What ideas do you have to increase this client's sales?
A creativity question is won with structure. The right answer announces two or three categories that cover the topic, gives two or three concrete ideas in each, tailored to the client, then says which one you would explore first. A stream of ideas as they come, even a long one, scores lower.
What the interviewer is assessing
- Organisation before volume. Clear categories show you covered the topic and let the interviewer remember what you say.
- Ideas specific to the client. "Do some advertising" applies to any company. An idea built on a particular feature of the case shows you listened.
- At least one idea beyond the obvious. That is where business sense shows, for instance by thinking of a use, a time slot or a type of customer the company does not yet serve.
- An opinion. After opening up the field you must close it by saying what you would do first.
How to build your answer
- 1
Take ten seconds to find your categories
Look for a simple split that covers everything: more customers, more purchases per customer, a higher price. Or short term and long term, internal and external, supply and demand. - 2
Announce them, then fill them
"I see three families of levers." Then give two or three ideas per family, one sentence each. - 3
Make each idea concrete
Say for whom, how, and what it would change. One illustrated idea beats three abstract ones. - 4
End with a priority
Say which you would test first and why: expected impact, speed, low cost.
How a good answer starts
"To increase sales at this independent cinema, I see three families of levers: bringing in more viewers, getting each one to spend more, and using the room when it is empty.
To attract more viewers, I am thinking of a monthly membership card to retain regulars, and screenings designed for specific audiences, such as schools in the morning or new parents with baby-friendly sessions. To raise spend per visit, there is food and drink, which generally carries a better margin than tickets, and themed evenings at a higher price, for example a screening followed by a talk with the film's team. Finally, the room is probably empty on weekday daytimes: it can be rented to companies for presentations, or used to broadcast operas and sporting events. If I had to start with one lever it would be this last one, because it uses capacity that earns nothing today and needs almost no investment."
This example is made up: it shows the tone and the construction, not a script to memorise. Your answer has to come from your own experience or from the data the interviewer gives you.
Common mistakes
- Listing ideas in the order they come, with no categories. The interviewer cannot judge whether you covered the topic.
- Stopping at three obvious ideas. The question also tests your ability to find more when pushed.
- Staying generic: "improve marketing", "innovate". Those phrases describe no action.
- Not concluding. Without a priority you leave the sorting to the interviewer.
Follow-ups to expect
"What else?"
Go back through your categories one by one and look for what you did not cover, or add a category. This follow-up tests your reserve of ideas, not the quality of the first ones.
"Which would have the most impact?"
Pick one and offer a quick order of magnitude to justify your choice.
Frequently asked questions
How many ideas should I give?
Six to nine ideas spread across three categories make a good first answer. Six concrete, organised ideas are better than fifteen loose ones.
How do I find categories when nothing comes?
Break down mathematically what you are asked to improve. Sales are a number of customers times a frequency times an average basket. Costs are a price times a quantity. Each term becomes a category.