Which metrics would you track to understand if your business development work is going well?
What the interviewer wants to hear
- Activity metrics: outreach, meetings booked
- Conversion rates between stages
- Qualified pipeline created and coverage
- Win rate, average deal size, sales cycle length
- Revenue won against target
Model answer
I look at three groups of metrics. First, activity and early results: how many targeted accounts I contacted, reply rates and meetings booked. Second, pipeline health: how much qualified pipeline I created, conversion rates from meeting to opportunity and from opportunity to proposal, and pipeline coverage against my target. Third, outcomes: win rate, average deal size, sales cycle length and revenue won compared to the goal. Activity alone can be misleading, so I care most about conversion rates and qualified pipeline. If meetings are high but conversion to opportunity is low, my targeting or discovery needs work. If win rate drops, I check proposals and competition. These numbers tell me where to improve.
Can you answer it under time pressure?
Take a timed easy round and get scored on every answer.
More easy Business Development Manager questions
- In your own words, what does a Business Development Manager do, and how is it different from a sales executive?
- How do you research a company before your first call with them?
- Prospecting involves a lot of rejection. How do you stay motivated and productive?
- Walk me through how you structure a discovery call.
- Why do you want to work in business development?
- How do you write a cold email that gets replies?
- How do you build trust with a prospect you have just met?
- How do you use LinkedIn in your prospecting?
- Tell me about a deal you are proud of winning.