Q&A Chat with Technology Sales Executive Adam Maghrouri, President of PACKETOP

We should always be looking to learn from others, particularly from accomplished professionals in our industry. From thought leaders and top performers who consistently work on mastering their craft and continuously grow through facing and overcoming different challenges.

During difficult times, however, receiving ideas and guidance from consummate professionals and leaders, and learning from one another becomes all the more valuable.

For this article I sat down (virtually) with Mr Adam Maghrouri, President of Packetop – an esteemed business leader and ICT sales executive.

I was keen to get his thoughts on leadership in a time of global crisis, as well as on sales strategy and the role of telecoms in a COVID-19 world.

• In your view, what has been the impact of the global coronavirus health crisis on how telecoms and their role in society are perceived?

It has definitely brought the importance of the Telecom & IT’s role to the forefront!

It clearly shows that Telecom plays a big role in keeping us connected and providing information in real-time not only for consumers but for government and local public sectors.

Right now, we see the impact of it in two specific areas.

1.  Telehealth – Ability for the physicians to diagnose, treat and operate on patients without the need to be physically near them.
2. Teleconferencing – Many employers have increased their reliance on enterprise teleconferencing tools, such as Webex, Google, and Zoom while their employees are working remotely.

 It proves that carriers are not just about how much money they make but how they have stepped up and assisted different sectors whether it’s providing equipment or slashing their prices.

•  Can you share some of the best examples of great initiatives or collaboration efforts that you’ve seen from service providers globally amidst the pandemic?

Some of the examples that you can see are in their response to provide portable cell sites to secure network coverage at emergency operation centers. They are also working with the government & public sector to establish additional call centers and work from home solutions.

On the consumer side, the Telecom operators have stepped up in a big way as well. They have assured the customers who have been impacted by COVID-19 that they will not be disconnecting services, and have further supported them by waiving late fees, waiving overage charges, adding more capacity and lowering internet fees.

• What have you observed so far to be the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on ICT sales, and B2B sales as a whole?

It has definitely had an immediate effect on sales, most of the carriers had to close their stores due to the health crisis. Shows and events have been cancelled. It reduces people and potential customer interaction.

It also has created a major disruption to the supply chain, as you know the majority of the equipment and phones come from China.

• As an accomplished sales executive, what would be your advice on how to approach sales in the current climate? Despite the fact that the situation we are finding ourselves in today is unique and, in many ways, unprecedented, are there any lessons we can learn from the past in terms of how to adapt and change our strategy in challenging times?

I don’t think we can compare this to anything from the recent past (people are fearing for their lives). However, there is always a need for customers to upgrade or update their product or software.

The best recommendation that I can give is to be in constant contact with your customers. Not from a point of selling something but from a point of concern for their well-being.

Be patient & empathetic with the customer and don’t come across as a salesperson but as a caring friend. Customers buy from people they trust!

• Are there any short and/or long-term industry predictions you can share with us for a post-COVID-19 world?

Short term we will see the impact of disruption in supply chain and investment in the market. Long term I think it shows how important the role of speed in our everyday life is!

5G’s lightning-fast speeds, near-instantaneous communications and increased connection density make it primed for remote interactions,

which has become the key for many governments, health industry and enterprises as caution mounts over the spread of the virus.

It also shows the need for capacity & scalability to carry the speed!

• What advice would you give other sales leaders at this time, what leadership approaches and best practices would you recommend?

Particularly at this trying time a good leader is the glue that keeps the team together, communication is extremely important since they look at you for updates. You need to connect with your team on a personal level, let them know that you are there for them, you understand what they are going through and you are available to them at any time!

Most probably and rightfully so they are very anxious about their future and how it affects their family. You need to be that calming voice that they need to hear! Hopefully, you have already earned their respect and trust before this situation, so they believe in you.

Take a breath and carefully assess the situation so you can work with the team to clearly set the appropriate priorities while making the seriousness of the situation clear. Then you can be effective and efficient internally as you deal with the outer chaos.

If the team works remotely, you need to have more Teleconferences to keep them motivated by having them look forward beyond the storm, ask them to share with the team an example of how they have overcome major objection or obstacle to close an opportunity. That will also make them subconsciously feel good about themselves and what they have achieved and can still achieve!

Always ask them if they have any ideas to better us as a team or me as their leader.

You also need to ask them to keep in touch with the customers on a personal level as well so when the storm passes, they are on the fast track and not starting from scratch!

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Adam Maghrouri is a strategic and innovative technology sales executive, who has a proven track record in successful creation and execution of strategic sales & marketing programs.

Additionally, his specialties include profit and loss management, mergers and acquisitions, operations management, and strategic planning.

Mr. Maghrouri is an alumnus of Herringswell Manor, England, and resides in Virginia with his family.

Adam has been mentioned in numerous news articles and has been a guest speaker at TM Forum, ISS World, CTIA & TeleStrategies.

He can be contacted via:

Email – [email protected]

LinkedIn – www.dhirubhai.net/in/amaghrouri