Essential Work Samples for Evaluating Chief Revenue Officer Candidates

The Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) role is pivotal to an organization's success, serving as the architect of revenue strategy and the leader who aligns sales, marketing, and customer success functions. When hiring for this critical position, traditional interviews alone often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities. The stakes are exceptionally high—the right CRO can transform your revenue operations and accelerate growth, while the wrong hire can derail your company's momentum and damage team morale.

Work samples provide a window into how candidates actually approach the complex challenges they'll face in the CRO role. Rather than relying on rehearsed interview answers or impressive resumes, these exercises allow you to observe candidates' strategic thinking, leadership approach, analytical capabilities, and cross-functional collaboration skills in action. They reveal not just what candidates know, but how they apply that knowledge to drive revenue growth.

For a CRO position, effective work samples should simulate the multifaceted nature of the role—from developing comprehensive revenue strategies to analyzing performance metrics, leading teams through challenges, and aligning cross-functional efforts. The exercises should be challenging enough to differentiate top performers while remaining realistic and relevant to your specific business context.

The following four work samples are designed to evaluate the essential competencies of successful Chief Revenue Officers. They assess candidates' ability to think strategically, lead revenue teams, analyze complex data, and drive cross-functional alignment—all critical aspects of the modern CRO role. By incorporating these exercises into your hiring process, you'll gain deeper insights into which candidates truly possess the skills and mindset needed to lead your revenue organization to new heights.

Activity #1: Revenue Strategy Development

This exercise evaluates a candidate's strategic thinking, market understanding, and ability to develop a comprehensive revenue plan. A successful CRO must be able to assess a company's current position and chart a clear path to revenue growth, considering all revenue streams and go-to-market approaches. This activity reveals how candidates analyze business situations, identify growth opportunities, and create actionable strategies.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a brief (2-3 page) document outlining your company's current revenue model, market position, product offerings, and high-level financial metrics (growth rate, customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, etc.).
• Include information about your target markets, competitive landscape, and any specific challenges or opportunities you're facing.
• Schedule a 60-minute session: 30 minutes for the candidate to review materials and prepare, followed by a 30-minute presentation and discussion.
• Ensure key stakeholders from sales, marketing, and executive leadership are present for the presentation portion.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided company information and develop a 12-month revenue strategy that addresses:
• Key revenue growth opportunities
• Recommended go-to-market approach
• Sales organization structure and potential adjustments
• Marketing and sales alignment
• Critical metrics to track
• Potential challenges and how to address them
• Prepare a concise presentation (10-15 minutes) outlining your strategy
• Be prepared to discuss your rationale and answer questions about your approach

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the presentation, provide specific feedback on one strategic element the candidate addressed effectively and one area where their strategy could be strengthened.
• Ask the candidate to spend 5-10 minutes refining their approach to the area identified for improvement, explaining how they would adjust their strategy based on the feedback.
• Observe how receptively they incorporate feedback and their ability to adapt their thinking.

Activity #2: Sales Performance Analysis and Intervention

This exercise assesses a candidate's analytical abilities, problem-solving skills, and approach to managing underperforming teams. A successful CRO must be able to diagnose sales performance issues, identify root causes, and implement effective interventions. This activity reveals how candidates use data to drive decisions and their approach to leadership challenges.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a realistic but anonymized dataset showing 6-12 months of sales performance metrics for a team of 8-10 sales representatives, including:
• Monthly/quarterly targets and actual results
• Pipeline metrics (deals created, win rates, sales cycle length)
• Activity metrics (calls, meetings, proposals)
• Customer acquisition costs and average deal sizes
• Include some clear performance issues (e.g., declining win rates, lengthening sales cycles, uneven performance across the team)
• Provide context about the sales team structure, compensation plan, and market conditions
• Allow 45-60 minutes for the exercise: 30 minutes for analysis and preparation, followed by discussion

Directions for the Candidate:

• Analyze the provided sales data to identify performance trends, strengths, and areas of concern
• Develop a diagnosis of the key issues affecting sales performance
• Create a 30/60/90 day plan to address the identified issues, including:
• Specific interventions to improve performance
• Changes to processes, training, or team structure
• Metrics to track improvement
• Timeline for expected results
• Prepare to present your analysis and recommendations in a clear, concise manner

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the candidate's analytical approach, highlighting one particularly insightful observation and one area where their analysis could be more comprehensive.
• Ask the candidate to reconsider their intervention plan based on the feedback, focusing specifically on how they would refine their approach to the identified area.
• Evaluate their ability to incorporate new perspectives and refine their thinking.

Activity #3: Cross-Functional Revenue Planning Role Play

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to collaborate across departments and align different functions toward revenue goals. A successful CRO must be able to work effectively with marketing, product, customer success, and finance teams to create integrated revenue strategies. This role play reveals how candidates navigate cross-functional dynamics and build alignment.

Directions for the Company:

• Assemble a panel of 3-4 people representing different departments (marketing, product, finance, customer success)
• Brief each panel member on their role, including specific departmental priorities, concerns, and potential points of tension with other departments
• Create a scenario requiring cross-functional alignment, such as:
• Planning a new product launch
• Addressing customer churn issues
• Restructuring the go-to-market approach
• Implementing a new pricing strategy
• Provide the candidate with a brief overview of the scenario and departmental context
• Allow 45 minutes for the role play exercise

Directions for the Candidate:

• You will be facilitating a cross-functional meeting to align key stakeholders around a revenue initiative
• Your goal is to:
• Establish a shared understanding of the business objective
• Address concerns from each department
• Identify potential conflicts and find resolutions
• Develop an aligned action plan with clear ownership and timelines
• Establish how success will be measured
• Focus on building consensus while ensuring the plan supports revenue growth objectives
• Be prepared to handle resistance and competing priorities

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the role play, provide feedback on one aspect of the candidate's facilitation that was particularly effective and one area where their approach could be improved.
• Give the candidate an opportunity to reflect on how they would handle the challenging aspect differently based on the feedback.
• Ask them to demonstrate their revised approach in a brief follow-up discussion with the most challenging stakeholder from the role play.

Activity #4: Revenue Forecasting and Resource Allocation

This exercise assesses a candidate's financial acumen, forecasting abilities, and resource allocation skills. A successful CRO must be able to develop accurate revenue projections and make strategic decisions about where to invest for maximum return. This activity reveals how candidates approach financial planning and resource optimization.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a simplified financial model with historical revenue data, current pipeline information, and available resources (headcount, marketing budget, etc.)
• Include information about different market segments, product lines, or sales channels
• Create a scenario requiring the candidate to develop a revenue forecast and resource allocation plan for the next fiscal year
• Provide constraints such as limited hiring capacity, fixed marketing budget, or specific growth targets
• Allow 60 minutes for the exercise: 40 minutes for analysis and preparation, 20 minutes for presentation and discussion

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided financial information and develop:
• A detailed revenue forecast for the next fiscal year, broken down by quarter
• Allocation of available resources (sales headcount, marketing budget, etc.) across different segments, products, or channels
• Rationale for your allocation decisions based on expected return on investment
• Key assumptions underlying your forecast
• Contingency plans if certain assumptions prove incorrect
• Prepare to present your forecast and allocation plan, explaining your methodology and reasoning
• Be ready to discuss how you would adjust your plan under different scenarios

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the candidate's forecasting approach, highlighting one particularly strong element of their methodology and one area where their approach could be more robust.
• Ask the candidate to revise a specific portion of their forecast or allocation plan based on the feedback.
• Evaluate their ability to incorporate new considerations and adjust their financial thinking.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allow for these work samples in our interview process?

Each of these exercises requires 45-60 minutes to complete effectively. We recommend spreading them across different interview stages rather than attempting to conduct multiple exercises in a single day. For senior roles like the CRO, candidates will understand the need for a thorough evaluation process.

Should we share these exercises with candidates in advance?

For Activities #1 and #4 (Revenue Strategy and Forecasting), providing the company information 24-48 hours in advance allows candidates to prepare more thoughtful responses. For Activities #2 and #3 (Performance Analysis and Role Play), it's better to present the materials during the interview to assess how candidates think on their feet.

What if our company data is too sensitive to share with candidates?

You can create modified or anonymized versions of your data that maintain the essential patterns while protecting sensitive information. Alternatively, you can create realistic fictional data that mirrors your company's situation. The key is ensuring the data presents challenges similar to what the CRO will actually face.

How should we evaluate candidates across these different exercises?

Create a structured scorecard for each exercise that assesses both the quality of the candidate's output (strategy, analysis, etc.) and their process (how they approach problems, collaborate, incorporate feedback). Weight different competencies based on your specific business needs and compare candidates against consistent criteria.

Should we customize these exercises for our specific industry or business model?

Yes, absolutely. While these exercises provide a strong foundation, you should adapt them to reflect your company's specific market, sales motion, and challenges. The more relevant the exercises are to your actual business situation, the more predictive they'll be of a candidate's success in the role.

How do we ensure these exercises don't create an excessive burden for candidates?

Be respectful of candidates' time by clearly communicating the exercise requirements and time commitments upfront. Consider compensating candidates for extensive time investments, particularly for activities requiring significant preparation. Remember that high-quality candidates will appreciate a thorough process that demonstrates your company's commitment to making the right hiring decision.

The Chief Revenue Officer role is one of the most critical hires your company will make. By incorporating these work samples into your interview process, you'll gain deeper insights into candidates' actual capabilities rather than relying solely on their interview skills or past accomplishments. This approach not only helps you identify the strongest candidates but also gives candidates a realistic preview of the role, leading to better alignment of expectations and increased success after hiring.

For more resources to optimize your hiring process, explore Yardstick's comprehensive tools for creating AI-powered job descriptions, generating effective interview questions, and developing complete interview guides. You can also find our detailed Chief Revenue Officer job description at https://yardstick.team/job-description/chief-revenue-officer.

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