Amna Tariq

In just four months as a B2B SAP software sales specialist, Amna has already discovered the secret to sustainable success: it’s not about the energy the job brings you, but the energy you bring to the job. A deeply inquisitive people-person, Amna thrives on the relationships she builds with her clients. She believes that true sales magic happens when you let the customer speak; by creating a space of trust, concerns surface naturally, allowing her to provide long-term solutions rather than just pushing a product. Her advice to young women eyeing this field is to focus on self-development—hone your character, be aware of your tone, and let your authenticity be felt, even over the phone. "People can feel your presence," she shares, emphasizing that belief in your product is palpable. That same depth of empathy and awareness defines her proudest achievement: becoming an equestrian despite a fibromyalgia diagnosis that made the odds feel impossible. The bond required to move in sync with a horse taught her resilience and a profound level of empathy. Now, whether she's practicing aerial yoga or planning her future as a holistic health coach, Amna continues to channel that energy into inspiring other women to defy their own impossible odds.

Many people complain often that my current position doesn't offer me much flexibility - but one of my mentors has coached me on "It's not about what the job brings to you, but it's about what you bring to your job!". I think this advice is extremely beneficial when setting up expectations for your workplace. Your job is only as good and fulfilling as the energy you bring into it.

For young women entering my industry, it is not so important to be knowledgeable of ERP systems or SAP in the beginning - but you have to demonstrate passion, grit and curiosity to learn about them later on. But in terms of university education, it is equally beneficial if you're from a non-technical background - as I am! You will learn the job at the job, but prior to that, you have to work on self-development and that comes from education, coaching and mentorship. I truly wish all women entering my field have fulfilling college experiences where they have experimented with what they like and dislike, what is their learning style and how to talk to various people they have come across from different backgrounds. All of these stories that you have lived help you craft your very own, authentic sales persona! And really - it's not just about a persona, it's who you are! So ladies, never shy away from investing in yourself, your confidence and your talents. You will get a lifetime return on self-investment and growing with others. Helping others is absolutely necessary because you can never succeed in sales or anything really, if you're not demonstrating collaborative empathy. So be kind, passionate, courageous and conquer yourself before conquering the world!

Challenges: I think one of the things I have personally really struggled with is trying to get the message across to clients that they must choose a software that resonates with their company proposition. It is really difficult to make companies understand the value of SAP over a 30 minute phone call (worst case scenario). Secondly, a lot of information is not available online. For a lot of companies in Pakistan, they do not report accurate statistics related to their companies online for the fear of breach of confidentiality or privacy. People are private, companies are private. For me to dig deeper into the clients' needs and wants without hearing their side of the story, sometimes I have to fill in the blanks myself, which never quite works effectively. So to support complete privacy, I am receiving coaching on how to get the clients to speak to me more on the phone through something called a 40 - 60 ratio. According to this ratio, the sales specialist speaks for 40% of the conversation, while the client partakes in the remaining 60% of the dialogue. That not only makes the client feel heard and respected, but in this way, the client shares more information about where their business is currently at and what sort of software resonates with their vision. It is also easier to sell your story that way - happy selling!

Opportunities: In my role as a sales specialist, I work with senior SAP Functional Consultants often who speak to the client about their individual SAP journeys and how it would actually look like when they implement SAP in their companies. Some times, the deals go forward, others they are thwarted, but what matters is an iterative feedback loop where you learn from your last meeting. A funny story actually came up. When I first joined Businessline, a part of our cold-calling script was that implementing SAP actually increases company profitability by 60%. While in the long-term, this holds true, it is very difficult to prove to companies statistically during a demo. When our clients asked us this question repeatedly, some of our consultants actually froze at the spot because this profit increase wasn't supposed to materialize over a very short-run. So one of the opportunities that arose was to become a financial consultant who could justify the increase in profits of a company by installing SAP and reorganizing of data. I think a financial consultant could add a lot of value to the Delivery team once presenting a demo to any client.

Opportunities Continued: Similarly, there is a lot of opportunity in going into the technical modules of SAP and receiving training. Personally I am interested in the HR Module of SAP called Successfactor, the training for which I hope to pursue in the coming year. Likewise, many people pursue the Financial or Supply Chain Modules of SAP and build careers as Functional Consultants. Better yet, many other people from the Sales Team directly transition into giving live in-person or online video demos to the clients where there is a live performance followed by a wholesome question-answer session and perhaps even negotiations. So there is a lot of opportunity for growth in SAP, within immediate Sales and beyond!

Spirituality + Spirituality + Spirituality

Honesty + Kind Heartedness + Empathy

Meaningfulness + Reflection + Gratitude