How do you balance the needs of new accounts and existing business?
There is no hidden meaning or subtle trick to this question. The interviewer is truly looking for a direct answer! They want to hear about how you will weigh your priorities if you join their team.
If you need a minute to come up with a good response, repeat the question back so the interviewer knows that you have heard and are pondering. Since this is an operational question based on the daily responsibilities of the role, it's important that you provide an adequate answer. Make sure to acknowledge that different accounts will have differing needs and that you may have to be flexible to account for how needs change over time.
Avoid only addressing current business or new accounts in your answer. Doing so may seem that you do not have all of the experience that the interviewer is looking for.
"When I open a new account I always ensure to allot extra time to spend with them in the first few weeks or months. Once I better understand the needs of the business, I will revise my weekly and monthly calendar to balance the accounts that need more face time and are higher revenue accounts with those that are able to continue on with fewer sales calls."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
With new accounts, I like to allocate more frequent visits in the first few months or weeks. Once I get a better understanding of their business, then I am able to taper visits and re-distribute attention to higher revenue accounts.
Marcie's Feedback
Great! It makes sense to meet with newer accounts more frequently in the beginning, to ensure they know how to properly use the product and to better understand their business and its needs. The interviewer will be happy to hear that after some time, however, you would prioritize higher revenue accounts. You might also want to mention that you recognize the importance of servicing existing customers and always pay attention to their urgent requests and inquiries even while adding new customers to your roster.
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