I've sat on both sides of hundreds of interview processes in building products. Briefed the candidates. Debriefed the hiring managers. Watched great candidates get hired and watched great candidates get lost because the process let them down.
The truth about interviewing salespeople in this sector is that it varies enormously. Some hiring managers are sharp, efficient, and know exactly what they're looking for. Some are time-poor and rushing through it. Some are desperate to fill a vacancy and lower the bar. Some drag the process out so long that the best candidates take other offers.
There are too many variables to say "this is how everyone does it." But there are patterns. And the hiring managers who consistently make good hires tend to do the same things.
Start with a clear pitch on the role
This is the most commonly missed step.
Before you ask the candidate a single question, tell them clearly what the role is. Territory. Products. Customers. Expectations. Team structure. Reporting line. Commission structure. Growth plans.
Don't make assumptions about what they already know. Even if they've read the job ad, even if the recruiter has briefed them, give them your version. In your words. With the detail that matters to you.
This does two things. It gives the candidate the context they need to answer your questions properly. And it shows them you're organised, you know what you want, and you take the process seriously. That matters. Good candidates are evaluating you as much as you're evaluating them.
I see too many interviews where the hiring manager jumps straight into questions without properly setting the scene. The candidate is left guessing about the role specifics and tailoring their answers to what they think you want to hear rather than what's actually relevant.
Prepare specific questions tied to the role
"Tell me about yourself" is not an interview strategy.
If you're hiring a BDM to sell cladding to architects across Melbourne, your questions should be about specification sales, architect relationships, technical product knowledge, and territory management. Not generic sales competency questions you found on the internet.
Think about what you actually need this person to do in the first 12 months. Then ask questions that test whether they can do it.
"You'd be covering architects and specifiers across Melbourne and regional Victoria. Talk me through how you've managed a specification-focused territory before. What worked?"
"Our product range requires some technical understanding of building science. How have you handled selling technically complex products in the past?"
"This territory has some lapsed accounts that need rebuilding. Have you inherited a territory that needed turning around? What did you do?"
These are specific, role-relevant, and hard to bluff. They also give the candidate a chance to demonstrate real experience rather than rehearsed answers.
Know what you're looking for before you walk in
Write it down. Not a vague sense of "someone good." Actual criteria.
What's non-negotiable? Industry experience? Channel experience? Minimum tenure? Specific product knowledge?
What's preferred but flexible? Exact product match? Geographic knowledge? Existing relationships?
What are you willing to trade off? Someone with specification sales experience but from a different product category? Someone with strong project sales skills but no architect relationships?
If you haven't decided this before the interview, you'll end up evaluating candidates based on gut feel and whichever one you happened to click with. That works sometimes. It fails often enough that it's worth doing properly.
I try to consult hiring managers on this before the process begins. What does success look like? What are the real priorities? What should you be asking questions about? The clearer you are upfront, the better every interview will be.
Look at the CV properly and address the questions
Before the interview, actually read the candidate's CV. Not a quick scan. A proper read.
Look at the things that might be red flags and plan to address them directly. Short tenures. Gaps. Sideways moves. Companies you don't recognise.
But address them fairly. Ask the question and listen to the answer. Most of the time, there's a reasonable explanation. The company restructured. The role wasn't as described. The culture was wrong. A family situation. These things happen.
The candidates who get defensive about these questions are usually the ones who've been interrogated about them before. If you ask calmly and give them space to explain, you'll get a much more honest answer.
I'll often try to explain a candidate's situation to the hiring manager beforehand. Their personality, their background, why their experience aligns despite something on the CV that might look unusual. But ultimately, the interview is where you find out for yourself.
Don't drag the process out
This is the single biggest mistake I see hiring managers make in building products. Not in the interview itself, but in the overall process.
Timelines that stretch over weeks. Second interviews that take a fortnight to schedule. Decisions that sit on someone's desk for days. Feedback that doesn't come back.
Every day your process takes longer than it needs to, you risk losing the best candidate. Good salespeople in building products are in demand. If your process takes six weeks and another company moves in three, you'll lose them.
Be realistic about your timeline at the start. Tell the candidate and the recruiter what the process looks like. How many stages. How long between each one. When you'll make a decision. Then stick to it.
If someone isn't right, let them know quickly. There's no benefit in leaving a candidate waiting when you've already decided. For them, they need to keep moving with their job search. For you, it just sits on your to-do list getting less comfortable by the day.
Give prompt, honest feedback
This one is overlooked constantly.
After every interview, provide feedback. To the recruiter if you're using one, or directly to the candidate if you're not. Quickly. Within 24 to 48 hours.
What went well. What concerned you. Whether you want to proceed.
Candidates remember how they were treated during the process. The building products industry in Australia is smaller than people think. The candidate you ghosted today might be the perfect hire for a different role in 12 months. Or they might end up working for a customer. Or a competitor. Word gets around.
Prompt feedback is professional. It's respectful. And it's one of the easiest ways to stand out as an employer in a sector where too many companies let the process drift.
Set clear expectations from the start
One of the most common issues I see is that the role expectations get built towards the end of the process rather than defined at the beginning.
The hiring manager starts interviewing without a fully formed brief. The territory boundaries aren't finalised. The commission structure is still being discussed internally. The reporting line might change depending on a restructure.
By the time an offer is made, the candidate is hearing details for the first time that should have been established before the role went to market.
Get this right at the start. Clear territory. Clear targets. Clear commission structure. Clear expectations for the first 6 and 12 months. Clear reporting line.
If these things aren't locked down, you're not ready to interview. And the best candidates will sense it.
Stick to promises made
If you tell a candidate you'll call them on Friday, call them on Friday. If you say you'll have feedback by end of week, deliver it.
This sounds basic. It's not done often enough.
Candidates are the ones waiting on the call. They're the ones checking their phone. They're the ones who've potentially turned down other opportunities because you told them a decision was coming.
Broken promises in the interview process tell a candidate something about what it would be like to work for you. That might not be the message you want to send.
The interview is a two-way conversation
The best interviews in building products feel less like an interrogation and more like a first meeting. You're getting to know each other. Assessing fit on both sides. Figuring out whether this could work.
Often, you know. The conversation flows. The experience aligns. The personality fits. It's like a first date where both people leave thinking "that went well."
Other times, it's clear within 10 minutes that it's not right. That's fine too. Better to know early than to force something that isn't there.
The hiring managers who interview well are the ones who treat it as a conversation between two professionals, not a test that the candidate has to pass. Sales candidates are people who talk for a living. Give them the context, ask good questions, and let them show you what they can do.
Quick checklist for hiring managers
- Start the interview with a clear pitch on the role. Territory, products, customers, expectations, commission.
- Prepare specific questions tied to what this role actually requires. Not generic sales questions.
- Define your criteria before the interview. What's non-negotiable, what's preferred, what are you willing to flex on?
- Read the CV properly. Plan to address anything that might be a concern, but ask fairly and listen.
- Move quickly. Set a timeline, communicate it, and stick to it.
- Give feedback within 48 hours. Every time. No exceptions.
- Have the role details locked down before you start interviewing. Territory, targets, commission, reporting line.
- Stick to every promise you make during the process. Candidates are watching.