Leadership Insights Chapter 6: Aswathy Anil, VP Sales & Business Development
As the Vice President of Sales and Business Development at GeekyAnts, Aswathy Anil has played a huge role in the success of the company through her ability to nurture and develop relationships with clients. Over the years, she has been running a successful sales funnel with her expertise in the software development field and a managerial approach of ensuring a united front.
In this short discussion with Aswathy, we shall gain an insight of her journey from when she started off as a coder in a software development industry to her current position where she plays a managerial role.
The following Q&A has been edited to deliver ease of understanding and clarity.
1. You are the head of sales and business development at GeekyAnts. What were your humble beginnings like?
My career had started off in the field of software development where I was working as a developer in a multinational corporation. In 2016, I was offered an opportunity to get on board the team at GeekyAnts, which was then a young company with a team of around thirty people. During the initial phases of my journey, I worked in the business development department along with our CEO - Sanket, who handled this role along with the various other duties he had. Eventually as time passed and the company evolved, my interest in this position grew, which led me to taking on the role full-time.
2. How do you keep yourself abreast with the latest in the market?
The emphasis on keeping abreast the latest trends in the market is immense when working in the business development department as this is what helps us to determine our various marketing strategies. I make it a point to conduct continuous research by reading numerous articles about what’s new and trending in the market. I also believe that there’s not much one can miss when you’re active on the right channels because of which I keep a close eye on LinkedIn and Twitter for the latest marketing news. Productive discourses and debates are a huge opportunity for learning and I regularly participate in discussions held by several business groups while also sharing ideas and knowledge with my counterparts globally.
3. What vision have you incorporated in the business aspect of GeekyAnts?
GeekyAnts follows a policy of being empathetic about the client’s ideas and my role in this vision is to ensure that the business development team is aligned to this idea of conducting business. We try to put ourselves in the clients’ shoes to understand their requirements and any other problems they’re facing, while helping them find optimum digital solutions. This process of practising sensitivity and effective communication in a client-facing environment has played a huge role in the success of our applications.
4. What values do you look to instill in your teammates that you think will help them grow in the field?
I believe in inspiring my team to achieve a shared objective which is in line with the vision and mission of the company by ensuring that the ‘GeekyAnts’ Way’ of doing things is propagated throughout the sales and marketing department. I also think that it is highly important for everyone to find their own source of inspiration which motivates them to be more productive within their workspace. As a leader, my approach of granting accountability and autonomy to each team member has helped push us to new frontiers.
5. To most people, Business Development is straightforward and a metric driven function. How do you perceive it?
Yes, I agree that Business Development is a straightforward and metric driven function, but I also believe that establishing the core metrics of a business and focusing on them is a key factor in achieving maximum productivity in this process. The research that goes into analysing these factors helps us understand the business model from various angles while also providing us with a concrete knowledge base of what we are lacking, in order for us to focus on those particular areas.
6. What is your mantra behind running a successful sales funnel?
GeekyAnts has a great customer-oriented marketing model which has helped us to run a successful sales funnel. My mantra to make sure that the marketing department is running like a perfectly-oiled machine, is to ensure that all team members are in tandem and working as a unit. I am of the opinion that having a unified approach to a united goal goes a long way in achieving success.
7. How do you think the business aspect of GeekyAnts can evolve in the times to come?
We, at GeekyAnts, have never limited ourselves and are a dynamic bunch of folks who believe in evolving and keeping pace with the latest technologies. We are continuously expanding and diversifying our spectrum with many contemporary digital solutions. Our business strategy may change in the times to come as we may go from just offering services to being the parent company for a lot of new amazing products to come.
8. What are you looking forward to in the future, both professionally and personally?
My journey at GeekyAnts started five years ago with the promise of a new professional vision. I’ve had a fantastic journey, having grown on both personal and professional fronts, along with colleagues and teammates who are equally passionate about learning. GeekyAnts with its progressive work culture and innovative community is a great place to grow for those with an inquisitive mind. During this time, I applied myself into taking back as much as I could and my learnings have been boundless and will only continue to grow.