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?

What the interviewer is looking for

• This question tests discovery & qualification. Asks open questions about pain, impact, timing and decision process, and can say clearly what makes a meeting qualified versus not.
• Strong answers: Open questions about problem, impact, timing, budget or priority and decision makers, plus a clear definition of a qualified meeting.
• Likely follow-up: Tell me about a time you decided not to pass a meeting along. Why?

Another way it may be asked: Someone says yes to a call. What questions do you ask to know the meeting is worth an account executive's time?

A structure to follow: Answer, explain, example, limits

1. Step 1

   Answer

   Give your direct answer in the first sentence so the interviewer knows where you are going.

2. Step 2

   Explain

   Say how it works or why you would do it that way, in plain words before jargon.

3. Step 3

   Example

   Anchor it in something you have actually done or seen, with the detail that shows hands-on experience.

4. Step 4

   Limits

   Say when your approach would not be the right one. It shows judgement.

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

• Reciting a definition without showing you have applied it.
• Using terms you cannot explain if asked a level deeper.
• Claiming experience beyond what you can discuss in detail.

How to practise it

Say the answer in 90 seconds, then answer the follow-up as if it were a new question.

Related questions

• 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?
• 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?
• A prospect says, just send me some information. What do you say next?
• Tell me about an email or message sequence you wrote that got strong replies. What made it work?

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