Discovery-to-Demo Full Cycle Roleplay
Sales & GTM
What it tests
Whether a candidate can run a coherent full sales cycle in one session — qualifying, uncovering pain, and demoing to what they discovered
Format
- 1Candidate receives a customer persona brief: company size, industry, role, and vague pain statement — 30 minutes to review
- 2Round 1 (20 min): candidate runs a discovery call with the hiring manager playing the prospect; interviewers probe with realistic deflections and skepticism
- 35-minute break; candidate adapts their demo plan based on what they learned
- 4Round 2 (25 min): candidate runs a targeted product demo tied to the discovery findings; Head of Sales joins as a second evaluator
What to look for
- Does the demo actually reflect what was uncovered in discovery — or is it a generic product walkthrough?
- Can they connect specific prospect pain to specific product capabilities without feature-dumping?
- In the transition from discovery to demo, do they confirm their understanding before diving in?
- Red flag: skipping the demo plan adjustment and launching straight into a pre-scripted pitch
Adaptation guide
For shorter interviews, collapse into a single 30-minute session where discovery and demo happen in one continuous call. For enterprise AEs, add a multi-stakeholder element — a second 'skeptical IT buyer' joins mid-demo.
Full description
Format:
- Candidate receives a customer persona brief: company size, industry, role, and vague pain statement — 30 minutes to review
- Round 1 (20 min): candidate runs a discovery call with the hiring manager playing the prospect; interviewers probe with realistic deflections and skepticism
- 5-minute break; candidate adapts their demo plan based on what they learned
- Round 2 (25 min): candidate runs a targeted product demo tied to the discovery findings; Head of Sales joins as a second evaluator
Time: 60 minutes
What to look for:
- Does the demo actually reflect what was uncovered in discovery — or is it a generic product walkthrough?
- Can they connect specific prospect pain to specific product capabilities without feature-dumping?
- In the transition from discovery to demo, do they confirm their understanding before diving in?
- Red flag: skipping the demo plan adjustment and launching straight into a pre-scripted pitch
Adaptation: For shorter interviews, collapse into a single 30-minute session where discovery and demo happen in one continuous call. For enterprise AEs, add a multi-stakeholder element — a second "skeptical IT buyer" joins mid-demo.