A prospect will sign today only if you promise a feature your product team says is not on the roadmap. What do you do?
What the interviewer wants to hear
- Do not promise what cannot be delivered
- Understand the underlying need behind the feature
- Explore workarounds, integrations or partners
- Involve product team honestly
- Accept losing the deal if needed to protect trust
Model answer
I would not promise it. Overpromising may win the signature, but it leads to an angry customer, early churn, possible legal issues and damage to our reputation. Instead I would ask what problem the feature solves for them, because often the real need can be met another way, through an existing feature, an integration, a partner tool or a small service. I would bring in our product or solutions team to look at options and give an honest answer about the roadmap, without vague hints. If the feature is truly essential for them and we cannot deliver it, I would tell them clearly and maybe keep the door open for the future. Losing one deal honestly is better than winning a customer we will fail.
Can you answer it under time pressure?
Take a timed hard round and get scored on every answer.
More hard Business Development Manager questions
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- You are asked to select and launch a distributor in a new country. How would you approach it?
- Your biggest partner announces a product that competes with part of yours. How do you handle the relationship?
- Your team's win rate has fallen from 28% to 18% over a year. How would you find the cause and fix it?
- Leadership wants to sell into healthcare, an industry where you have no customers. How would you test it before committing?
- Your manager pushes you to tell a prospect a key integration is "ready" when it is only planned. How do you handle it?