News | Sales Trends In APAC: Prioritizing Automation And Texting

Table of Contents
    Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

    We’ve picked some more interesting trends that we have found in the 2023 APAC Hubspot Sales Report.

    Below is a snapshot which seems to highlight a heavy focus on automation and using texting and Whatsapp as an effective tool in the Asian market.

     

    • In Australia, sales teams are more likely to embrace hybrid sales and remote selling, with cross-selling and upselling to existing customers being a top sales goal for 2023.
    • Singaporeans have increased their mobile purchases for both personal and business use, and WhatsApp is their preferred messaging and chat platform for reaching out about a product or service.
    • A mobile-first strategy for sales and alignment with marketing is predicted for Southeast Asia as a whole.
    • SE Asian Countries prioritise Net Promoter Score (NPS) as a top sales metric, with texting and messaging growing as effective sales channels.
    • Sales teams should focus on providing personalised outreach throughout the buying process and using sales tech tools to gain a thorough understanding of the buyer for future, more contextual, communication.
    • Successful sales organisations in the APAC area are relying more on automated tools, business intelligence, buying signals, texting and messaging, and social selling.

     

    Expect to see more hybrid and remote selling, a focus on upselling and cross-selling, and a boom in emerging channels like using WhatsApp for sales in 2023.

     

    READY FOR A GAME-CHANGING CAREER OR TEAM ENHANCEMENT?

    FROM OUR PULSE NEWS, EMPLOYER AND JOB SEEKER HUBS

    Featured Articles

    5 Red Flags Recruiters Look for (And How to Fix Them)

    Tech sales recruiters review hundreds of resumes and LinkedIn profiles weekly. After thousands of placements, they’ve developed pattern recognition for red flags that predict poor performance, early turnover, or problematic behavior. These warning signs cause immediate disqualification regardless of how impressive other credentials appear. Understanding what recruiters consider red flags—and more importantly, how to fix…

    How Enterprise Sales Became a Multi-Stakeholder Strategy Game

    In the traditional “golden age” of sales, the path to a closed-won deal was often a straight line. You identified a decision-maker—usually a charismatic executive with a budget and a problem—convinced them of your value, signed a contract, and moved on to the next lead. This “single-threaded” approach relied on personal rapport and individual authority….

    You Should Prioritize Alignment Over Compensation in Tech Sales

    In the hyper-competitive world of tech sales, it is easy to be blinded by the “Big Number.” Recruiters often lead with eye-popping On-Target Earnings (OTE), signing bonuses, and equity packages that look like lottery tickets. For years, the prevailing wisdom was simple: follow the money. However, as we navigate the sales landscape of 2026, the…

    Self-Direction Is One of the Most Valuable Sales Skills

    For decades, the image of the “Sales Floor” was one of high-octane chaos: rows of desks, the rhythmic sound of cold calls, and a manager pacing the aisles with a leaderboard in hand. It was an environment built on external pressure and shared energy. Today, that floor is silent. The shift toward hybrid and remote…

    Why “AI Curiosity” No Longer Cuts It in 2026

    Not long ago, having “AI curiosity” on your CV signaled something valuable. It suggested initiative, adaptability, and a willingness to explore new tools before they became mainstream. In 2024, that alone could differentiate you. It hinted that you weren’t waiting for change—you were leaning into it. In 2026, that signal has largely disappeared. The market…

    Breaking the “Inbound Dependency” in ANZ Sales Teams

    For nearly a decade, the ANZ SaaS ecosystem thrived in a golden era of predictable lead generation. A steady stream of inbound inquiries acted as a structural safety net for sales teams across Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland. Marketing departments, fueled by low interest rates and expansive budgets, could effectively “buy” growth through heavy ad spend…

    The Shift Toward Full-Cycle Competency

    For the better part of two decades, the tech industry operated under a single, unchallenged gospel: the Predictable Revenue model. Popularized in the early 2010s, this framework suggested that the most efficient way to scale a sales organization was through hyper-specialization. You had Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) to hunt, Account Executives (AEs) to close, and…

    How Top Sales Reps Find Roles Before They’re Advertised

    In tech sales, the most desirable roles rarely make it to job boards. By the time a position is publicly advertised, it’s often already flooded with applicants—or quietly earmarked for an internal referral. Top-performing sales professionals understand this reality and operate differently. They don’t wait for opportunities to appear; they position themselves to be found…

    How to Build a Winning Sales Culture That Retains High Performers

    In the high-stakes world of tech sales, culture is often dismissed as a “soft” metric—something involving ping-pong tables, free snacks, or the occasional happy hour. But in 2026, top-tier sales talent has seen it all. They aren’t looking for perks; they are looking for an environment that optimizes their ability to win. A “Winning Sales…

    From SDR to AE: How to Get Promoted Faster in a Tech Company

    The Sales Development Representative (SDR) role is the “Special Forces” of the tech world. It’s a high-pressure, high-volume environment where you are the first point of contact for potential customers. But let’s be honest: you didn’t take this job just to book meetings forever. You’re eyeing that Account Executive (AE) seat—the closer, the strategist, the…