Tell me about a time when you had to influence senior stakeholders to support a sales enablement initiative
Theme: Stakeholder Management Role: Sales Enablement Manager Function: Sales
Interview Question for Sales Enablement Manager: See sample answers, motivations & red flags for this common interview question. About Sales Enablement Manager: Develops and implements strategies to enable sales teams and improve their performance. This role falls within the Sales function of a firm. See other interview questions & further information for this role here
Sample Answer
Example response for question delving into Stakeholder Management with the key points that need to be covered in an effective response. Customize this to your own experience with concrete examples and evidence
- Context: Provide a brief overview of the sales enablement initiative and the senior stakeholders involved
- Challenge: Explain the specific challenge or resistance faced in gaining support from senior stakeholders
- Strategy: Describe the approach taken to influence and gain support from senior stakeholders
- Actions: Outline the specific actions taken to engage and persuade senior stakeholders
- Results: Highlight the outcomes achieved as a result of influencing senior stakeholders
- Learning: Share any key learnings or insights gained from the experience
Underlying Motivations
What the Interviewer is trying to find out about you and your experiences through this question
- Leadership skills: Assessing your ability to influence and persuade senior stakeholders
- Sales enablement experience: Evaluating your past experience in implementing sales enablement initiatives
- Communication skills: Understanding how effectively you can communicate and articulate the benefits of the initiative
- Problem-solving skills: Determining your ability to identify and address challenges in gaining support for the initiative
- Collaboration skills: Assessing your capability to work with senior stakeholders and build relationships
Potential Minefields
How to avoid some common minefields when answering this question in order to not raise any red flags
- Lack of specific example: Not providing a specific example of a time when you had to influence senior stakeholders to support a sales enablement initiative
- Lack of clarity on the initiative: Not clearly explaining the sales enablement initiative you were working on and its objectives
- Inability to demonstrate influence: Failing to showcase how you effectively influenced senior stakeholders to support the initiative
- Lack of senior stakeholder involvement: Not highlighting the involvement of senior stakeholders in the initiative
- Negative outcome: Sharing a story where you were unable to gain support from senior stakeholders or the initiative did not achieve the desired results