stay up-to-date on industry trends and best practices in sales development

What We're Looking For

3+ years of experience in sales development, with a proven track record of exceeding targets
2+ years of experience in a leadership or management role, leading and developing a sales development team
Strong coaching abilities with demonstrated success in developing top performers
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills
Data-driven mindset with experience analyzing sales metrics and KPIs
Experience with CRM software and sales technology
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Why Join [Company]

At [Company], we believe in investing in our people and providing opportunities for professional growth and advancement. Our collaborative culture encourages innovation and rewards performance.

Competitive salary: [Salary Range]
Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off
Professional development opportunities
Collaborative and supportive work environment
[Any additional perks or benefits]

Hiring Process

We've designed our hiring process to be thorough but efficient, giving both us and you the opportunity to determine if there's a good fit:

Initial Screening: A conversation with our recruiting team to discuss your background and the role.
Work Sample: You'll participate in a role-play coaching scenario to demonstrate your coaching approach.
Career History Discussion: A detailed conversation about your career progression and relevant experiences with the hiring manager.
Competency-Based Interview: In-depth questions focused on leadership, coaching, and strategic planning.
Final Interview: For select candidates, a conversation with senior leadership.

We respect your time and will keep you informed throughout the process. Most candidates complete the process within 2-3 weeks.

Ideal Candidate Profile (Internal)

Role Overview

The Sales Development Manager will build, lead, and develop a team of SDRs responsible for generating qualified leads for our sales team. This role requires a blend of sales leadership, coaching expertise, and strategic thinking to create a high-performing lead generation engine for the company. The ideal candidate combines sales development experience with a passion for developing people, a data-driven approach, and strong cross-functional collaboration skills.

Essential Behavioral Competencies

Coaching and Development - Ability to assess individual strengths and weaknesses, provide constructive feedback, and implement development plans that enable team members to grow and improve their performance.

Leadership - Ability to inspire and motivate a team, set clear expectations, and create a culture of accountability, collaboration, and high performance.

Strategic Planning - Ability to develop comprehensive sales development strategies, set appropriate goals and metrics, and execute plans that align with broader organizational objectives.

Performance Management - Ability to establish key performance metrics, monitor individual and team performance, identify trends, and implement improvements to drive results.

Process Optimization - Ability to analyze workflows, identify inefficiencies, and implement changes that improve productivity, quality, and overall performance of the sales development function.

Desired Outcomes

Build and maintain a high-performing SDR team with low turnover and high engagement
Exceed quarterly pipeline generation targets consistently by 15% or more
Improve lead conversion rates by 20% within the first year
Develop processes that reduce the average ramp time for new SDRs from 90 to 60 days
Create documented best practices for prospecting and lead qualification that can be scaled across the organization

Ideal Candidate Traits

Experience: Has managed SDR teams previously with a track record of achieving or exceeding targets; deep understanding of sales development metrics and what drives success; experience in our [Industry] is preferred but not required
Leadership Style: Coaches rather than directs; balances accountability with support; leads by example
Analytical Approach: Uses data to drive decisions; can translate metrics into actionable insights for team members
Collaborative Nature: Works effectively across departments, particularly with marketing and sales
Adaptability: Thrives in changing environments; embraces new technologies and methodologies
Communication: Clear, direct, and positive in all communications; capable of difficult conversations when needed
Innovative Mindset: Continuously seeks better ways to generate and qualify leads
Growth Orientation: Passionate about developing people and creating career paths

Screening Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This initial screening interview aims to efficiently identify candidates with the right background, skills, and motivation for the Sales Development Manager role. Your goal is to determine if the candidate has the core experiences and competencies needed before investing more time in the full interview process.

Make the interview conversational while ensuring you cover all key areas. Ask follow-up questions to gain clarity and specific examples. Allow 30-45 minutes for this interview, with time for candidate questions at the end. Take notes on specific examples and achievements the candidate mentions, not just their claims.

Remember that great Sales Development Managers often possess a combination of sales expertise, leadership capability, and coaching skills - look for evidence of all three areas in their responses.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"Today's conversation will focus on your experience leading sales development teams and your approach to key aspects of the role. I'll ask about your background, management style, and achievements, and there will be time for your questions at the end. I'll be taking notes to ensure I capture your experiences accurately."

Interview Questions

Tell me about your experience leading sales development or similar teams. What size teams have you managed and what were your key responsibilities?

Areas to Cover

Previous leadership roles and scope of responsibility
Number of direct reports managed
Types of sales development activities they've overseen
Key metrics they were responsible for
Their approach to leadership and team management
Duration in leadership roles

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you structure your team and why?
How did your team performance compare to other teams or company benchmarks?
What's the most significant improvement you implemented for your team?
What was the most challenging aspect of leading that team?

Walk me through your approach to coaching SDRs. How do you identify areas for improvement and develop your team members?

Areas to Cover

Their coaching methodology and frequency
How they identify individual strengths and weaknesses
Specific coaching techniques they employ
How they track improvement from coaching
Examples of success stories from their coaching
Their approach to different learning styles and experience levels

Possible Follow-up Questions

How do you balance coaching with other management responsibilities?
Tell me about someone who was struggling and how you helped them improve.
How do you handle coaching resistant team members?
What metrics do you use to measure coaching effectiveness?

Describe how you've used data and metrics to improve sales development performance.

Areas to Cover

Key metrics they track and why
How they analyze performance data
Examples of data-driven decisions they've made
Tools or systems they've used for reporting
How they translate data insights into actionable plans
Their comfort level with data analysis and interpretation

Possible Follow-up Questions

What's the most insightful metric you've tracked that others might overlook?
How do you present performance data to your team to drive improvement?
Can you share a specific example where data analysis led to a significant improvement?
How do you ensure data accuracy and reliable reporting?

How have you collaborated with marketing and sales teams to optimize lead generation and handoff processes?

Areas to Cover

Their experience working cross-functionally
Specific collaboration examples with marketing and sales
Communication methods they employ across teams
How they've resolved conflicts between departments
Process improvements they've implemented
Their understanding of the full sales funnel

Possible Follow-up Questions

What challenges have you encountered when working across departments?
How do you handle situations where sales rejects leads from your team?
What processes have you implemented to improve lead quality?
How do you ensure your team's goals align with broader organizational objectives?

Tell me about a time when you had to significantly improve a sales development team's performance. What was the situation, what actions did you take, and what were the results?

Areas to Cover

The specific performance issues they faced
Their analysis process to identify root causes
The strategy they developed to address problems
Implementation challenges they encountered
Specific actions they personally took
Measurable results they achieved
Timeline for improvement
Lessons learned from the experience

Possible Follow-up Questions

What was the most difficult part of turning around performance?
How did you get buy-in from your team on the changes?
Which changes had the biggest impact and why?
What would you do differently if faced with a similar situation?

What sales development technologies and tools have you used, and how have you implemented or optimized them?

Areas to Cover

CRM systems and their proficiency level
Sales engagement platforms they've worked with
Lead sourcing tools they've implemented
Analytics and reporting tools they use
Their role in selecting, implementing or optimizing these tools
Training approaches for new technology adoption
ROI measurement for technology investments

Possible Follow-up Questions

How do you evaluate potential new sales technologies?
How do you ensure adoption of new tools across your team?
What technology has had the biggest impact on your team's performance?
What sales technology trends are you most excited about?

Interview Scorecard

Leadership Capability

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited leadership experience or ineffective leadership approach
2: Some leadership experience but lacks depth or sophistication in approach
3: Solid leadership experience with proven methods for team management
4: Exceptional leadership experience with innovative approaches and demonstrable results

Coaching Expertise

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Minimal coaching experience or ineffective coaching approach
2: Basic coaching skills with limited examples of development success
3: Well-developed coaching methodology with examples of successful development
4: Sophisticated coaching approach with outstanding examples of transforming performance

Data-Driven Performance Management

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited experience with metrics or analytical approach
2: Basic understanding of sales metrics but lacks sophisticated analysis
3: Strong analytical skills with clear examples of data-driven decisions
4: Exceptional analytical capability with innovative approaches to performance management

Building and Maintaining a High-Performing SDR Team

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to build a high-performing team
2: Likely to maintain but not significantly improve team performance
3: Likely to build a solid, high-performing team
4: Likely to build an exceptional team that sets new performance standards

Exceeding Pipeline Generation Targets

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to meet regular targets
2: Likely to meet but rarely exceed targets
3: Likely to consistently meet and occasionally exceed targets
4: Likely to consistently exceed targets by significant margins

Improving Lead Conversion Rates

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to improve conversion rates
2: Likely to make modest improvements to conversion rates
3: Likely to meet the 20% improvement goal
4: Likely to exceed the 20% improvement goal

Reducing SDR Ramp Time

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to reduce ramp time
2: Likely to make modest reductions in ramp time
3: Likely to reduce ramp time to the 60-day goal
4: Likely to reduce ramp time beyond the 60-day goal

Creating Scalable Best Practices

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to create documented best practices
2: Likely to document basic practices but not highly scalable ones
3: Likely to create solid, scalable best practices
4: Likely to create innovative, highly effective scalable best practices

Recommendation to Proceed

1: Strong No Hire
2: No Hire
3: Hire
4: Strong Hire

Work Sample: Coaching Role Play

Directions for the Interviewer

This work sample assesses the candidate's coaching skills, which are crucial for a Sales Development Manager. You'll present the candidate with a scenario involving an underperforming SDR and ask them to conduct a coaching session with you playing the role of the SDR.

The goal is to evaluate how the candidate:

Identifies performance issues
Asks questions to understand root causes
Provides constructive feedback
Offers specific guidance for improvement
Creates accountability for change
Balances support with expectations

Before the interview, send the candidate the scenario details (provided below in "Directions to Share with Candidate") at least 24 hours in advance so they can prepare. This preparation time is intentional, as it reflects how a real manager would prepare for coaching sessions.

During the role play, authentically respond as an SDR might—sometimes defensive, sometimes open to feedback—to see how the candidate handles different reactions. The session should last 20-25 minutes, followed by 5-10 minutes of discussion about their approach.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"For this portion of the interview, you'll participate in a coaching role play to demonstrate your approach to developing SDRs. Here's the scenario:

You manage a team of 8 SDRs. One of your team members, Alex, has been with the company for 5 months. After a strong start, Alex's performance has been declining over the past 6 weeks. Their activity metrics (calls, emails) are at or above target, but their conversion rates have dropped significantly. They're booking only 50% of the meetings they were booking in their third month. Alex seems frustrated and has mentioned that they're 'just having bad luck with territories.'

Your task is to conduct a 20-25 minute coaching session with Alex (played by me) to help identify the issues and create an improvement plan. Please come prepared to:

Ask questions to understand the situation
Provide constructive feedback
Develop an action plan for improvement
Set clear expectations and follow-up

After the role play, we'll discuss your approach and thought process."

Interview Scorecard

Needs Assessment Approach

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Asked few questions; jumped to conclusions without understanding root causes
2: Asked some questions but missed key areas; limited depth in needs assessment
3: Thorough questioning that uncovered most key issues; good balance of inquiry and direction
4: Exceptional needs assessment with insightful questions that revealed root causes and appropriate context

Feedback Quality

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Vague, unhelpful, or overly negative feedback; missed key performance issues
2: General feedback that addressed some issues but lacked specificity or balance
3: Specific, balanced feedback that addressed key performance issues constructively
4: Exceptional feedback that was specific, actionable, balanced, and delivered in a highly effective manner

Action Planning

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Weak or no action plan; lacked specific steps or timeline
2: Basic action plan with some specific steps but gaps in comprehensiveness
3: Comprehensive action plan with clear steps, timeline, and accountability
4: Outstanding action plan that was specific, strategic, well-prioritized, and likely to drive significant improvement

Adaptability to SDR Responses

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Inflexible approach; failed to adapt to SDR reactions or resistance
2: Some adaptation to SDR responses but missed opportunities to adjust approach
3: Good adaptability; effectively adjusted approach based on SDR responses
4: Exceptional adaptability; masterfully navigated resistance and adjusted approach to maximize effectiveness

Building and Maintaining a High-Performing SDR Team

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Coaching approach unlikely to build high performance
2: Coaching approach likely to maintain but not significantly improve performance
3: Coaching approach likely to build strong performance over time
4: Coaching approach likely to transform performance and create exceptional results

Exceeding Pipeline Generation Targets

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Coaching unlikely to improve pipeline generation
2: Coaching likely to maintain but not significantly improve pipeline generation
3: Coaching likely to improve pipeline generation to target levels
4: Coaching likely to drive pipeline generation well above targets

Improving Lead Conversion Rates

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Coaching unlikely to improve conversion rates
2: Coaching likely to make modest improvements to conversion rates
3: Coaching likely to improve conversion rates to target levels
4: Coaching likely to improve conversion rates well beyond targets

Reducing SDR Ramp Time

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Coaching approach unlikely to effectively reduce ramp time
2: Coaching approach may somewhat reduce ramp time
3: Coaching approach likely to effectively reduce ramp time to target levels
4: Coaching approach likely to dramatically reduce ramp time beyond targets

Recommendation to Proceed

1: Strong No Hire
2: No Hire
3: Hire
4: Strong Hire

Chronological Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This interview focuses on the candidate's career progression, with particular emphasis on their sales development and leadership experiences. Your goal is to understand the depth and breadth of their experience, how they've grown as a leader, and their approach to building and managing sales development teams across different roles.

The chronological format allows you to identify patterns in their career, understand their growth trajectory, and verify the achievements they've claimed. Pay special attention to:

How their leadership style has evolved
Their approach to similar challenges across different organizations
Verification of accomplishments mentioned in their resume
How they've adapted to different company cultures and industries
Reasons for role changes and career decisions

Allocate 60 minutes for this interview. Start with their earliest relevant role and work forward, spending more time on recent, relevant positions. Ask the same core questions for each significant role, adapting as needed based on the specifics of each position. Save time for candidate questions at the end.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"In this interview, we'll walk through your career history, focusing on your sales development and leadership experiences. We'll start with your earlier relevant roles and work forward chronologically, spending more time on your more recent positions. For each role, I'll ask similar questions to understand your responsibilities, challenges, achievements, and growth. Please be specific about your team structures, metrics, and results. We'll also have time for your questions at the end."

Interview Questions

To begin, I'd like to understand your career path. What attracted you to sales development, and how did you transition into leadership?

Areas to Cover

Motivations for entering sales development
Key career decision points
Natural progression vs. deliberate career planning
Perspective on the sales development function
What they find rewarding about leadership

Possible Follow-up Questions

What initially interested you about sales development versus other sales roles?
Was leadership always a goal, or did you discover that interest over time?
What was the most challenging aspect of transitioning from individual contributor to manager?
How has your view of sales development changed throughout your career?

For each relevant role, starting with [earliest relevant position]: Tell me about your role at [company]. What were your key responsibilities and the scope of your position?

Areas to Cover

Team size and structure
Key metrics they were responsible for
Products/services they were selling
Target customer profile
Budget responsibility
Tools and technologies used
Reporting structure
Cross-functional relationships

Possible Follow-up Questions

How was the SDR function positioned within the broader organization?
What was the handoff process between SDRs and Account Executives?
How did you collaborate with marketing?
What was your typical day like in this role?

What were the most significant challenges you faced in this role, and how did you address them?

Areas to Cover

Specific business challenges (hitting targets, process inefficiencies, etc.)
People management challenges
Resource constraints
Organizational challenges
Their approach to problem-solving
Results of their solutions
Lessons learned

Possible Follow-up Questions

What was your biggest obstacle to meeting your targets?
How did you prioritize which challenges to address first?
What resources did you need but didn't have?
Looking back, would you have approached any of these challenges differently?

Tell me about your key achievements in this role. What are you most proud of accomplishing?

Areas to Cover

Specific metrics improvements
Team development successes
Process innovations
Recognition received
Contributing factors to their success
Obstacles overcome
Sustainability of their achievements

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did these achievements compare to company expectations?
What specific actions led to these results?
How did you measure and track these achievements?
Were you able to replicate these successes with other teams or in other roles?

How would you describe your leadership and coaching style in this role? How did it evolve during your time there?

Areas to Cover

Their leadership philosophy
Specific coaching techniques
How they adapted to different team members
How they balanced performance and development
Changes in their approach over time
Feedback they received on their leadership
Self-reflections on their effectiveness

Possible Follow-up Questions

Can you give an example of how you adapted your coaching style for different team members?
What feedback did you receive about your leadership approach?
How did you measure the effectiveness of your coaching?
What prompted changes in your leadership style?

What would your direct reports from this role say were your strengths and areas for improvement as a manager?

Areas to Cover

Self-awareness about their management style
Specific strengths from team's perspective
Growth areas they recognized
Actions taken to address weaknesses
Feedback mechanisms they used
How they balanced being liked vs. respected

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you gather feedback from your team?
What specific steps did you take to improve in areas of weakness?
How did your management approach differ from other managers in the organization?
How did you handle situations where you needed to be firm with your team?

What were the circumstances around your departure from this role, and what led you to your next position?

Areas to Cover

Reasons for leaving
How they made career decisions
What they were looking for in next role
How they evaluated opportunities
Professional growth considerations
Transition process

Possible Follow-up Questions

What aspects of this role did you want to continue in your next position?
What were you looking to change or improve in your next role?
How did you evaluate whether the next opportunity was right for you?
What did you learn in this role that you applied to future positions?

Of all the roles we've discussed, which one do you feel best prepared you for the Sales Development Manager position you're applying for now, and why?

Areas to Cover

Relevant skills and experiences
Transferable leadership approaches
Similar challenges and how they addressed them
Self-awareness about required capabilities
Understanding of the role they're applying for
Capacity for self-reflection and learning

Possible Follow-up Questions

What specific experiences from that role will be most valuable in this position?
What challenges from that role are similar to what you'd expect in this position?
What would you do differently based on what you learned?
What additional skills or experiences have you gained since that would complement that experience?

Interview Scorecard

Relevant Sales Development Experience

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited sales development experience; minimal understanding of SDR function
2: Some sales development experience but lacks depth or breadth
3: Solid sales development experience with good understanding of the function
4: Extensive, varied sales development experience with deep understanding of best practices

Leadership Track Record

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited leadership experience or inconsistent results
2: Some leadership success but lacking in scope or sustained results
3: Proven leadership track record with consistent positive results
4: Exceptional leadership history with outstanding results across different contexts

Coaching Effectiveness

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited evidence of effective coaching; few examples of developing others
2: Some coaching success but limited methodology or examples
3: Clear coaching methodology with multiple examples of effective development
4: Sophisticated coaching approach with outstanding examples of transformative development

Strategic Thinking

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Primarily tactical; limited evidence of strategic planning
2: Some strategic thinking but lacks depth or implementation success
3: Strong strategic planning with successful implementation examples
4: Exceptional strategic vision with innovative approaches and outstanding results

Process Optimization Experience

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited process improvement experience or results
2: Some process improvements but lacking sophistication or impact
3: Significant process optimization with measurable positive results
4: Transformative process innovations with exceptional impact on performance

Building and Maintaining a High-Performing SDR Team

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited evidence of building high-performing teams
2: Some success with team performance but inconsistent or modest results
3: Strong history of building and maintaining high-performing teams
4: Exceptional track record of creating industry-leading team performance

Exceeding Pipeline Generation Targets

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Rarely exceeded targets in past roles
2: Occasionally exceeded targets but not consistently
3: Consistently met or exceeded targets in most roles
4: Consistently exceeded targets by significant margins across multiple roles

Improving Lead Conversion Rates

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited evidence of improving conversion rates
2: Some improvements to conversion rates but modest or inconsistent
3: Consistent pattern of improving conversion rates across roles
4: Exceptional track record of dramatically improving conversion rates

Reducing SDR Ramp Time

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited evidence of improving onboarding or ramp time
2: Some improvements to ramp time but modest or inconsistent
3: Consistent pattern of effective onboarding and reduced ramp time
4: Innovative approaches that significantly reduced ramp time across roles

Creating Scalable Best Practices

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited evidence of creating documented processes or best practices
a: Some documentation of processes but lacking in comprehensiveness
3: Strong history of creating effective, scalable processes and best practices
4: Exceptional track record of creating innovative, highly effective practices that scale

Recommendation to Proceed

1: Strong No Hire
2: No Hire
3: Hire
4: Strong Hire

Competency Interview: Leadership and Coaching

Directions for the Interviewer

This interview focuses on the candidate's leadership, coaching, and strategic planning capabilities. The goal is to deeply assess their approach to developing teams, managing performance, and creating effective sales development strategies. These competencies are critical for success in the Sales Development Manager role.

Use behavioral interviewing techniques, asking for specific examples and probing for details about situations, actions, and results. Don't accept general answers or hypothetical approaches—push for concrete examples from their experience. Listen for how they've handled challenges related to team development, performance management, and strategic planning.

Pay particular attention to:

The depth and sophistication of their coaching approach
Their leadership style and how they adapt it to different situations
Their strategic thinking and planning processes
How they balance performance expectations with team development
Their approach to data-driven decision making

Allocate 60 minutes for this interview, with time for the candidate's questions at the end. Take detailed notes on their examples to support your evaluation.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"In this interview, we'll focus on your leadership approach, coaching methodology, and strategic planning experience. I'll ask you about specific situations you've faced and how you handled them. Please provide detailed examples from your experience rather than hypothetical approaches. I'm interested in understanding the situations you encountered, the actions you took, and the results you achieved."

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you had to develop a strategic plan for a sales development team. What was your approach, and what were the outcomes? (Strategic Planning)

Areas to Cover

How they assessed current state and identified needs
Their process for setting goals and metrics
How they involved stakeholders in planning
Resource allocation decisions they made
Implementation challenges they faced
How they communicated the plan to their team
Measurement approach for tracking progress
Actual results achieved against plan

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you prioritize different objectives in your plan?
What data did you use to inform your strategy?
How did you adjust your plan when circumstances changed?
What was the most challenging aspect of implementing your strategy?

Describe a situation where you had to significantly improve the performance of an underperforming sales development representative. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome? (Coaching and Development, Performance Management)

Areas to Cover

How they identified the performance issue
Their approach to diagnosis and root cause analysis
The specific coaching plan they developed
How they delivered feedback and guidance
How they balanced support with accountability
The timeline for improvement
How they measured progress
Ultimate outcome for the individual
Lessons learned from the experience

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you determine this was a coaching issue versus a hiring mistake?
What specific behaviors did you focus on changing?
How did you maintain motivation during the improvement process?
What would you have done differently in retrospect?

Tell me about a time when you had to build or rebuild a sales development team. What challenges did you face, and how did you address them? (Leadership, Strategic Planning)

Areas to Cover

The state of the team when they took over
Key challenges they identified
Their vision for the team
Specific changes they implemented
How they gained buy-in from team members
Resource constraints they managed
Timeline for improvement
Measurable results achieved
Cultural changes they drove

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you determine what changes were needed?
How did you handle resistance to changes you implemented?
What was your approach to retaining valuable team members?
How did you establish new performance expectations?

Describe a situation where you had to optimize a sales development process to improve efficiency or effectiveness. What was your approach and what were the results? (Process Optimization, Strategic Planning)

Areas to Cover

How they identified the process that needed improvement
Their approach to analyzing the current process
Data they used to inform decisions
Stakeholders they involved in redesign
Specific changes they implemented
How they managed the transition to new processes
Metrics they used to measure improvement
Results achieved from optimization
Lessons learned from the experience

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you prioritize which processes to improve?
What resistance did you encounter and how did you address it?
What technology changes, if any, were part of your solution?
How did you ensure the new process was adopted consistently?

Tell me about a time when you had to make a data-driven decision to improve your team's performance. What data did you analyze, what decision did you make, and what was the outcome? (Performance Management, Strategic Planning)

Areas to Cover

The performance challenge they faced
What data they collected and analyzed
Their analytical approach
How they interpreted the data
The decision-making process they used
How they implemented the decision
How they communicated with stakeholders
Results achieved from the decision
How they measured success

Possible Follow-up Questions

What alternative actions did you consider?
What challenges did you face in collecting reliable data?
How did you balance data with intuition or experience?
What would you have done differently with better data?

Describe your approach to creating a positive and high-performing team culture. Please share a specific example of how you've built or changed team culture. (Leadership)

Areas to Cover

Their philosophy on team culture
Specific culture challenges they addressed
Actions they took to shape culture
How they modeled desired behaviors
Systems or traditions they implemented
How they recognized and rewarded performance
How they addressed behaviors contrary to desired culture
Evidence of culture improvement
Impact on team performance and morale

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you identify what cultural changes were needed?
How did you handle team members who didn't align with the desired culture?
What specific traditions or practices did you implement to reinforce culture?
How did you measure cultural improvement?

Interview Scorecard

Leadership Effectiveness

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited leadership capability; ineffective approach to team management
2: Basic leadership skills but lacks sophisticated approach or consistently strong results
3: Strong leadership with effective approaches and positive team outcomes
4: Exceptional leadership with innovative approaches and outstanding team results

Coaching and Development

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Basic or ineffective coaching approach; limited success developing others
2: Adequate coaching skills but lacks depth or consistent results
3: Effective coaching methodology with clear examples of successful development
4: Sophisticated coaching approach with outstanding examples of transforming performance

Strategic Planning

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Primarily tactical thinking; limited strategic planning capability
2: Basic strategic approach but lacks sophistication or consistent execution
3: Strong strategic planning with successful implementation and positive results
4: Exceptional strategic vision with innovative approaches and outstanding outcomes

Performance Management

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reactive or ineffective performance management; limited use of metrics
2: Basic performance management but lacks sophistication or consistent approach
3: Effective performance management with good use of metrics and accountability
4: Sophisticated performance management system with outstanding results

Process Optimization

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited process improvement capability; few examples of successful optimization
2: Basic process improvement skills but lacks depth or significant impact
3: Strong process optimization abilities with measurable positive outcomes
4: Exceptional process innovation with transformative results

Building and Maintaining a High-Performing SDR Team

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to build a high-performing team based on demonstrated approach
2: May build a moderately effective team but unlikely to achieve exceptional performance
3: Likely to build and maintain a strong, high-performing team
4: Highly likely to build an exceptional team that sets new performance standards

Exceeding Pipeline Generation Targets

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to consistently meet pipeline targets
2: Likely to meet but not consistently exceed pipeline targets
3: Likely to consistently meet and sometimes exceed pipeline targets
4: Likely to consistently exceed pipeline targets by significant margins

Improving Lead Conversion Rates

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to significantly improve conversion rates
2: Likely to make modest improvements to conversion rates
3: Likely to achieve the 20% improvement goal
4: Likely to exceed the 20% improvement goal

Reducing SDR Ramp Time

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to significantly reduce ramp time
2: Likely to make modest reductions in ramp time
3: Likely to achieve the 60-day ramp time goal
4: Likely to reduce ramp time beyond the 60-day goal

Creating Scalable Best Practices

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to create effective documented practices
2: Likely to create basic practices but limited scalability
3: Likely to create effective, scalable best practices
4: Likely to create innovative, highly effective practices with exceptional scalability

Recommendation to Proceed

1: Strong No Hire
2: No Hire
3: Hire
4: Strong Hire

Optional: Executive Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This executive-level interview is designed to assess the candidate's strategic thinking, cultural fit, and alignment with company vision. As a senior leader, your evaluation should focus on whether this candidate can effectively lead the sales development function in support of broader company objectives, collaborate across departments, and contribute to the leadership team.

The goal is not to repeat questions from previous interviews but to assess higher-level leadership capabilities and cultural alignment. Your unique perspective as an executive will help determine if this candidate will thrive in the organization and add value beyond their immediate team responsibilities.

Allow 45 minutes for this conversation. Keep the tone conversational while ensuring you cover the key areas outlined below. Your assessment will be particularly valuable for evaluating the candidate's potential for growth and long-term fit with the organization.

Directions to Share with Candidate

"This conversation will focus on understanding your strategic approach to sales development, your leadership philosophy, and how you align team performance with broader business objectives. I'm interested in learning about your vision for this function and how you would collaborate across the organization. This is also an opportunity for you to ask questions about our company strategy and leadership approach."

Interview Questions

From your perspective, what is the ideal relationship between sales development, marketing, and sales organizations? How have you structured these relationships in the past?

Areas to Cover

Their understanding of the full revenue funnel
How they establish cross-functional collaboration
Their approach to resolving inter-departmental conflicts
How they establish shared goals and metrics
Communication practices they implement
Their perspective on organizational structure
Examples of successful collaboration they've established

Possible Follow-up Questions

How have you resolved conflicts between SDR and sales teams?
What joint metrics or shared goals have you established across departments?
How have you ensured proper lead attribution between marketing and SDRs?
What structural changes have you implemented to improve collaboration?

What do you see as the biggest strategic challenges facing sales development organizations today, and how would you address them at our company?

Areas to Cover

Their awareness of industry trends and challenges
Strategic thinking and vision for the function
How they adapt to changing market conditions
Their understanding of our company's specific context
Innovative approaches they would bring
How they balance short-term results with long-term capability building
Their perspective on technology and process innovation

Possible Follow-up Questions

How have these challenges evolved over the past few years?
What specific strategies have you implemented to address similar challenges?
How would you prioritize addressing these challenges in your first six months?
How do you measure the success of strategic initiatives?

Describe your approach to balancing innovation and standardization in sales development. How do you know when to follow established practices versus trying new approaches?

Areas to Cover

Their philosophy on process standardization
How they encourage innovation while maintaining consistency
Their approach to testing new ideas
Decision-making framework for implementing changes
How they measure the success of innovations
Examples of successful innovations they've implemented
How they've scaled successful pilots

Possible Follow-up Questions

How do you foster innovation within your team?
What framework do you use to evaluate potential new approaches?
How do you balance giving SDRs autonomy while ensuring consistent outcomes?
What's the most innovative practice you've implemented that became standard?

How do you ensure that your sales development strategy aligns with and supports broader company objectives?

Areas to Cover

How they translate company strategy to team objectives
Their understanding of sales development's contribution to company success
How they communicate organizational priorities to their team
Their approach to shifting priorities when company strategy changes
Examples of adapting team focus to support company initiatives
How they measure alignment with company objectives
Balancing team needs with organizational priorities

Possible Follow-up Questions

How do you communicate company priorities to your team?
How have you shifted team focus when company strategy changed?
What metrics do you use to ensure alignment with company objectives?
How do you handle situations where team goals conflict with other departments?

What's your leadership philosophy, and how does it inform your approach to developing future leaders on your team?

Areas to Cover

Their core leadership values and principles
How they identify leadership potential
Their approach to developing future leaders
Examples of team members they've developed into leaders
How they create leadership opportunities
Their perspective on delegation and empowerment
How they balance developing others with achieving results
Their own leadership development journey

Possible Follow-up Questions

How many of your direct reports have been promoted to leadership roles?
What specific development activities do you use for emerging leaders?
How do you balance giving stretch assignments with ensuring success?
How has your leadership approach evolved over your career?

Interview Scorecard

Strategic Vision

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited strategic thinking; primarily tactical focus
2: Basic strategic understanding but lacks depth or innovation
3: Strong strategic vision with clear understanding of business context
4: Exceptional strategic thinking with innovative ideas aligned to business needs

Cross-Functional Leadership

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited cross-functional perspective; primarily focused on own team
2: Basic understanding of cross-functional dynamics but limited success
3: Strong track record of effective cross-functional collaboration
4: Exceptional ability to drive alignment and collaboration across departments

Cultural Alignment

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Potential misalignment with company values or culture
2: Moderate alignment with some aspects of company culture
3: Strong alignment with core company values and culture
4: Exceptional alignment with company culture with potential to strengthen it

Leadership Development

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited focus on developing others; primarily focused on results
2: Basic approach to developing team members but lacks sophistication
3: Strong leadership development approach with evidence of success
4: Exceptional talent development with multiple examples of growing leaders

Change Management

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited experience or effectiveness managing change
2: Basic change management skills but lacks sophistication
3: Strong change management capability with successful examples
4: Exceptional change leadership with transformative results

Building and Maintaining a High-Performing SDR Team

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to build a high-performing team that aligns with company culture
2: May build a functionally effective team but limited cultural impact
3: Likely to build a high-performing team that enhances company culture
4: Likely to build an exceptional team that becomes a cultural benchmark

Exceeding Pipeline Generation Targets

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Strategic approach unlikely to consistently meet pipeline targets
2: Strategic approach likely to meet but not exceed pipeline targets
3: Strategic approach likely to consistently meet and occasionally exceed targets
4: Strategic approach likely to consistently exceed targets by significant margins

Improving Lead Conversion Rates

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Strategic approach unlikely to significantly improve conversion rates
2: Strategic approach likely to make modest improvements to conversion rates
3: Strategic approach likely to achieve the 20% improvement goal
4: Strategic approach likely to exceed the 20% improvement goal

Reducing SDR Ramp Time

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Leadership approach unlikely to significantly reduce ramp time
2: Leadership approach likely to make modest reductions in ramp time
3: Leadership approach likely to achieve the 60-day ramp time goal
4: Leadership approach likely to reduce ramp time beyond the 60-day goal

Creating Scalable Best Practices

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Strategic approach unlikely to create effective documented practices
2: Strategic approach likely to create basic practices but limited scalability
3: Strategic approach likely to create effective, scalable best practices
4: Strategic approach likely to create innovative, highly effective practices with exceptional scalability

Recommendation to Proceed

1: Strong No Hire
2: No Hire
3: Hire
4: Strong Hire

Debrief Meeting

Directions for Conducting the Debrief Meeting

The Debrief Meeting is an open discussion for the hiring team members to share the information learned during the candidate interviews. Use the questions below to guide the discussion.

Start the meeting by reviewing the requirements for the role and the key competencies and goals to succeed. Briefly summarize the candidate's background and the interview process they've completed. Each interviewer should share their key observations and scoring without influencing others.

The meeting leader should strive to create an environment where it is okay to express opinions about the candidate that differ from the consensus or from leadership's opinions. Encourage all participants to share both positive observations and concerns.

Scores and interview notes are important data points but should not be the sole factor in making the final decision. Consider how the candidate's strengths and weaknesses align with the specific needs of your sales development organization.

Any hiring team member should feel free to change their recommendation as they learn new information and reflect on what they've learned.

Questions to Guide the Debrief Meeting

Does anyone have any questions for the other interviewers about the candidate?

Guidance: The meeting facilitator should initially present themselves as neutral and try not to sway the conversation before others have a chance to speak up. This is an opportunity to clarify observations and get additional context from other interviewers.

Are there any additional comments about the candidate?

Guidance: This is an opportunity for all the interviewers to share anything they learned that is important for the other interviewers to know. Encourage interviewers to share specific examples that demonstrate the candidate's competencies or raise concerns.

How does the candidate's experience with sales development leadership compare to our requirements?

Guidance: Discuss whether the candidate's experience with building and leading SDR teams aligns with your organization's needs. Consider both the quantity (years of experience) and quality (results achieved, complexity of environment).

Is there anything further we need to investigate before making a decision?

Guidance: Based on this discussion, you may decide to probe further on certain issues with the candidate or explore specific topics in the reference calls. Identify any gaps in information that need to be addressed.

Has anyone changed their hire/no-hire recommendation?

Guidance: This is an opportunity for the interviewers to change their recommendation based on the new information they learned in this meeting. It's important to create an environment where people feel comfortable changing their minds.

If the consensus is no hire, should the candidate be considered for other roles? If so, what roles?

Guidance: Discuss whether engaging with the candidate about a different role would be worthwhile. Consider whether their strengths might be better suited to another position in the organization.

What are the next steps?

Guidance: If there is no consensus, follow the process for that situation (e.g., it is the hiring manager's decision). Further investigation may be needed before making the decision. If there is a consensus on hiring, reference checks could be the next step. Establish clear ownership for next steps.

Reference Calls

Directions for Conducting Reference Checks

Reference checks are a critical final step in validating the candidate's experience, achievements, and leadership approach. They provide valuable third-party perspective on the candidate's performance and working style. When done effectively, reference checks can confirm your hiring decision or reveal potential concerns that weren't evident during interviews.

For a Sales Development Manager role, focus particularly on leadership effectiveness, coaching abilities, and performance results. Try to speak with both former managers and direct reports to get a comprehensive view.

Before the call, review the candidate's resume and interview notes to identify specific areas to probe. Prepare your questions in advance but be flexible enough to follow interesting threads that emerge during the conversation. Begin by explaining the role the candidate is being considered for, then assure the reference that their feedback will be kept confidential.

These reference checks can be conducted with multiple references using the same questions. Aim to speak with at least 2-3 references, ideally including a former manager, a peer, and a direct report.

Questions for Reference Checks

What was your working relationship with [Candidate], and how long did you work together?

Guidance: Establish the context and nature of the relationship. Determine how long they worked together and how closely they interacted. This helps assess the depth and reliability of the reference's insights.

How would you describe [Candidate]'s leadership style, particularly in how they develop and manage their team?

Guidance: Listen for specific examples that illustrate their coaching approach, communication style, and ability to build high-performing teams. Ask for examples of how they handled challenging team situations.

What were [Candidate]'s most significant achievements in their role? Can you share specific metrics or outcomes they drove?

Guidance: Verify performance claims made during interviews. Ask for specific metrics, particularly around pipeline generation, lead conversion, and team performance. Compare these with what the candidate shared.

How effectively did [Candidate] collaborate with other departments, particularly sales and marketing?

Guidance: Assess their cross-functional effectiveness, which is critical for a Sales Development Manager. Listen for examples of how they built relationships and resolved conflicts across departmental boundaries.

What are [Candidate]'s areas for development or growth? In what types of situations might they struggle?

Guidance: Everyone has development areas. Genuine references will share balanced feedback. Listen carefully for potential red flags that might impact their effectiveness in your organization.

On a scale of 1-10, how likely would you be to hire [Candidate] again if you had an appropriate role? Why?

Guidance: This forces a numerical assessment that's often revealing. Ask for the reasoning behind their rating. Pay attention to both the score and any hesitation in their response.

Is there anything else I should know about [Candidate] that would help us make our hiring decision?

Guidance: This open-ended question often yields interesting insights that weren't covered by your structured questions. It gives the reference freedom to share additional thoughts they feel are important.

Reference Check Scorecard

Leadership Capability

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Significant concerns about leadership effectiveness or approach
2: Mixed feedback about leadership with some notable concerns
3: Consistently positive feedback about leadership effectiveness
4: Exceptional leadership with standout examples and enthusiasm from references

Coaching and Development Skills

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited coaching capability or effectiveness reported
2: Adequate coaching skills but with some limitations noted
3: Strong coaching ability with multiple positive examples
4: Exceptional development of team members with transformative results

Performance and Results

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Underwhelming or inconsistent performance reported
2: Solid but not exceptional performance results
3: Strong performance with consistent achievement of goals
4: Outstanding performance with examples of exceeding expectations

Cross-Functional Collaboration

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Significant issues with cross-team collaboration
2: Adequate collaboration but with some friction or challenges
3: Strong collaborative approach with positive cross-functional relationships
4: Exceptional ability to build partnerships across the organization

Building and Maintaining a High-Performing SDR Team

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: References suggest limited success building high-performing teams
2: Mixed results with team building and performance
3: Consistent success building strong, effective teams
4: Exceptional team building with references highlighting transformative results

Exceeding Pipeline Generation Targets

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: References suggest inconsistent achievement of targets
2: References confirm meeting but rarely exceeding targets
3: References confirm consistent achievement of targets
4: References enthusiastically describe consistent overachievement

Improving Lead Conversion Rates

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited evidence of improving conversion metrics
2: Some improvement to conversion rates but modest in scale
3: Clear evidence of significant improvement in conversion rates
4: Exceptional improvement in conversion metrics highlighted by references

Reducing SDR Ramp Time

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited evidence of effective onboarding or reduced ramp time
2: Some improvement to onboarding but limited impact on ramp time
3: References confirm effective onboarding with reduced ramp time
4: References highlight exceptional onboarding with dramatically reduced ramp time

Creating Scalable Best Practices

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited evidence of documentation or process creation
2: Some process documentation but limited in scope or impact
3: References confirm creation of effective, scalable processes
4: References highlight exceptional, innovative process creation and documentation

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I adapt this interview guide for different types of sales development organizations?

Consider your specific business model and sales approach. For high-volume transactional sales, focus more on process optimization and efficiency. For complex, long-cycle sales, emphasize strategic thinking and cross-functional collaboration. Adjust the work sample to reflect your typical coaching scenarios and modify questions to address your specific sales development challenges.

What's the most important competency to assess for a Sales Development Manager?

While all competencies are important, coaching and development capability is particularly critical for this role. A Sales Development Manager with strong coaching skills can transform team performance and build a talent pipeline for the entire sales organization. The work sample is designed specifically to assess this critical competency. You can find more guidance in our article on sales leadership hiring.

How should we weigh experience versus potential for this role?

While experience matters for a management role, don't overlook candidates with less experience but exceptional leadership potential. Focus on their track record of improvement and growth rather than just years of experience. If a candidate has successfully led smaller teams or shown significant impact in shorter tenures, they may outperform someone with more years but less impressive results.

The candidate has strong leadership experience but in a different type of sales role. How should we evaluate this?

Focus on transferable leadership skills while asking scenario-based questions about sales development challenges. The key is determining whether they understand the unique aspects of sales development compared to other sales functions. Their coaching approach, process orientation, and ability to collaborate with marketing and sales are more important than specific SDR experience.

Should we involve SDR team members in the interview process?

Involving a high-performing SDR in the interview process can provide valuable perspective on how the candidate might be received by the team. Consider adding an SDR to one of the interview stages or creating a brief meet-and-greet session. This also demonstrates to the candidate that you value team input in important decisions.

What if we have candidates with different profiles - one with strong management experience but less sales development background, versus one with extensive sales development experience but less management experience?

This common dilemma requires weighing the specific needs of your organization. If your sales development function needs process improvement and strategic direction, the stronger manager might be preferable. If your processes are sound but team execution needs improvement, the sales development expert might be better. Consider your specific challenges and which profile best addresses them.

How do we assess if a candidate can successfully transition from managing an SDR team at one company to our different environment?

Focus on adaptability by asking about other transitions they've made. Probe deeply on how they've approached learning new products, industries, or sales methodologies. Ask scenario-based questions about how they would handle specific challenges in your environment. Their questions about your business can also reveal their ability to understand and adapt to new contexts.