Business Development Manager Interview Preparation Guide

Download PDF

If you have a proven track record in sales, say so and give some examples. Mention how you are a good listener, good at interpreting a person’s motive and intention and that you feel confident in closing deals.

A good sales person needs to be friendly and professional, to be a good listener and an excellent speaker. Above all, they must be confident and extremely knowledgeable about the products they are selling.

Absolutely! Say that you are very much motivated when working in a target-orientated role and enjoy being the first to hit targets.

The most important aspect of a business development manager role is managing your relationships. Business success is much more sustainable with referrals and repeat business. That success starts with your biz dev manager and the way they can implement relationship selling in their role.

Test their most basic selling techniques. Look for focus on differentiation and value.

Every employee plays a part in helping the company to generate revenue. The interviewer may ask this question to learn more about the sales and customer service methods you typically use and also to determine whether you have anything new to offer their organization. Again, reference instances of success from your past, detailing the outcome in specific, measurable terms. Your response may also include some discussion of the role of market research, effective communication and collaboration with the client, the sales team and other departments within the organization.

Depending on your sales team structure, an BDM might support one sales rep in particular, or a number of reps. Ensure your candidate works well with others and takes pride in setting their colleagues up for success.

Since business analysis is an evolving and multifaceted profession, hiring managers want to know that you are aware of the necessary skills for success. You probably have your own list, but make sure to highlight both technical and nontechnical attributes you can bring to the job.

The job description should provide clues as to what types of skills the employer is looking for on both fronts — especially technical requirements. Learning what you can about the company culture prior to the interview can also provide insight on interpersonal abilities that will likely be valued.

The hiring manager is trying to learn how you will work with all team members. A suitable answer here is that flowcharts play an important role in explaining concepts and processes to both technical and nontechnical members.

Many consider this question to be a loaded gun – dangerous in the hands of the inexperienced. Often times, an interviewee will start talking salary before they’ve had an opportunity to illustrate their skill set and value making any sort of leverage valueless. Here, knowledge is power, as salary often comes down to negotiation. Do some research into your industry to establish base rates of pay based on seniority and demand but keep in mind – your employer is hiring you for what they believe you are worth, and how much benefit they feel you will provide.

One relatively safe approach is simply asking the interviewer about the salary range. If you wish to avoid the question entirely, respond by saying that “money isn’t a key factor” and your primary goal is to advance in your career.

There isn't a particular "right answer" for this question. What it's looking for is the candidate's ability to be able to clearly articulate their beliefs and reasoning. Key candidates should be persuasive, but also be able to form a logical argument. If the candidate can convince the interviewer of their point of view, they might just be able to convince a development team to follow suit.

Some development managers expect 60-hour weeks from developers—and some expect them to be in at 8:00 and out at 5:00. A candidate who meshes well with the culture and expectations of the organization is critical. Startups require one set of expectations and government organizations require a different kind of thinking entirely.

The candidate should think about the process of handling defects: defects should be logged and captured into a system, then prioritized, and finally worked. The candidate should talk about the challenges with managing defects, including identifying their severity.

In my experience delegating responsibility and authority is crucial. A team needs to be able to develop and grow as individuals and a whole, not be held back by low expectations or ego.
I believe in building a team. Each member of the team should be clear on their role, know where they fit in and feel as though they can depend on one another. I also believe in real-time feedback. If you do something wrong you should know it immediately. Regardless of right or wrong, the further removed feedback is in time, the less effective it is.

Internal motivators such as autonomy, mastery, and purpose often trump external motivators like money or prestige. If the candidate has a personal reason for wanting to sell your product or service in particular, they'll likely approach their job with more passion and care.

Asking for the respondent to personify the model of a customer will give you their priorities for how they search for clients. It will also reveal the way they want their customers to react to their proposals.

Teamwork is central to most roles today; few people work in isolation. Answer that you like seeing how a group of people with a wide skill set can work together to achieve results not possible by any individual.

For the least enjoyable part of teamwork, try to keep it positive by saying that you sometimes prefer to concentrate on more complex problems in a quiet environment so there are times when the team environment can be a little distracting.

Say that you focus on the positive aspects of the idea and explain why it will eventually benefit everybody. Ideas may be unpopular but their outcomes are often welcomed once people understand better what is being proposed.

To answer this effectively it is best to say that you find that working with others is the most enjoyable and fulfilling way to develop new ideas and implement solutions. Say that working in a team environment allows many different skills to be brought together to produce better results in less time.

Force the applicant to give a low point. We all have lost clients. The important part is if they identify the root cause.

This is the overarching business development manager interview question that truly identifies their company-wide perception. Sales teams forget that each department props up the whole. A great manager will answer with their interpretation of group strategy.

This can be a great way to stand out from other applicants and demonstrate initiative. Almost every company will have a website, Facebook page, Instagram account, or some sort of digital footprint. Spend a bit of time doing some online research:

☛ If they have a website, check out their “About us” or “Culture/Mission/Vision” pages.
☛ Who are some of the principal people who work there? Who are the founders?
☛ What sorts of things does this company care about? Do they donate to a particular cause or charity? Which one(s)?
☛ What are their core values? Which of their core values resonate with you?
☛ Has the company been in the news recently or have they won any awards (Social Media can be a great place to find this information).

That is a really great question. While I haven’t had the opportunity to develop within this particular role per se, I have actually become very involved in my local foodbank this year. This has taught me a great deal about community, teamwork, and taking initiative.
I took it upon myself to enroll in a summer business admin course at the local community college. Through this, I picked up some really great knowledge on communication and teamwork, as well as further develop overall managerial skills. Though it may not be directly applicable to this particular job, I believe the overall experience I gained could be a real asset here.

Prospecting is tough. An SDR might make 10, 20, or 50 calls in a row with no answer. Where will they draw their inspiration to keep dialing? This question will expose the candidate's primary motivators.

This is not contrary to the last question. Maintaining clients matters above all, but you might be in a situation where your company is trying to expand. That is when a business development manager focused on growth is more appropriate.