18 Interview Questions to Ask a Fractional Sales Enablement Manager

You determined which marketer you need, posted a job description, and found a few potential candidates. The next step is an interview; navigating this crucial step requires a solid understanding of the role to ask the right questions.

What is a Fractional Sales Enablement Manager?

A Fractional Sales Enablement Manager is a part-time professional who helps a sales team improve performance by providing training, tools, and strategies. When interviewing them, it's crucial to ask insightful questions to ensure they have the skills and experience to effectively boost your team's success.

General Interview Questions

1. What industries do you specialize in?

What You'll Learn: From the first question, you'll gauge the candidate's experience in specific sectors and their understanding of various market dynamics. It reveals if their expertise aligns with your industry.

2. How do you bill for your services?

What You'll Learn: The second query uncovers their pricing structure, which indicates how the candidate values their services and if it fits your budget. It also shows their flexibility and transparency in business dealings.

3. What questions do you have about our company?

What You'll Learn: The third question assesses the candidate's interest and research done on your company. It reflects their curiosity, engagement level, and preparedness for the role.

Technical Skill-Based Interview Questions

4. Can you describe your experience in developing and implementing a sales enablement strategy for a company with a similar size or industry to ours?

What You'll Learn: This response reveals the candidate's background in crafting sales enablement strategies and their ability to adapt those strategies to different business scales and sectors. It also shows their understanding of your company’s specific needs.

5. How would you measure the success of a sales enablement program, and which metrics would you focus on?

What You'll Learn: From the candidate's answer, you can gauge their knowledge of key performance indicators and their approach to quantifying the effectiveness of sales enablement initiatives, which is crucial for ROI assessment.

6. What tools and technologies are you proficient with when it comes to sales enablement, and how have you utilized them in past roles?

What You'll Learn: The response will highlight the candidate's familiarity with current sales enablement tools and their practical application, showcasing their technical skills and ability to leverage these tools in real-world scenarios.

7. Could you walk us through how you create and maintain a content management strategy that supports a sales team effectively?

What You'll Learn: This showcases the candidate’s ability to organize and distribute sales resources, reflecting their strategic planning skills and understanding of how to support sales teams with the right content at the right time.

8. What techniques do you employ to train sales teams on complex products or services, and how do you assess their understanding and readiness to sell?

What You'll Learn: The answer provides insight into the candidate's training methodologies for complex offerings and their approach to evaluating sales team proficiency, which is essential for ensuring effective sales conversations.

Scenario and Experience-Based Interview Questions

9. Describe a time when you had to adjust your sales enablement approach due to changes in the market or company strategy, and how did you ensure the sales team remained effective?

What You'll Learn: By asking the candidate to recount a time they adjusted their sales enablement strategy, you gauge their adaptability and strategic thinking. You can assess their ability to analyze market trends, align with new company directions, and communicate changes to keep the sales team effective.

10. Can you tell us about an experience where you had to onboard and train a sales team remotely, and what challenges did you face in ensuring their effectiveness?

What You'll Learn: When a candidate describes their experience with remote onboarding and training, it reveals their competence in virtual communication and training tools. It also shows their problem-solving skills in overcoming the unique challenges of remote team management and maintaining team performance.

11. Share an instance where you identified a gap in sales team performance and the steps you took to address it, including the outcomes of your interventions?

What You'll Learn: Discussing how they identified and addressed a performance gap provides insights into the candidate's diagnostic abilities. You learn about their initiative in problem identification, their approach to creating solutions, and their capacity to track and measure the success of their interventions.

12. Tell us about a situation where you had to collaborate with multiple stakeholders to roll out a sales enablement initiative. How did you manage differing opinions and ensure buy-in?

What You'll Learn: Understanding how the candidate handles collaboration with various stakeholders gives you a sense of their interpersonal skills, diplomacy, and ability to secure support for initiatives. It also shows their leadership in balancing different viewpoints and achieving a unified direction.

13. How have you tailored your sales enablement strategy for a company that had a mix of veteran salespeople and new hires, and what were the results?

What You'll Learn: The candidate's approach to tailoring strategies for diverse sales teams highlights their ability to customize training and support. It indicates their understanding of individual learning needs and their effectiveness in enhancing the performance of both seasoned and new sales personnel.

14. Discuss a time when you had to implement a sales enablement program on a tight budget. How did you prioritize your actions and what was the impact?

What You'll Learn: Discussing the implementation of sales enablement programs within budgetary constraints demonstrates the candidate's resourcefulness and prioritization skills. You can discern their ability to make impactful decisions that maximize resources and their strategic approach to achieving goals with limited funds.

15. Can you provide an example of how you have used data analytics to inform and shape your sales enablement strategies, and what improvements were observed as a result?

What You'll Learn: An example of using data analytics underscores the candidate's analytical skills and their understanding of data-driven decision-making. It reveals their proficiency in leveraging insights to refine sales enablement strategies and the tangible improvements that resulted from their data-informed actions.

16. Can you give an example of a time when you had to adapt your communication style to effectively convey a sales enablement concept to a diverse group of stakeholders?

What You'll Learn: This response helps you understand the candidate's flexibility in communication, revealing their ability to tailor messages for various groups to ensure understanding and buy-in for sales enablement strategies.

17. Reflect on a specific moment when you faced resistance from a sales team regarding a new process or tool you introduced; how did you handle it and what was the outcome?

What You'll Learn: The answer will demonstrate the candidate's problem-solving and conflict resolution skills, highlighting their approach to overcoming objections and their capacity to drive adoption among sales teams.

18. Tell us about a time when you had to balance multiple sales enablement projects with different timelines; how did you prioritize your workload and ensure successful implementation?

What You'll Learn: From this, you gain insight into the candidate's organizational and time management abilities, showcasing how they handle competing priorities and their effectiveness in managing multiple sales enablement initiatives concurrently.

Explore further with our tailored interview questions for Fractional Sales Assistant, Fractional CRO, and Fractional VP of Sales to ensure you're equipped to select the best professionals across the board.

In choosing your next fractional sales enablement manager, let these questions guide you to find a candidate who is not just skilled, but also a perfect fit for your team's ethos.

Happy hiring!