Page 106 - You're Hired! Interview Answers

obviously needed to ensure that in future this didn’t change. The way we thought-BaSed QueStionS examPLe inteRview anSweRS
were set up as a client team at the time was that different sales people were
specialised in different products, and between them covered a very large
geographical area. I could see that our competitors were more nimble and I
needed to find a way to match this. What I did was to split the big area into
five smaller ones and restructure the team such that two sales execs were
responsible for each of the smaller areas. This meant that they would also need
product training so that they could speak to their clients in a knowledgeable
fashion and provide continued good client care. The overall impact of this
was that the sales execs developed a more intimate relationship with their
customers – they had fewer, and more time with them, and were able to offer
them a wider choice of product. They were also more nimble in their response
to client needs. This approach counteracted what our competitors were doing

and we were able to continue to grow sales.”

Whilst this is a short and succinct response, it encapsulates the sort of thought
leadership that is expected at this level. It demonstrates an awareness of the
need to look outside of the organisation, to be aware of competitors and to
position the business, at team level, to respond to a threat.
Clearly, there is much more information for an interviewer to elicit here. Other
aspects to be probed could include: the data that was used to drive decision
making, who was consulted, the options that were considered, the strengths
and weaknesses of those options and the risks that were being taken.

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