Hi - I'm Akshaya.

I help salespeople sell with integrity ​and win with confidence

Need help with your selling skills?

Coming from a Computer Science Engineering background, I always topped ​my classes and understood theoretical concepts with ease. However, ​coding was never my true calling. I found my passion in elocutions and extra ​curricular activities. I founded the dance team at my college despite initial ​resistance from the management. Today, it stands as the college’s official ​dance team. I was also a public speaker and my college's Emcee, obsessed ​with the mic from a young age. I spent more time at the podium than in ​classrooms, honing my communication skills.

In 2019, after a thorough strengths vs. weaknesses analysis, I realized my ​forte was in communication and problem-solving. I always aspired to join a ​software company, but not as an engineer. I evaluated my options and ​narrowed it down to two fields: Sales and Marketing.

Like many, I initially thought they were the same.

That's when I met the founder of an incubated startup from IIT Madras. He ​instantly hired me as his Business Development intern. That's where my ​journey and the love for sales began.

In 2020, during the pandemic, I had to turn down a campus offer for a full-​time job and picked up two part-time jobs as a B2B Lead Development Rep. ​Later that year, I learned about B2B SaaS Sales. I reached out to a Director ​of Sales in the industry and gained a mentor. Through the mentorship, I ​gained an in-depth understanding of SaaS Sales.

I secured my first full-time job with Slintel (6Sense) as an Outbound SDR ​selling into the US market. I achieved and overachieved my targets ​consecutively almost every month. Navigating through leadership changes, I ​was overwhelmed by the constant racing struggle.

In 2021, I was offered the opportunity at Wingman (Clari Copilot) to build ​the outbound function from scratch. This opportunity changed my life.

I built the outbound playbook and played a key role in the company’s in ​0-1 journey.

After successfully scaling the SDR team and setting the path to success ​I transitioned into the Account Executive role in 2022 to learn the full ​sales cycle.

My first job as an AE was to land and expand in ANZ, a market alien to ​Wingman at that point. I closely worked with Marketing and the Clari ​APAC team to capture leads and potential opportunities, overachieving ​my target from the first month.

In 2023, I was called back to sell into other global markets including the US, ​EMEA, and APAC.

2023 was a tough year in B2B sales globally due to economic uncertainty, ​declining conversion rates and deal sizes, and “no decision” losses, leading ​to more missed revenue targets and fewer reps hitting their quotas.

Clari went through another acquisition resulting in layoffs. Despite the tough ​times, we had an amazing exit.

Since I always wanted to change the perception of sales in India, I knew I ​needed to take up an India market opportunity.

Hence, LimeChat happened. I had an amazing experience selling to the ​Indian e-commerce ecosystem. However, I faced heightened sales ​resistance which was not as prominent in other markets.

In March 2024, after landing 732 meetings and closing deals worth $600k, I ​was burnt out.

I took a major hit on my health and had to take a break to revive it.

This time off got me thinking about the vision I've had for about five years ​now—changing the perception of sales in India. I started talking to sales ​leaders in India who shared the same sentiment.

That led me to start Mindful Selling.

Now, through Mindful Selling, I aim to raise the standards of sales and ​salespeople in India by focusing on integrity, empathy, and genuine ​connection.

When I'm not working on my business, I mentor sales professionals, read, ​and enjoy public speaking engagements.