Inside Sales Manager Interview Questions & Answers


Inside Sales Managers manage the day-to-day operations of companies' inside sales departments (sales team who reach customers by phone or online, rather than traveling to meet them face-to-face). They train inside sales employees, prepare regular sales forecasts, and ensure that inside sales employees complete a set number of tasks per day.

Whether you're a job seeker preparing to be interviewed for the role of Inside Sales Manager or an employer preparing to interview candidates for Inside Sales Manager position, these Inside Sales Manager interview questions will help you prepare yourself for the job interview session.

Inside Sales Manager Interview Questions

Below are a list of some skill-based Inside Sales Manager interview questions.

  1. How and when would you approach an employee from your team who struggles to meet quotas? What would you tell them?
  2. How would you ensure new team members onboard well?
  3. You want to implement a new tool that’ll help your team organize their work better, but it requires extras hours of training and this means they won’t be able to meet their monthly goals. Would you proceed with implementation?
  4. What do you think is the most important trait for an effective inside sales manager?
  5. As an Inside Sales Manager, what would you do if you noticed that our current sales practices were ineffective in generating adequate sales?
  6. What CRM software have you used?
  7. Are you familiar with our products? Who do you think are our customers?
  8. There is a conflict between two sales employees on how to handle a sale. What do you do?
  9. Describe your experience with cold calling.
  10. Provide an example of a time when you had to negotiate a deal with a difficult client.
  11. What’s our competitive advantage? How do you think our salespeople should use it during the sales process?
  12. What would you do if you noticed that one of your employees was consistently recommending products or services that were not in the best interest of the client?
  13. Describe the phases of the sales process, from initial outreach to closing the deal. What factors most influence the customer’s buying decision?
  14. Describe the steps you take to set goals for your sales team (e.g. for next month or quarter.)
  15. We want to increase our reach on social media. What social media platforms would you suggest we use?
  16. What would you do if a customer complained about an unfriendly Inside Sales Representative?
  17. How would you tell senior managers about a big sales opportunity you lost?
  18. What information would you include in a report to forecast the next quarter’s sales results?
  19. If you could only use one strategy to increase sales, what would it be and why?
  20. Describe how you motivate disengaged team members.
  21. What is your experience with using sales software?
  22. What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from your customer service experience so far?
  23. When is the best time to reach your target audience – morning, afternoon or evening?
  24. How have you improved the sales administration process in your previous positions?
  25. What training methods are the most effective for new salespeople?
  26. Why should an inside sales manager liaise with the marketing department?
  27. What are some of the best strategies you’ve used to increase sales?

Inside Sales Manager Interview Questions and Answers

Every interview is different and the questions may vary. However, there are lots of general questions that get asked at every interview.

Below are some common questions you'd expect during Inside Sales Manager interviews. Click on each question to see how to answer them.

  1. Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?
  2. What is Your Greatest Strength?
  3. Tell Me About Yourself
  4. Why Do You Want This Job?
  5. Are You a Leader or a Follower?
  6. What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
  7. What is Your Salary Expectation?
  8. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
  9. Why Should We Hire You?
  10. What is Your Greatest Weakness?