The product head wants a big launch campaign for a new feature, while the sales head wants all budget on bottom-funnel leads this quarter. How do you handle it?
What the interviewer wants to hear
- Understands each goal and its business impact
- Uses data and shared company objectives
- Proposes a clear split or phased plan with KPIs
- Escalates or aligns with leadership when needed
- Communicates trade-offs openly
Model answer
I would meet both leaders separately to understand what each needs and why: the expected revenue from the feature launch and the pipeline gap sales is worried about. Then I would tie both to the company's quarterly targets. Usually the answer is not all or nothing. I might propose a split, for example 70% on bottom-funnel campaigns with proven CPA and 30% on the launch, where the launch campaign is designed to also produce leads, such as a webinar or free trial of the feature that sales can follow up. I would share expected results and risks for each option with numbers, agree KPIs and a review date, and if they still disagree, I would bring the options to our common manager to decide. Being transparent about trade-offs keeps trust with both teams.
Can you answer it under time pressure?
Take a timed hard round and get scored on every answer.
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