In this episode of the Sales Success Stories podcast, host Scott Ingram interviews Samir Dandekar, a seasoned sales professional from Oracle’s Cloud Infrastructure team who recently closed a staggering $150 million+ deal.
Samir opens up about his journey from engineering into enterprise sales, the principles that have guided his success, like relentless customer focus, perseverance, indomitable spirit, and the value of practice, and the lessons learned from a career that spans startups to global tech giants.
Scott and Samir dive deep into the art of building trust, navigating complex deal cycles, and the mindset required to achieve sales greatness. Whether you’re just starting your career or looking to take your results to the next level, this episode is packed with practical wisdom, inspiring stories, and actionable advice that you can put to use right away. Let’s jump into the strategies, stories, and habits that helped Samir make sales history at Oracle!
What We Covered:
[0:40] Customer-Centric Focus
[10:30] Engineer to B2B Innovator Journey
[16:32] Prioritize Relationships and Storytelling
[21:22] Small Businesses’ Digital Impact
[29:19] LinkedIn: Daily Engagement for Growth
[36:16] Modern Communication and Productivity Tools
[38:59] Customer-Centric Sales Process
[47:35] Earning Trust Through Engagement
[56:57] LinkedIn Leads: Humanizing the Sales Process
[01:04:58] Join Sales Success Community
Quotes:
“It’s not about you, it’s about them… keeping the focus at the center of who you’re trying to help: in this case, the customer.” [00:01:03]
“You can’t have the ability to improvise if you haven’t built the foundation.” [00:02:42]
“Practice makes confidence, not perfection.” [00:05:39]
“To me, the sales process is understanding the customer’s process, not making them mold to yours.” [00:39:20]
“If you start taking the humans you talk to and engaging with them as leads, you’ve dehumanized part of selling.” [00:57:00]
Resources Mentioned:
Coming soon
Books:
Coming soon
Sponsors:
Sales Success Summit