Before joining our sales team, Teva Gallet used to work in Thailand for three years as well as across diverse roles within the hotel industry. In this interview, we ask him about his past experiences and how it helps him in his current role as sales specialist.

1. You mentioned that you worked in Bangkok before. How long did you work there and what was it like? How is it different from working here?

I was in Bangkok for close to 3 years working in the event industry and had the chance to travel the world in cities such as Dubai, Manilla, and Sydney. It was definitely an eye-opening experience as Bangkok is a rather chaotic city compared to Singapore. However, the excitement of the bustling streets and endless street food are things I will miss.

In terms of working, Singapore is more practical mainly because the traffic is a lot lighter and in sales you need to visit a lot of your clients, so it helps when you aren’t stuck in traffic for 2 hours!

2. How did you get started working in sales?

My interest in sales started when I was working as a front desk associate and found the prospect of upselling guests to a higher category room exciting to do. I also realised that I enjoyed talking to people and in sales that’s one of the key skills you need to be able to comfortably communicate with absolute strangers and get them to trust you.

3. How’s work going so far as Sales Specialist at V3? What do you enjoy doing the most and what do you find the most challenging?

I appreciate the confidence that V3 has towards my sales techniques. I believe that with guidance and my skills, we will push our figures further and faster than before. I thoroughly enjoy going out and meeting clients and being able to give them a solution to better improve their overall operations. As the tech industry is something new to me, I sometimes have difficulties understanding the technical terminologies but with time I am sure I will get a grasp of it all.

4. What’s the best piece of experience you learned from your previous job that you’re putting to good use here?

Coming from several 5-star hotels, customer service was always a priority! I believe that everyone deserves an equal amount of respect and recognition. Reflecting this mindset into V3 has given me the ability to get clients to trust our services, ultimately leading to closing more leads.

5. What made you decide to join us after hearing about us?

You really must believe in a product/service to be able to sell it to people. After understanding what we can offer it made me realise that V3 can give something that will benefit a lot of industries in terms of reducing costs and improving overall operations and more. As V3 has been around for 20 years, I knew that they are well established. Let’s not forget as well that the tech industry is booming at the moment, so it was quite a straightforward decision to jump in and be a part of shaping the future.

6. What do you like about our company culture? In what ways is it different from your past jobs?

I appreciate the freedom to explore my own sales techniques. Other jobs that I’ve worked in usually have a very structured way of selling. Although it can work at times, I prefer having the ability to do things my own way as it is very refreshing.

7. Being half French, half Tahitian, are all of your family members currently staying in Singapore too, or do you also visit relatives overseas?

My father is currently living in Singapore whereas my mother is living in Tahiti. My extended family are living in France and Tahiti which gives me the chance to visit two different countries! I always try my best to see them all on a regular basis, or at least give them a call.

8. What do you look forward to the most when travelling to visit friends or family?

Catching up with what I’ve missed. The feeling of being back together is always the best experience. Seeing my friends and family grow older, get married, and raise their kids or start a new job is always fascinating.

9. What advice or life experience have you gained so far, having lived in different countries and worked in various roles in the hotel industry?

The main advice I would give is to always be optimistic and live life! No matter where you are or what you’re doing, people are people, and they always want to be treated the same way you wish to be treated. As simple as it sounds, sometimes you deal with unreasonable guests or clients, but in life you are bound to meet these types of people and getting upset with them isn’t going to change anything.

10. Lastly, how do you spend your free time when you’re not busy meeting clients and writing up sales proposals?

Usually, I’m spending time with my loved ones be it in person or online. I also enjoy playing PC games with my two brothers who are living abroad as it’s a great way to catch up and keep in contact. From time to time, I also enjoy going to the gym and going for a run, however, my belly has been telling me elsewise!