Sales In Asia

Japan is notoriously one the hardest markets for foreign companies to crack. But great rewards await those who commit to it! Allan Teng,  co-founder of Workato APAC and General Manager/VP of Workato Japan, to unpacks what it actually takes to win Japan as an outsider. He breaks down why “speed comes after trust” isn’t just a cultural observation but an operational principle that should reshape how...

“Culture” and “cultivate” share the same root word. But culture just doesn’t appear overnight. It needs to thoughtfully cultivated. So, what does it actually take to build a high-performing sales culture in Asia? Charlene Tan , Head of Asia at Qualtrics and a 20-year veteran of Oracle, SAP, Workday and Splunk, doesn’t hold back. In this conversation, she breaks down the behaviors that silently mak...

As a leader, your teams trust only what they see, feel and observe, not what they are told. Take it from someone who has scaled and led teams in Asia, not as an outsider but who sets examples by getting his hands dirty. Charles Ferguson  is a seasoned business leader, entrepreneur and growth advisor in Asia with an impressive 30 year career with Intel, Microsoft, SalesForce, SAP, ADP and GP.  He g...

Indonesia isn’t just a country. It’s an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and is the world’s 4th most populous country. Here, the B2B sales pipeline doesn’t operate as seamlessly as one would expect. We unpack “The Sales Pipeline Illusion” featuring insights from  Kidung Ajisurya , Sales Director (Industry) for South East Asia at Bureau Veritas. We discuss why seemingly healthy pipelines oft...

Korea, the 14th largest economy in the world, the 4th in Asia.  With boundless opportunities, the one-size-fits-all sales process doesn’t work here. That’s because B2B selling hits different with Chaebols, SMEs and foreign-led enterprises. Professor JJ Song , a leading Sales Management expert, an entrepreneur and sales educator in Korea and around the world, reveals some secrets to navigate Korea....

Sales has changed dramatically over the past decades. Buyers are more informed than ever, technology is reshaping how and what companies sell, but B2B selling is still very much a human to human engagement. In this episode,   Philip Yim , Managing Director of Kärcher Singapore & Malaysia expounds on what has changed, what hasn’t and what it takes to succeed in the modern B2B environment. He sh...

Startups need funds - to start, to grow and to sustain. But what makes a start-up Investable? And why do founders' perception of their own value often exceed those of the investors? Our guest Dr Yong Hsin Ning mentors and coach start-ups to help them more investable. With more than 20 years in Change Management consulting, academia as a faculty and adjunct Professor and entrepreneurship, she s...

What are the ingredients to driving successful change? How different are they in Japan, Malaysia or Singapore? Is a motivated staff sufficient for change to happen? Our guest this is week is KL Loh, the Country Head of Ricoh Singapore. With over 30 years of industry experience, and more than 20 as a change leader. KL shares his journey, experience and advise in driving change.

We conclude our chat with Jeremy with his perspectives on "Start-up Sales in a Downturn". Among them: How deeply do VC get involved in sales strategy and operation South East Asian startups are facing a double whammy of expensive Sales talent, and the lack of talent in tech sales. How can startup navigate that? What should sales professionals consider before joining a start up?

Is Sales a skill that Founders need to succeed? Do start-ups need a sales team? Can they afford one? The easy money is gone and VC funds and investors are holding back and start-ups are under pressure to prioritize revenue despite the challenging climate. How can they succeed? Jeremy Au, VC and Chief of Staff at Monk's Hill Ventures shares a ton of great advice from his days as a Founder and &...

We conclude this series on "Leading Sales In Asia" with Manish Jethra, Director of Sales, APAC of Oracle. In part 3,  He offers thought provoking advise to sales leaders and sales professionals in this challenging climate. What leaders should consider when hiring Why differentiating Cash and Budget is key to opening new sales opportunities What sellers affected by lay-offs should and shouldn'...

In this episode, we continue our chat with Manish Jethra, Director of Sales, APAC of Oracle. In Part 2 of "Leading Sales In Asia", Manish shares: How Oracle prepares its employees to work better across cultures How Technology is used to bridge to gap between cultures Valuable tips on landing and expanding in Asia and  Knowing the difference between hiring for a job and career development as a...

We speak with Manish Jethra, Director of Sales, APAC of Oracle, a leading technology company offering software, cloud and IT solutions. Manish is a 16 year veteran in Oracle who started in sales before leading sales teams in India,EMEA and now in Asia. In this 3 part series, we discuss "Leading Sales in Asia". We'll tap his perspectives, insights and stories about His journey from Tech to Sales an...

We wrap up our chat with David Nevin, a President of Schaeffler on "Selling in South East Asia Pacific - A region of diversity" and we discuss: How Schaeffler kept with customer engagement and what the future holds Whether Regional roles will diminish in importance when selling in Asia. How Schaeffler prepared itself for the future and Some sound advise for Sales Professionals in a downturn.

In this episode, we continue our chat with David Nevin, a President of Schaeffler on "Selling in South East Asia Pacific - A region of diversity" This episode is full of great insights from David about: Secrets to successfully hiring and developing sales talent. How Schaeffler managed to keep everyone during the pandemic Keys to successfully hiring and developing sales talent Managing work from ho...

In this episode, we speak with David Nevin, a President with Schaeffler, a leading global supplier to the automotive and industrial sectors. David heads the Industrial and Aerospace business for South East Asia and Asia Pacific region respectively. In part 1 of 3 of "Selling in South East Asia Pacific - A Region of Diversity", David shares his journey from Engineering to Sales, his views on the be...

In this episode, we conclude our conversation with Robin Ong, Senior VP of HR for LF Logistics on "Navigating Diversity in Asia" from a HR perspective. Among other things, we ask Robin: What does localization really mean? Is it really necessary? Isn't on-boarding the same as 'induction'? Do we really need 100 days? Tough times are ahead - what do sellers need to invest in? We'll also hear Robin's...

How deeply do HR get involved in sales besides the hiring? Do they really understand sales and sales people? What's so interesting about HR roles? How has it evolved? Why are Asian sellers slower on the uptake of tech? These are a few of the questions we discuss with  Robin Ong, Senior Vice President of HR fforLF Logistics. LF Logistics is a leading logistics company based out of Hong Kong. L...

We conclude our conversation with Andrew on a light hearted note with a series of quick-fire questions. I will also share a preview of future shows featuring sales, HR, business and organization leaders in Asia! We hope you've enjoyed the show. Please stay tuned as we speak with more practitioners and professionals in the coming days To connect with Andrew on Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in...

In this episode, we continue our conversation with Andrew Shuttleworth of Agorize on the topic "Startups and Innovation in Asia". We now know there isn't quite a startup winter, merely a cycle.  After all, we survived and have come a long way from the Dot Com bust, only to be hit and recover from the great financial crisis. But to remain the new silicon valley of the world, what should the st...

Any amount of data will show you that Asia's tech, innovation and scene is still well positioned for strong growth. This despite the recent tech lay-offs and gloomy economic outlook. But capital is certainly more selective and are even more demanding. So, what do start ups need to watch out for? In the first episode of Sales In Asia, we speak with Andrew Shuttleworth, the head of Business Developm...

Sales In Asia explores the practice, science, and art of selling in the dynamic and diverse Asian market. Hear from experts, professionals, and leaders in sales, marketing, and business as they will share insights, experiences, and advice on how to navigate and succeed in this complex region. Learn what works and what won't, how to navigate culture, how Asian buyers and sellers differ and why it m...