The Productiva Group set foot into formal knowledge building and sharing on 13th February 2021 through an engaging interactive session with Mr. Amit Agarwal, the author of “The Ultimate Sales Accelerator” and the current ‘Head of Sales – Asia’ for Algonomy, a global leader in customer engagement, an organization that helps power digital strategies for retails and brands.

The session began with introducing Mr. Amit Agarwal to the entire team that comprised of employees of the Productiva Group viz Productiva IT Solutions, WK Associates and Optimo Talent Management. There were 33 participants. The Productiva Group primarily works towards bringing together the right fit of people talent and organisations for long-term relationships that meet the individual’s career objectives and the organization’s goals.

We, Productiva as a Group of companies, engage significantly with our clients in Sales Leadership Hiring. This interactive workshop with Amit was a true eye opener. Amit took us through fine details of how to judge a good profile , apart from answering queries on- What does a Hiring Manager look for in a Sales profile, What is the fine demarcation that differentiates various top level roles in Sales, and finally the openness to diversity culture in Sales abroad as against the rigid need for relevant experience all along for a Sales professional in India.

There were many attendees who were privy to Sales and the Sales hiring concepts for the first time. Queries and challenges faced by a few during the leadership search process were more than satisfactorily addressed by Amit, leaving room for more knowledge sharing events in the future. Some attendees who have been working in Sales hiring got a better understanding, while all of us felt more confident and clear about the concepts and the process, through this session.

Amit’s ability to share examples from the industry and insight from his rich experience has got many of us further interested into understanding this vast topic of Sales be it – profiles, skill-sets, understanding various roles/leaders and delving into the reasons behind the challenges we have come up against while hiring Leaders for Sales in the past. A few attendees are already onto the book, authored by Amit.

Amit shared important points to look for in a profile be it a resume or on LinkedIn. He touched upon inbound and outbound sales, video prospecting, email composition & communication, sales pitching , copywriting and expertise in various aspects to look out for in a potential Sales Hiree.

The fine line between roles in the higher hierarchy of sales can be tricky for a market research associate or a sourcer. Amit used metrics and explained the demarcation between roles like PreSales, Sales Enablement, Sales Hunter, Client Partner, Customer Success, Account Manager, Partner, Associate Partner etc. The interactive presentation that had the interest and enthusiastic participation of entire audience, not only addressed queries and educated them, but also awakened new interest to further their learning and curiosity in the Sales hiring field.

Though our session was planned for ‘Sales – Knowledge Sharing’ , ever single participant took home a very important lesson that was embedded in the conclusion. The depth and spectrum of Amit’s experience was highlighted through the conclusion of his talk that gave deep insight into the nature of any endeavor in life. This lesson smudged the lines between professional life and the rest, as if personifying the talent of a Salesperson – where some of the sales-work is what you learn and gather and a significant bit of it is who you inherently are as a person.

The Conclusion of Shradhdha, Sabri and Sadhana being the path to Success or Surrender which finally culminates in Contentment; was a philosophy that really resonated with the entire audience.

To explain Amit’s message and belief – one must have faith and patience as one works sincerely towards one’s goal. Success is the natural outcome of one’s patient efforts coupled with undying faith. However; if you must fail to achieve what you measure as Success, do not be disheartened by the outcome, but Surrender to the outcome towards which you have given all your energy and hard work.

Be it so called Success or Surrender – the final destination will be Contentment that will stem from your own contribution to the journey, and ‘Contentment’ is all that shall matter in the end.

While understanding aspects to effective Sales Hiring is the need for one of the many important things we do; repeated failures, inability to find the exact talent/leader, confusion whilst understanding the exact requirement, response rate etc. can be factors that pull one down and exert pressure. In work that sees an instance of being in such a state often, the lessons of ‘Shradhdha , Sabri and Sadhana’ will go a long way in helping our organization and its young resilient team meet and excel in its goal of building long-term relationships with People and Organisations.

Through such a wonderful start with a session by a Sales Leader, Salespreneur – Mr. Amit Agarwal, the Productiva Group looks forward to growing and learning through many more valuable contributions by wonderful, accomplished Leaders from the IT and Sales Industry.