Interviews generally went very well but I got to the final round and they asked me to create the following. Essentially, the plan I would have created in the first 3-4 weeks on the job. I was advised after consulting with many mentors and senior human resources friends and colleagues to not move forward with this free-consultation service. I have removed actual numbers provided to me and other information for company privacy. This is a direct quote - run don't walk: "For this stage, Hiring Manager and North America (NAMR) Sales Leaders would like you to prepare a presentation focused on your proposed tactical plan for driving new business pipeline growth through field and channel marketing efforts for the NAMR region. We would like to see the approach you will take to strategically build a tactical marketing plan that can be measured and improved to create marketing sourced pipeline valued at $X,000,000 (assume an average sized deal at Blancco is $XX,XXX). Audience: For this task, we would like you to focus on key decision makers within our focal Enterprise business sectors; BFSI, Pharma & Healthcare, Technology, Industrial and Retail across NAMR for direct to business, and our Tier 1 Channel partners who we need to further our relationship by investing in co-marketing, incentives based and through market development funds. Budget: As the NAMR marketing lead, you are allocated a field marketing investment of £XXX,XXX and an MDF channel partner budget of $XXX,XXX. Key points to cover in your presentation include: Good understanding of the decision maker and buyer personas within the data erasure market. Clear objectives for demand generation efforts through field marketing campaigns, partner programs and activities. Strategies for reaching and engaging our direct to business target and key channel partner audience, effectively. Specific tactics and initiatives you propose to implement, including events, campaigns, content creation, and co-marketing efforts. Metrics and KPIs you plan to track to measure the success of your Field initiatives and Channel initiatives. Your approach to continuous improvement and collaboration with sales and channel teams. Any potential risks or challenges you anticipate and your plans to mitigate them. The proposed marketing plan should be tailored to Blancco.* The presentation should not exceed 30 minutes in length, allowing time for questions and discussion afterwards." When I politely pushed back stating I would be more comfortable to offer hypotheticals or offer the strategies I use to develop a plan like this instead of submitting what most would consider free consulting work, I was sent a standard rejection email a few days later.