Top 20 Territory Sales Manager Interview Questions

Tell the interviewer about your goals as a professional, related to the company you are applying for, and by ensuring to emphasize you wish to grow within the organization. The interviewer wants to ensure you will commit to the employer and will not leave should another opportunity present itself at another company. It is mandatory to review the company website and social media pages before the interview to familiarize yourself with the company, industry and services offered.

"I wish to grow within the company and acquire further skills related to sales and business development. I hope to become an expert in my field."

Tell the interviewer what you do to handle situations calmly despite the high stress level by providing an example of your experience to support your position.

"I always remain calm and look for ways to be more efficient. For instance, if there is an unexpected deadline, I will determine what can be done to ensure the deadline can be met, I will write down the steps to take to ensure successful completion and will delegate a few tasks if necessary. In brief, I am always ready to adjust my approach because stressful situations are bound to occur in a professional environment."

The interviewer wants to determine your boundaries. It is important to demonstrate you can manage anything that comes your way. Always review the job posting before the interview and keep it closeby at the time of the interview. Provide example of challenging duties on the job posting, and how easily you will be able to manage such duties. Provide example of the successful performance of these duties in a previous position, if you have any.

"An example of a challenging duty is (X easy duty on the job posting/any other difficult duty related to the position you applied for), because when working as a/an (X position title) for (X company), I (X similar difficult duty successfully performed despite the challenging nature and what contributed to your success)."

Always review the job description before the interview to familiarize yourself with the personality traits required from the successful incumbent. Answer this question by mentioning some skills from the job posting, if outlined, and provide an example of these skills in a professional capacity. Alternatively, provide your top skills, which you believe will highly benefit you in this role, and provide an example of these skills in a professional setting.

"The skills a Territory Sales Manager should possess are having time management skills, relationship building and sales capabilities, which I possess. These skills served me well in my last position at (X company name) where I was employed as a/an (X position title). In this role, I (X confirmation re: how/why your skills benefitted you in this role)."

Answer this question by providing examples of your ability to handle rejection. Mention that you always remaining calm, collected and professional at all times. Lastly, provide an example of a situation reflecting your ability to handle a customer who had no interest in your products/services.

"I am unfazed by rejection and always remain calm and professional as I must ensure to adequately represent the company at all times. I calmly listen to the customer, take his/her objections into consideration which will serve me with future customers, and then do my very best to provide the advantages of my products/services. Should the customer remain uninterested, I would request a follow up with the customer at a later date, in the event he/she would have no reservations against it. An example of a situation with a difficult customer is (X situation) when working as (X position title) for (X company). (.... X details regarding the situation and how you respectfully and successfully handled the situation)."

Tell the interviewer the reasons why becoming a Territory Sales Manager is or was the logical step in your career by emphasizing some of your strengths that will benefit you in this particular role.

"I enjoy sales and business development. I furthermore believe that my relationship building and customer-oriented skills, in addition to my educational qualifications related to this field- and the courses taken in my studies, have contributed to my desire to pursue this career."

Always review the job posting before an interview to familiarize yourself with the personality traits the employer is seeking. Answer this question by mentioning some of the familiarity traits listed by providing an example in a professional setting.

"My former employer would say that I am a very hard worker, that I have excellent communication skills and that I am extremely customer-oriented."

Tell the interviewer about your career goals in ~7 to 10 years from now. Ensure to link your career goals to the company you are applying for to show the interviewer you can be a long-term asset for the company and that you are looking for stability.

"In 7 to 10 years from now, fr instance, I would like to have grown within the same company I started off with, having acquired skills enabling me to establish myself as an expert. I would love to be responsible for more managerial duties and ultimately lead a team of professionals."

Ensure to review the job posting before the interview to familiarize yourself with the educational requirements for this role. Answer this question by mentioning your degrees and certifications that you have, by putting emphasis on those that are relevant to the position you applied for. Should you hold one or several of the preferred educational qualifications listed on the job posting, tell the interviewer you directly meet the educational qualifications, making you a great candidate for this role - and this is an opportunity for the interviewer to see you did your due diligence before the interview. Alternatively, simply tell the interviewer why you believe your education has prepared you for this role.

"I read on your job posting that one of your preferred educational qualifications is a bachelor's degree. As you can see on my resume, I hold a Bachelor's degree in (X) from (X university), granted in (X year). I also have a Sales Certificate, which I am positive will be highly beneficial in this role as I have developed my sales skills as a result of the techniques learned in my studies."

Tthe interviewer wants to ensure you have good management skills and that you are comfortable with managerial duties. Answer this question by providing an example of your management skills in another position as for employers, past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior.

"I pride myself on my excellent management and leadership skills. I truly love managing a team, working toward a common goal, and appreciate brainstorming ideas with others. For instance, in my last role at (X company) as (X position title), I regularly had to lead teams of professionals (X further information pertaining to the projects you managed). I successfully managed teams of (X number of professionals you managed at once)."

Answer this question by providing an example of your ability to overcome challenges and to remain able to perform your duties professionally and successfully. Preferably provide examples in your last position. Alternatively, provide a challenge in any professional or volunteer capacity, or in a university setting.

"I faced major challenges when working as a/an (X position title) for (X company). I was responsible for (X duties) and one day I (X examples of major challenges/problems and how you handled them). I nevertheless remained calm, collected and professional and did not let these challenges affect my performance."

Tell the interviewer what your greatest weakness is, however by ensuring that this weakness can be a strength in this position.

"I am a very hard-worker and find hard to stop working at the end of the day, resulting in numerous long days at the office. To improve in that area, I did my best to do lists every morning by prioritizing the work that needs to be done by the end of the day, and the following tasks that are not as urgent. Doing this significantly improved my time management skills and made me more productive at work."

Answer by emphasizing your greatest strengths against the advertised position. What do you pride yourself on the most? Which strengths will be, in your opinion, most beneficial to this role? Which will contribute to the company's success? Which strengths make you indispensable?

"I am a hard worker who does not hesitate to go above and beyond to ensure successful completion of projects, and I am more than willing to take on duties beyond my original job scope. The company's success is my success. I furthermore meet the educational and professionals requirements for this role."

Answer by providing an example of, e.g., the most successful project you have worked on. Do your best to provide an example related to the position you are applying for, i.e., involving some of the duties you will have to perform in this new role. The best predictor of future performance is past performance in a similar setting.

"One great achievement is a project that I worked on while employed for (X company) as (X position title). The project in question was (X further similar detail regarding the project related to the position you applied for, as per the job posting (such as similar duties)). This is a great achievement of mine as I went above and beyond to ensure the project's success, working tirelessly for several weeks to meet the deadline. It was a very successful project and my employer and client were highly satisfied of the finished product."

Tell the interviewer about your knowledge of the company you applied for. It is imperative to always conduct your due diligence before an interview by reviewing the job description, company website and social media pages to familiarize yourself with the company and work involved. It is also important to show the interviewer you did not apply to the advertised position simply because you are looking for just any job, but that you wish to work for this company specifically.

"I reviewed the job description and website before this interview and know you are a company specializing in (X programs/services you noticed on the company website). I am particularly excited about (X programs/initiatives) that I saw on your (website/social media pages) as I (X reasons you are excited about these programs/initiatives, such as passion or similar initiatives undertaken in school or volunteer capacity)."

Provide an overview of your professional experience while putting emphasis on your sales/business development experience as per the advertised position, proving you indeed have the qualifications required for this position. Review the job description before your interview and answer this question by selecting some of the main duties on the posting and telling the interviewer you have performed these duties in the past, when and how.

"I pursued a Bachelor's degree in (X) at (X university) and upon graduation I worked as an Intern for [X company] where I was responsible for [X sales/business development duties]. Since this internship, I have gained considerable sales and business development experience working for [X company] where I managed [X sales/business development duties] and for [X company] where I was responsible for [X sales/business development duties]. These are some of the reasons I believe I am a perfect fit for your position."

Always ensure to review the job posting before the interview to familiarize yourself with the work schedule. Should an interviewer ask such a question, it is highly likely you will have to work such days. As such, the interviewer will expect you to have applied for the position after carefully reading it, in turn expecting you to be able to work as needed. Should these requirements be mentioned on the job posting and should you answer in the negative, you may be immediately disqualified. Not only would you not meet a crucial requirement for the role, this would also show you did not carefully read the job posting before applying and the interviewer may think you simply applied to get any job - and as such, you are not serious about working for this employer specifically and/or will not commit.

"I carefully reviewed the job posting numerous times before this interview and am aware of the work schedule. I am willing to work over the weekend, in the evenings, overtime, and holidays as required."

Ensure to review the job posting before the interview to familiarize yourself with the duties involved and the skills required from the successful incumbent. Answer by mentioning the steps you take as part of your sales process.

"My sales process is (X steps you take to successfully complete the sales process, including prior to beginning a call and up to (and including) after closing the deal, e.g., market research, creating lists, cold calling, and so on)."

Tell the interviewer about your organizational and time management skills in a work environment by providing an example of your capabilities.

"I believe excellent organizational skills are essential to successfully perform in a work environment. For example, I use a strategic approach by anticipating, and keeping track of, all upcoming calls, meetings, and deadlines. I will use lists to keep track of upcoming duties and a calendar to keep track of upcoming events. I also keep a record of all documentation and update on a regular basis to ensure the most up-to-date information is easily accessible, enabling me to be prepared should unanticipated events occur."