Essential Work Sample Exercises for Hiring Top Sales Operations Analysts

Sales Operations Analysts serve as the backbone of high-performing sales organizations, bridging the gap between strategy and execution. They transform raw data into actionable insights, optimize CRM systems, streamline sales processes, and enable sales teams to focus on what they do best—selling. Finding the right Sales Operations Analyst can dramatically improve your sales team's efficiency, forecasting accuracy, and ultimately, revenue growth.

Traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities in this multifaceted role. While candidates may eloquently describe their experience with Salesforce administration or data analysis, these conversations rarely demonstrate their ability to identify actionable insights or solve real-world problems. This is where carefully designed work samples become invaluable.

Work samples provide a window into how candidates think, approach problems, and deliver solutions. For a Sales Operations Analyst, these exercises should test their analytical abilities, process improvement skills, CRM knowledge, and cross-functional collaboration capabilities. By observing candidates in action, you can assess not just what they know, but how they apply that knowledge to drive results.

The following four work sample exercises are designed to evaluate the core competencies required for Sales Operations success. Each activity simulates real challenges the analyst will face on the job, allowing you to make hiring decisions based on demonstrated performance rather than self-reported skills. Additionally, the feedback mechanism built into each exercise provides insight into the candidate's coachability—a critical trait for long-term success in this evolving role.

Activity #1: Sales Pipeline Analysis and Optimization

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to analyze sales data, identify bottlenecks in the sales process, and recommend actionable improvements. Sales Operations Analysts must regularly perform this type of analysis to help sales leaders understand where deals are stalling and how to improve conversion rates between pipeline stages.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a sanitized dataset of your sales pipeline showing at least 100 opportunities with fields including: opportunity name, amount, creation date, close date, stage, age in current stage, and win/loss outcome.
• Include conversion rates between pipeline stages and average time spent in each stage.
• Ask candidates to identify the top 2-3 bottlenecks in the sales process and recommend specific actions to address them.
• Allow candidates 45-60 minutes to complete the analysis and prepare their recommendations.
• Provide access to Excel, Google Sheets, or your preferred data analysis tool.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided sales pipeline data to identify patterns, bottlenecks, and areas for improvement.
• Create at least one visualization (chart or graph) that highlights a key insight from the data.
• Prepare 2-3 specific, actionable recommendations to improve pipeline flow and conversion rates.
• Be prepared to explain your methodology and how you prioritized your recommendations.
• Your analysis should focus on practical improvements that could be implemented within 30 days.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the candidate presents their findings, provide one piece of positive feedback about their analysis approach or insights.
• Then offer one suggestion for improvement, such as an overlooked data point or alternative interpretation.
• Give the candidate 10 minutes to incorporate this feedback and refine one of their recommendations.
• Observe how receptively they handle the feedback and their ability to quickly iterate on their analysis.

Activity #2: CRM Data Quality Assessment and Improvement Plan

This exercise tests a candidate's understanding of CRM systems, data quality principles, and their ability to develop practical solutions for improving data integrity. Clean, reliable CRM data is fundamental to accurate forecasting and effective sales operations, making this skill essential for the role.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide screenshots of 5-10 account and opportunity records from your CRM with intentional data quality issues (missing fields, inconsistent naming conventions, duplicate records, etc.).
• Include a simplified diagram of your current CRM architecture showing key objects and relationships.
• Ask candidates to identify data quality issues and develop a prioritized plan to address them.
• Allow 30-45 minutes for this exercise.
• If possible, provide access to a sandbox environment of your CRM system.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided CRM records and identify at least 5 specific data quality issues.
• Categorize these issues by severity (critical, important, nice-to-have).
• Develop a 30-60-90 day plan to address these issues, including:
• Immediate fixes for critical issues
• Process changes to prevent future data problems
• Training recommendations for sales team members
• Potential automation or validation rules to enforce data standards
• Consider both technical solutions and process/behavioral changes in your recommendations.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide positive feedback on one aspect of their data quality assessment or improvement plan.
• Offer one constructive suggestion about an issue they may have missed or an alternative approach.
• Give the candidate 10 minutes to incorporate this feedback and refine their plan.
• Note how they respond to the feedback and whether they can quickly adapt their thinking.

Activity #3: Sales Territory Planning Exercise

This exercise evaluates a candidate's strategic thinking, data analysis skills, and ability to balance competing priorities when designing sales territories. Effective territory planning is crucial for maximizing market coverage, ensuring fair opportunity distribution among reps, and optimizing travel efficiency.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide a dataset with 100-200 accounts including fields such as: company name, location (city/state), industry, annual revenue, current status (prospect/customer), and last year's sales (if applicable).
• Include information about your current sales team structure (number of reps, their locations, experience levels).
• Ask candidates to create a territory allocation plan that optimizes for both revenue potential and geographic efficiency.
• Allow 60 minutes for this exercise.
• Provide access to Excel, Google Sheets, or your preferred data visualization tool.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Analyze the account data to identify patterns in geographic distribution, industry concentration, and revenue potential.
• Develop a territory allocation plan that assigns accounts to sales representatives based on:
• Geographic proximity to minimize travel time
• Balanced revenue potential across territories
• Industry expertise alignment (if applicable)
• Account relationship continuity where appropriate
• Create a visual representation of your proposed territories (map, chart, or table).
• Prepare a brief explanation of your methodology and the key factors that influenced your decisions.
• Be prepared to discuss how you would measure the effectiveness of this territory plan over time.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide positive feedback on one aspect of their territory planning approach or rationale.
• Offer one constructive suggestion about a consideration they may have overlooked (e.g., account growth potential, rep capacity, or customer relationships).
• Give the candidate 15 minutes to incorporate this feedback and refine one aspect of their territory plan.
• Observe how they integrate the new perspective into their thinking and whether they can articulate the trade-offs involved.

Activity #4: Sales Forecasting Accuracy Improvement

This exercise tests a candidate's ability to develop more accurate sales forecasts and implement processes that improve predictability. Reliable forecasting is essential for resource planning, setting realistic targets, and maintaining credibility with executive leadership.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide 6-12 months of historical forecast data alongside actual results, showing the variance at different points in time (beginning of quarter, mid-quarter, etc.).
• Include information about your current forecasting methodology and cadence.
• Ask candidates to analyze forecast accuracy trends and recommend improvements to your forecasting process.
• Allow 45-60 minutes for this exercise.
• Provide access to Excel, Google Sheets, or your preferred data analysis tool.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Analyze the historical forecast data to identify patterns in forecast accuracy:
• Are forecasts consistently over or under actual results?
• Does accuracy improve as you get closer to period end?
• Are there differences in accuracy by product line, region, or sales rep?
• Identify at least 3 specific factors contributing to forecast inaccuracy.
• Develop a comprehensive plan to improve forecast accuracy, including:
• Changes to the forecasting methodology or cadence
• Additional data points or leading indicators to incorporate
• Process improvements for sales managers and representatives
• Potential technology solutions or reporting enhancements
• Create at least one visualization that illustrates a key insight from your analysis.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide positive feedback on one aspect of their forecast analysis or improvement plan.
• Offer one constructive suggestion about an additional factor they might consider or an alternative approach.
• Give the candidate 15 minutes to incorporate this feedback and enhance their recommendations.
• Note how they respond to the feedback and their ability to quickly refine their thinking.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allocate for these work sample exercises?

Each exercise is designed to take 30-60 minutes, plus additional time for feedback and discussion. For remote candidates, consider sending the exercise in advance with a specific timeframe for completion. For on-site interviews, you might select just 1-2 exercises that best align with your immediate needs.

Should we use our actual company data for these exercises?

While using real data creates the most authentic experience, always sanitize it to remove sensitive information. Alternatively, you can create realistic mock data that reflects your business patterns. The key is ensuring the data contains enough complexity to test the candidate's analytical abilities.

What if a candidate doesn't have experience with our specific CRM system?

Focus on evaluating their problem-solving approach rather than system-specific knowledge. A strong Sales Operations Analyst can quickly learn new tools if they understand fundamental data principles and sales processes. Consider providing a brief overview of your CRM architecture before the exercise.

How should we evaluate candidates who take different approaches to the same exercise?

There's rarely one "correct" solution to these exercises. Evaluate candidates on their analytical process, the clarity of their recommendations, and how well they justify their decisions. Different approaches often reveal diverse strengths that could benefit your team in various ways.

Should we share these exercises with candidates in advance?

For complex exercises like territory planning or pipeline analysis, providing the scenario 24 hours in advance allows candidates to showcase their best work rather than their ability to work under pressure. For simpler exercises, real-time completion during the interview may better reflect day-to-day job requirements.

How do we ensure these exercises don't disadvantage candidates from diverse backgrounds?

Review your exercises to ensure they don't require industry-specific knowledge that would disadvantage candidates from different backgrounds. Focus on transferable analytical and problem-solving skills. Consider providing additional context or background information to level the playing field.

Finding the right Sales Operations Analyst can transform your sales organization's effectiveness and efficiency. By incorporating these work sample exercises into your hiring process, you'll gain deeper insights into candidates' practical abilities and problem-solving approaches than traditional interviews alone can provide. Remember that the best candidates will demonstrate not just technical proficiency, but also business acumen, clear communication, and a collaborative mindset.

For more resources to optimize your hiring process, explore Yardstick's comprehensive tools for creating AI-powered job descriptions, interview question generators, and interview guide generators.

Ready to build a complete interview guide for your Sales Operations Analyst role? Sign up for a free Yardstick account today!