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Being the Head of Sales at the Platipus company, what is your biggest advice to young specialists, whose careers have just started?
Expertise is power. Don't try to grasp everything at once, it does not work like that. Start from your niche, become an expert at it, and grow from there. It's called T-shaped growth and it is really what all accomplished senior executives look for when they hire. If you will look at the market you will find a lot of junior sales representatives who claim that "they can do everything". You will scarcely find sales representatives who are good at their specific areas and products that are ready to grow into product owners. Because they already did so.
How does the sales department work at the gambling company differ from any other sector? Are there any special tips on how to increase sales in gaming provider companies?
Connections determine everything. The B2B sector of gambling is relatively small, and everyone knows each other. Of course, there is a field for lead generation, but you already know the main platforms/operators/aggregators you are aiming to work with. Getting a Tier-1 client onboard is crucial. Once you have that market leader, everyone else will follow suit. The catch? It is not easy to get a Tier-1 client, not easy at all. Whether you can even reach the person who makes a decision will depend entirely on the connections that you have made.
What is the current top list of the technology innovations used in the Sales department?
Mostly still old good CRM systems and client automatization processes. AI and Machine Learning at the current stage are more painful than beneficial.
Do you have any of the unique and effective techniques that you used in your career? What is your special approach to work?
Negotiation is an art. Compromise implies both parties stand up from the table being rather satisfied with the outcome. Coercion and manipulation are only effective in the short term and generally are not a sustainable business model. Always be polite, no matter what level of seniority you are talking to. And if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. If a specialist can understand these five key principles, they are ready to succeed in the iGaming business.
As a Head of Sales, how do you keep your team motivated?
Every Friday is a mandatory lambada day, where those who have not met their weekly targets must dance for at least 15 minutes... Jokes aside, I believe in leading by example. I never delegate tasks that I am unable to tackle myself. As senior management, my objective is to enable my team. I perform a more representative and controlling function. I provide my team with a strategy. A direction in which we will be moving. If there is something that I do not understand myself, I do not simply make it anyone else's problem. I seek a solution so that if my team encounters a similar problem, I already know how to tackle it. In short, it is not my job to keep them motivated. My job is to make sure that they have every tool at their disposal to succeed. The rest is up to them.
With a clear increase in demand for remote work, has it become difficult to keep the entire team efficient and motivated, even online?
It's all about trust and trust and building personal relationships. If you know your employees are busy and doing their best, you do not need fancy software to spy on their desktops. And this trust comes full circle. When your employees know that they do matter, they really don't want to let you down. And it's not about the concern of that performance bonus, fear of being scolded or hitting those monthly targets. It's about people genuinely caring for each other. Being in a senior management position does not elevate me above them. We all work as a part of a team and we all have roles to play out. By the way, cutting those 2 hours on having to get to and from the office actually allows us to improve that messed up sleeping schedule.
What are the top requirements for the candidates in the sales department at the gaming company? How have the requirements changed over the past years?
Personal connections, knowledge of foreign languages, and interpersonal skills. The more people you know in the business the easier it will be to build connections. The more languages you know, the better understanding of markets you can get. And, of course, not having any major character flaws really helps out to bond with the team. The requirements were much tighter before, iGaming was almost a closed world with invitation-only acceptance. Nowadays, I believe it has become more open. Fewer entry barriers even for middle managers with non-gambling origin.
