Unlocking Sales Success in eCommerce: Insights from a 20 - Year Sales Veteran with Ritika Singh

Andy Splichal:

Welcome to the Make Each Click Count podcast where we discuss actionable strategies for success in business and sales. Today we have a special guest, Ritika Singh. With over two decades of experience, Ritika has helped thousands of professionals refine their sales strategies, boost confidence and achieve their goals. A master in project and program management, customer success, and agile delivery, Ritika's experience spans across global projects, stakeholder management, and continuous business improvement. She's not just a sales expert, but a leader in cultivating high performance teams across multicultural environments. Whether it's through one to one coaching, group coaching, or public speaking, Ritika's passion for guiding people toward their aspiration shines through. And today she'll be sharing her success on how to break barriers and elevate your sales game. Hey, welcome to the show, Rita.

Ritika Singh:

Thank you, thank you, Andy. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.

Andy Splichal:

You know, we're, we're excited to have you. Now let's start. I mean, you've had an incredible career in sales, helping thousands of professionals improve their strategies. But I'm curious, what initially drew you to sales and how has the industry evolved over the last 20 years?

Ritika Singh:

This is an excellent question. And you know, I'll tell you something very honestly. I think I was destined to be in sales. That's just the simplicity of simple answer to it. There's a bit of a very short story. So I was born and raised in India and my grandfather, you know, India and Pakistan were one country before the Britishers left and we got independence. So he was a wealth advisor in Pakistan since 1934. The country split and he had to.

Ritika Singh:

He moved to India with four kids and all he had was his education. Double masters in English, good work ethic and just good community work. And that reputation took him right in front of the Indian government to open the first stock market in India. So the first stock exchange in India, that was Delhi Stock Exchange was founded by my grandfather.

Andy Splichal:

Wow.

Ritika Singh:

Yes.

Andy Splichal:

Wow, that's. That's a great story.

Ritika Singh:

Youngest of the four siblings and was the youngest. He recently passed away and fast forward. My father inherited the business, the generational business because our clients were chief justice of India, governor of India, who would write on the actual rupee note and those are the clients that we worked with. My father inherited the business. All the qualities. Fast forward. I inherited the same. So I started in sales when I was in like 9th or 10th grade.

Ritika Singh:

I would help my dad send trade confirmation because I have really good handwriting and little did I know I memorized our book of business call clients to make sure they got what the mails because this is back in 1982 I'm talking about right. There was no Internet, there was only phone or mail. And my dad would make me sit down and read balance sheet and tell. I would have to tell explainment convince him why should he invest in that company. So it was so organic. By the time I was in college I had taken the ropes in my hands and I expanded the business. So that's really how I got it. That's my, that's my true mba, you know what I'm saying? That's my real sales foundation, where I got it from.

Ritika Singh:

And yes to your answer your question. Industry has transformed. Evolved is a very small word. I think it's completely transformed. However, in my world, you know, financial services, sales or any people have do like the convenience of technology which makes things very, very easy. However, after a certain dollar amount, a million plus, I think you need that human expertise to really handhold you through the process and bring that knowledge and experience to the table to really, you know, make that educated decision when you, when it comes to managing money.

Andy Splichal:

Yeah. You know, you really got lucky in a way that you started sales so early and really was ingrained in you because you know, sales as you know, it can be a confidence thing, confidence game. How much confidence you're going to do really determines how, how well you're going to do in sales.

Ritika Singh:

Absolutely.

Andy Splichal:

I mean what are some of the key techniques that you use to help individuals build that confidence? And I mean, you know, you might be born a natural salesperson. Most people aren't. Most people really are worried about, about selling or being too salesy. I mean how do you get people to get over that fear and get some of that confidence?

Ritika Singh:

Well, every. Here's So I do offer group coaching and one on coaching. But let me answer your address your confidence question. The confidence really comes from practice. You have to have a routine in place right you need to have a routine and practice that routine till you nail it. And you are so good at it that it's like a second nature. It doesn't feel awkward when you go in front of the client. That's really what it is.

Ritika Singh:

And I sit down with my clients and I make them tell me a good story about themselves. It has to be a five minute story, but it should tell me all the good things that they, their strengths, basically. And I make them repeat it, repeat it. Then I convert them into their own affirmations. I said, all right, let's say that. So say all the good things about you. Because confidence is all about perception. If you perceive you cannot do it, you cannot do it, right? And if you know, yes, you have all those qualities that needs, that is needed in order to win that business, you will say that.

Ritika Singh:

But you have to practice, really practice. It's a daily grind. You got to have a routine and get it down till you feel it's so smooth. And the most powerful thing to build confidence is role play. That's what everybody loves, what I do with them. And I don't make it like robotic, I make it fun. Okay, let's go to a coffee shop and pretend we're on a date, sort of like a work date. And you're going to present me what you have to offer.

Andy Splichal:

Interesting. So most of the listeners are our e commerce stores and owners and marketers. I mean, how do you tie in what you're doing with sales, with digital marketing?

Ritika Singh:

So, you know, a very good question. E commerce is such a big thing right now all over the world. E commerce success really hinges on the website, how creative, how intuitive and how welcoming that website is, right? Like for example, if you look at WIX and Squarespace, right? I started, I designed my first website a few years ago on wix, but then I looked up Squarespace and it was so much more easier and, you know, intuitive and kind of gave me so many options. So I think. And then similarly between Etsy and your other e commerce website that everybody shops at, I can't think of the name.

Andy Splichal:

Amazon.

Ritika Singh:

No, not Amazon. Shopify.

Andy Splichal:

Oh, oh, Shopify.

Ritika Singh:

Shopify and Etsy. Shopify is the E commerce thing, right? Everybody, when you think about E commerce, it's Shopify. I haven't shopped at Shopify, it didn't click with me. But Etsy, yeah, I would. So it really has to resonate with my personality and what am I looking and how intuitive it is. Right?

Andy Splichal:

Yeah, so, so I mean, you've worked with Diverse, multicultural teams.

Ritika Singh:

Yeah.

Andy Splichal:

So I guess what advice would you give to salespeople who work in a global environment as far as how to, to navigate cultural differences? Yeah, they may come across and you know, same thing, I mean, for e commerce websites that might sell globally, should they adapt to cultural differences?

Ritika Singh:

Well, one thing that I inherited from my grandfather and I hold it with a badge of honor, is that really invest in yourself. And when it, when it, when it comes to investing in yourself, you really have to put, have a dedicated time of learning. Learn what you are presenting what you're selling and learn about the community where you are. When it's multicultural, you could be sitting in Dubai. So pay attention to what is the audience that you're serving. See what do they like, what kind of community that you can get yourself involved in. Wherever you are, Dubai is just an example or wherever you are, really get yourself genuinely involved in the community and serve and really step into your customer shoes. Be empathetic.

Ritika Singh:

Right. Really know how it feels or what it feels to be like a customer in that market. For example, I was talking to somebody a couple of days ago and he's based out of Australia. Australia is a totally different market. In US, they will shop around and they don't mind paying a little extra dollars to get the best service. US is different. If I like you, I'll do business with you. Different.

Ritika Singh:

Right. So but if you have the power of knowledge and you understand people, you can win them.

Andy Splichal:

Interesting. So Australians, they don't need to like you to do business with you?

Ritika Singh:

I don't know. I haven't been to Australia. It's one place I have to explore. I was surprised. I was like, really? So he said, yeah, they'll shop around and they'll pay a little extra, but they want the best of everything.

Andy Splichal:

Now you are also a strong advocate on continual improvement in business.

Ritika Singh:

Yeah.

Andy Splichal:

How do you help sales professionals adopt a mindset for ongoing growth and improvement?

Ritika Singh:

Well, growth mindset is really, really important right now. In such a fast pace that we're in like, it's, it's crazy. You, I mean, you got to know that you need to be a tech savvy. You need to know what's, what's happening. You better know about Elon Musk and what he's doing and where he's at. If you're not, you're so out of it. So again, going back to what I was saying, investing in yourself, that's. I keep repeating learning.

Ritika Singh:

And I actually am a strong advocate of having a coach. If you Want to really have to do something different than. And you really want to take your career to the next level. You do need some handholding. Get that expert, join that masterclass, be on that, put that money aside and the ROI is going to be worth it. Totally worth it. I work with a coach, I have two coaches. I work with one coach for my digital launch and everything and then I have another coach who helps me with my other speaking gigs and everything.

Ritika Singh:

So continuously you have to evolve yourself and really practice. And one thing that I really encourage everyone to have is have an anchor for yourself. Now that anchor could be anything. It could be taking a small break every few weeks. It could be working out, meditation, something, something that unplugs you from what you do and then refreshes you and brings you back the better version of yourself.

Andy Splichal:

Interesting. Yeah, I mean that's great advice. I mean I belong to masterminds as well.

Ritika Singh:

Oh, okay.

Andy Splichal:

How do you suggest though that people that come to you find these groups or coaches or I mean where, where should people. I mean of course you do it right for sales, but where should, should people really start?

Ritika Singh:

LinkedIn is a good start. I'm a big proponent of LinkedIn, YouTube, I ton of free resources. I, I think at this point, whoever I've met, coaches that I've had, they've put so much free content on YouTube. If you, if you have the desire, you'll figure it out. But that's where I have found most of people that I work with.

Andy Splichal:

Now in your coaching sessions, you focus a lot on developing a personalized sales strategies.

Ritika Singh:

Yes.

Andy Splichal:

So yes. You know, I'm, I'm curious, could you share a successful case where this type of approach is drastically improved somebody's performance?

Ritika Singh:

Yeah. So I'll share my example because that's what I shared with them and they implemented it and they got success. When I was in production as a salesperson, I had a lot of. I've always worked with high net worth individuals as an advisor and the minimum would be a million dollar plus for me before I can even present or talk and manage their wealth. And that's just the norm. It's not something too big of a deal. So I had a couple of clients who just did not like to communicate via email. That was just not their style.

Ritika Singh:

Or even telephone. Not their style, not text. No. The only way I could work with them is when I show up to their office. And I tried all those things but I always, I'm very mindful of, I pay attention if they respond to me or if they're not. And then I'll just show up and I'll say, hey, I just wanted to stop by and say hello to you and see when we can sit down and talk about business or whatnot. And that worked out wonders. In fact, one of them was a medical professional.

Ritika Singh:

He was a doctor. He is a doctor. And I went just to say hello to him, and he told me he's like, I want to buy a new house. I was like, okay, one more house.

Andy Splichal:

I was like, okay, another new house?

Ritika Singh:

Yeah, another new house. He owns half of one of the towns in Bay Area. I was like, okay. And he said, I'll need your help. I. He didn't tell me the dollar limit. Nothing. Next week, I took my loan mortgage partner with me and the loan.

Ritika Singh:

The house was worth $6 million. It took us good six to seven months. We never exchanged any phone calls, emails, nothing. I always went to his. One of his clinics and we closed the deal for $6 million house. It was one of the big lending deals. He said, hrithika, I like to do business with you because I don't like phone calls. I'm too busy.

Andy Splichal:

Yeah.

Ritika Singh:

Once somebody. So everybody. And that's what I teach. You have to be sensitive. The more you put yourself in the customer's shoes. How do I put. Okay, this is a doctor. He has four locations.

Ritika Singh:

There's no way I can buy a house when I'm running four locations. I got to go to him. Let me take a cup of coffee for him to. You know what I'm saying? So really embracing. One of the things that I always do, and I think it helps someone, is before a client meeting, if I'm having that meeting in my office, I actually sit down on the customer side and do the presentation. I never do it across the table. I always sit with them and then do the presentation. Whether it's a brochure I'm presenting or whatever it is, the visual will be always be on their side.

Ritika Singh:

And it just works wonderful.

Andy Splichal:

That's a great tip, I think. Although I guess I, you know, kind of picturing the car salesman who did it, did it with me, where I could tell he wasn't on my side. So I think you would have to be genuine to really make that work. And you made a great point. I mean, we have. Michael Levine has been a guest on the show, the world famous publicist, and he always says, you need to communicate with your customers the way they want to be communicated to and with. So by going to that doctor, you absolutely did that now you're public speaking. So you also have a background in public speaking.

Andy Splichal:

How did you get into public speaking and how important is that in building communication in sales?

Ritika Singh:

So I have been a big. I enjoy public speaking. I don't know, I never had that fear of stage. I just think when I go on a stage, I just think, I pretend that they're my friends who are sitting there and I actually just talk to one friend and everybody else listens. And so that fear has never been there. I think it's because when I grew up, I always participating it participated in debate competitions. So I kind of got over it a lot sooner in my life. I enjoyed it.

Ritika Singh:

And so that's what I'm building onto it right now. And communication, I think it's one of my favorite topics because, as you know, you are hosting a very successful podcast, talking to some significant people. We talk more from our body language than with our words. So that's a very key part of communication. You know, I talk about when, especially when I'm doing my one on one coaching. It's more customized. I emphasize a lot on paying attention to how you're saying it, how you're sitting, are you maintaining eye contact. Listen more, talk less.

Ritika Singh:

Right. And always the most amazing, actually, it's an NLP technique. Always ask, seek permission before asking a question.

Andy Splichal:

Yeah, that's another great tip.

Ritika Singh:

Your response rate will be a lot faster and easier. That customer will respond to you in a more relaxed way. And these things are important because I've been in financial services. It's all about credibility and trust. Right. I'm very honored and I'm very grateful that I have this thing, a natural thing of establishing, of being able to close 90% of the time. I, I don't know, but I. It just happens.

Ritika Singh:

But now when I reflect back on my presentations or what was I doing, and I learned recently, oh, organically, I was doing nlp because I always ask, is it okay, Andy, if I ask you a few questions related to your finances? And once that guard is down. Okay. They'll answer, okay. What's your monthly mortgage? What's your savings account? What is your income? You know, those questions are a lot easier to ask and get answers.

Andy Splichal:

Yeah, no, that's a great tip. But I guess in general, if somebody was just starting out or maybe they wanted to improve their sales ability, I mean, what advice. Do you have any other great nuggets you could give? I mean, what advice would you give them to really help them improve quickly?

Ritika Singh:

Well, it depends on where you are in your career for one. If you are in the business for a long time and you just want to fine tune your craft, I think sit down with yourself and really see what is it. That's what is a pattern. What is your pattern and how can you break that pattern? A lot of people have noticed they talk too much. That's like a common problem with all sales people. They talk too much, so talk less. So you first of all have to recognize the pattern and break that pattern again. If you can figure out yourself, work with a coach.

Ritika Singh:

Second, if you are super brand new, you're just getting into sales. Like I have few clients who are not from the industry, they're totally from medical background. They left hospital work and wanted to be in financial services. It's. They don't know what elevator pitch and value proposition is. You know how to make a cold call, who to call, what is networking. So again, you know, listen more, talk less, really work with a coach to help you get through that and leverage the free resources that are on YouTube. There are a lot of people similar to my, with my knowledge and background, more seasoned and more experienced, have YouTube channels.

Ritika Singh:

So listen to them and practice it. Articulate your message so well that a fourth grader can even understand. That's how simple you have to keep.

Andy Splichal:

Now you offer both one to one and group coaching. Can you tell us a bit more about the approach in these different formats and what the unique benefits of each are?

Ritika Singh:

So group coaching is again for somebody who's been in the business in sales for a few years, like three to five years, and they just want to take it up, you know, fine tune what we just talked about it. They're stagnant. They don't know what to do. They need help with more business development, new ideas and really help them think outside the box and maybe help them look at a 360 view. Sometimes you need somebody else to tell you because you're so much in that paradigm. So that's really for group coaching. One on one is more for totally newbies, freshers. I spend a lot of one on one.

Ritika Singh:

It's more customized to them where I help them articulate their message to the audience that they want to address, sit down with them and really custom create that elevator pitch. And it has to be within 30 seconds, 30 to 60 seconds. Master that value proposition, do role plays. And how are they going to approach when they go to a networking event? Is it all going to be giving out cards or maybe taking cards? You know these little nuances that I Go over. And really, last but not least, the most important thing that what I want to do, and I totally believe in it, is I empower them. Within the next three to six months that they are with me, they will be confident. Okay, I know how to figure out this business development, how to sell. I got this thing down.

Andy Splichal:

And is your coaching, is it in person or is it virtual right now?

Ritika Singh:

Virtual, but in person, it depends where you're at. Yeah, it's all virtual. Yeah.

Andy Splichal:

So who is your ideal client? And if they're listening and want more information, how can they get a hold of you?

Ritika Singh:

Yeah, so my ideal clients are salespeople in financial services or in technology. And if they want to get hold of me, they can easily find me on LinkedIn or on my website. That's hrithikansing.com well, this has been a.

Andy Splichal:

Lot of fun, Ritika. Is there anything else you'd like to add before we wrap it up today?

Ritika Singh:

Yeah, just one thing that I always encourage is try to have a meal with your customer. It really strengthens a relationship. You know, be. Be empathetic. The more you empathize, the more you're going to be able to win business and give more and ask for less and you'll always have more.

Andy Splichal:

Those are some great final words.

Ritika Singh:

Yes.

Andy Splichal:

Well, thank you again for joining us today.

Ritika Singh:

Thank you Andy, for listeners.

Andy Splichal:

Remember, if you like this episode, please go to Apple Podcast and leave us an honest review. And if you would like to connect with Ritika, you will find the links in the show notes below. In addition, if you're looking for more information on growing your business, check out our Podcast Resource center available at podcast.make each click count.com we have compiled all of our different past by show topic and include each of the contact information in case you would like more information on any of the services discussed during previous episodes. Well, that's it for today. Remember to stay safe, keep healthy and happy. Marketing. I'll talk to you in the next episode.