How to Interview and Role Play Appointment Setter Candidates

Resumes lie. Videos can be rehearsed. But a live role play — where you throw real objections at a candidate and watch how they respond in real time — tells you almost everything you need to know about whether this person can actually do the job.

The interview portion has one purpose: determine if this candidate can sell. Not whether they're articulate in a casual conversation. Not whether they have an impressive story about their last job. Can they open a call, build rapport, handle resistance, and close for an appointment while someone is actively pushing back on them?

Interview at Least 20 Candidates

This is the hardest advice to follow and the most important. When you're eager to hire, the temptation is to grab the first person who seems good enough.

Resist this. Interview at least 15-20 candidates, especially if you're hiring in a market you haven't recruited from before. The first three interviews establish your baseline. Interviews four through ten calibrate your expectations. By interview fifteen, you know exactly what "good" looks like in this market.

Interviewing broadly also serves as market research. Candidates share details about the companies they've worked for, compensation structures, tools they've used, and scripts that worked.

Setting Up the Interview

Send the candidate a preparation email covering: what the position involves, what the interview structure looks like, and what they need to prepare.

Be explicit about what's coming. Tell them you'll start with brief conversation, then move into specific questions, then conduct a mock sales call where they pitch you on a product they've sold before.

Giving them advance notice isn't a disadvantage — it's the point. You want them at their best. If their best isn't good enough, that's a clear signal. Ask them to prepare for three specific objections.

Keep the total interview to 15-20 minutes. You'll know within the first role play exchange whether this person has the skills.

The Interview Questions

Start with rapport-building — two or three minutes, maximum. Then move into structured questions:

"Walk me through your sales experience." Listen for specifics: what they sold, to whom, through what channel, and what their results were. Vague answers are a yellow flag. Strong candidates speak in numbers: appointments per day, close rates, team rankings.

"Describe your biggest sales success." This reveals what they consider exceptional and whether their definition of success aligns with yours.

"Tell me about a time a deal or situation went badly. What happened and what did you learn?" Self-awareness matters. Candidates who claim they've never failed are either inexperienced or dishonest.

"Why are you the best fit for this role?" This is a close. They should be selling you. Evaluate it the same way you'd evaluate them closing a prospect.

The Role Play

This is the most important five minutes of the entire hiring process.

Have the candidate pitch you on a product or service they've already sold successfully. Not your product — theirs. You want to see them at their peak ability, not fumbling through an unfamiliar pitch.

Play the role of a skeptical but not hostile prospect. When they try to close, push back with real objections: "Just send me some information." "I'm not really interested." "That sounds expensive." "I don't have time for this." "We're already working with someone."

What You're Scoring

Opening and rapport. Did they open professionally? Did they build business-relevant rapport — not small talk, but something connecting to the prospect's situation?

Qualification. Are they asking questions that determine fit, or just bulldozing through a pitch?

Value articulation. Can they explain why their product matters to you specifically — not just features in general, but benefits connecting to something you've told them?

Objection handling. When you push back, what happens? Do they get flustered? Argue? Fold? Or acknowledge the concern, respond relevantly, and redirect toward the close?

The close. Do they actually ask for the appointment? It's remarkable how many candidates run a solid conversation and then never ask for the commitment.

Recovery and composure. Push back hard. See if they can recover without losing energy or getting defensive.

Reading the Non-Verbals

Even on a video call, body language tells you a lot. Is the candidate engaged — leaning in, making eye contact, nodding? Or checked out — looking off-screen, flat expression, monotone voice?

Vocal tonality is particularly important for phone-based roles. A candidate who speaks in monotone during a role play will speak in monotone on every call. Enthusiasm and vocal variation aren't trainable in the short term — what you hear is what you'll get.

What a Great Candidate Looks Like

The best candidate will make the role play feel like a real call. Not a performance, not a recitation — an actual conversation where they're genuinely trying to understand your situation and move you toward a next step.

They'll handle your first objection smoothly and circle back to the close. They'll handle your second objection from a different angle. They'll keep their energy consistent regardless of resistance. And when the role play ends, you'll have the clear thought: "I would have booked that appointment."

That's the standard. Anyone who doesn't meet it isn't an A-player.

After the Interview

If you like the candidate, move quickly. Good candidates get hired fast — if you wait a week to make an offer, someone else will grab them. Send the offer within 24-48 hours and have onboarding infrastructure ready.

If the candidate is good but not great, move them to "Future Consideration" in your pipeline.

If the candidate isn't a fit, reject them promptly and professionally. Your reputation in these hiring markets matters. Candidates talk to each other. Being known as a company that communicates clearly and treats applicants with respect makes future recruiting easier.

Want the complete interview framework with scoring rubrics and objection scripts? Download the Interview & Role Play Guide →