BlogLife At TruecallerLife as a Sales Director at Truecaller

Life as a Sales Director at Truecaller

Josefin Täfvander

Aug 2, 20184 min read

Working in sales can be stressful, intense and challenging. But most of all it’s fun, it develops you as a person and gives the opportunity to get to know a lot of interesting people. One day is never the same as the previous and you learn new things every day.

We spoke with our two Sales Director, Madhuri, and Clyde, to get their input on day-to-day activities of running the sales department at Truecaller. The main purpose for having a sales team at Truecaller is to help sell advertising space within the app. Our sales team deals with big brands, and also has a self-serve advertising platform for small businesses.

This would work with something called ‘roadblocks,’ which means the company works with big brands’ campaigns for Truecaller’s ad networks. Much like what you’d see on other social media or ad platforms.

Want to advertise with Truecaller? Here is how…

When people hear the term sales director they primarily think about just sales. And yes, a sales director is, of course, working with sales but it is about so much more than that. It’s about sewing the seeds for relationships and picking them carefully.

In the end, sales is about earning money for the company. However, earning money is not about getting the customer to buy product A or B. It is about building the market together from scratch. A sales director at Truecaller must be educated about Truecaller and get partners to understand the benefit of using our services.

Truecaller is a fast-growing company in a forever changing market which is demanding, but that gives uprise for endless opportunities. This requires a lot of multitasking and working in a dynamic environment. It can be good to keep in mind that most of the finest deals you can make will go through fires. Do not give up.

 

Screenshot 2018-08-02 15.15.26

 

How to be successful in Sales

Sales is more about the personality and how you position yourself and your product than just being good and selling.

  1. You need to have a thick skin: It is a demanding job which requires you to speak to multiple stakeholders with various problems. Since you are the face of the organization, you are also responsible to solve the problems and deliver solutions.
  2. Always be calm and patient: Even if you do not deliver your numbers, you need to stay strong to get out of the cycle.
  3. Priority: Probably the most important thing. Don’t spend too much time on things is the secret to success. Make sure going after the right people and talking to the right person within the company.
  4. Be observative: Visualize problems on a personal level. It gives more insight and better understanding of how to solve problems.
  5. Understand the product, technology, and platform. Bring together fragments from the product to create a unique value proposition. Understand how the platform works if you are selling something intangible, like an app.

The average day for the sales team in India

A normal day usually starts with a cup of coffee and prioritizing of the day. The India market doesn’t wake up until 10:30 so the first meeting is not before 11:00, but after 11:00 the day is full of sales meetings, phone calls and coordination with our colleagues at our Stockholm office.

There are also differences between regions in India as well which a sales director needs to adapt after. The western part of India, Mumbai included, is more data-driven and extremely professional. They will do what has been proven to work in the past. While the southern part is more relaxed and you need to go after your potential partners to get the sale. In the northern part of India, we see a more relationship oriented and it is important to build trust with your partners. If you know the ecosystem of where you operate, you can get the boat sailing, which we have managed to do.

  • Don’t judge people the first time you meet them, or on the bases of what you hear about them.
  • An oral agreement is not enough. Make sure to have solid documentation for everything.
  • Love the medium. Believe in the solution and be honest with yourself and your clients

Meet the Sales Directors

madhuri-edit
Madhuri – Sales Director in Commercial, Gurgaon

Madhuri was born in Delhi, she studied in Mumbai and moved back again to Delhi for work. Madhuri enhances the sense of security when living in Mumbai. Things are familiar, her friends and family are there and she really enjoys living in the city.

When Madhuri is not working, she spends time with family, friends and her dog. Whenever she wants to disconnect herself from work for a while, she takes a long walk with her dog and leave her work phone at home. After a long walk, she prefers to watch Netflix series with her husband.

clyde-sales-team (30 of 1)
Clyde – Sales Director in Commercial, Mumbai (second from right)

Clyde describes himself as a part of the sand and soil of Mumbai. He was born there and has during his life moved around in the city many times. The best things about living in Mumbai are, according to Clyde, the people and the energy. Even though people are busy, you just feel like you belong. He says that it is not possible to find that energy and hospitality anywhere else in the world.

Clyde likes to get his hand dirty in his free time. He doesn’t hire a craftsman when something needs to be fixed around the house, he does it himself. He writes short stories and love painting with his son. He even claims that even though he is not a professional painter, he could make a living out of it.

If you’re interested in joining our team, visit our career’s page!


Keep reading