Fictional candidate
Alex Morgan
Account Manager
Role fit and key insights
Alex's example responses show a customer-focused approach and clear communication. Commercial decisions need closer exploration, particularly the cost of concessions and the point at which to walk away.
Understands the customer's priorities
Connects the proposed solution to customer outcomes and explains a practical route forward.
Protecting the commercial position
Probe how Alex would quantify a concession and balance retention against profitability.
Use this evidence to guide your interview. The score is a summary of this example assessment, not a probability of success in the job.
Skill breakdown
Each skill contributes to the overall score according to its weighting. Select a skill to see the example evidence and a question to explore.
Customer focus25% weighting 88/100
What the example response shows
Starts by understanding the customer’s goals and the impact of disruption before discussing a discount.
Explore in the interview
How would you establish which outcomes matter most to this customer?
Commercial judgement25% weighting 72/100
What the example response shows
Protects recurring revenue by linking concessions to a longer commitment. The response does not quantify the margin impact.
Explore in the interview
What information would you need before approving a price concession?
Written communication20% weighting 84/100
What the example response shows
Provides a clear sequence of actions, names the people involved and sets a next step the customer can agree to.
Explore in the interview
How would you adapt this message for a customer who is already frustrated?
Problem solving15% weighting 80/100
What the example response shows
Offers a phased alternative to a full feature build and checks feasibility with the delivery team.
Explore in the interview
What would you do if the delivery team could not support your proposed alternative?
Prioritisation10% weighting 68/100
What the example response shows
Recognises the renewal deadline but leaves ownership and timing of some follow-up actions unclear.
Explore in the interview
Which actions would you take in the first day, and who would own each one?
Negotiation5% weighting 60/100
What the example response shows
Offers a concession without stating a walk-away point or a clear fallback if the customer declines.
Explore in the interview
Where would you set your walk-away point, and how would you communicate it?
Example calculation: each skill score × its percentage weighting, added together and rounded to the nearest whole number. All scores and weightings on this page are illustrative.
From response to insight
A score becomes more useful when you can examine the thinking behind it.
A key customer is considering a competitor's lower-priced offer. They also want a feature your team cannot deliver before renewal. Outline how you would approach the renewal conversation.
First, I would ask which business outcomes are at risk and what the competitor's offer includes. I would bring the customer sponsor and our delivery lead together to explore a phased alternative to the feature request. If we offer a discount, I would link it to a longer renewal commitment. I would finish the meeting with an agreed next step and a date to review progress.
Clear customer focus
The response starts with outcomes and brings the relevant people into the conversation.
A commercial question remains
A longer commitment is proposed, but the size of the discount, margin impact and fallback position are not specified.
Turn this into an interview question ↓A more focused next conversation
Use the evidence to ask specific questions and compare candidates against the same role requirements.
Explore the commercial trade-off
“What would you need to know before offering that discount, and how would you decide the maximum concession?”
Listen for: margin, lifetime value, approval limits and a fallback plan.Test the delivery plan
“The delivery lead says even a phased alternative is not possible. What do you do next?”
Listen for: realistic commitments, customer expectations and alternative ways to deliver value.Ground it in experience
“Tell me about a renewal where you had to balance a customer's request against your company's constraints.”
Listen for: personal contribution, the decision made and the outcome.
