In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Tyler Gambardella chats with Octavian Brezoi of Verifone about how your brands can do more with less by optimising your sales funnels and marketing channels. They talk about navigating the challenges and opportunities of omni-channel sales approaches. While e-commerce continues to grow, most transactions still occur through traditional channels, underscoring the importance of creating consistent, integrated customer experiences. Leading effectively in such an environment, he notes, is akin to successful B2B selling, requiring trust-building, expertise, and leadership. He further dives into the intricacies of managing P&L, advocating for a vigilant approach to tracking risks and opportunities.
Octavian is a highly accomplished and results-oriented Sales Leader with over 14 years of experience in driving growth and building fruitful, long-term partnerships. With a “can-do” attitude and a growth mindset, he is passionate about empowering people and fostering value-driven conversations. He is currently serving as the Head of Digital Sales for EMEA at Verifone.
“Managing a sales team is a lot like selling in the sense that you need to be able to win the trust of your people. You need to be able to show expertise and be a leader.”
– Octavian Brezoi
Octavian leads the e-commerce sector of Verifone, noting its steady growth, especially since the pandemic started. Verifone handles over half of the world’s non-cash transactions. As the industry evolved over the past 50 years, so did Verifone.
Octavian dives into the behind-the-scenes of Verifone’s terminal operations. Beyond touching or swiping a card, numerous processes ensure the transaction’s security, routing data to bank card networks and ensuring the merchant receives payment. Octavian emphasises Verifone’s significant role in assisting companies in global sales, ensuring payment processing, and, crucially, facilitating compliance with international sales tax and regulatory requirements.
Verifone aids businesses in navigating multiple sales channels, such as direct indirect, and the newer self-service model or Direct 2.0. The modern challenge is not just utilising these channels but ensuring a consistent and relevant customer experience across all, transitioning from a multi-channel to an omni-channel strategy.
Octavian discusses the significance of making a product globally available to diverse demographics and the importance of understanding how customers want to experience the buying process. He describes the two types of sales channels: self-service and assisted. Octavian also elaborates on the challenges when a major client (like a Fortune 1000 company) lands in the self-service process, pointing out the necessity of having a monitoring system in place. Understanding the customer journey and integrating solutions allow for solutions that allow for both self-service and assisted sales experiences.
While e-commerce has shown consistent growth, there is still a reliance on traditional sales channels. A significant challenge faced is the need for more technical resources. To optimise results, it’s crucial to ensure high conversion rates, allocate sales team resources wisely, and balance self-service and assisted sales. Embracing automation and the ever-evolving realm of artificial intelligence can offer solutions that reduce manual intervention and optimise processes.
Managing a sales team requires trust, expertise, and leadership, akin to the requirements in B2B sales. When handling a P&L, it’s crucial to be conscious of risks and opportunities and continuously monitor them. This approach parallels a useful sales technique where salespeople inquire about possible hurdles in closing a deal. Effective risk management in sales and P&L involves regular forecasting, assigning probabilities to risks, and navigating unpredictable factors like economic shifts.
Sunny Side Up
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