Matej Dammer

One poor service experience is all it takes to lose a customer for life. According to the latest data from Zendesk, 90% of Australian consumers won’t hesitate to drop a brand if their problem isn’t resolved on the first contact. In today’s competitive environment, instant resolution is no longer a perk - it’s table stakes. Check out this latest contributor piece from our very own Kellie Hackney in RetailBiz on why instant resolutions are the new baseline for retailers in 2026. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gqCh5dJy

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APJ market data doesn’t lie! Three metrics consistently predict which AEs will win big: (1) Relationship depth metrics (2) Cross-sell and up-sell rates (3) Sales ramp time …and a few more from Lauren’s post below.

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Since joining Zendesk 3 months ago we have kicked off so many innovative AI projects with some of NZs most iconic names in retail, media & entertainment, travel & hospitality and government and they are seeing immediate benefits in all areas of their CX space - a lot of it just plug and play. It goes without saying that Zendesk is now among the first to integrate OpenAI's GPT-5 into our Resolution Platform: https://bit.ly/457VKq4 This advancement has allowed #ZendeskAIAgents to deliver richer responses and reduce escalations by over 20%. Our App Builder is 30% faster, with 3 to 4 times more prompt iterations per minute — making it easier and faster to innovate for our customers. As Shashi Upadhyay, our President of Product, Engineering, and AI, says, “It’s a foundational model that’s helping us raise the quality of every interaction and accelerate how we bring AI innovation to market.”

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The Australian GTM market has changed. Hitting quota in 2026 is the entry point, not the edge. The candidates our top-tier clients are actively pursuing aren't just selling. They're leading revenue conversations at a level that makes them hard to replace. If you're serious about standing out this year, focus here: 1. Go beyond CRM proficiency. The bar has moved. Employers are looking for people who use AI-assisted prospecting and data-driven workflows to actively shorten deal cycles. Tool familiarity is table stakes. Showing how you've used those tools to drive outcomes is what gets you the interview. 2. Speak in numbers that matter. Forget "exceeded targets." Document your impact in the language founders and CROs actually care about: ACV growth, net retention, pipeline contribution. That's what separates a strong performer from a strategic hire. 3. Build your network like a pipeline. In enterprise GTM, who you know and who vouches for you carries real weight. Invest in relationships with people who understand complex stakeholder environments. Credibility in this market is built long before a job opens up. 4. Execute short-term, think long-term. The candidates who rise fastest can pivot their daily tactics without losing sight of the bigger revenue picture. That's what turns a strong rep into a future leader. Pulse Recruitment connects high-performance GTM talent with the companies building Australia's tech sector. #PulseRecruitment #GTMStrategy #TechSales #SaaSGrowth #SydneyTech #RevenueOperations #ExecutiveSearch

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32% of Kiwi agents say internal delays hold them back, yet only 21% of businesses have systems that work together.​ The result? Disconnected teams. Slower service. Frustrated customers.​ If your systems can’t keep up, your customer experience won’t either.​ 👉🏻 Explore how you can deliver the experience your customers expect and deserve with ServiceNow. http://spr.ly/60444ifxe #CXTrends #CustomerExperience

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Most SaaS leaders say they want Enterprise AEs... But in the ANZ market right now, I’m seeing strong SMB reps being promoted or hired into enterprise roles, then hitting a wall with multithreading, procurement and 9+ month cycles. The shift isn’t about deal size. It’s about how deals get done. 🛍️ SMB/B2C success = activity, pace, single-threaded deals 🏢 Enterprise success = navigation, consensus, political mapping The enterprise reps getting hired fastest in ANZ right now all have: - MEDDPICC deal structure - Documented success plans - Strong stakeholder mapping (5–8+ contacts early) - Commercial alignment before POC It’s actually less about “big logos” than people think, and more about repeatable deal strategy. These are the profiles most in demand and the hardest to secure for SaaS companies building true enterprise capability in ANZ.

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The gap between top-performing sales teams and everyone else in Australia and New Zealand is getting wider, not narrower. Salesforce’s 2026 State of Sales report shows that while the best teams are increasing win rates and deal velocity, most are falling further behind. AI adoption is up, but only a minority of teams are seeing real gains. The difference is not technology, it is discipline. Back when I was coaching, the players who bounced back fastest from a loss were not the ones who changed everything after a bad match. They were the ones who stuck to their routines, reviewed what went wrong, and made small, targeted adjustments. Overcorrection always led to more inconsistency. The same pattern is playing out in sales teams right now. Teams that overhaul their playbook after every missed target end up with confused reps and unpredictable results. The organisations I have seen close the productivity gap are the ones that build systems for practice, feedback, and incremental improvement. The specific steps that work: set a fixed review cadence, focus on one skill or behaviour at a time, and measure progress with clear, team-level metrics. Managers who solve this implement structured feedback loops and resist the urge to chase every new trend after a setback. Great managers do not just fix problems, they prevent the next one. Which reminds me, the teams that consistently hit their numbers are not the ones making the most noise about AI. They are the ones who have built a culture of steady, visible improvement. How do you identify when your team is overcorrecting instead of improving? #coaching #salescoaching #b2bsales

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See how Animates Vetcare partnered with Cornerstone to streamline HR and learning, boost employee engagement, and build scalable career pathways across New Zealand. By putting people first, Animates reduced HR administration by 70 percent, empowered self-led learning, and enabled teams to spend more time delivering exceptional care for customers’ beloved pets. Hear directly from leaders and team managers on why this transformation has been a game-changer. Read the full customer story here: https://csod.info/3QivxNF

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Exciting news for Xero's New Zealand small businesses – Tap to Pay is now available on iOS for all NZ Xero customers using Stripe. We're all about empowering Kiwi businesses to thrive, and that means giving you the tools to get paid easily. Tap to Pay is a game-changer, simplifying those crucial customer transactions. Think about your local handyman, finishing up a job at your home. Instead of fumbling for cash or waiting for a bank transfer, they can now accept a contactless payment on the spot with their phone. Or imagine a personal trainer at the park with a client - Tap to Pay means they can sort payment right there, no admin later. With Tap to Pay, NZ small businesses can accept contactless payments instantly, using only their phone, a Stripe account, and the Xero Accounting app. This means faster transactions, less time chasing invoices, and a healthier cash flow. We're proud to support the backbone of the New Zealand economy with innovative solutions like Tap to Pay. To learn more about Tap to Pay, please visit https://lnkd.in/gj5DQFAM

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For any of my fellow F1 fans, you ready for the Australian GP this weekend?! Let's go! For years, Salesforce and F1 have partnered to redefine fan engagement. Today, we’re taking it to the next level with the launch of Your Tech Director, F1’s new AI fan companion agent. Drive on over to learn how Agentforce and Data 360 bring it to life: https://lnkd.in/eVBeQGVS

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SDR hiring has changed in ANZ SDRs are moving up-funnel. They’re spending less time on: • brute-force cold calling • generic outbound activity And more time on: • buyer research • account selection • signal-based outreach • warming accounts already showing intent At first glance, you might think the SDR role is starting to look more like Marketing than Sales but SDRs aren’t becoming marketers. Marketing is generating better signals. SDRs are getting better at interpreting them. Less activity. More judgement. Smaller teams. Higher expectations. Teams that still measure SDRs on pure activity will struggle to make this model work #SDR #SalesDevelopment #GTM #B2BSales #SaaSHiring #HiringANZ #RevenueTeams #SalesLeadership #AIinSales #DemandGeneration #GoToMarket #TechSales

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I’m starting to notice a trend in Australia & New Zealand… No, it’s not "comment CODE or GPT to replace your entire sales/marketing team" 😅 It’s this 👉 we’re getting really good at predicting things (demand forecasts, response models, churn risk, propensity scores)… but the hardest part is still turning those predictions into decisions people can actually execute. Because most real business questions aren’t “what will happen?”, they’re “what should we do next?” within real-world constraints. You see it everywhere. A frontline workforce leader needs a roster that covers demand, respects fatigue/skills rules, minimises overtime, and stays on budget. A supply chain team needs to decide what to buy, where to hold it, and how to allocate it when supply is tight. Marketing teams need to manage campaign inventory and commitments, finite impressions, delivery constraints, pacing, and fairness across advertisers. Commercial teams need pricing and customer offers that lift conversion without breaking margin, compliance, or customer experience guardrails. Product/data teams want personalised offers, but with eligibility rules, contact policies, budgets, and risk constraints. Finance teams need to balance risk/return — not in theory, but within real policy limits and appetite. In all of these, machine learning is a huge advantage, it helps estimate, “if we do X, what’s likely to happen?” Mathematical optimization helps answer, “given what we know, what’s the best set of actions across thousands (or millions) of choices?” If you’re seeing the same shift in ANZ, from prediction to decision intelligence, you’ll probably enjoy connecting with others doing it across the region. Join us at Gurobi Days Australia in Melbourne, 28–29 April 2026, customer speakers, panel discussions, hands-on training, networking, and the latest updates with Gurobi Optimization. 👇 Link in the comments 👇 💬 Share a trend you're seeing below in your field and repost to invite your network ♻️ #Australia #Analytics #DataScience #MachineLearning #Optimization #DecisionIntelligence #AI #SupplyChain #DataTransformation #AdTech #PortfolioManagement

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What’s Really Moving the Aussie Hiring Market This Week... The first weeks of 2026 are already showing clear signals across the hiring landscape, and they’re not subtle. Early 2026 isn’t slow. It’s selective. Across tech, projects, data and GTM, one pattern stands out: clarity and capability are winning. Hybrid ambiguity is a hiring risk. As Dan O'Donnell sees on calls, candidates are not rejecting office work. They are walking away from mixed messages. If you are office first, say it and operate that way. If you are remote first, design for it. Fog in the middle turns strong applicants off. Macro settings still shape confidence. Bryan McMahon notes inflation stayed higher than expected, pushing out hopes of a quick recovery. Budgets are tighter and hiring needs a clear reason. AI, efficiency and resilience remain funded, while “nice to have” roles stall. Project Services is recalibrating. Karen Gregory is seeing genuine movement. Internal competition is still a factor after last year’s restructures, but early activity points to a steadier, more balanced year. Data and AI are active already. Lewis Heeks notes the market is decisive for the right capability. Clients are moving early, interviewing now, and planning ahead for what’s shaping up to be a solid year in the data & AI market. Across the board, the lesson is simple: be clear, be credible, and back roles that deliver impact. #HiringInsights #AustechJobs #ProjectServices #DataAndAI #LeadershipHiring #RecruitmentTrends #TalentMarket

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It's no secret Australian businesses are under pressure - rising costs, a shifting landscape, new customer expectations. But here’s the surprising part: more than half (56%) say they’re outperforming their peers. That’s one of the key findings from our "State of Business Growth 2025: Australia Edition" report. The common thread? Technology. From AI adoption to integrated systems, the businesses investing with intent are seeing faster returns and stronger growth. 👉 Watch my take below, and check out the full report here: https://hubs.la/Q03G7wRH0 I’d love to hear how your team is approaching growth this year: doubling down on customer experience, driving efficiency, or experimenting with AI?

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