Regional Sales Executive Interview Question:

Explain me with an example of a time you have had to address a sales rep that is consistently failing to meet their quota. How did you handle this situation and what was the outcome?

Submitted by: Muhammad

Questions like this (i.e. ones that require a candidate to provide a real world example of how they dealt with a challenging situation) are some of the most powerful questions you can ask in a hiring interview. Rather than asking them a leading question that "coaches" them into saying what they think you want to hear, these questions require a concrete answer.

Ultimately, you want to learn how the candidate deals with a team or a rep that isn't meeting company standards. A great answer to this question will be one that demonstrates how the candidate indentified the specific reason the rep was failing to meet their quota, how s/he addressed that issue, and whether or not it was ultimately rectified. A good follow-up to this question is, "Have you ever terminated a sales rep for any reason? Under what circumstances?"
Submitted by: Muhammad