EspressoMaxi

Director of BD

Valued Contributor

Being asked to provide some "homework" during the interview process

Hello Bravado Soldiers,

As per my most recent post, I am in fact, interviewing...

Currently in talks with a media company that purchased a small software product. This product currently generates $1M ARR and they want to scale it once they combine it with their brand and GTM with the software APIs.

TLDR here:

I truly admire the founders and was referred to them by a friend. The first round was with the COO and that went very well - just a screening interview imo.

The second round was with one of the founders - also feel it went well. It was supposed to be 30 mins but we got into it for an hour and 15...They need a BD who will help formulate the GTM strategy, so there is a lot of building and iterating to be had. It sounds like a huge opportunity to build something great alongside leadership. Small team, the media company is profitable, no VCs, and with the new purchase, the burn rate on the software side is low to nil.

At the end of the call he asked if I could do a small assignment:

We have this product that solves a problem, assuming its ready....

Here are 2 Companies we would like to approach
How would I prospect, and how would I pitch?

He said "Don't go crazy, I just want to get a sense for how you think about these things." Although I spent a lot of time talking about how some of my previous sales roles were set up; quotas, expectations, approaches, etc...

Since things are so early it seems as though they do not have the full strategy flushed out just yet, but I am cautious about how to approach this task knowing this...Curious about your thoughts on these types of tasks and how you would handle this.

Cheers!

👑 Sales Strategy

☁️ Software Tech

11

23 comments

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antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

5

Bravado's Resident Asshole

Sorry they are making you do this. You will find that the majority of people in here are against doing "free work"

If it's just something surface level, well then just do some light work on it, but be thoughtful. I hope you get the job.

coletrain

Politicker

3

Account Executive

For me, it depends on the situation. Here it could be fine however I do understand there are startups that will use this type of interview to gather strategy ideas.

I feel it's best handled when the target prospect is a pretend company or a more generalized, high-level approach.

EspressoMaxi

Valued Contributor

2

Director of BD

Yes my one concern is they are using me…haha. I actually had this happen to me last year. They took 3 rounds, asked for this type of assignment and then ghosted. When I reached back out they said that my input was really helpful but they are removing the role and would reach out if they open it back up.

coletrain

Politicker

2

Account Executive

Yup, that's definitely a "you got used" case.

Sorry that happened

TennisandSales

Politicker

3

Head Of Sales

i would bring this up in your current situation. let them know you have been burned in the past and need to be cautious. if they are the real deal they will understand this.

EspressoMaxi

Valued Contributor

1

Director of BD

Curious how you have handled this in the past.

ChumpChange

Politicker

5

Channel Manager

I've chimed in on this topic before and I'll do it again. My company has an exercise as part of the final interview for senior-level roles. It's a very simplified pitch/value prop to display your skillset in real-time. What we're mainly looking for are competency, delivery, and synergies. Do they understand our product, the value prop, and our addressable market? Do they understand our competitors and what separates us from them? Have they thought of something that hasn't been expressed or explored? Are they shitty presenters but have incredible business intellect? Are they fantastic presenters with a rudimentary understanding of our industry/product? Are they better suited to be an IC versus a person that can lead a team? Are they a good fit for the role and its responsibilities? My takeaway is for you to embrace the opportunity and use this as a stepping stone to progress your career. Good luck!

EspressoMaxi

Valued Contributor

1

Director of BD

yes, valid point. under the circumstance that product, GMT, and synergies are clear, it would seem fair.

My point here is we had an open discussion about how we have to build this (part of my role when hired) so it just seems that this assignment might have too many unknowns to answer it the way I would like.

That being said, I will deliver a framework to show how I think when it comes to outreach and the type of messaging I am capable of delivering.

TennisandSales

Politicker

3

Head Of Sales

so sounds like you have the answers to alot of the really important questions. which many ppl dont so good for you!

i would let them know that you can provide a framework for how you would approach this but leave out specific details.

I would be honest and say that although you are very excited about the opportunity, i would not want to give away all my secrets before being hired.

but i think it could be be possible to give a framework for how you would do it.

honesty and being upfront will be key here for sure.

EspressoMaxi

Valued Contributor

1

Director of BD

thanks for this!

I will provide a general framework of how I would approach prospecting > outreach > 1st messaging in an outreach...

but I don't think I have enough info about the GMT strategy, nor is it appropriate to write that whole pitch up.

For example: right now, users subscribe to a free tier and paid tier of the software tool. We want to pitch onboarding it as a widget to huge players in the space...(selling the APIs) But its not clear how we charge them, or what the deal proposal could look like.

I cant speculate or make that for them for free...It would take collaborating with the CTO, and Founders to shape what it COULD look like.

Make sense?

Sunbunny31

Politicker

2

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

If this truly is an exercise for them to learn about your approach and how you would go about engaging with these customers, I think this makes perfect sense - and doesn't give away too much.

Pachacuti

Politicker

3

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

Can't help you on #1, but here's what ChatGBT has to say about #2:

1-Identify your target market: Who will be most interested in your product and who will benefit most from it? Consider factors such as industry, company size, and geographic location.

2-Research potential customers: Use online resources and databases to find potential customers and learn more about their needs and challenges. You can also use social media, networking events, and other online communities to connect with potential customers.

3-Create a list of potential customers: Use the information you have gathered to create a list of potential customers who may be interested in your product.

4-Reach out to potential customers: Contact potential customers through email, phone, or in-person meetings to introduce your product and explain how it can solve their problems or meet their needs.

5-Make a pitch: Present your product in a clear and concise manner, highlighting its features, benefits, and pricing. Be prepared to answer any questions or concerns they may have.

6- Follow up: After making your pitch, follow up with potential customers to see if they are interested in learning more or taking the next steps. Be sure to keep track of your progress and make adjustments to your approach as needed.

------

Basically - what's your script when you reach out to a prospect? That's what he wants to know.

Good luck!

EspressoMaxi

Valued Contributor

1

Director of BD

ChatGBT is slanging straight fire lately.

coletrain

Politicker

2

Account Executive

Hmmm... how long do they want you to spend on it/prep for it?

EspressoMaxi

Valued Contributor

1

Director of BD

Not a lot tbh, but I’m one of those who likes to really think deeply…lol I’d like to get it to them end of day max.

SaaSam

Politicker

1

Account Executive

I've made the mistake of pouring hours of my time into completing "projects" as part of a hiring process. I don't do that shit anymore. My time is more valuable than that, and I'm not going to give them something for nothing.

I'm very happy with my current company but I still entertain offers. This year I've had 2 occasions where I was asked to complete a project as part of an offer I was entertaining. I told them both no. One never responded and the other countered by asking me what I think would be fair as compensation for the time it took me to complete the project.

I told them that I don't like the idea of completing projects as part of an interviewing process and that if they were insistent on it I would expect to be paid 5k as a consultant providing a service. They said they couldn't do that and I stopped responding.

The project they expected me to complete was to come up with 5 high value target accounts for them based on their product and ICP, find 3 individuals within each organization to prospect into, develop an outreach strategy including specific email copy, and explain the why behind the strategy and email content for each contact.

Was clearly an attempt at getting me to do their work for them.

EspressoMaxi

Valued Contributor

0

Director of BD

That is hilarious and also scary at the same time. Haha. Hoping this is slightly different in the current case.

Diablo

Politicker

1

Sr. AE

Man man man this eats up the patience. I would do it at a high level but if someone wants me to deep dive into a case study that would take me days, I am out.

EspressoMaxi

Valued Contributor

1

Director of BD

Yea I ran with a high level, rough framework. It’s got to be enough. Lol

Diablo

Politicker

0

Sr. AE

😂

GingerBarbarian

Opinionated

1

Lead Sales

I do not see an issue with this kind of question. Yes, it is free consulting, and I can see that leaving a bad taste in someone's mouth. But with that said, you have a great opportunity to help them build a sales process that matches your own strengths and weaknesses. If they do not have a process in place, this role would let you create a system that works for you, the customers, and their company all at once. This is pretty good, because many of us walk into a company with some 60-year-old dude pushing sales techniques that have not worked since the Regan Administration.

Honestly, I say do it. Take 15 minutes per company, no more. Figure out who you would need to talk to and a few strategies to get them interested in a chat. Then do a video message about how you would handle it and send it to them.

CuriousFox

WR Officer

0

🦊

I've never heard of free work truly working out for somebody.

CadenceCombat

Tycoon

0

Account Executive

Urgh. I hate the whole interview homework routine.

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