Untap Your Sales Potential

#9 - The #1 Global AE at Mambu Wasn’t Even a Salesperson | Ashwin Sirse

Untap Your Sales Potential

Show Notes

One of the biggest myths in sales is that top performers all look the same.

They're charismatic, extroverted, and natural-born salespeople. They're great at presenting, excellent communicators, and master negotiators. But after coaching hundreds of top performers, I've found the opposite is true.

The best sellers win because they lean into their strengths…not because they try to become someone else.

This week on the Untap Your Sales Potential Podcast, I sat down with Ashwin Sirse, a UYSP client who became the #1 Global AE at Mambu, finishing 295% of quota and closing multiple eight-figure deals.

What makes Ashwin's story so compelling isn't the result. It's how he got there.

When Ashwin entered enterprise software sales, he had no banking experience. He was surrounded by people who had spent 10+ years in the industry.

He struggled with anxiety, imposter syndrome, and questioned whether he belonged in sales.

And yet, a few years later, he was the top performer in the company.

Why? Because he stopped trying to be a stereotypical salesperson.

Instead, he leaned into his superpower: Project Management. Before sales, Ashwin worked in client services managing complex projects. Most people would have viewed that background as irrelevant, but Ashwin turned it into his competitive advantage.

He used his project management skills to build and execute a repeatable sales motion.

He used his project management skills to build out org charts and empower his champions to multi-thread.

He used his project management skills to build a comprehensive spreadsheet to map out the exact steps and timeline that clients need to follow for a successful project.

His philosophy was simple: "Keep customers so busy they don't have time to look elsewhere."

He introduces mutual action plans in the second or third meeting, not when the deal is ready to close. He even introduces himself to clients as the “Project Evaluation Lead,” not an AE.

Because real deals are not “opportunities,” they are “projects.”

This approach helped him close an 8 figure deal and convert 40% of initial meetings into qualified projects. But this interview isn't just about enterprise sales. It's about building confidence, reducing anxiety, and learning to trust yourself.

And becoming the person you're capable of becoming.

In this Fireside Chat, Ashwin shares: • How he overcame anxiety, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome in sales • The mindset shifts that helped him build true confidence • His approach to executive conversations and point-of-view selling • The exact mutual action plan process that accelerates eight-figure opportunities and a demonstration of the spreadsheet he uses • Why he took a three-month sabbatical after becoming #1 globally • The coaching lessons that changed his life forever

The biggest lesson I hope people take away from this interview: You don't need to become someone else to be elite.

Everything you need to succeed is already within you. You just need to trust yourself and lean into the unique abilities that make you great. That's exactly what Ashwin did. And it's exactly what every seller can do.

Learn more at https://www.untapyoursalespotential.com/podcast

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