The 48-Hour Hiring Signal: How to Spot Strong Commercial Operators Fast
Hiring for commercial roles (Sales, CS, Partnerships, Revenue Leadership) often feels like a paradox.
You can run a thorough process.
You can hire someone with a “perfect” CV.
And still end up with a mismatch that becomes obvious by month two.
Not because they weren’t talented.
Because the interview process over-indexed on polish not operator judgement.
There’s a simpler way to de-risk commercial hiring early:
Ask what they would do in their first 48 hours.
Not “tell me about your biggest win.”
Not “walk me through your CV.”
Just this:
“You start on Monday. What are the first three things you do by Wednesday?”
It sounds simple. It isn’t.
Done properly, this question reveals how a candidate thinks inside ambiguity — which is where most commercial roles are won or lost.
Why 48 hours tells you more than a case study
Many interview loops reward:
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confidence and storytelling
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the ability to present a coherent narrative
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brand-name logos and familiar environments
But day-one performance in commercial roles is rarely about performance theatre.
It’s about:
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how quickly someone can create clarity
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whether they prioritise like an owner
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if they can turn “what I’m seeing” into actions — not opinions
Strong hires don’t just execute tasks.
They reduce uncertainty for everyone around them.
And that shows up immediately.
The three signals to listen for
1) They go looking for friction (not features)
In their first conversations, strong commercial operators naturally hunt for what slows revenue down.
They ask questions like:
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Where do deals stall — and why?
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Where are handoffs breaking (Sales ↔ CS ↔ Product ↔ RevOps)?
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What objections show up repeatedly?
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What’s confusing buyers about pricing or packaging?
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Where does the process rely on heroics?
The tell: they aren’t trying to learn everything.
They’re trying to find the constraint.
2) They prioritise like an owner (not a tourist)
Average answers tend to sound like this:
“I’d meet everyone, learn the product, and understand the market.”
That’s not wrong — it’s just non-committal.
Stronger candidates do something different:
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they pick the 1–2 highest-leverage levers
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they define what good looks like
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they align stakeholders early
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they focus on decisions, not meetings
They don’t boil the ocean.
They choose a beachhead.
3) They translate narrative into actions (not slides)
Within 48 hours, the best operators typically produce:
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a simple “what I’m seeing” summary
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a first hypothesis that can be tested
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a 30-day plan that’s measurable (not aspirational)
They don’t default to a long deck.
They default to clarity.
A great signal here is how they talk about:
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what they’d validate first
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which metrics they’d trust (and which they wouldn’t)
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what they would not touch yet
This is commercial judgement in real time.
How to use the “By Wednesday” question in your process
This question works best when you make it concrete.
Use this structure:
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First conversations: Who do you speak to and why?
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First diagnosis: What are you trying to learn or confirm?
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First actions: What do you do by Wednesday that creates momentum?
Then listen for:
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specificity (they can name the levers)
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prioritisation (they choose what matters)
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commercial realism (they understand constraints)
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stakeholder intelligence (they know where alignment is needed)
A simple scoring guide (optional)
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5/5: Clear sequence, real-world constraints, testable plan, stakeholder-aware
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3/5: Sensible but generic; lots of meetings, few decisions
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1/5: Vague, overly theoretical, or “I’d wait until I understand everything”
Why this de-risks hiring (especially in AdTech, MarTech and SaaS)
Commercial roles in these markets often come with hidden constraints:
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lead source volatility
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longer procurement cycles
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product complexity and integration dependency
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pricing/packaging ambiguity
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internal friction during growth
The “By Wednesday” question forces candidates to show whether they can:
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navigate ambiguity
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diagnose constraints
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act without perfect information
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build trust quickly
That’s what strong operators do.
A final note for candidates
If you’re interviewing, this question is a gift.
It’s a chance to demonstrate that you:
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understand first principles
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can prioritise like an owner
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know how to create clarity early
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don’t need perfect conditions to perform
Your goal isn’t to sound impressive.
Your goal is to sound credible.
The one question to add to every final stage interview
“You start Monday. What are the first three things you do by Wednesday?”
It’s simple.
It’s practical.
And it reveals a lot more than another competency round.
If you’re hiring for a commercial role right now and want a quick calibration of what “good” looks like for your specific context, we’re always happy to share what we’re seeing in the market.
