Barbara Walters chats with Forward Syria
Swaying between art and seduction
Discussing monetary policy with the man in charge
Where the earth screams in horror
12/02/2010 - Issue 46
Hazem Haykal
What does success mean? At just 32, Hazem Haykal thinks he has found the answer. Now Vice President for Business Development at Transtek after rising through the ranks, he says the lessons he has learned from people and confidence in himself have helped him meet every new challenge.
Tell us a little about what you do.
Transtek provides advanced enterpise solutions systems. That means we go to enterprises and consult on their whole business model, analyzing their needs, and offer them IT solutions and systems to improve the efficiency of their work.
We have to know the business inside out to implement the system, train the staff in using it and monitor the implementation. I started in project management and then I was promoted to overseeing sales and business development.
Sales is a much more people-oriented role. How did you adapt your skills from project management and apply them to sales?
Project management requires careful planning and problem solving skills. But I soon realized sales does too. When I first started in sales, I thought I couldn’t do it, but after taking a course in Human Resources, and giving it a go, I realized I was actually good at it! Self-confidence was the key.
There is a bit of trial and error. At first I tried implementing the standards and theories straight from the books, but in Syria we have a complicated market and you can’t just take the standards and practices and apply them here. The fine-tuning comes from talking to people and learning how to adapt to your market.
In sales you have to be flexible. You must develop personal relationships to take care of your customers. You can’t sell if you don’t value your customers. I believe that everything is about selling and because of that I have a huge network now.
What’s the greatest lesson you have learned in your business career?
Firstly, that the greatest enemy to success is fear. Secondly, you have to have high self-confidence. Thirdly, you have to believe in what you are selling.
You have to stand in front of the mirror and say, “It’s a sunny day, I’m the best and I am going to win.” Except I replace “win” with “sell.”
There is a saying that failure is a better teacher than success and I believe in that. I needed to fail to figure out what works and what doesn’t and when you fail, not to let that stop you. That’s not easy.
It must be hard to have so much responsibility at such a young age.
Actually, if you let it, it can feel like a mountain on your shoulders. I’m always aware that the sales department is where the revenue is generated. I’ve run sales now for four years and each year I’ve seen an improvement. That’s encouraging.
When do you know you’ve found success in business?
When you sign the contract and you get the first payment and when you win a new contract through one customer. When a customer returns you know you have succeeded.
And success in life?
When you have a sweet wife, a good house and a fast car. The Syrian dream.
What advice do you give others going into business development?
Work hard. Harder than you thought was possible. Show commitment. Nurture trust within your team. I have a rule that I don’t answer any private phone calls during work. You need to focus. And 24 hours, seven days a week, you need to be thinking about how you can do better, improve yourself and look at everyone around you as a potential client.
You need get out of your comfort zone. Anything that is easy is generally not the right thing to do, and the things that are difficult are the right things to do. You need to prepare yourself for whatever circumstances come your way and not be afraid to take on unexpected challenges.
