Influencing others in sales roles refers to the ability to guide clients, prospects, and internal stakeholders toward mutually beneficial decisions through trust, effective communication, and value-driven persuasion. According to the American Marketing Association, it's "the ethical application of communication techniques to shape perceptions and drive desired outcomes while maintaining relationship integrity."

In today's complex sales environment, influence has evolved far beyond traditional persuasion tactics. Successful sales professionals must demonstrate sophisticated influence capabilities across multiple dimensions – from building genuine connections with prospects to navigating complex buying committees and internal teams. For sales roles, this competency encompasses relationship-building, active listening, strategic communication, emotional intelligence, and ethical persuasion.

Effective influence in sales manifests in various ways: guiding reluctant prospects toward solutions that genuinely benefit them, aligning cross-functional internal teams behind customer initiatives, negotiating terms that balance company needs with customer value, and positioning offerings in ways that differentiate from competitors. When hiring, look for candidates who view influence not as manipulation but as a collaborative process grounded in understanding customer challenges and creating authentic value connections.

To properly evaluate candidates, focus on behavioral questions that reveal past experiences rather than hypothetical scenarios. This approach, according to research highlighted in Yardstick's interview guide resources, provides more reliable insights into how candidates actually approach influence situations rather than how they think they would. Look for evidence of preparation, relationship-building skills, and the ability to adapt influence approaches to different situations and personalities.

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you needed to influence a resistant prospect or customer who initially showed no interest in your solution.

Areas to Cover:

• How the candidate identified the customer's resistance points
• Strategies used to reframe the conversation
• Evidence of active listening and adaptation
• Specific actions taken to build credibility and trust
• How they communicated value aligned to the customer's needs
• Results of their influence attempt
• Lessons learned from the experience

Follow-Up Questions:

• What signals indicated this prospect was resistant, and how did that shape your approach?
• How did you adapt your communication style to better resonate with this particular customer?
• What specific objections did you encounter, and how did you address them?
• How did you measure your progress in influencing this customer throughout the process?

Describe a situation where you had to influence multiple stakeholders with different priorities within a client organization to move a deal forward.

Areas to Cover:

• The candidate's approach to mapping stakeholders and their interests
• How they tailored messages for different audience members
• Examples of navigating competing priorities
• Techniques used to build consensus among diverse stakeholders
• How they managed potential internal conflicts
• The outcome of their influencing efforts
• What they would do differently in retrospect

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify the key decision-makers versus influencers in this situation?
• What were the most significant conflicting priorities you encountered?
• How did you adjust your approach when you realized certain stakeholders weren't aligned?
• What techniques did you use to help stakeholders see common ground despite their different priorities?

Share an example of when you influenced your internal team to better serve a customer or prospect's needs, even when it required them to work differently.

Areas to Cover:

• How the candidate recognized the need for internal change
• Their approach to building buy-in from colleagues
• Specific communication strategies used with different departments
• How they overcame internal resistance
• Actions taken to facilitate the change
• Results for both the customer and the organization
• Insights gained about internal influence

Follow-Up Questions:

• What made this particular situation challenging for getting internal buy-in?
• How did you frame the change needed in terms that would resonate with different departments?
• What resistance did you encounter, and how did you address concerns?
• How did you follow up to ensure the changes were implemented effectively?

Tell me about a time when you successfully influenced a customer to expand their initial purchase scope or commit to a larger solution than they originally considered.

Areas to Cover:

• How the candidate identified additional opportunity
• Their approach to creating value perception for the larger solution
• Techniques used to overcome scope concerns
• How they managed risk perception for the customer
• Steps taken to build sufficient trust for expansion
• The ultimate outcome and value delivered
• What made this expansion successful

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you discover the potential for expansion beyond the initial scope?
• What concerns did the customer express about the expanded solution, and how did you address them?
• How did you quantify the additional value to make the larger investment justifiable?
• What relationship elements were most critical in enabling this expansion?

Describe a situation where you needed to influence through educating a customer who had misconceptions about your industry, product, or solution.

Areas to Cover:

• How the candidate identified the misconceptions
• Their approach to correcting misunderstandings without creating defensiveness
• Educational techniques and content used
• How they validated customer understanding
• The impact of this education on the relationship
• How this influenced the customer's decision process
• Lessons learned about educational influence

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you discover these misconceptions existed?
• What approach did you take to correct their understanding without making them feel uninformed?
• How did you structure your educational message to be most effective?
• What changes did you observe in the customer's perspective after your educational efforts?

Share an example of when you had to influence a customer's perception during a service or product issue.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific challenge or issue that occurred
• Initial customer reaction and relationship implications
• How the candidate approached the difficult conversation
• Strategies used to maintain trust during the issue
• Actions taken to resolve the situation
• How they turned the issue into a relationship-strengthening opportunity
• The outcome and customer's perception afterward

Follow-Up Questions:

• What was your first step when you realized there was an issue?
• How did you manage both the emotional and factual aspects of the situation?
• What specific techniques did you use to maintain the customer's confidence?
• How did you follow up after resolving the issue to reinforce the relationship?

Tell me about a time when you influenced a high-level decision maker who initially had limited time or interest in meeting with you.

Areas to Cover:

• How the candidate secured initial access
• Their strategy for creating executive-level interest
• Methods used to communicate value concisely
• How they demonstrated respect for the executive's time
• Specific actions that captured attention and shifted interest
• The outcome of their influence attempt
• Insights gained about executive-level influence

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you research this decision maker before your interaction?
• What value proposition did you lead with and why?
• How did you adapt your communication style for this executive-level conversation?
• What signals indicated you were successfully gaining their interest?

Describe a negotiation where you had to influence the other party to reach terms that worked for both sides rather than walking away.

Areas to Cover:

• The initial positions of both parties
• How the candidate identified underlying interests beyond stated positions
• Creative approaches to finding middle ground
• Techniques used to reframe the negotiation
• How they maintained relationship quality during tough conversations
• The final agreement reached
• What made this negotiation successful

Follow-Up Questions:

• What were the most significant points of disagreement in this negotiation?
• How did you discover what was truly important to the other party?
• What creative alternatives did you develop to bridge the gap?
• How did you balance advancing your position while maintaining the relationship?

Share an experience where you had to change your influence approach mid-stream because your initial strategy wasn't working.

Areas to Cover:

• The original influence approach and why it was chosen
• Signs that indicated the approach wasn't effective
• How quickly they recognized and adapted
• The alternative approach they implemented
• Why the new approach was more effective
• Results of the adjustment
• Learning about adaptability in influence

Follow-Up Questions:

• What specific signals told you that your initial approach wasn't working?
• How did you decide what alternative approach to try?
• What was most challenging about making this pivot?
• What did this experience teach you about adaptability in influence situations?

Tell me about a time when you used data or analytics to influence a customer's decision.

Areas to Cover:

• The type of data used and its relevance
• How the candidate translated data into meaningful insights
• Their approach to making complex information accessible
• How they connected data to customer value
• The impact of data on the customer's decision process
• Results achieved through this data-driven influence
• Balance of emotional and rational persuasion

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you determine which data points would be most influential for this customer?
• How did you present the data to make it meaningful and accessible?
• What objections or questions about the data did you encounter?
• How did you balance data-driven arguments with other influence techniques?

Describe a situation where you influenced a customer to try a new approach or solution they weren't initially considering.

Areas to Cover:

• How the candidate identified resistance to new approaches
• Their strategy for reducing perceived risk
• Techniques used to create openness to new ideas
• How they built credibility for the new approach
• Steps taken to facilitate change readiness
• The outcome and customer's experience with the new approach
• Keys to successful innovation influence

Follow-Up Questions:

• What was driving the customer's reluctance to try something new?
• How did you help them become comfortable with the potential change?
• What evidence or examples did you use to build credibility for the new approach?
• How did you support them through the transition to ensure success?

Share an example of effectively influencing a group or team, rather than just an individual.

Areas to Cover:

• The group dynamics at play in this situation
• How the candidate assessed different stakeholder positions
• Their strategy for group communication
• Techniques used to build consensus
• How they handled dissenting voices
• The ultimate outcome of their group influence
• Insights about group versus individual influence

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you prepare differently for influencing this group compared to an individual?
• What were the different perspectives within the group that you needed to address?
• How did you handle disagreement or resistance within the group?
• What techniques were most effective in building collective agreement?

Tell me about a time when you influenced a customer by helping them see a problem or opportunity they hadn't recognized.

Areas to Cover:

• How the candidate identified the unrecognized issue
• Their approach to creating awareness without criticism
• Techniques used to help the customer self-discover
• How they connected the new insight to customer value
• The customer's reaction to this new perspective
• How this insight influenced the subsequent relationship
• What made this influence approach successful

Follow-Up Questions:

• What initially suggested this unrecognized problem or opportunity?
• How did you introduce this new perspective without making the customer feel they had missed something obvious?
• What questions did you ask to guide their discovery process?
• How did this insight change the nature of your conversations going forward?

Describe your approach to influencing a prospect who was strongly considering a competitor's solution.

Areas to Cover:

• How the candidate gathered competitive intelligence
• Their strategy for competitive differentiation
• How they refocused on customer needs rather than feature comparisons
• Techniques used to reframe the decision criteria
• Actions taken to demonstrate unique value
• The outcome of this competitive influence situation
• Insights about effective competitive positioning

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you discover which competitor they were considering and why?
• What unique value proposition did you emphasize in this competitive situation?
• How did you address direct comparisons the prospect made between solutions?
• What ultimately caused the prospect to reevaluate their options?

Share an experience where you had to rebuild influence with a customer after a trust-damaging event.

Areas to Cover:

• The nature of the trust issue that occurred
• Initial steps taken to address the situation
• The candidate's approach to transparent communication
• Specific actions taken to rebuild credibility
• How they demonstrated accountability
• The gradual process of trust restoration
• The ultimate outcome and relationship status
• Lessons learned about rebuilding influence

Follow-Up Questions:

• What was your first action when you realized trust had been damaged?
• How did you balance acknowledging the issue while moving toward resolution?
• What specific commitments or changes did you make to rebuild confidence?
• How did you measure whether trust and influence were being restored?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why focus on behavioral questions rather than hypothetical scenarios when assessing influence skills?

Behavioral questions that examine past experiences provide much more reliable indicators of a candidate's actual capabilities. While hypothetical questions reveal how a candidate thinks they might act, behavioral questions show how they've actually behaved in real situations. This approach aligns with research showing that past behavior is the best predictor of future performance, especially for complex competencies like influence that require both strategic thinking and interpersonal skills.

How many questions should I ask about influencing skills during an interview?

Quality trumps quantity. Rather than rushing through many questions, select 3-4 questions most relevant to your specific role and use follow-up questions to probe deeper. This approach allows candidates to provide rich, detailed examples and gives you insight into their thinking process, adaptability, and self-awareness around influence. Interview orchestration that balances depth and breadth provides better assessment than covering more questions superficially.

How can I tell if a candidate is using ethical influence vs. manipulation tactics?

Look for evidence that the candidate prioritizes customer value and long-term relationships over short-term wins. Ethical influencers discuss understanding customer needs before presenting solutions, speak about transparent communication (including discussing limitations), and frame success in terms of mutual benefit rather than "winning" against the customer. Be wary of candidates who focus exclusively on tactics without mentioning customer outcomes or who seem to view objections as obstacles rather than legitimate concerns.

How should I evaluate influencing skills differently for junior versus senior sales roles?

For junior roles, focus more on foundational elements like communication clarity, relationship-building instincts, adaptability, and learning from feedback. Look for influence examples from any context, not just professional sales situations. For senior roles, expect sophisticated influence strategies, evidence of influencing complex stakeholder groups, ability to coach others on influence, and examples of influence at organizational levels. Senior candidates should demonstrate nuanced approaches tailored to different scenarios and stakeholders.

Can these questions be used in panel interviews?

Yes, these questions work well in panel interviews where different interviewers can focus on different aspects of the candidate's response. However, ensure panel members are aligned on what good influence looks like for your organization and have a structured interview scorecard to evaluate responses consistently. This prevents "halo effect" bias where an impressive answer to one question colors the perception of all other responses.

Interested in a full interview guide with Assessing Influencing Others in Sales Roles as a key trait? Sign up for Yardstick and build it for free.