A prospect on a cold call says, "Just send me some information." How do you respond?
What the interviewer wants to hear
- Recognise it is often a polite brush-off
- Agree, but ask a question to make the information relevant
- Uncover whether there is a real need
- Agree a specific next step
- Respect a clear no
Model answer
I treat it as a polite way to end the call, but it can also be genuine. I would say something like: "Happy to. So I send something useful rather than a generic brochure, can I ask how you handle route planning today?" One or two questions usually tell me if there is a real problem. If there is, I suggest a short call to go through the information together and put a time in the diary. If there is clearly no need right now, I send a short, relevant resource, ask when it might be worth checking in, and log that in the CRM. If they say no clearly, I respect it. The goal is not to trap anyone, but to find out quickly whether a real conversation exists.
Can you answer it under time pressure?
Take a timed medium round and get scored on every answer.
More medium Business Development Manager questions
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- How would you identify and launch a new strategic partnership?
- A prospect says a competitor offers the same thing for less. How do you respond?
- You are given a new territory with 500 accounts. How do you plan your first 90 days?
- What goes into a strong business proposal?
- How do you build a business case or ROI model for a prospect?
- How would you work with marketing on an account-based campaign for 30 target accounts?
- What are the key terms you would negotiate in a reseller or referral agreement?
- How do you make sure your forecast is accurate?