Global perspectives series: Rohit Joshi – Fractal Analytics

Rohit Joshi is Regional Head Australia for Fractal Analytics, a company that is one of the most prominent players in the Artificial Intelligence space. He has over 20 years’ sales and business development experience within the tech space.

Currently, Rohit is responsible for Fractal’s growth in Australia and leads the company’s data to insights client strategy, consulting, delivery and sales. Over the years, he has developed the ability to deliver stellar business results and develop high-performing teams.

Here, Pearce Doorley chats to Rohit about his perspectives on today’s sales and business development landscape in the tech sector.

Tell us about your career journey to date.

I started my career in the hospitality industry where you always serve to delight your customers.

After graduating with a master’s degree in IT my first job was with HP in their sales call centre. I was responsible for a large territory and selling across HP products and services. I moved to join Macquarie Group to gain exposure to the financial aspects of selling technology solutions. I then moved to Gartner where I was responsible for NSW Commercial and NZ Country businesses. Post this, I led their new business development team. I then joined Infosys and was successful in winning and delivering some large digital and finance transformation programs. Many of these involved the use of analytics, data tech, and cloud solutions while working with the major software vendors.

Then in 2018, I was approached by Fractal Australia to lead the company from the ground up, and have successfully delivered some excellent results. Under my leadership, we have acquired some of the most sought-after clients from a range of industries including banking and finance, Insurance, telco-media, and CPG, have significantly grown our team in both Australia and India, and have also been recognised and certified as a Great Place to Work® in Australia.

We are at a very exciting phase of our journey at Fractal right now, and I am both proud and humbled of what we have been able to achieve.

What do you predict will be the key trends impacting sales and business development in the next 12 months?

These are my views and not Fractal’s views

• Client centricity – relevance of your products and services to meet current and anticipatory needs
• DNA and Cloud + Data Tech, use of Artificial Intelligence Markup Language (AIML) technologies
• Digital transformation, CX, EX, operations, supply chain resilience, Environmental Social and Governance (ESG)
• Vertical specialization
• Technical competence

What are the major priorities for your team or division over the coming year and how do you plan to address them?

• 70%+ Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• People development and growth
• Staffing and hiring great people
• Sustainable business growth (clients, revenue, people)
  o Investing in people, process, technologies
  o Training

What do you consider the biggest challenges for a Sales Leader these days?

People – finding and retaining people with the right attitude, skills, and resilience
Trust – building long term win-win client relationships
Culture – innovation and experimentation

What is the most effective way you have proved the value of business development?

Runs on the board – client wins and net contract value increase.

This needs a lot of resilience, cold calling, clock speed, technical and domain knowledge, plus the ability to work with cross-disciplinary teams.

What role do you think technology and data will play in the future of sales?

In my personal view – it will be all about using the right technology and data.
There are several projects that large organisations have undertaken on personalisation which can inform the salesperson in real-time on who to call, with what offer and when. This is powered by a harmonious view of the customer, great AIML modelling and insights consumption platforms.

The who you know, what you know and when you act will be the difference. A number of AI based tools and technologies are available, such as Fractal’s CRUX Intelligence, which powers the salesperson in real-time over their chosen mobile device. They can also advise whom to call and when and what to sell (often based on inventory so product can ship ASAP).

However, data and tech are enablers in the sales process they do not replace the salesperson and our human touch. The good-old client calling, relationship building, understanding the needs and consultative selling (complex sales) is not going away anytime soon.

Is there a world where technology and data are not important for the Sales Leaders?

In one word, no.

However, what I said above, also applies to the overall sales process – the human cannot be taken away, especially in complex B2B sales.

B2C will increasingly become self-serve and/or AI powered (e.g., shopping cart recommendations).

What will be the next big change in the Tech industry in the next 12 months?

In my opinion, the next BIG change will be the application of data and cloud tech as a key differentiator. The convergence of analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) has opened new horizons.

A key area of focus will move from great technology programs to how we drive user adoption. The combination of design thinking with behavioural science will provide a powerful framework for success.

What advice would you have for other professionals looking to progress their career in sales?

1. Put your client first in everything you do
2. There are no short cuts
3. Embrace AI technologies – they are there to enable not replace you

What do you think the future holds for the position of Sales / Customer Success in business?

In my view, the role of sales and business development in a business is critical, as the role brings in revenue and allows everyone to pay their bills.

As recently quoted in Fractal’s ai:sight magazine, “There is nothing invisible in the universe, there is only our lack of eyesight”. No one would have predicted the global pandemic and its effects three years back.

Change is the only constant – embrace it. Invest in yourself and stay relevant as clients expect you to be their advisor plus the person to go to for a social check-in. The future is bright for the salesperson who has the right attitude and is hungry, humble, smart.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the market, would like to discuss your career or are looking to recruit please get in touch with one of our specialist consultants. We look forward to hearing from you.