“Strong negotiation skills coupled with a good hold on data analytics are crucial in order to do well as a sales professional”, says Sahil Garg, Senior Manager – Business Development at Flipkart

In conversation with Mr. Sahil Garg, Senior Manager – Business Development @ Flipkart.

Please tell us a little about your professional & academic background. What responsibilities does your designation entail?

I am an Engineer (with Hons) and have done my MBA from Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD), being a part of the 2013 batch. Post my MBA, I joined Vodafone through their ‘Discover Graduate Program’, did a few stints at Kolkata, Tamil Nadu and Bangalore before moving to L’Oréal. Currently, I am working at Flipkart as part of the Large Appliances and TV category with core emphasis on Business Development.

What is the single most important skill that you think is required to do well as a sales professional?

I firmly believe that strong negotiation skills coupled with a good hold on data analytics are crucial in order to do well as a sales professional.

What drove you to choose a career in sales and what motivates you to go to work every day? Is it the numbers?

Numbers definitely do hold the largest appeal for me! But there is a lot more to it than just numbers. It is the penchant to learn something new every day, both on and off the field and interacting with new people on a daily basis which attracts me to this profession!

Tell us about any critical project that you’ve handled and what were your main takeaways from it?

I handled Tamil Nadu’s upcountry market, despite my language barrier. The territory achieved a growth rate 23.4% – highest in the South Indian market at that point of time. What this experience taught me was that instead of going all over the place, it is wiser to target the low hanging fruit with the help of data analysis, to achieve better and more plausible targets.

What are the different methodologies/techniques used or implemented by you to stay ahead of the curve in the field of sales?

Constantly learning and adapting yourself to the ever changing on-field experiences is crucial as there is no substitute for it. Efforts to interact with most of the stakeholders across the domain, keeping a track of the competition and evolving with the time are my techniques to stay sharp in this competitive field of work!

Rapid fire

Describe working at Flipkart in one sentence.

There’s only one word for it – Dynamic!

Your Hobbies/Interests?

I enjoy reading business articles, playing badminton and going for long drives.

If not in the current profession, you would have been?

Either I would have opened a chain of restaurants or would have become a part of the education sector.

Ways to unwind or relax?

Listening to some good music, catching up with friends and relatives.