Influencing others is a critical competency for marketing managers, defined as the ability to persuade, negotiate, and build consensus with stakeholders to achieve business objectives through effective communication and relationship building. According to the Harvard Business Review, successful marketing managers must master this skill to navigate cross-functional collaboration and drive initiatives forward in complex organizational environments.

Marketing managers operate at the intersection of multiple teams, departments, and external partners. They must convince executive leadership to approve budgets, persuade creative teams to embrace strategic directions, align with sales on messaging, negotiate with agencies, and influence customers through compelling campaigns. The most effective marketing leaders don't rely solely on positional authority but develop sophisticated influencing approaches that combine strategic communication, emotional intelligence, and relationship-building skills.

When evaluating candidates for marketing manager roles, interviewers should listen for evidence of different influencing tactics—from direct persuasion and data-driven arguments to collaborative consensus-building and emotional appeals. The best candidates demonstrate adaptability in their approach, choosing influencing strategies that fit both the situation and the stakeholders involved. They balance assertiveness with empathy and maintain productive relationships even through challenging negotiations or when facing resistance.

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you needed to influence stakeholders from different departments to support a marketing initiative that faced initial resistance.

Areas to Cover:

• The nature of the marketing initiative and why it faced resistance
• The different stakeholders involved and their concerns
• How the candidate analyzed stakeholder perspectives
• Specific strategies used to influence different stakeholders
• How the candidate built coalitions or found champions
• The outcome of their influencing efforts
• What they learned about cross-functional influence

Follow-Up Questions:

• Which stakeholder proved most challenging to influence and why?
• How did you adapt your approach for different personalities or departments?
• What would you do differently if you faced a similar situation today?
• How did you measure the success of your influencing approach?

Describe a situation where you had to influence decision-makers to approve a significant marketing budget or resource allocation when they were initially skeptical.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific marketing investment or resource being requested
• Why decision-makers were hesitant or skeptical
• How the candidate prepared their case
• The data or evidence they leveraged
• How they communicated ROI or business value
• Their approach to addressing concerns or objections
• The outcome and any compromises made
• Lessons learned about influencing upward

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you prioritize which points to emphasize in your proposal?
• What objections did you anticipate, and how did you prepare for them?
• How did you follow up after initial discussions?
• What would you change about your approach in hindsight?

Share an example of how you influenced a creative team or agency to change direction on a project when their initial concepts weren't aligned with the marketing strategy.

Areas to Cover:

• The context of the project and initial misalignment
• How the candidate assessed the creative work against strategic objectives
• Their approach to providing constructive feedback
• How they balanced respecting creative expertise while ensuring strategic alignment
• Techniques used to bring the team along with their thinking
• How they maintained the relationship during disagreement
• The final outcome of the project

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you prepare for the conversation with the creative team?
• What resistance did you encounter and how did you address it?
• How did you ensure the team felt their expertise was still valued?
• What did this experience teach you about influencing creative professionals?

Tell me about a time when you had to influence colleagues or stakeholders without having formal authority over them.

Areas to Cover:

• The context requiring influence without authority
• The stakeholders involved and their motivations
• How the candidate built credibility and trust
• Specific influence strategies employed
• How they created mutual benefit or aligned goals
• Challenges encountered during the process
• The ultimate outcome and impact
• Insights gained about influencing laterally

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify the best approach for influencing these particular stakeholders?
• What did you learn about your own influencing style through this experience?
• How did you maintain momentum when you faced obstacles?
• What would you do differently in a similar situation in the future?

Describe a situation where you had to influence an executive team to embrace a new marketing approach or technology that represented a significant change.

Areas to Cover:

• The new approach or technology being proposed
• Why it represented a significant change for the organization
• The executive stakeholders involved and their concerns
• How the candidate built a compelling case for change
• Strategies used to address risk aversion or resistance
• How they demonstrated the value or competitive advantage
• The outcome of their influencing efforts
• How they supported implementation after approval

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you tailor your communication to resonate with executive priorities?
• What were the main objections you faced and how did you address them?
• How did you demonstrate credibility on this topic?
• What would you do differently if you were making this case again?

Share an experience where you had to influence multiple stakeholders with competing priorities to align on a marketing initiative or campaign.

Areas to Cover:

• The nature of the initiative and the competing priorities
• The various stakeholders and their different objectives
• How the candidate mapped stakeholder interests and concerns
• Their strategy for finding common ground or compromise
• Techniques used to facilitate consensus
• How they handled conflicts or disagreements
• The ultimate resolution and outcomes
• What they learned about balancing diverse interests

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you prioritize which stakeholder needs were most critical?
• What techniques did you use to help stakeholders see beyond their immediate interests?
• How did you maintain relationships with stakeholders whose priorities couldn't be fully accommodated?
• What would you do differently to build consensus more effectively?

Tell me about a time when data or market insights were critical to your ability to influence a key decision related to marketing strategy.

Areas to Cover:

• The decision context and stakeholders involved
• The type of data or insights leveraged
• How the candidate gathered or analyzed the information
• How they translated complex data into compelling arguments
• Their approach to presenting the data effectively
• How they addressed questions or alternative interpretations
• The outcome and impact of the data-driven influence
• Lessons learned about using data to persuade

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you determine which data points would be most persuasive?
• What challenges did you face in making the data meaningful to non-technical stakeholders?
• How did you handle counterarguments based on different data?
• How has this experience shaped how you use data in influencing situations?

Describe a situation where you had to influence a resistant client or customer to adopt your marketing recommendations.

Areas to Cover:

• The client relationship context and recommendations made
• The nature of their resistance or concerns
• How the candidate built trust and credibility
• Strategies used to understand the client's perspective
• Their approach to addressing objections
• How they demonstrated value or ROI
• The outcome of their influencing efforts
• What they learned about client influence

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you prepare for potential objections from this client?
• What signals told you the client was resistant, and how did you respond to those?
• How did you adapt your communication style to better connect with this client?
• What would you do differently in hindsight?

Share an example of how you influenced your organization to change course on a marketing initiative when you realized the current direction wasn't optimal.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and why the current direction needed changing
• How the candidate recognized the need for change
• The potential risks or costs of maintaining course
• How they built their case for changing direction
• Strategies used to overcome organizational momentum
• How they managed relationships during this challenging process
• The outcome and any course corrections made
• What they learned about influencing organizational change

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you time your intervention for maximum effectiveness?
• What resistance did you face and how did you address it?
• How did you help others save face when changing direction?
• What would you do differently if facing a similar situation?

Tell me about a time when you had to influence through digital channels rather than in-person interactions.

Areas to Cover:

• The context requiring digital influence
• The stakeholders involved and communication channels used
• How the candidate adapted their influencing style for digital context
• Specific techniques they employed to be persuasive virtually
• Challenges they faced in the digital environment
• How they ensured their message was understood correctly
• The outcome of their digital influencing efforts
• What they learned about effective virtual influence

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you compensate for the lack of nonverbal cues in digital communication?
• What digital tools or approaches did you find most effective?
• How did you build or maintain relationships in the virtual environment?
• What would you do differently to improve your digital influencing effectiveness?

Describe a situation where you had to influence a decision-maker to prioritize long-term marketing strategy over short-term results.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and competing short vs. long-term considerations
• The decision-maker's perspective and priorities
• How the candidate built their case for long-term thinking
• Data or evidence they used to support their argument
• How they addressed concerns about short-term impact
• Their approach to finding balance between immediate needs and future goals
• The outcome of their influencing efforts
• What they learned about influencing strategic thinking

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you frame the long-term benefits in a way that resonated with the decision-maker?
• What objections did you encounter and how did you address them?
• How did you demonstrate understanding of short-term pressures while advocating for long-term thinking?
• What compromise solutions did you consider or implement?

Share an example of how you influenced partners or vendors to go above and beyond their contractual obligations to support a marketing objective.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and marketing objective
• The nature of the partner/vendor relationship
• What was needed beyond the standard arrangement
• How the candidate approached the conversation
• Strategies used to create mutual benefit
• How they built goodwill and partnership
• The outcome and impact on the marketing objective
• What they learned about influencing external partners

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify what would motivate this partner to go the extra mile?
• What resistance did you encounter and how did you overcome it?
• How did you ensure the partner felt valued rather than exploited?
• How has this experience influenced your approach to vendor relationships?

Tell me about a time when you had to influence your team to embrace a significant change in marketing strategy or approach.

Areas to Cover:

• The nature of the change and why it was necessary
• How the change impacted team members
• The candidate's approach to introducing the change
• How they created buy-in and addressed concerns
• Specific influence strategies they employed
• How they supported the team through the transition
• The outcome and team response
• What they learned about leading change

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you anticipate and address resistance from the team?
• What specific concerns did team members raise and how did you address them?
• How did you balance driving the change forward with being responsive to team feedback?
• What would you do differently to create greater buy-in?

Describe a situation where you had to influence stakeholders to support a marketing initiative despite limited resources or a tight timeline.

Areas to Cover:

• The initiative and resource/timeline constraints
• The stakeholders who needed to be influenced
• How the candidate established priorities
• Their approach to managing expectations
• Strategies used to gain support and resources
• How they created urgency without causing anxiety
• The outcome of their influencing efforts
• Lessons learned about influence under constraints

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you determine which aspects of the initiative were non-negotiable?
• What trade-offs did you propose to stakeholders?
• How did you maintain relationships while pushing for more resources or time?
• What creative solutions emerged from the constraints?

Share an example of how you used storytelling or narrative to influence a key marketing decision or direction.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and decision that needed influence
• Why storytelling was an appropriate approach
• How the candidate constructed their narrative
• Elements they included to make the story compelling
• How they balanced emotional appeal with data or logic
• The stakeholders' response to the storytelling approach
• The outcome and impact on the decision
• What they learned about narrative as an influence tool

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you tailor your story to resonate with this specific audience?
• What elements of your story proved most persuasive and why?
• How did you prepare to deliver the narrative effectively?
• How has this experience shaped your use of storytelling in professional contexts?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are behavioral questions more effective than hypothetical questions when assessing influencing skills?

Behavioral questions reveal how candidates have actually handled influence situations in the past, which is a more reliable predictor of future performance than hypothetical scenarios. When candidates describe real experiences, they provide specific details about their thought processes, strategies, and outcomes that help interviewers assess their practical influencing capabilities rather than their theoretical knowledge.

How many influence-related questions should I include in an interview?

Rather than trying to cover all 15 questions, select 3-4 that are most relevant to your specific marketing role and organization. Focus on depth over breadth by using thorough follow-up questions to fully explore each scenario. This approach provides richer insights into a candidate's influencing capabilities than rushing through more questions with less depth.

What's the difference between assessing influence skills for junior versus senior marketing roles?

For junior roles, focus on questions about peer influence, small-scale stakeholder management, and contributing to team decisions. For senior roles, prioritize questions about influencing executives, managing complex stakeholder environments, driving organizational change, and influencing without authority across departments. Senior candidates should demonstrate more sophisticated, strategic approaches to influence.

How can I tell if a candidate is exaggerating their influence in past situations?

Listen for specificity in their responses—candidates who truly led influence efforts can describe detailed strategies, obstacles they overcame, and specific outcomes. Ask probing follow-up questions about exactly what they said, how others responded, and what they would do differently. Authentic experiences typically include some setbacks or lessons learned rather than perfect outcomes.

Should I be concerned if a candidate describes an influence situation where they weren't successful?

Not necessarily. How candidates handle failure often reveals more about their influencing maturity than stories of easy success. Listen for self-awareness, learning, and adaptation in their response. The best influencers recognize that not all attempts succeed and can articulate what they learned and how they've applied those insights to improve their approach.

Interested in a full interview guide with Influencing Others for Marketing Manager Roles as a key trait? Sign up for Yardstick and build it for free.