Head of sales · interview questions

Head of sales interview questions

The short answer · updated 3 October 2026

A good head of sales interview tests how the candidate sets and hits a number, builds the pipeline and forecasts it, hires, coaches and pays a sales team, closes or supports the largest deals, and sells within the rules. Ask every candidate the same core questions, press for specific deals and numbers, and check what they claim with references.

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Questions about the number and the sales plan

A head of sales owns the team’s number, so start with how they set it and how they hit it. Write the questions from the revenue problem the role must solve and the market you sell into.

Acas advises preparing a set of questions, asking each applicant the same ones where possible, and interviewing with more than one person. In sales that matters more than usual: confident candidates interview well, and a fixed set of questions makes the evidence comparable.

“Tell us about the last annual number you owned. How was it set, and how close did you get?” The figure, how it was built, what went right and wrong, and no blame placed only on the market.
“What would you need to know about our customers before you committed to a target?” Diagnosis first: win rates, deal sizes, sales cycle, churn and where the current pipeline comes from.
“How do you split targets and territories across a team?” A method grounded in account potential and capacity, and a way to handle disputes.
“Which deals would you stop chasing?” Qualification discipline, and the confidence to drop poor-fit prospects.
“Tell us about a quarter you missed. What did you see first, and what did you do?” Early warning, an honest call to their manager, and a recovery plan.

Questions about pipeline and forecasting

A head of sales who cannot forecast leaves the business guessing. These questions test the mechanics. Ask for their last real forecast, not a general method.

“Walk us through your last forecast call. What evidence did you need before a deal moved stage?” Defined stages, exit criteria the buyer has met, and an audit of slipped deals.
“How accurate were your forecasts last year, and how do you know?” A record of forecast against actual, and changes made when it drifted.
“How much pipeline do you need to hit a quarter here, and how did you work that out?” Coverage built from their own conversion rates, not a rule of thumb.
“Which CRM reports do you look at every week, and which do you ignore?” Practical use of the data, and the discipline to keep the CRM honest.
“How do you work with marketing on lead quality?” Agreed definitions of a qualified lead, shared reporting, and feedback both ways.

Questions about hiring, coaching and paying the team

The Institute of Sales Professionals’ Sales Capability Framework sets out the knowledge, skills and behaviours each sales role needs. Use it to test whether the candidate can say what good looks like at each level of their team.

Pay design shapes behaviour. Acas notes that an entitlement to commission should be in the written statement of employment particulars, and that changing a contractual commission scheme means changing the contract. A head of sales should know how their plans are written, not only what they pay.

“Who was the best salesperson you hired, and what did you see at interview that others missed?” A selection method they can describe and repeat.
“Tell us about a hire who did not work out. When did you know, and what did you do?” Speed, fairness, support first, and a lesson applied to the next hire.
“How do you coach an experienced salesperson whose numbers have dropped?” Time in deals and calls, specific feedback, and a plan with dates.
“Describe a commission plan you designed or changed. What behaviour did it drive?” Clear rules, alignment with margin and retention, and a change made through the proper process.
“How do you handle a top performer who ignores the process?” Standards held even when the number is good.
“What would your last team say you should do differently?” Self-awareness and a real answer.

Questions about selling well and within the rules

The ISP’s code of conduct asks sales professionals to behave with integrity, sell suitable solutions and act lawfully. Outbound selling also carries data rules: the ICO explains that the UK GDPR applies to the personal data of business contacts, that electronic marketing falls under PECR, and that business contacts can object.

“Tell us about a deal you walked away from. Why?” A customer who was not a fit, terms that were not acceptable, or a request they would not meet.
“How do you make sure your team’s outbound campaigns comply with the rules on calls and email?” A working knowledge of PECR and the UK GDPR, and checks before a campaign goes out.
“What would you do if a salesperson promised a customer something the product could not deliver?” Fix it with the customer, correct the salesperson, and change what drove it.
“How do you sell into a large account with a long buying process?” Mapping the buying group, a mutual plan, and patience backed by evidence of progress.
“Tell us about the largest deal you closed personally. What was your role?” Their own part in it, not the team’s, and what they learned.

Questions for a fractional or interim head of sales

A fractional head of sales works a set number of days a week or month, often to build a sales function or reset one; an interim head of sales works full-time for a fixed period. The interview should test how they will use limited time and how they will leave.

A head of sales working through their own company may fall within the off-payroll working rules (IR35). Status depends on how the engagement runs in practice, not on the contract’s label, and a medium or large client makes the determination. Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.

“How many days would this role need, and what would you do with them?” They size the job from the brief rather than accepting the number offered.
“What would you deliver in the first 90 days?” Specific outcomes: a sales process written down, a forecast the business uses, a first hire made, a commission plan fixed.
“What would you own, and what stays with the founder or the sales team?” A clear split, so the selling continues on the days they are not in.
“How would you hand over to a permanent head of sales?” Documented process, a hiring profile, and nothing left only in their head.
“How would the engagement run day to day, and how do you expect IR35 status to be assessed?” A realistic account of the working arrangements, without a promised outcome.

Questions a candidate should ask

Acas advises ending each interview by asking the applicant if they have any questions. A head of sales candidate should use that time to test whether the number is achievable. Candidates comparing roles at the next level up can see sales director jobs, and the sales director role itself.

“How was this year’s target set, and how did the team do against last year’s?”
“Who does the head of sales report to, and who owns marketing and customer success?”
“What does the pipeline look like today, and where does it come from?”
“How is the team paid, and can I change the commission plan?”
“Why is the role open, and what happened to the last person in it?”
“For a fractional or interim role: how many days, which outcomes, and how will IR35 status be decided?”

How we assess candidates

We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent executives, and non-executive directors. For a head of sales brief we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after our five-stage vetting. To start a search, see how to hire a head of sales; to see the roles open now, visit head of sales jobs.

Whoever runs the process, keep it structured. The CIPD notes that clear, objective, structured and transparent processes are fairer for candidates. Score each answer against the brief, and check target and quota claims with referees who managed the candidate.

Questions people ask

What questions should you ask a head of sales in an interview?

Ask how they set and hit a number, how they build and forecast the pipeline, how they hire, coach and pay a team, how they handle the largest deals, and how they sell within the rules. Ask every candidate the same core questions and press for specific deals and numbers.

What questions should you not ask in a head of sales interview?

Nothing about a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, such as age, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, religion or sexual orientation, and nothing about children or plans to have them. Health and disability questions are allowed only where an exception applies, such as reasonable adjustments. See Acas on discrimination law in recruitment and GOV.UK on questions you cannot ask.

Who should interview a head of sales?

The person the role reports to, usually the founder, chief executive, sales director or chief revenue officer, with a second interviewer from finance or marketing. Acas advises that more than one person interviews, to reduce the risk of discrimination. See Acas on interviewing.

Should a head of sales interview include a task?

A short, relevant exercise helps: a forecast review of an anonymised pipeline, a plan for the first 90 days, or a role-played coaching conversation. Tell candidates in advance what it involves, and score every candidate against the same criteria.

Are head of sales and sales director interview questions different?

They overlap. A head of sales interview tests running the team and the pipeline closely. A sales director interview leans further towards sales strategy, the wider revenue plan and the board. See what a head of sales does.

How do I hire a head of sales?

Define the revenue problem, choose between permanent, interim, part-time and fractional, write the brief around that problem, interview every candidate against it, and check references. We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out. See how to hire a head of sales.