From uncovering buyer's true pain points to building trust and rapport, discovery calls are the foundation of higher deal closure rates, accurate forecasting, and overall sales success.

In this episode of Asia Growth Forecast, HubSpot's SEA Sales Director, Romka Walkowiak and HubSpot's Principal Sales Manager, Madison Carmody dive into the world of discovery calls and the nuances of running a good discovery call in Asia. They break down and analyze what makes a good discovery call, providing frameworks to follow and sharing valuable lessons learned from listening to snippets of real-life discovery calls. Tune in to gain insights on how to optimize your discovery calls, enhance your sales process, and drive exceptional sales outcomes in this region.

Mentions: Gong's analysis on the Highest Converting Talk-to-Listen Ratio in Sales, Based on 25,537 Sales Calls

Connect with Madison Carmody at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madisoncarmody/

Connect with Romka Walkowiak at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romka-walkowiak

Thank you for tuning into Asia Growth Forecast! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (so you never miss an episode)! If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://ratethispodcast.com/asiagrowthforecast and share your favorite episodes with friends.

With economic uncertainty on the rise, companies in Asia are taking a closer look at their spending decisions and involving more decision makers in the process. One of the key players in purchase decisions is the CFO. In 2023, CFOs hold more power than ever, managing costs, slashing budgets, and seeking new ways to do more with less. So, how can sales professionals win over these influential power players in the Asian market?

In this episode, we sit down with Christophe Randy, an industry expert with sales & leadership experience across EMEA and Asia in companies like Microsoft, PayPal, Panopto, and Linkfluence. Together with Christophe, we'll dive into what goes on in the mind of an Asian CFO, understanding their priorities, and uncovering the secrets to building stronger relationships with Asian CFOs, so you can drive sales success, even in these challenging times!

Mentions:

ROI calculator: https://www.hubspot.com/roi-calculator/sales

EY CFO Survey 2023: https://www.ey.com/en_sg/cfo-agenda/dna-of-the-cfo-survey

The rise of Generative AI in APAC: https://www.hubspot.com/apac/resources/aiproductivity-in-apac

Bowtie funnel (Winning by Design) - https://winningbydesign.com/resources/videos/the-data-model/

Connect with Christophe Randy at https://www.linkedin.com/in/crandy/

Connect with the hosts - Romka Walkowiak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romka-walkowiak and Adarsh Noronha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adarshnoronha/

Thank you for tuning into Asia Growth Forecast! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (so you never miss an episode)! If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends.

In this episode, we speak to HubSpot's top sales reps in Asia to divulge their secrets on consistently surpassing sales quotas and earning a spot in the prestigious President's Club. We also dive into a Sales Manager perspective on how to coach their team to success and maximise their chances to reach President's Club.

From overcoming performance improvement plans (PIPs) to achieving superstar status, our guests break down the strategies, mindset shifts, and daily habits that have propelled them to success during market booms as well during market downturns. Whether you're a seasoned sales professional, a sales leader, or just starting your career, this podcast will equip you with the tools and motivation to crush your sales goals year after year!

Connect with Usman Hijazi at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/usmanhijazi/

Connect with Edward Pang at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-pang/

Connect with Madison Carmody at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madisoncarmody/

Connect with Adarsh Noronha at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adarshnoronha/

Thank you for tuning into Asia Growth Forecast! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (so you never miss an episode)! If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://ratethispodcast.com/asiagrowthforecast and share your favorite episodes with friends.

SMBs are the heart of Asia's economy. They make up more than 96% of all Asian businesses, providing two out of three private-sector jobs in the region. Winning in Asia means cracking the code of how to sell to SMBs. But SMB is a tough segment to crack -- dispersed audience, lower budgets and ACV, and the demand for immediate gratification often make the growth equation tricky.

In this episode, we speak to Sanjiv Razdan, the Global Head of SME Business & B2B Commercial Payments at Instarem (Nium). With over hundreds of SME clients across various industries ranging from manufacturing, trading, logistics, fuel, payroll services, consulting services and more, Nium has a longstanding track record of successfully serving SMBs. Together with Sanjiv, we explore the SMB opportunity in Asia, key differences between selling to SMBs versus enterprises, and how to win the SMB market in this region.

Mentions:

https://www.adb.org/publications/role-smes-asia-and-their-difficulties-accessing-finance

https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/smb-sales

Connect with Sanjiv Razdan at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjiv-razdan-44b2b012/

Connect with the hosts at Romka Walkowiak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romka-walkowiak and Adarsh Noronha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adarshnoronha/

Thank you for tuning into Asia Growth Forecast! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (so you never miss an episode)! If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://ratethispodcast.com/asiagrowthforecast and share your favorite episodes with friends.

Looking to take your SaaS business to the next level? Scaling your sales team is a non-negotiable step to keep smashing revenue and growth goals. But let's be real, it's easier said than done, especially in the multifaceted Asian market where fragmented markets and cultural nuances add an few extra layers of complexity.

Get ready for an eye-opening episode as we sit down with Scott Pugh, the APAC VP of Sales at Figma and a seasoned pro who has successfully scaled the Asia region for a number of global brands like Mixpanel and LinkedIn. Together with Scott, we dive into the challenges and strategies of scaling a SaaS sales team in the diverse and competitive Asian market. From creating the dream team and scouting top sales talent for each phase of growth, to coaching and empowering your sales force, we leave no stone unturned. And of course – we also dive into building a team culture that acts as the foundation for success, and how to avoid potential pitfalls & navigate cultural complexities in this region.

Connect with Scott Pugh at https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottapugh/

Connect with the hosts at Romka Walkowiak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romka-walkowiak and Adarsh Noronha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adarshnoronha/

Thank you for tuning into Asia Growth Forecast! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (so you never miss an episode)! If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://ratethispodcast.com/asiagrowthforecast and share your favorite episodes with friends.

The interaction between buyers and sellers have been evolving over decades. Brands evolved from opting for a cookie cutter approach to a hyper personalised approach to keep up with customer demands. Today, we live in a world where buyers will settle for nothing less than seamless hybrid interactions. In fact, a recent report by LinkedIn shows that 30% of sellers in APAC have closed deals over $500,000 without ever meeting the buyer face-to-face.

In this episode, we have Uma Thana Balasingham who is the Vice President of the Partner & Commercial Organization for Asia Pacific & Japan at VMware. With more than 20 years’ experience in across both emerging and mature markets, Uma has seen the evolution of Sales play out right in front of her eyes. Together with Uma, we will dive into how sales in Asia has evolved over the last few years, what changes are here to stay and what’s not working anymore, and how you can power your sales teams for the next decade of growth.

Mentions:

LinkedIn State of Sales Report 2022: https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/b2b-sales-strategy-guides/the-state-of-sales-2022-apac-edition

The state of tech and customer experience in APAC: https://offers.hubspot.com/apac-technology-and-cx-report

Connect with the guest, Uma Thana Balasingham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana/

Connect with the hosts at Romka Walkowiak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romka-walkowiak and Adarsh Noronha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adarshnoronha/

Thank you for tuning into Asia Growth Forecast! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (so you never miss an episode)! If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://ratethispodcast.com/asiagrowthforecast and share your favorite episodes with friends.

Some of the most successful and influential SaaS companies include channel sales in their go-to-market strategy. Partner programs can help you expand into new markets and rapidly scale your sales efforts by leveraging your partners’ existing connections and credibility. But building a channel sales program requires a solid understanding of the market and nuances on how businesses operate in the region.

In this episode, we are joined by Andrew Baisley, the Head of Southeast Asia and APJ Channel Partnerships at Asana. Andrew comes with 20+ years of sales experience in diverse sectors such as media, advertising and enterprise software. Today, Andrew is responsible for Asana's overall business in Southeast Asia and their sales-assisted GTM motions via channel partners in South Asia, North Asia, Japan and Australia.

Together with Andrew, we explore when a channel program is the right fit for your GTM, what it takes to design a successful channel sales program in Asia, and common mistakes to avoid along the way.

Recommended reads: State of Partner Ops and Program report https://offers.hubspot.com/state-of-partner-ops-and-programs-2022

Connect with Andrew Baisley at https://www.linkedin.com/in/baisley/

Connect with the hosts at Romka Walkowiak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romka-walkowiak and Adarsh Noronha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adarshnoronha/

Thank you for tuning into Asia Growth Forecast! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (so you never miss an episode)! If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://ratethispodcast.com/asiagrowthforecast and share your favorite episodes with friends.

Sales is tough enough as it is but during a market downturn such as a looming recession, it's an even bumpier ride. Your potential customers are in budget cutting mode. They evaluate new purchases differently and with greater scrutiny. Your warm leads may have been laid off or moved to a safer industry. But as a salesperson, you still have to grow your pipeline and hit your numbers against all odds and as a sales leader you have to set the right strategies to maximize your team’s efforts.

In this episode, HubSpot Asia's Sales Directors, who have more than three decades of combined experience in sales and leadership, share lessons from their journey and provide actionable tips on navigating a market downturn.

Mentions: LinkedIn State of Sales Report APAC 2022 https://business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions/b2b-sales-strategy-guides/the-state-of-sales-2022-apac-edition

Yamini Rangan's interview with SaaStr https://www.saastr.com/10-learnings-from-yamini-rangan-ceo-of-hubspot/

Connect with the hosts:

Romka Walkowiak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romka-walkowiak

Adarsh Noronha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adarshnoronha/

Thank you for tuning into Asia Growth Forecast! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherver you get your podcast (so you never miss an episode)! If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends.

Southeast Asia may be clubbed as one region in global reports but anyone who has stepped foot here knows that there is no “SEA”. Each market is unique in its cultural and socioeconomic nuances, offering plenty of opportunities for brands who understand how to communicate their value proposition to a varied set of audiences. Very few brands are as familiar with these nuances as Aspire, one of the fastest growing fintechs in Southeast Asia.

Aspire was founded in 2018 and since then has raised a total of almost $300 million dollars from well known VCs such as Sequoia Capital, Massmutual Ventures, B Capital Group, and Lightspeed Ventures, to fuel their ambition of becoming an “end-to-end financial operating system” for Southeast Asian businesses.

In this episode, we talk to Thomas Jeng who is currently the General Manager of Aspire and formerly the head of Sales at Aspire. Prior to Aspire, Thomas has led commercial and strategy teams at 500 Startups, Gnowbe, and Appworks. He has also mentored hundreds of startups across SEA and has worn the hat of a consultant with BCG and Gartner at the beginning of his career. Thomas’s career has spanned from Washington DC to Taipei to Silicon Valley and now to Singapore.

Together with Thomas, we explore the similarities and differences between various markets in Southeast Asia, the importance of audience segmentation and how to get it right, how to set up your teams, systems and processes for selling into SEA, and ultimately how to run a sales team in a high growth organization.

Mentions: Stuart Butterfield's essay on category creation https://medium.com/@stewart/we-dont-sell-saddles-here-4c59524d650d

Connect with Thomas Jeng at https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasjeng/ .

Connect with the hosts: Romka Walkowiak: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romka-walkowiak and Adarsh Noronha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adarshnoronha/

Thank you for tuning into Asia Growth Forecast! Don’t forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you get your podcast (so you never miss an episode)! If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share your favorite episodes with friends.

Welcome to Asia Growth Forecast by HubSpot. In this podcast, HubSpot’s Sales Directors invite Asia’s top sales leaders for an unfiltered conversation on how to build a successful sales strategy and grow your business in Asia. Hear from sales leaders at Aspire, VMWare, Asana, Nium and more as we uncover the secret sauce behind their sales motion, lessons learnt from selling across diverse markets, and what it takes to win the hearts & minds of buyers in this region. Whether you’re a sales leader looking for new ways to grow your company’s revenue, a sales professional aspiring to crush your sales quota, or an entrepreneur looking to grow your business in Asia, you’ll discover actionable insights that can be applied right away.

Available starting Monday, June 12 onwards wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to the show to get the latest updates!