A Global Outlook on Sales Talent | Asaf Cohen, VP of Sales at Bria
Global expansion, irrespective of tumultuous economic conditions, continues to be on the cards for many firms. But navigating the is never a linear process, and comes with no generic manual. In a recent episode of Tech Salescraft, Asaf Cohen, VP of Sales at Bria, imparts his knowledge on the growth journey, equipping us with guidance and tools that will aid us in weathering an exciting, yet uncertain, point of progression for any company. Deploying anecdotal evidence from his time in the military, then time in the sales space, Asaf offers us a masterclass in what it means to excel on a global stage amidst fierce competition.
“Irrespective of their physical location, the best sales people always possess the same characteristics. Acknowledging these characteristics in the foundations of your interview process is key to ensuring you’re able to replicate your high performance culture on a global scale.”
For Asaf, understanding a global sales language is paramount when looking to scale across continents. How do you identify these? A task. A typical conversational style interview is not enough for Asaf to expose the key traits he’s looking for when expanding his sales team. The task typically resembles a classic sales pitch and asks the candidate to pitch a product to 2-4 “investors”. Their response to this task, and their ability to understand and implement it in a real-world setting, is often highly revealing. Asaf states the key traits he looks for are:
- They need to be team players: the lone wolf mentality does not suffice and Asaf would favour a team player over a high performing solo individual.
- Possess grit
- Be curious
- Be brave: have the audacity to ask the right questions even if it’s direct, awkward, or you’re unsure of what the answer may be
Identifying these characteristics throughout the interview process puts Asaf in good standing to make the right hiring decisions for his team.
And a crucial point from Asaf: always factor in time to allow candidates to ask the recruiter/hiring party questions. Having candidates ask questions is often also indicative of which of the traits they posses, and a good insight into their mindset, thought process, and current opinion of the role.
Thank you Asaf for joining us on Tech Salescraft- this is a truly brilliant insight into what it takes to excel on a global stage.