Bain answer first

1st round Bain needed partner
New answer on Dec 31, 2020
4 Answers
6.5 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Nov 14, 2020

Hi all,

I know bain appreciates the answer first style of presenting your structure. In a case of market entry i know how to use it: I.e. yes we should enter for xyz reasons.

how would you use for a profitability case?

(edited)

Overview of answers

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Date ascending
  • Date descending
Best answer
Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Nov 15, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

I have never agreed with that approach, same as with all the interviewer-interviewee led cases. They get people distracted and eyes off the real ball.

Each case is a business problem, hence don´t try to apply recipies, not even for the communicaiton. Some cases indeed call for a hypothesis, in others it would be a huge mistake.

Hence, play it by ear, is the best way to tailor and shine.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Was this answer helpful?
Henning
Expert
replied on Nov 14, 2020
Bain | passed >15 MBB interviews as a candidate

Answer First at Bain consists of two different concepts, both are useful to use in a case environment:

  1. Answer First to plan your work: This means you should be hypothesis-driven to structure your work. Start the case with a clear hypothesis for the answer and use your framework to plan an analysis that tests for the hypothesis to either confirm or refine it.
  2. Answer First to communicate: Use a top down structure for your communication, especially for your summary. State the result of your case clearly and then provide 2-3 supporting arguments and then lastly next steps.

I hope this helps!

Was this answer helpful?
Anonymous A on Nov 14, 2020

Thanks that helps. Would be also great to know how one might approach a profitability case with this style? I.e clients profits are down, they’d like to know why + how to increase. Would you start by saying “yes, client can increase profits for xyz reasons” or something else?

Henning on Nov 15, 2020

You can go with the hypothesis that you can increase profit but increasing revenue and decreasing costs. Then you look into both and refine the hypothesis with your findings.

Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Nov 15, 2020
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Moreso, you need to be articulating your approach and signposting.

So, for market entry, it's along the lines of "In determining whether we should enter the market, we need to first determine whether the market is big/attractive, then we need to determine if it's attractive for us (will we win in it), and if both hold true, we need to figure out how to enter".

It's not "Yes, we should enter" because you have no information yet!

Was this answer helpful?
Antonello
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 31, 2020
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

major impact (e.g. % increase), 3 bullet that supports the conclusion, deep dive, risks and next steps

Best

Antonello

Was this answer helpful?
Clara gave the best answer

Clara

Content Creator
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut
68
Meetings
24,216
Q&A Upvotes
147
Awards
5.0
57 Reviews
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely