Alex Saleh

Vice President, Global Sales Operations

Born:
Tehran, Iran

Prior Experience:
Convergys Corporation - VP of NA Sales, Learning Solutions
DigitalThink - Director, Strategic Accounts
Avinon - VP, Business Development
Clarify - Regional Branch Manager
IBM Corporation - Sales Representative

Education:
Tufts University - BS in Electrical Engineering
Purdue University - Masters in Electrical Engineering (Computer Science)

What I like to do outside of work:
Travel with my family, read about history, keep up with international affairs in particular the Middle East, biking, skiing.

Q: Where in your background did you learn the most?
A: My introduction to Sales was at IBM Corporation. Early in my career Big Blue provided me with a very comprehensive training in sales as well as exposure to senior level executives both as my customers and mentors. I learned sales leadership at Clarify and DigitalThink (which was acquired by Convergys), including the importance of hiring, motivating and retaining top talent.

Q: If you could meet one person in history, who would you meet and why?
A: Charles Darwin - His insatiable curiosity, meticulous analysis, and extraordinary power of investigation led to the simple yet elegant theory of Natural Selection as the mechanism that drives Evolution. His work significantly improved our understanding of life and our origins. When he finally published his theory it was with the knowledge of the significant risks associated with refuting deeply held beliefs by a large percentage of the population. We will have a lot to talk about!

Q: What's been your biggest surprise during your time at SuccessFactors?
A: The realization of how powerful the combination of Talent, Focus, and Constraint can be in achieving results that may at the onset look impossible. Like replacing the CRM system for an entire sales and marketing organization. In 2 weeks.

Q: If you had 20 seconds to tell a new client about why they should use SuccessFactors, what would you say?
A: I would ask them whether they know how the best sales organizations in the world are run. Most senior executives agree that the following elements play a big role: a) Clarity of objectives, b) Measurement and forecasting of attainment against those objectives on a regular basis, and c) Compensation that is clearly tied to meeting objectives. Then I would tell them that we enable them to apply "a" "b" and "c" to their entire organization.

Q: Why are you proud to work at SuccessFactors?
A: I am proud that we don’t really have jerks at work. We don’t get mired in politics. There is a true emphasis on results, not just plans. It’s motivating to be surrounded by highly talented people who work hard, but are never too busy to support you in what you need to get done. And it’s extremely gratifying to be part of the company that’s leading the charge in a fast growing market.