Who would pay for the first test?
Explain who uses your product and who can pay for it.
The question
You are pitching a product for dispatch yards. In two observed shifts, you saw the team match truck gate scans to invoices by hand.
- Yard dispatcherA missing gate timestamp sends me to the spreadsheet and then to the driver.
- Exception logAn arrival without a gate scan required a call before the team could check a waiting-time charge.
- Warehouse manager emailThis looks useful. I can introduce you to the operations team.
“Who would pay for the first test?”
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A strong answer, step by step
Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.
Step 1: How would you describe the problem?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Say logistics teams lose money because they need AI.
Tempting, but it misses something. The packet gives one task and a waiting-time charge. It gives no general loss estimate or need for AI.
Describe the missing scan, who checks it and which invoice it holds up.
The strong move. This says who does the work and why the exception matters.
Say warehouse managers need a new dispatch system.
Tempting, but it misses something. One manager offered an introduction. The notes concern invoice checks, not a replacement system.
See how a strong candidate says it
“When a truck gate scan is missing, yard dispatchers search a spreadsheet and call the driver to check a waiting-time invoice.”
Why it works: The observed task and its consequence give the investor a concrete problem.
Step 2: What would you verify before naming a buyer?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Find who pays for exception handling and what evidence would justify a test.
The strong move. This checks the decision behind the first sale.
Treat the introduction as proof of the budget.
Tempting, but it misses something. It gives you access to a conversation. It gives no spending authority.
Ask for a larger list of interested dispatchers.
Tempting, but it misses something. More interest can help check the problem. The buyer and test criteria would still be unknown.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Ask who owns the budget for these exceptions, how the charge is checked today and what would justify a paid test.”
Why it works: The person who uses the product and the person who can fund it can have different needs.
Step 3: Who is the first buyer now?
The yard manager says they use the workflow and cannot approve a paid test. The carrier operations manager owns the detention exception budget and would consider a paid test if gate timestamps reconcile the disputed invoices.
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Name the yard manager as the buyer because the team will use the product.
Tempting, but it misses something. The latest call says the yard manager cannot approve payment.
Count one paid pilot because the budget owner is interested.
Tempting, but it misses something. The manager set a condition and has made no commitment.
Name the carrier operations manager as the buyer and the yard team as users.
The strong move. This fits the authority and workflow described in the call.
See how a strong candidate says it
“The yard manager is a user. The carrier operations manager owns the budget and would consider a paid test if the timestamps match the disputed invoices.”
Why it works: A conditional willingness to test gives a lead to verify. There is no signed agreement.
Step 4: What would you say to the investor?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
State the user and potential buyer, then name the sample and written test scope.
The strong move. The investor can see what you know and what you still need to confirm.
Say all freight companies can buy once the product is ready.
Tempting, but it misses something. One buyer conversation gives no evidence about procurement at other companies.
Say the budget owner has already approved a paid pilot.
Tempting, but it misses something. The current evidence supports only conditional interest.
See how a strong candidate says it
“We help yard dispatchers match gate timestamps to disputed invoices. The carrier operations manager would consider a paid test. Next we’ll agree on the scope and reconcile a sample invoice.”
Why it works: The answer connects the user, possible buyer and next evidence without claiming a sale.
The answer, in short
- Decision
- Name the user and the budget owner separately.
- Because
- The dispatch team does the work. The carrier operations manager can consider a paid test.
- What would change it
- A signed test scope, a declined purchase or evidence of a different budget owner.
Common traps
- Counting interest as a sale.
- Assuming the person using the product can approve payment.
Check your answer
- Who does the work?
- Who owns the budget?
- What did the buyer agree to?
- Which evidence could turn interest into a paid test?
Last reviewed Nov 11, 2026