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Try and achieve product market fit as soon as possible

Crikle all in one solution for remote guided selling

Please introduce yourself and the Startup Crikle  to our readers!

Crikle is a sales enablement solution built to help businesses sell more, remotely. To date technology poses various restrictions for salespeople looking to remotely convert customer interest to intent; messy screen shares, convoluted communications and multiple channels result in an unnecessarily long sales cycle and an unhappy customer. 

Crikle was designed to solve this problem by providing businesses with an interactive one stop shop to manage their remote selling process. 

Diwaker Singh, Founder & CEO of Crikle is a serial entrepreneur whose professional career spans 40 years, three continents, seven industry verticals and over 20 companies as an executive, CEO, entrepreneur, Board member/Chairman. Over the last two decades, Diwaker has been a part of technology business exits to prominent acquirers that include Microsoft, Qualcomm, Naspers, Francisco Partners and Fitbit.  

Why did you decide to start a business?

The idea behind Crikle was conceived when I experienced the problem of remote selling first hand as a buyer. I was trying to book a trip for a group of my friends, which should have been easy, quick and enjoyable –  the process turned out to be incredibly frustrating. After weeks of receiving various emails, messages and phone calls from the tour operator, we still couldn’t come to a decision as most of the options were not available for us to view and share with each other in one place. It was messy and frustrating, to say the least.

That’s when I realised the need for a product like Crikle. Where the decision to buy a product or service could be made painless, quick and engaging for the customer. 

What is the vision behind Crikle?

The vision for Crikle is simple – to provide better digital solutions to enable and improve remote guided sales and to help sellers to reduce sales cycles, convert better and be more profitable.

From the idea to the start what have been the biggest challenges so far and how did you finance yourself?

Being first to market and achieving product/market fit is a big challenge. We were able to manage this successfully by securing a group of early customers who helped us understand their needs and thereby build a  useful product . Many of our early customers are successfully selling remotely with the power of Crikle.

Crikle is privately funded  by its founders. The company is  in the process of raising its next round of funding.

Who is the target group of Crikle?

Any product or service that is high touch, high value and needs the guidance of an experienced salesperson will find value in using Crikle. Our target group includes real estate, automobiles, tour operators, home improvement, art and antiques, industrial equipment, financial services, medical services, high end consumer goods, event managers and even location scouts from the film industry.

The applications for Crikle are wide, varied and interesting for most sectors of business where the expertise of a sales agent is necessary for a sale to happen.

How do Crikle  work? What are the advantages? What makes you different from other providers?

Crikle’s USP lies in it being an all in one solution for remote guided selling. It’s the first solution that allows for its users to create, present, collaborate and transact in one seamless transition. Remote selling is no longer limited to PowerPoints presented on a screen share. Crikle allows businesses to elevate their value proposition by accurately replicating in-person experiences within a digital context. Customers are able to brand their Crikle platform with their logo and colours making the selling experience a lot more professional and personal. Crikle’s simple user interface does not require the buyer to download any software, make it easy to understand and use.

How has your company changed with Corona?

Crikle is more relevant than ever during and post pandemic. Customers are increasingly looking to work remotely and businesses are encouraging their work-force to operate from home. We, at Crikle, are working closely with our existing and potential customers to find the best solutions for now and the future.

This has meant listening to our customers, evolving  the product and doubling down on our efforts to engage our audience with the concept of remote guided selling. 

How did you adjust to it and what changes have you made?

As a team, we have of course been working remotely since March 2020. This has resulted in some quick changes so the team can work better. We start our day with an all hands team call to get an update on what everyone is working on and collaborate across projects and functions. This is also an opportunity for us to share customer feedback and monitor goals real time.

For me, this has meant greater visibility into the day to day activities of my team and it’s been great to see everyone come together to own the vision of the company. 

Where do you see the opportunity in the crisis?

We have started to see more awareness, interest and a greater need for a platform like Crikle which enables remote selling without disrupting the role of the sales expert. In fact, the trend for the future indicates that more and more sellers will work from home as well as buyers. How do you then manage a consultative process like selling efficiently and productively? An increasing number of remote working solutions will appear over time.

I would encourage investors and businesses to support the concept of a contactless. Or less contact world where technology plays a greater role than before to make people happy and comfortable.

Crikle , where does the road go? Where do you see yourself in five years?

In 5 years, I hope to see Crikle as a leader in the space of remote guided selling. And as an integral part of the sales process for all types and sizes of business. We will become the ‘must have’ platform for sales experts to sell efficiently and productively.

At the end: Which 3 tips would you give to future founders?

  • Try and achieve product market fit as soon as possible. This is a key for success
  •  Don’t live in denial. Listen to your customers, employees and to those who have been through this journey before
  • Remember that “The only thing that is constant is change”. We should willing to adapt to the changing world and changing needs. Stubborn entrepreneurs will find it difficult to keep up. 

More information you will find here

Thank you Diwaker Singh for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

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