Your manager wants you to add a deal to commit to make the team forecast look better, but you believe it will not close this quarter. What do you do?

What the interviewer wants to hear

• Stay honest with evidence
• Explain risks with specific facts
• Offer a plan to improve the deal chances
• Use forecast categories correctly
• Protect long-term credibility

Model answer

I would respectfully disagree and explain my reasons with facts: for example, we have not met the economic buyer, legal review has not started and the buyer has not confirmed a signing date. I would suggest putting it in best case instead of commit, because commit should be deals we are highly confident in. At the same time I would share a plan to improve the odds, such as getting a meeting with the decision maker this week. An honest forecast helps the company plan hiring and cash. If I inflate it and miss, my credibility and my manager's both suffer.

More hard Sales Executive questions

• Tell me about a time you missed your quota. What happened and what did you change?
• The business team wants your product, but procurement is pushing hard for a 25% discount near quarter end. How do you handle the negotiation?
• You learn late in the cycle that the prospect is leaning towards a competitor. How do you respond?
• You are given a new territory with no existing pipeline and a quota starting in 90 days. How would you plan your first three months?
• A customer who signed three months ago says you mis-sold them and wants to cancel. How do you handle it?
• Your manager wants you to push through a deal you believe the customer will regret. What do you do?
• You have a mid-size customer paying $50,000 a year. How would you try to grow them to $150,000 over two years?
• Your commission plan pays most on a product that is often not the right fit for your customers. How do you handle this?
• You take over a territory where most of the pipeline is old, inactive or unqualified. How do you rebuild it quickly?