Stephen Harvard Davis

A number of people in my network manage sales teams or are salespeople and I’ve been asked to include some questions asked at sales job interviews.

So here’s the clip first with questions:

“What’s your attitude to a challenge?”
How do you handle rejection?”
and
Describe a difficult sale you’ve made”

and there will be more to follow

Sales and Marketing interview questions

“How To Use Power-words”
  Tips To Increase Effectiveness in a CV and in Sales. 

Just to say that I’ve had a great day and because I feel so great I’m giving away 100 copies of the new e-book “How to use Power- words”.

Packed with tips and advice on how to use over 120 power-words in your Resume / CV and your Sales appointments to make them sparkle and stand out from the competition.

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Sent direct to your computer

A lot of blame is being heaped onto Maria by the Sales Director and the CEO. Both suggest that it was her fault that one of the candidates found details of the assessment centre process in the photocopier. However as there were seven sets of the documentation distributed it’s uncertain that any one person can be identified as the culprit.

It looks as if Maria is seeking advice on what to do next and whether it is time to consider her future and she is thinking that a change is appropriate before she is forced to leave.

She has taken advice from the CIPD and her husband who also works in HR.

However, is there any advice you could give her?

Maria has organised an assessment centre for a new Sales Manager. The intention is to interview six candidates, two internal. The process includes a number of exercises including a role play exercise in handling under-performing sales people, handling meetings, preparing sales reports as well as an interview. The day will be observed by a number of managers chosen from the Sales Director’s departmental responsibilities.

The Sales Director has elected not to be involved as he wants to distance himself from the selection procedure as the two internal candidates are already under notice of redundancy from his department.

There is one problem. It seems that a member of staff has found an email in a photo-copyer from the Sales Director to Maria stating that he’s not prepared to have either of the two existing staff members gain the job and a copy of the assessment centre exercises.

A copy of the email has found its way to one of the candidates. 

Maria has been informed that a member of staff has complained that a disciplinary meeting conducted by Maria did not follow the ACAS code of conduct set out in April 2009 relatinmg to the calling of witnesses.

Maria has been told that the employee, who has now left the company, is making a claim for wrongful dismissal and the solicitor is wanting to move to tribunal. The CEO feels that compensation will have to be made to the employee and is placing the blame entirely at Maria’s feet for not being aware of disciplinary changes in procedure. Maria claims that the new procedure was only guidance.

As the employee was a direct report to the Sales Director it seems that she is unlikely to get any support from that direction.

Maria has held a departmental staff meeting and told her team that she is conscious that Christine (her assistant) is overworked and under pressure and is therefore removing some of her responsibilities. The result is that Christine will undertake fewer new staff interviews and more research. Maria will delegate staff interviews amongst the other team members as people are available. Christine sees this as a removal of a key part of her job and the scope of her work has been reduced.

This afternoon Maria has a meeting with the Sales Director and Project Manager to look at restructuring the remaining areas of the sales force. The meeting will identify those posts and branches in the north of England that The Sales Director wants to merge and reduce the headcount by three managers and five sales administration staff. Maria is being consulted to advise on retaining the people that the Sales Manager wants to retain whilst “letting go” those he sees as being less capable.

Following the strategy paper that Maria and the Sales Director produced a few weeks ago Maria has seen the first team that is being restructured, The Marketing Department.

The post of Marketing Manager and his deputy are seen as being redundant. In future these roles will be done by the Sales Director, who sees himself as an expert on the topic.

This has come as a shock to many people in the company as the Marketing team have been credited with increasing company profile and being instrumental in the development of new product ideas that have kept the company at the forefront of their industry.

The gossip around the coffee machines would suggest that many see this move as the Sales Director “consolidating his position” as opposed to looking forward to the company’s future success.

It’s been noticed that over the past few weeks Maria has been identifying those people with real influence in the organisation. A particularly important strategy for any new hire.

So far she seems to be making an effort to engage with the Sales Director, Project Manager and Company Secretary.

The Sales Director views having the Personnel Manager on his side as being a very useful alliance as he has some changes in mind for the structure of the sales teams and he will need help and advice to implement these correctly.

Developing a network seems to be going well for Maria. There is one fly in the ointment however. She was overheard running down some members of her team to the Sales Manager saying, “I’m not sure how Christine (her assistant manager) would be much help to you, I think she’s overrated. If you need some help, come directly to me”.