As a Sales Enablement Manager, your ability to persuade and influence others is crucial for success in driving sales performance and aligning various stakeholders. Persuasion in this role involves effectively communicating ideas, strategies, and best practices to motivate sales teams, convince leadership of new initiatives, and collaborate with cross-functional partners. When evaluating candidates for this position, it's essential to look for evidence of past successes in influencing diverse groups, adapting communication styles, and achieving measurable results through persuasive efforts.

The following questions are designed to assess a candidate's Persuasion skills in the context of a Sales Enablement Manager role. They focus on past experiences and challenges faced, allowing candidates to demonstrate their ability to navigate complex situations and drive positive outcomes. When conducting these interviews, it's important to listen for specific examples, the reasoning behind chosen approaches, and lessons learned from both successes and failures.

For more insights on effective interviewing techniques and avoiding common pitfalls in sales hiring, check out our blog posts on how to conduct a job interview and 9 simple ways to avoid failed sales hires.

Interview Questions for Assessing Persuasion in Sales Enablement Manager Roles

Tell me about a time when you had to convince a resistant sales team to adopt a new sales methodology or tool. How did you approach the situation, and what was the outcome?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and resistance faced
• Actions taken to persuade the team
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you tailor your message to different members of the sales team?
2. What objections did you encounter, and how did you address them?
3. How did you measure the success of the adoption?

Describe a situation where you had to influence senior leadership to invest in a new sales enablement initiative. What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and proposed initiative
• Actions taken to persuade leadership
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you build a compelling business case for the initiative?
2. What data or evidence did you use to support your argument?
3. How did you handle any pushback or skepticism from leadership?

Share an experience where you had to collaborate with multiple departments to create and implement a new sales training program. How did you ensure buy-in and alignment from all stakeholders?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and stakeholders involved
• Actions taken to persuade and align different departments
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you manage conflicting priorities or opinions among stakeholders?
2. What techniques did you use to build consensus?
3. How did you ensure the program met the needs of all involved parties?

Tell me about a time when you had to persuade a high-performing sales representative to change their approach or adopt a new strategy. What challenges did you face, and how did you address them?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and the sales representative's resistance
• Actions taken to persuade the individual
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you tailor your persuasion approach to this specific individual?
2. What evidence or arguments did you use to support your case?
3. How did you balance respecting their success while encouraging change?

Describe a situation where you had to convince a client or partner to participate in a sales enablement initiative (e.g., case study, testimonial, or joint webinar). How did you approach the conversation, and what was the outcome?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and the client/partner's initial stance
• Actions taken to persuade the client/partner
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you identify and emphasize the benefits for the client/partner?
2. What objections did you encounter, and how did you address them?
3. How did you ensure a mutually beneficial outcome?

Share an experience where you had to influence a group of sales managers to adopt a new performance metric or KPI. What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and resistance from sales managers
• Actions taken to persuade the managers
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you demonstrate the value of the new metric to the sales managers?
2. What data or evidence did you use to support your argument?
3. How did you address concerns about potential negative impacts on existing processes?

Tell me about a time when you had to persuade a cross-functional team to prioritize a sales enablement project over their existing workload. How did you approach the situation, and what was the outcome?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and competing priorities
• Actions taken to persuade the team
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you align the project with each team's goals and objectives?
2. What negotiation techniques did you use to reach a compromise?
3. How did you ensure continued support throughout the project?

Describe a situation where you had to convince sales leadership to abandon or significantly modify an existing sales process or tool. What challenges did you face, and how did you address them?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and reasons for the proposed change
• Actions taken to persuade sales leadership
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you build a case for change despite potential resistance?
2. What data or evidence did you use to support your argument?
3. How did you address concerns about disrupting existing processes?

Share an experience where you had to influence a diverse group of stakeholders to support a major sales enablement initiative (e.g., CRM implementation, sales methodology change). How did you tailor your approach to different audiences?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and diverse stakeholder groups
• Actions taken to persuade different stakeholders
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you identify and address the unique concerns of each stakeholder group?
2. What communication strategies did you use to maintain engagement throughout the process?
3. How did you measure and demonstrate the impact of the initiative to different audiences?

Tell me about a time when you had to persuade a group of skeptical sales representatives to participate in a new coaching or mentoring program. What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and reasons for skepticism
• Actions taken to persuade the sales representatives
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you address concerns about time commitment or perceived value?
2. What incentives or benefits did you highlight to encourage participation?
3. How did you measure and communicate the impact of the program?

Describe a situation where you had to convince leadership to invest in a sales enablement technology or tool with a significant upfront cost. How did you build your case, and what was the outcome?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and proposed investment
• Actions taken to persuade leadership
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you calculate and present the potential ROI?
2. What alternatives did you consider, and how did you address them?
3. How did you plan for and communicate about implementation challenges?

Share an experience where you had to influence a group of sales representatives to adopt a new content management system or sales asset library. What challenges did you face, and how did you address them?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and resistance to change
• Actions taken to persuade the sales representatives
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you demonstrate the benefits of the new system to individual sales reps?
2. What training or support did you provide to ease the transition?
3. How did you measure and communicate the impact on sales efficiency?

Tell me about a time when you had to convince a group of product managers or subject matter experts to contribute their expertise to a sales enablement initiative. How did you approach the situation, and what was the outcome?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and initial resistance
• Actions taken to persuade the experts
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you align the initiative with the experts' goals or interests?
2. What methods did you use to make the contribution process efficient for the experts?
3. How did you recognize and reward their contributions?

Describe a situation where you had to influence a group of new sales hires to fully engage with the onboarding and training process. What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and potential resistance
• Actions taken to persuade the new hires
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you make the onboarding process engaging and relevant to the new hires?
2. What techniques did you use to maintain motivation throughout the training?
3. How did you measure the effectiveness of your persuasion efforts?

Share an experience where you had to convince sales leadership to adjust sales targets or quotas based on market changes or new data. How did you approach this sensitive topic, and what was the outcome?

Areas to Cover:

• Details of the situation and reasons for proposed adjustments
• Actions taken to persuade sales leadership
• How the approach was decided
• Support or help sought from others
• Results of the actions
• Lessons learned and how they've been applied

Possible follow-up questions:

1. How did you prepare your argument and supporting data?
2. What objections did you anticipate, and how did you address them?
3. How did you balance the need for realistic targets with maintaining motivation?

FAQ

Q: How many of these questions should I ask in a single interview?A: It's recommended to ask 3-4 of these questions in a single interview, allowing time for thorough responses and follow-up questions. This approach provides a good balance between covering different aspects of Persuasion and maintaining a conversational flow.

Q: Should I ask these questions in a specific order?A: While there's no strict order, it's often beneficial to start with broader questions and then move to more specific or challenging scenarios. This allows the candidate to warm up and helps you build rapport before diving into more complex situations.

Q: How can I ensure I'm getting authentic responses rather than rehearsed answers?A: Use follow-up questions to dig deeper into the candidate's responses. Ask for specific details, reasoning behind decisions, and reflections on outcomes. This approach helps you get beyond surface-level answers and understand the candidate's true capabilities and experiences.

Q: What if a candidate doesn't have a specific example for one of these questions?A: If a candidate doesn't have a direct example, you can ask them to describe a similar situation or how they would hypothetically approach the scenario. However, be aware that hypothetical answers are generally less valuable than real experiences.

Q: How should I evaluate the candidate's responses to these questions?A: Look for evidence of strategic thinking, adaptability, empathy, and results-orientation in their responses. Consider how well they tailored their approach to different audiences, used data to support their arguments, and learned from both successes and failures.

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