Imagine you are assigned to onboard new restaurant partners for GrabFood in a city where a competitor already has strong presence. Walk me through how you would approach this.

Situation

During my internship at a small Philippine food startup, I was asked to help expand our merchant network in Quezon City, an area dominated by a well-established delivery platform.

Task

My goal was to sign up at least 15 new small and medium restaurants within two months, despite the competitor's exclusive contracts with many popular spots.

Action

I first researched the area to identify potential partners not yet tied to exclusivity deals. I then tailored a value proposition emphasizing GrabFood's wider user base and lower commission rates for early adopters. I personally visited 30 food stalls over three weeks, offering free trial periods and marketing support like featured listings. I also collected feedback from hesitant owners and relayed it to our operations team to adjust onboarding requirements.

Result

We successfully onboarded 12 restaurants within six weeks, achieving 80% of the target. The competitor later matched our rates, but we had secured several loyal partners who appreciated our hands-on support.