Speaker: Amol , Account Executive, Anaplan Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.
Please introduce yourself and your role.
Amol : Hi, I'm Amol. I'm, uh, account executive at an A plan in Malaysia looking after Malaysia as a region.
What are the biggest challenges you face in your role?
Amol : So as part of my role, uh I need to look at new account that I need to target. And uh usually the biggest challenge is uh getting to uh reach out to these people uh today. Of course, because of the uh noise, uh you know, because of so many people trying to reach out to these people, you need to differentiate yourself. And that's what I uh I struggle a lot of times. And uh of course, if you have some insights uh into these accounts uh into these personas, then of course, uh you know, you can do better and probably you have a better chance to reach out to the contacts that you're trying to target.
How has Databook helped you overcome those challenges?
Amol : So data book is a very interesting uh tool that I uh keep using in my work. Uh Essentially, there are uh I believe 23 elements which I like uh about them. Uh The first being, uh it gives a sort of a synopsis of what the company that I'm looking for. Uh It also compares it with its peers, it gives the financial um you know, standing of the company uh versus of course, even the competition and a lot of insights which are picked up from different sources. Uh I think I like one of the best features that I like about data book is the POV the point of view uh which could be about the uh executives or it could also be about the uh about the company uh as such. Uh The other aspect that I liked about uh data book is also with my role. Uh It, it does look at what are my offerings and it compares to what is it that the company might be looking at. So that sort of uh gives me a starting point, uh you know, for my, for creating that uh communication to this uh client and uh sort of getting prepared. Uh So I, I spent less time in doing a lot of research and I can quickly get on with, uh what I want to do as a messaging based on, you know, what, what is available as part of data book.
In what specific situations do you find Databook to be most useful?
Amol : So for me, I think uh nowadays, the biggest uh element uh that we focus on is uh the first impression uh because you, you know, with uh again, going back to my point that uh there are so many people trying to reach out to the same client. So you need to make that first impression, you only get one chance. And uh for that, you need to really uh do your uh background um you know, information checks and so on. Uh in our uh terminologies, we call it uh why change, why now. And I believe uh with the data book, uh we can actually uh do uh this kind of uh uh analysis as well as uh we can find that data elements uh which are available in data book, which can be used to create these documents. And uh it helps me with uh the first meetings as well as when I'm progressing. Uh It also gives me a lot of pointers in terms of uh you know, things like account planning as well.
Can you share an example of how Databook helped close or progress a deal with a specific customer?
Amol : Uh So I had an interesting experience. I was actually exploring uh data book itself and uh sort of, I was not so sure how do I use that uh to my benefit? Uh I think what I liked about it is uh the online chat as well as somebody that I can reach out to. Uh and very quickly, I could reach out to the support team. And uh we set up a call, a Zoom call with uh the person and he was able to actually guide me through different sections and how, how I can make the best use of uh data book for my, um you know, uh uh my aim or rather my task that I wanted to do. Uh I think this particularly helped me with uh one of the customers in FNB where I was struggling to get a lot of uh information which would be pertinent to them. Uh But I think with data book, I was able to find uh their pains challenges, the peers, uh you know, how they are placed against them. And that sort of helped me create a good um uh you know, pitch for them. Uh to, to start with uh to get them engaged. And uh I think that that essentially helped me to progress the deal to the next level. And we are now engaging with the sea levels to talk about better things, how we can do things for them. Uh So, uh I think if the insights would not have been there, um it would have been difficult to engage with the uh sea level and elevate uh you know, the discussions at the sea levels.
What measurable results has Databook helped you achieve?
Amol : I think one of the biggest difference, uh I would say the data book made was uh earlier. Um you know, there used to be a few hours, maybe sometimes even longer to research on companies and get to a point where we want to really uh extract something which is relevant to them. Uh But I think with data book, uh this has become much more easier. So the minute I quickly uh type in the company name, uh which usually is the listed companies. Uh It sort of quickly gives me the background, the uh what they are currently doing, the financials and so on. Uh So that sort of uh cut down my research time, uh which I could spend more time in terms of analyzing the account and trying to see, OK, what are their pains? What are the challenges they have? Uh So definitely this has helped me to work more on uh you know, deep diving into accounts rather than spend time just to uh gauge what the company is trying to do. Uh I think the other aspect also is uh where it also gives the names of executives and uh you know, we can align your uh offerings to the executives point of view their goals. Uh This is definitely something which is uh also something I like. And uh I think that sort of, uh you know, end of the day, uh the uh the emails that you can quickly generate using the A I tools, uh that sort of also gives you a starting point, right? Uh Otherwise you are trying to do everything from scratch. So I believe the initial time that you could spend maybe 50 60% or more uh in doing all this research uh has cut down and it sort of helped me to uh go after the account uh in a, in a shorter time frame. Uh I think that's something which I really appreciate about data book.
How has Databook exceeded your expectations?
Amol : I think uh data book is definitely a very good uh tool to use for people like me. Uh I think it saves a lot of time for me, especially in terms of the initial portion of researching the company, researching the pains problems and so on. So I would say from uh uh initial lead generation or prospecting prospecting point of view, uh I, I probably cut down my time to less than half uh from what I can see and uh I can very quickly get on to the accounts which are like uh you know, key for me. Uh I think that's also something which uh which I can get from a data book. Uh The other element that I uh also like about it is uh if let's say, for example, your company is not uh listed uh because of certain reasons or it's not in the, in the data book, you still can request that and the team is very quick to respond to you. I think the usual slas are about 48 hours and I, I've always got a response to that. Uh So I'm pretty happy with, uh you know, the even the support part of it because the team really understands what I'm looking for and they can quickly try and, uh, research. Uh, so I'm, I'm essentially looking at an extended sales arm for myself, uh, a lead generation, um, which sort of puts the data on the table for me and I, then I can use it, uh, you know, to my advantage.
