GlenRoss profile picture
GlenRoss profile picture

GlenRoss

Account Executive

Politicker
Valued Contributor
Catalyst
+4

Overcoming objection: Sales Manager Interview

I am interviewing for a Sales Manager role this week. It is internal and I have been a rep here for a couple years. I also did the Team Lead role as a transition.


I only have a couple years of sales experience and the hiring manager (director) said that their main concern is my years of experience and it will definitely come up in the interview. They also said that it is not a non starter.


Has anyone dealt with this before on either side or have any ideas to overcome the objection? (Without sounding douchey; ex. I learn faster. And put more work in then other reps)

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10 comments

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MCP
Valued Contributor
1
Sales Director
To be a good sales manager you have to know your way around sales. 2 years really doesn’t cut it for most places, so I feel like this is either a courtesy, or you’re betting set up to fail. Managing is a different gig with a totally different skill set, but you’ll have a hard time getting people to respect your position with so little experience.
Think about this too…recruiting & training will be critical for success, how many good sales people do you think would be interested in working for a manager with so little experience? How will you possibly help them grow?
My 2 cents, put in more time before you try to level up. Sales is not an easy thing & experience is the only way you’ll build and guide your team, which you’ll need to succeed.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
2
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
Agreed.  My best sales managers had years of sales experience to leverage in order to partner with me building deals.   They were the most effective - and their reps hit quota every quarter and year.
Blackwargreymon
Politicker
1
MDR
To be a good sales manager you have to know your way around sales. 2 years really doesn’t cut it for most places, so I feel like this is either a courtesy, or you’re betting set up to fail. Managing is a different gig with a totally different skill set, but you’ll have a hard time getting people to respect your position with so little experience.
buckets1
Politicker
0
AE
Is the director the same one who gave you the team lead role? This is gonna be a bit of a tangent but honestly my pet peeve is when companies make reps team leads, usually for marginally more pay but a crap ton more of responsibility, and then don’t take them seriously for a manager position. To me that screams that they just gave you the team lead role as a retention move which is what Sr. AE and raises are for — or that they’re too cheap to hire another manager. Team lead should only be given to reps who companies intend to promote into management within a few quarters. End rant. Honestly I’d go through the interview process and if you don’t get it there’s likely other companies out there who’d hire you directly into management.
Upper_Class_SaaS
Politicker
0
Account Executive
I mean you have experience in an IC role internally and I am assuming you have been successful in it otherwise you'd not even be considered. 

I would explain the success you've had in the lead role to date and lean on the IC success and discuss how you plan on engaging the team in how you found that success
CuriousFox
WR Officer
0
🦊
Speak on the success you have had and present the hard data. Remain confident and positive.
wolfdad
Contributor
0
Senior Account Executive
Make them quantify how much experience they need the person in the role to have. Also, find out if the experience is the only reason you don't get the job. If experience is the only thing they have against you ask if you try the role for 3 months and if doesn't work then bump you back to an AE position. 
AnchorPoint
Politicker
0
Business Coach
"Why did you decide to interview me for this position?"  "What do you see as my strengths and weaknesses?"  "What are the most important characteristics needed for this position?"  Whoever is asking the questions, controls the conversation.  This is a sales call.  Come up with a series of discovery questions that will help you position yourself to earn the promotion. 
MR.StretchISR
Politicker
0
ISR
Typically I've seen it as either top N salespeople against quota go OR anyone over 1XX% quota get to go. I like the latter because otherwise it's a zero sum game.
Clashingsoulsspell
Politicker
0
ISR
I previously worked at a company where PC qualification was based on both numbers and how much you kissed the executives' collective ass. At my present company it's based on numbers only - if you hit the required metrics, you're in. That's the way it should be but some executives have lonely buttcheeks I guess.

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