Choose a prospecting tradeoff within fixed capacity

Instruction: Calculate the maximum feasible account work, give your manager a clear tradeoff, and preserve mandatory commitments and contingency.

Context:

You have 180 working minutes this afternoon. Mandatory work consists of two prepared AE handoffs at 20 minutes each and five due prospect replies at eight minutes each.

Ten assigned, eligible accounts are available for research and an initial message. Each requires 15 minutes; they are already ranked by verified fit and expressed interest. Retain at least ten minutes of contingency.

Your manager wants all ten accounts completed today. Give a feasible plan without assuming overtime or skipping qualification.

Updated

Example Answer

I can complete the mandatory work and six accounts while keeping the ten-minute reserve. The two handoffs take 40 minutes and the five replies take 40. That leaves 100 minutes; after reserving ten, I have 90 for six 15-minute account actions.

I would say, ‘The top six accounts fit alongside today's handoffs and replies. Completing all ten would need 240 minutes including contingency, so we are 60 minutes short. I recommend moving the bottom four to the next available block or reassigning them to someone with capacity.’

I would schedule mandatory work around its deadlines, use the supplied account ranking, and put a next action and date on each deferred account. A reassignment needs confirmed ownership so neither rep duplicates contact.

If the manager wants a different tradeoff, we need to name which commitment moves and who will own it. I would not promise the same work by quietly dropping preparation or spending the reserve in advance. My end-of-day update would distinguish completed actions from deferred ones.

What the interviewer is assessing

Essential: Calculates 80 mandatory minutes, 90 account minutes, six complete account actions, and a 60-minute shortfall for all ten.

Stronger: Names the four deferred accounts by rank, offers a realistic reassignment or reschedule, and preserves deadlines and contingency.

Red flags: Fits seven 15-minute actions into 90 minutes, silently drops required checks, or assumes overtime.

Follow-up

Interviewer: How many accounts fit if the handoffs each take 25 minutes instead?

Example response: Handoffs use 50 minutes, replies 40, and the required reserve ten, leaving 80. Five complete account actions use 75, leaving five additional minutes beyond the reserve. I would revise the plan from six accounts to five.

Pressure test

Changed constraint: Return to the original 20-minute handoffs. One due reply now takes 20 minutes instead of eight; all commitments remain mandatory.

Example response: The extra twelve minutes raise mandatory work from 80 to 92. After the ten-minute reserve, 78 minutes remain: five full account actions take 75, leaving three extra minutes. I would tell the manager that one more account must move or be reassigned; the six-account plan no longer fits.

Related Questions