Where the commercial instinct started

Before marketing, I sold. Three years in sales and marketing at Smart Tech taught me what customers actually say when you ask them to buy, and gave me my first team.

Company: Smart Tech Pvt. Ltd., Dhaka
Roles: Sales Marketing Executive → Senior Sales Marketing Executive
When: Mar 2015 – Apr 2018

Context

I started in March 2015, presenting products and services to prospects through outbound calls and face-to-face meetings, finding new business and looking after existing clients.

What I did

Promoted to Senior Sales Marketing Executive within 16 months, after strong performance in client retention and sales.
Managed and mentored a team of five Sales Executives, supporting client retention and service standards.
Refined sales strategies and processes to improve team output, and consistently hit sales targets until handover in April 2018.

Results

16 moFrom executive to senior, with team responsibilityInternal promotion
5Sales Executives managed and mentoredSenior role, Jul 2016 – Apr 2018

Self-reported.

What it shows

Marketers who’ve never sold tend to over-value attention. Selling face to face taught me that the hard part is the last step: the objection, the hesitation, the “let me think about it”. I’ve designed marketing around that moment ever since.

At a glance

Sector: Technology sales
Gap closed: conversation → sale