Essential Work Samples for Hiring a Business Development Manager

Business Development Managers serve as critical drivers of organizational growth, responsible for identifying new opportunities, developing strategic partnerships, and leading teams to success. The effectiveness of your BDM directly impacts revenue generation, market expansion, and the development of your sales talent pipeline. Given the multifaceted nature of this role—combining leadership, strategy, analytics, and relationship-building—traditional interviews often fall short in predicting on-the-job performance.

Work samples and role plays provide a window into how candidates actually approach the core responsibilities of a Business Development Manager. Rather than relying solely on candidates' descriptions of their abilities, these exercises allow you to observe their skills in action. For a role that requires both strategic thinking and tactical execution, seeing how candidates analyze data, coach team members, develop strategies, and build relationships offers invaluable insights that resumes and standard interviews simply cannot provide.

The exercises outlined below are designed to evaluate the essential competencies of an effective Business Development Manager: leadership excellence, strategic thinking, results orientation, and adaptability. By implementing these practical assessments, you'll be able to distinguish between candidates who can talk about business development and those who can actually drive it forward.

When conducted properly, these exercises create a two-way street—candidates gain a realistic preview of the role while you gather concrete evidence of their capabilities. This approach not only leads to better hiring decisions but also improves candidate experience by demonstrating your company's commitment to a thorough, fair, and professional selection process.

Activity #1: BDR Coaching Role Play

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to lead, develop, and motivate a team of Business Development Representatives—a core responsibility that directly impacts pipeline generation and team performance. Effective coaching is the difference between a team that consistently exceeds targets and one that struggles to meet basic expectations.

Directions for the Company:

• Select an employee to play the role of a BDR who is struggling with a specific performance issue (e.g., low conversion rates, difficulty handling objections, or poor qualification of prospects).
• Provide the candidate with a brief background on the "BDR" including tenure, previous performance, specific metrics showing the decline, and any relevant contextual information.
• Share this information with the candidate 24 hours before the interview to allow for preparation.
• Allocate 20 minutes for the coaching session followed by 10 minutes for feedback and discussion.
• The person playing the BDR should be prepared with realistic responses and questions, showing some resistance initially but being open to guidance.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the performance data and background information provided about the BDR.
• Prepare to conduct a 20-minute coaching session aimed at improving the BDR's performance.
• During the session, demonstrate your approach to identifying root causes, providing constructive feedback, and developing an action plan.
• Focus on both immediate tactical improvements and longer-term development.
• Be prepared to handle potential resistance or defensiveness in a constructive manner.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the role play, the interviewer should provide specific feedback on what the candidate did well in the coaching session (e.g., asking effective questions, providing clear guidance).
• The interviewer should then offer one area for improvement (e.g., "I noticed you didn't establish clear next steps" or "You might have jumped to solutions before fully understanding the problem").
• Give the candidate 5 minutes to reflect and explain how they would adjust their approach based on this feedback, demonstrating their own coachability and adaptability.

Activity #2: Pipeline Analysis and Strategy Development

This exercise assesses the candidate's analytical skills and strategic thinking—essential competencies for identifying trends, optimizing processes, and making data-driven decisions that improve business development outcomes.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a mock dataset showing 3-6 months of business development metrics, including lead sources, conversion rates at different pipeline stages, sales cycle length, and team performance data.
• Include some clear issues in the data (e.g., declining conversion rates from a particular channel, increasing sales cycle length, or inconsistent performance across team members).
• Provide the dataset to the candidate 24 hours before the interview.
• Allocate 15 minutes for the candidate to present their analysis and recommendations, followed by 10 minutes of questions.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Analyze the provided dataset to identify key trends, challenges, and opportunities in the business development pipeline.
• Prepare a brief presentation (3-5 slides) outlining:

1. Your key observations from the data
2. The top 2-3 issues that need to be addressed
3. Specific, actionable recommendations to improve performance
4. How you would measure success of your proposed changes

• Be prepared to explain your analytical approach and defend your recommendations with data.
• Consider both short-term tactical adjustments and longer-term strategic shifts.

Feedback Mechanism:

• The interviewer should acknowledge one strength in the candidate's analysis (e.g., "You effectively identified the root cause of our conversion drop" or "Your prioritization of issues was spot-on").
• The interviewer should then challenge one aspect of the candidate's recommendations or ask them to elaborate on an area that wasn't fully developed.
• Give the candidate 5 minutes to refine or expand their strategy based on this feedback, demonstrating their ability to incorporate new perspectives and adapt their thinking.

Activity #3: Cross-Functional Collaboration Simulation

This exercise evaluates the candidate's ability to collaborate effectively with other departments—a critical skill for a Business Development Manager who must align with marketing, sales, product, and other teams to drive cohesive growth strategies.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a scenario where the business development team needs to collaborate with marketing and sales to launch a new outbound campaign targeting a specific industry or customer segment.
• Assign 2-3 employees to play the roles of Marketing Director, Sales Manager, and potentially a Product Manager, each with their own priorities and concerns.
• Provide the candidate with a brief outlining the campaign objectives, target metrics, and any constraints (budget, timeline, resources).
• Send this information to the candidate 24 hours before the interview.
• Allocate 25 minutes for the meeting simulation followed by 10 minutes for feedback.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the campaign brief and prepare to lead a cross-functional meeting to align on strategy and execution.
• During the 25-minute simulation:

1. Establish clear objectives for the meeting
2. Facilitate discussion to address each department's concerns and priorities
3. Navigate potential conflicts or competing priorities
4. Build consensus on key decisions
5. Establish clear next steps and responsibilities

• Focus on demonstrating your ability to listen effectively, find win-win solutions, and drive alignment across different perspectives.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the simulation, the interviewer should highlight one aspect of the candidate's collaboration approach that was particularly effective (e.g., "You did an excellent job addressing the marketing team's concerns while keeping the discussion focused on our objectives").
• The interviewer should then identify one area where the candidate could have improved their cross-functional leadership (e.g., "You might have missed an opportunity to address the potential resource conflict between sales and marketing").
• Give the candidate 5 minutes to reflect on how they would adjust their approach based on this feedback, demonstrating their ability to improve their collaboration skills.

Activity #4: New Business Opportunity Assessment

This exercise assesses the candidate's ability to identify, evaluate, and develop strategies for pursuing new business opportunities—a fundamental responsibility of a Business Development Manager that directly impacts company growth.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a brief describing a potential new business opportunity, such as:
• Expansion into a new market segment or geography
• Development of a strategic partnership with another company
• Creation of a new service offering that complements existing products
• Include relevant market data, competitive information, and internal capabilities/constraints.
• Provide this information to the candidate 24 hours before the interview.
• Allocate 20 minutes for the candidate to present their assessment and recommendations, followed by 15 minutes of questions and discussion.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the opportunity brief and conduct any additional research you feel is necessary.
• Prepare a structured assessment of the opportunity that includes:

1. Evaluation of the market potential and fit with company strategy
2. Analysis of key risks and challenges
3. Resource requirements and potential ROI
4. Recommended approach (pursue, modify, or decline) with justification
5. If pursuing, a high-level implementation plan including key milestones

• Be prepared to present your assessment in 20 minutes, focusing on clear, data-backed reasoning.
• Consider both the strategic and tactical aspects of pursuing this opportunity.

Feedback Mechanism:

• The interviewer should acknowledge one strength in the candidate's opportunity assessment (e.g., "Your market analysis was particularly thorough" or "I appreciated your realistic assessment of the implementation challenges").
• The interviewer should then challenge one assumption or recommendation, asking the candidate to defend or reconsider their position.
• Give the candidate 5-7 minutes to respond to this challenge, demonstrating their ability to think on their feet and adapt their strategy based on new information or perspectives.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much time should we allocate for these exercises in our interview process?

Each exercise requires approximately 30-45 minutes including setup, execution, and feedback. We recommend selecting 1-2 exercises that align most closely with your specific needs rather than attempting all four. The coaching role play and pipeline analysis exercises are particularly valuable for assessing core BDM competencies.

Should we provide candidates with preparation materials in advance?

Yes, providing materials 24 hours in advance is recommended. This allows candidates to demonstrate their analytical and strategic thinking abilities rather than just their ability to think on their feet. Strong preparation is actually a positive indicator for a Business Development Manager role.

How can we ensure these exercises don't favor candidates with experience at similar companies?

Customize the scenarios to be industry-agnostic or provide sufficient background information so candidates from different industries can apply their skills. Focus your evaluation on the candidate's approach and reasoning rather than specific industry knowledge.

What if we don't have team members available to participate in the role plays?

The exercises can be modified to use written scenarios instead of live role players. Alternatively, you can record video scenarios that the candidate can respond to. However, live interaction provides the richest assessment of interpersonal and leadership skills.

How should we weight these exercises compared to traditional interviews?

These work samples should account for approximately 40-50% of your overall assessment, with behavioral interviews, reference checks, and other evaluation methods making up the remainder. The exercises provide concrete evidence of capabilities that are difficult to assess through other means.

Can these exercises be conducted remotely?

Yes, all of these exercises can be adapted for remote interviews using video conferencing tools. For the pipeline analysis and opportunity assessment exercises, consider using screen sharing for presentations. For role plays, ensure all participants have stable internet connections and are familiar with the video platform.

The Business Development Manager role is pivotal to your organization's growth trajectory. By incorporating these practical work samples into your hiring process, you'll gain deeper insights into candidates' actual capabilities rather than just their interview skills. This approach not only leads to better hiring decisions but also demonstrates to top candidates that your company values thorough, fair assessment and is serious about building a high-performing business development function.

For more resources to enhance your hiring process, check out Yardstick's AI Job Description Generator, AI Interview Question Generator, and AI Interview Guide Generator. You can also find more information about hiring Business Development Managers in our comprehensive job description.

Build a complete interview guide for this role by signing up for a free Yardstick account