The Sales People Podcast: Episode 3 - Learning How to sell first, Then Becoming a success entrepreneur

In this week's episode of The Sales People Podcast, Ben and Liam explore the art of building a resilient sales function and adapting to the seasonal fluctuations of the Middle Eastern market. They’re joined by Alistair, co-founder of Tiller, who brings valuable insights from his journey from individual contributor to sales leader across companies like Perkbox, Doctify, and now Tiller.

Alistair shares his strategies for navigating the summer slow season, finding the right communication modes for closing deals, and building a data-driven sales culture. His perspective on cultural differences in sales between the UK, UAE, and Germany gives a unique look into adapting sales techniques for different markets.

Plus, we dive into:

• Alistair’s transition from selling loyalty cards to co-founding a company focused on CRM automation and real-time sales guidance.
• The importance of resilience when scaling a sales team and managing rejection as a founder.
• How to leverage data to structure sales training and drive better results.
• His top advice for maintaining balance: “Persistence is key, but happiness in persistence is even more crucial.”

Alistair also answers quick-fire questions on weekend work, the value of networking, and building a thriving pipeline.

Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Introduction and recap of Episode 2

04:16 Alistair’s sales journey and the shift to sales leadership

09:36 The challenge of managing rejection as a founder

17:13 Scaling from startup to a 300+ team

25:29 Cultural nuances in UAE sales and hiring

31:37 Building a data-driven sales function at Tiller

35:19 Weekend balance and switching off

39:12 Structuring a resilient pipeline

Follow The Sales People Podcast on Spotify, iTunes, and all major platforms for more episodes featuring sales professionals across the Middle East.

Connect with us:

• LinkedIn: The Sales People Podcast
• Instagram: @thesalespeoplepodcast
• TikTok: @thesalespeoplepodcast
• YouTube: The Sales People Podcast

For more sales stories and insights, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us for episode highlights and more content.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.