How Venkat is driving sales in new regions through customer value

In November 2020, Venkatraman Krishnamoorthy joined Freshworks with an ambitious mission.

I had my eyes set on building the most committed, consistent, and capable sales team that can drive new business growth in the emerging Middle East and African (MEA) markets.

Growing in new regions means bringing on new customers, which is easier said than done. But with almost two decades of experience straddling sales and operational strategy for global businesses, Venkat has learned that “the only way to drive growth in turbulent times is by focusing on customer value.” 

Luckily, his team is armed with Freshworks technology.

Customer-first mindset

With more and more companies vying with each other for a greater market share, Venkat believes that only brands that understand the value of customer-centric experiences and the buyer cycle will win in the zero-sum game.

Customers today want more from brands than just technology. Sure, fantastic technology will open doors for you, but customers will trust you only if you can empathize with their needs, motivations, and challenges and offer solutions that make their lives easier.

Venkat believes that every project or role comes with its coordinates of challenges and opportunities. What matters is how you use them to grow. His “growth mindset” has helped him champion Freshworks’ foray into emerging MEA markets. “Every problem teaches us something. Initially, MEA proved challenging because of the local currency billing and lack of a regional presence. But we pivoted by joining hands with our channel and partner teams regionally and placed regional resources across Africa and the Middle East to help customers where they are,” he says.

Fast forward to two years.

Freshworks’ market share in the MEA regions has grown by more than two hundred percent!

But Venkat explains that this is just the first battle. “We plan to keep the momentum going and set up more regional resources in the Middle East to better collaborate with our customers and partners and move the needle on customer retention.”

Growing together

What makes Venkat successful is his philosophy of growing together–with customers, partners, and his team. He says, “I live by the one-team approach by combining all support functions to help customers with technology that delights them.”

He also talks about the overall culture of transparency and accountability at Freshworks, which helps him make big decisions.

Freshworks is the place to hone your ambition and leadership traits. From the board of directors to the last mile executive, transparency and accountability play a vital role here.

When Venkat’s not at work guiding teams, he spends his time running after his three kids and trying to improve their lives.

Production team: Saikat Das, Shivani Ramakrishnan, Simran Achpal, and Mohamed Sahib.