If I gave you a list of fifty companies and asked you to book meetings, how would you decide who to contact first and what to learn about them?

What the interviewer is looking for

• This question tests prospecting & research. Explains how they pick accounts and contacts using fit criteria and trigger events, and names specific research they do before reaching out.
• Strong answers: Prioritising by fit and timing signals, finding the right person, and gathering a few relevant facts to personalise outreach.
• Likely follow-up: What is one trigger event that would move a company to the top of your list?

Another way it may be asked: You have fifty company names and one week. Who do you call first, and what do you look up before you do?

A structure to follow: Frame, structure, analyse, recommend

1. Step 1

   Frame

   Restate the goal and ask what success is and what the constraints are.

2. Step 2

   Structure

   Split the problem into a few separate parts you can check one by one, and say what you will look at first and why.

3. Step 3

   Analyse

   Reason with the information you have, state your assumptions out loud, and say what data would change your mind.

4. Step 4

   Recommend

   Give a clear recommendation, the main risk, and the first step you would take.

This is guidance on shape, not a script. Use your own real experience and facts; never invent details to fill a gap. See the STAR guide and answer frameworks.

Common slips

• Listing ideas without choosing between them.
• Hiding assumptions instead of stating them.
• Finishing without a recommendation.

How to practise it

Answer in four spoken parts, one per step, then check you ended on a recommendation.

Related questions

• With AI tools now writing outreach for almost everyone, how do you make your prospecting stand out instead of blending into the noise?
• Walk me through how you would open a cold call to a busy operations manager who has never heard of us.
• Tell me about a time you faced a lot of rejection or setbacks in a row. How did you keep going?
• When a prospect agrees to talk, how do you figure out whether they are actually a good fit before handing them to an account executive?
• A prospect says, just send me some information. What do you say next?

Browse all questions