Leadership gives you budget to grow revenue next year. How would you decide between hiring more outbound reps, investing in partnerships, or entering a new segment?
What the interviewer wants to hear
- Use unit economics: CAC, payback, LTV, ramp time
- Look at current data from each channel
- Consider time to impact and risk
- Run small tests before committing full budget
- Set clear metrics and review points
Model answer
I would compare the options using data and unit economics, not opinion. For outbound I would look at current rep productivity, ramp time, win rate and CAC payback. For partnerships I would check how partner-sourced deals perform today: win rate, deal size and cost, and how long partners take to produce pipeline. For a new segment I would assess market size, fit with our product and how much change is needed in messaging or features. I would also consider time to impact: new reps may take six months to ramp, partners even longer, so the mix matters for next year. Rather than putting everything in one bet, I would put most budget in the proven channel and run a small, time-boxed test of the others with clear success metrics, then shift budget based on results.
Can you answer it under time pressure?
Take a timed hard round and get scored on every answer.
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