Could you please tell me about a time when you had to persuade someone about an idea and how you managed it?

Question Analysis

This question is asking you to reflect on a specific situation where you had to use persuasion skills. It is a classic behavioral interview question, aiming to assess your communication, negotiation, and influence skills. The interviewer is interested in understanding how you handle resistance and how effectively you can bring others around to your point of view. To answer this question, you should use the STAR method to structure your response:

• Situation: Describe the context within which you were operating.
• Task: Outline the challenge or responsibility you faced.
• Action: Explain the steps you took to persuade the individual(s).
• Result: Share the outcome of your actions and any lessons learned.

Answer

Situation: In my previous role as a marketing coordinator, my team was tasked with launching a new product. However, our marketing strategy was met with skepticism by one of the senior sales managers who believed we should focus more on traditional channels rather than digital marketing.

Task: My responsibility was to get buy-in from the sales manager to ensure our marketing efforts were aligned across all departments.

Action: I scheduled a meeting with the sales manager to discuss our strategy in detail. I presented data and case studies showing the effectiveness of digital marketing in reaching our target audience. I also proposed a pilot campaign to test the waters, which would require minimal resources but provide valuable insights. Additionally, I engaged the sales team by asking for their input and suggestions, making them feel part of the process.

Result: After reviewing the data and understanding the potential benefits, the sales manager agreed to the pilot campaign. The test campaign exceeded our expectations, resulting in a 20% increase in leads compared to previous efforts. This success helped in garnering full support from the sales department for our approach moving forward.