For our maiden episode, we had the absolute pleasure of hosting Akhil Minocha, the ex-Vice President of Sales, Asia Pacific at Persistent Systems. Akhil was responsible for sales of Persistent system’s software products covering infrastructure software namely security, analytics, cloud, and API monetization.
Having begun his long-standing career back in the year 1997, Akhil is indeed a seasoned professional.
In the early stages of his career, he took on revenue roles which included business development, partnerships and alliances. He took on a prominent role in sales in the year 2012 and has never looked back.
Akhil has been in the industry for over 24 years and he vouches that a career in sales is one of the most interesting roles that anyone can take up.
Here are the main takeaways from our conversation.
What are the 3 important traits that every salesperson should develop?
Based on Akhil’s vast experience, he believes that these are the top 3 traits that sales reps need to possess:
a) Never give up on an opportunity
This is one of the foremost attributes necessary in sales. Be persistent, look for the exceptions and find ways to convince your client and convert the opportunity into a deal.
b) Don’t be afraid to have conversations
Get into a conversation keeping your ego aside and not letting yourself feel insulted at any point in time. Instead, take the lead and drive the conversation.
“Keep your ego back at home… Be ready to have straightforward or straight-jacketed conversations”
c) Communicate effectively
Communication is one of the most important traits required in sales. Your lead will convert into an opportunity depending on the kind of message you put out. Give careful thought to your messaging especially if it is written communication.
How to overcome setbacks in sales?
Salespeople are expected to bring in business day after day and quarter after quarter; and if they fail, companies start losing confidence in them. On the contrary, Akhil believes that companies must treat sales reps as exceptional resources.
There are times when salespeople face rejection and failure. It’s important to analyse what went wrong in these situations, correct yourself and get back to building more opportunities.
“Believe in the resource and then the resource can look at what to do next “
As a sales leader, what’s the process to make a team successful?
Here are some tips from Akhil on how sales leaders can steer their teams to success:
- You should be exemplary in your contribution and lead your team by example.
- Let your team members know that they are not alone and they can reach out to you whenever required.
- Share your expertise that can help them in their journey.
- Create boundaries for your reps but encourage them to take initiatives and explore opportunities for success.
” A sales leader is an ambassador of his company, internally’.
How has the sales process changed over the last couple of years?
The telecom, media and technology sectors have seen considerable change over the years. Akhil pointed out that there is a convergence of sorts now and they operate from a cohesive space.
With the advent of the digital transformation, conversations with customers have changed. Owing to the pandemic, more and more companies are open to having hard talks and negotiations with clients on video conferencing platforms which was a strict no-no a few years ago.
Pro tips for those who are starting their career in sales
- Keep learning and equipping yourself
- Follow industry trends and be a thought leader
- It’s never too late to get into sales
“In sales you have to tell yourself that you can only sell if you understand the product well, understand the capability well and understand the service well”.
Our conversation on the episode ended with an exciting rapid-fire round. Go give this episode a listen to gain powerful insights on sales.