PODCAST
Sales in Asia
Real conversations with leaders, professionals and operators to Sell, Scale, Lead and Win in Asia
About Sales in Asia
Asia, one of the world’s most dynamic regions where selling, scaling, leading and winning is an entirely different game.
But Asia isn’t a single market. It’s a complex landscape of cultures, markets, and decision-making dynamics where success requires more than just applying global best practices.
Join us to hear real stories from leaders, practitioners and operators who are navigating complex, multi-market deals, building trust and driving decisions in nuanced environments.
Hosted by Benny K. P. Tan, Founder of Dealxpert Sales Performance, the podcast brings a practitioner’s lens to the realities of Sales in Asia.
Season 2
Season 2: Ep 1: The Future of B2B Sales in Asia
Sales has changed dramatically over the past decades. Buyers are more informed than ever, technology is reshaping how and what companies sell, but B2B selling is still very much a human to human engagement.
In this episode, Philip Yim, Managing Director of Kärcher Singapore & Malaysia expounds on what has changed, what hasn’t and what it takes to succeed in the modern B2B environment.
He shares insights from his decades of experience selling, scaling and leading sales teams across South East Asia and China, turning businesses around. He explains why, despite rapid technological change, trust and human relationships remain at the heart of great selling and how translation isn’t localisation.
Season 2: Ep 2: Navigating B2B Selling in Korea
Korea, the 14th largest economy in the world, the 4th in Asia. With boundless opportunities, the one-size-fits-all sales process doesn’t work here. That’s because B2B selling hits different with Chaebols, SMEs and foreign-led enterprises.
Professor JJ Song, a leading Sales Management expert, an entrepreneur and sales educator in Korea and around the world, reveals some secrets to navigate Korea.
He dives deep into the unique complexities of B2B selling in this vibrant market, its evolution in Korea and why culture literally eats strategy for breakfast. He reminds us that companies that assume that a solid product and a standard sales process are enough are in for an unpleasant surprise
Season 2: Ep 3: The Sales Pipeline Illusion (B2B Insights from Indonesia)
Indonesia isn’t just a country. It’s an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and is the world’s 4th most populous country.
Here, the B2B sales pipeline doesn’t operate as seamlessly as one would expect.
We unpack “The Sales Pipeline Illusion” featuring insights from Kidung Ajisurya, Sales Director (Industry) for South East Asia at Bureau Veritas.
We discuss why seemingly healthy pipelines often fail to convert, the mindset and culture behind it, and what sales leaders can do to change that. He explains the multi-layered stakeholders and relationship-driven decision-making in Indonesia, and explains cultural nuances that unveil what selling in Indonesia is like.
Here, activity doesn’t equal progress, a “polite yes” can mean “silent no,” and trust takes years to build.
Season 2: Ep 4: Leading Teams in Asia
As a leader, your teams trust only what they see, feel and observe, not what they are told. Take it from someone who has scaled and led teams in Asia, not as an outsider but who sets examples by getting his hands dirty.
Charles Ferguson is a seasoned business leader, entrepreneur and growth advisor in Asia with an impressive 30 year career with Intel, Microsoft, SalesForce, SAP, ADP and GP.
He gives his take on what the West gets wrong about leading in Asia, a time and battle tested framework for identifying and building leaders, and how “relationships in Asia aren’t a strategy, but the result!”
His journey was anything but conventional! An American boy who spent his formative years in Indonesia, went home to the US for University and returned to Asia to build a career in Tech (and owned a Jazz Bar in Shanghai along the way).
What stands out isn’t just his experience, but his philosophy that he fully embraces as a citizen of Asia for more than 30 years.
Season 2: Ep 5: Building High Performing Sales Culture in the age of AI
“Culture” and “cultivate” share the same root word. But culture just doesn’t appear overnight. It needs to thoughtfully cultivated.
So, what does it actually take to build a high-performing sales culture in Asia?
Charlene Tan, Head of Asia at Qualtrics and a 20-year veteran of Oracle, SAP, Workday and Splunk, doesn’t hold back. In this conversation, she breaks down the behaviors that silently make or break sales culture, why your top performer might be your biggest liability, and how leaders are “Thermometers, and not thermostat”.
Now, her reps are using AI to walk into negotiations sharper than ever, and why in Asia, no matter how good your tech is, trust is still the only currency that matters. Honest, direct, and packed with nuggets!
Season 2: Ep 6: How a Foreigner-Led Business Wins in Japan
Japan is notoriously one the hardest markets for foreign companies to crack. But great rewards await those who commit to it!
Allan Teng, co-founder of Workato APAC and General Manager/VP of Workato Japan, to unpacks what it actually takes to win Japan as an outsider.
He breaks down why “speed comes after trust” isn’t just a cultural observation but an operational principle that should reshape how you build your go-to-market strategy, structure your sales team, and invest your resources.
He inherited an underperforming team, dismantled a culture of siloed processes, and led Workato Japan from 50% of target to 150%, without speaking a word of Japanese when he arrived.
You’ll hear why Japan rewards long-game commitment over short-term hustle, how foreign leaders can actually use their outsider status as a competitive advantage, and why over-investing in customer success, not sales headcount, is what unlocks this market.
Season 1
What Start-up Founders Should Know About “Investability”
Our guest Dr Yong Hsin Ning mentors and coach start-ups to help them more investable. With more than 20 years in Change Management consulting, academia as a faculty and adjunct Professor and entrepreneurship, she shares a powerful framework and offers up wisdom to founders seeking investments.
Driving Change- A Leader’s Perspectives with KL Loh, Country Head, Ricoh Singapore
Our guest this is week is KL Loh, the Country Head of Ricoh Singapore. With over 30 years of industry experience, and more than 20 as a change leader. KL shares his journey, experience and advise in driving change.
The easy money is gone and VC funds and investors are holding back and start-ups are under pressure to prioritize revenue despite the challenging climate. How can they succeed? Jeremy Au, VC and Chief of Staff at Monk’s Hill Ventures shares a ton of great advice from his days as a Founder and “only sales person”, an investor in and coach and mentor to numerous start ups in this 2 part series.
Leading Sales in Asia with Manish Jethra, Oracle APAC
We speak with Manish Jethra, Director of Sales, APAC of Oracle, a leading technology company offering software, cloud and IT solutions. Manish is a 16 year veteran in Oracle who started in sales before leading sales teams in India,EMEA and now in Asia.
Selling in South East Asia Pacific with David Nevin, President of Schaeffler Group
In this episode, we speak with David Nevin, a President with Schaeffler, a leading global supplier to the automotive and industrial sectors. With over 30 years in Engineering, Sales and Business leadership in the Pacific, Germany, South East Asia and Pacific, David’s insights are engaging and powerful and is a “must-listen” for Sales and Business Leaders.
Navigating Diversity in Asia with Robin Ong, Sr VP, HR
How deeply do HR get involved in sales besides the hiring? Do they really understand sales and sales people? Robin is the Senior VP of HR for the ASEAN region with over 20 years of experience in global and regional roles.
Innovation and Startup in Asia with Andrew Shuttleworth, Head of BD Agorize JAPAC
In the first episode of Sales In Asia, we speak with Andrew Shuttleworth, the head of Business Development (JAPAC) for Agorize. Andrew brings more than 20 years in the tech and startup scene including 17 years in Japan. He spent 8 years in Apple while there, which led him to Singapore 5 years ago. He is very well versed in the technology, innovation and cloud space, an avid runner and recently started brewing his own Sake.