In many markets I have worked in, the first-line manager interview is the rep interview with a few extra questions.
Product knowledge. A sales role play. "Tell me about your biggest win."
The candidate who sells best in the room gets the job. Then the team waits for them to learn a different job on the go.
A manager's job is other people's results. So the bar has to change.
What you test: not how they sell, but how they develop and lead other people.
The evidence: not their ranking, but the people they have coached and what changed for them.
The exercise: instead of playing the rep, the candidate watches two reps practise a call and then debriefs one of them. Watching someone coach tells you more than any answer about coaching.
The hard question: not "How do you handle a difficult doctor?" but "Tell me about a hard conversation you led."
And the process stays the same for every candidate, run with HR, so the choice is fair and the reasons are clear.
Strong sellers can become strong managers. Many do. But selling well in the interview does not tell you that.
“Hire a manager for how the team will perform, not how they performed.”
Lesson 8 of 17 in Step 5: Building the organisation, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.