How a Business Developer Strives for Authenticity

Authenticity can be hard to find in the business world. There are plenty of people talking the talk—so many it’s been labeled a buzzword—but it can be hard to tell when they’re walking the walk. For people like business developer Nibit Chatterji, though, true authenticity can be the difference between having a job and having a purpose.

“I never envisioned myself doing the things that I’m doing right now, so early in my career,” Nibit says about his current role at CommerceCX. “It’s great to be here because I can be myself; I can do work my way.”

Giving folks the freedom to work “their way” is valuable to any role, but it’s especially important for folks like Nibit. CCX is a small business and the title “business developer” covers everything from sales to marketing to social media management to outreach. Most of Nibit’s job is about the messages CommerceCX sends about who we are, what we do, and what we value. Authenticity is important.

But it can also be tricky. Oversharing can be off-putting, not sharing enough can create confusion, or even give an impression of shadiness or dishonesty. For Nibit, finding the right balance means focusing on the client first.

“It’s that authentic way of talking to people to understand where they are.”

Nibit strives to be authentic in every part of his role, but especially in his work in sales. Sales reps don’t have the best reputation for honesty, and this has made an impact on public perception. Research shows 84 percent of millennials inherently distrust advertisements and sales pitches and depictions of crooked salespeople in media can be found everywhere from The Wolf of Wall Street to Matilda the Musical. With a backdrop like that, Nibit says it’s essential to change the narrative.

“It’s doing it in a more humane way, having a more humane conversation,” he says, about the foundation of his outreach process. “Understanding the client, understanding what they need, explaining everything they need to know, and being more open.”

Part of this integrity is admitting to and learning from past mistakes. Nibit remembers having to unlearn some tactics that were pressured into his head prior to joining CommerceCX, at positions where he and his coworkers were encouraged to be aggressive in their sales pitches.

“When the call was a closure situation, it had to get closed,” he explains, with discomfort in his voice. “We used to spend almost a half-hour, one hour, sometimes more, just to convince a someone.”

Nibit says that not only was this method damaging to relationships, it also put a lot of strain on him and his colleagues. Research shows that letting sales people show their human side benefits both the company and the outlook of sales reps. Transitioning to a more positive environment at CommerceCX not only let Nibit grow away from that approach, but it also improved his confidence and his belief in the organization he represents.

And it doesn’t hurt that he loves the work.

“This is what I want to do, marketing and creating content—I’ve always loved it. If sales is a priority for me, marketing always comes next.”

Nibit already had some experience working in marketing before joining CommerceCX but found his growth hampered by office culture and environment, which often dictated how and when he would do his work. He was drawn to CommerceCX by an offer from Vasanth Mosoor, Head of India Operations.

“One fine afternoon Vasanth calls me up and he says there’s an opportunity here in Hyderabad with CommerceCX,” Nibit says, “He says, ‘We’re a startup and we’re looking for someone like you to handle sales and marketing.’”

Prior to Nibit’s joining in 2022, CommerceCX had no in-house marketing team, instead contracting out marketing tasks to an external firm. Nibit’s joining the team would mark a transition for both him and the company and let him benefit from being in an IT center like Hyderabad. The opportunity was enticing.

“They presented something new, saying ‘you’re gonna be the first guy here and you’re gonna handle everything.’ And that was something really exciting.”

You can see Nibit’s excitement in his work. According to consulting firm Gartner, people are happy to work harder and longer on work that feels meaningful and important. Nibit’s role has had him managing marketing efforts for CommerceCX and its sister company ScaleFluidly, and he’s known among the ScaleFluidly team for always going above and beyond.

“I feel I have grown and people say that they are seeing growth in me,” Nibit says. “It’s amazing. It gives me so much force. And it builds my confidence, that I’m doing something right and people are accepting it.”

Authenticity can be hard to find in business—especially sales and marketing. Professional standards and industry expectations can feel like safer options than trying something new and unique. When you let people like Nibit take the reins, though, you give them a chance to bring their passion to projects—and that passion is honest.

“I started from zero, in IT sales,” he says, “The constant support, motivation, and knowledge I received working with Vinay, Sanjay, Vasanth, and Rick, have been invaluable. They’ve made me grow.”

For Nibit, working in sales and marketing isn’t just a job—it’s an opportunity to better himself and to make real connections. He says it’s made him a better person. It’s authentic, right down to the bone.

“I used to get statistics from the IT departments at my previous companies, regarding what I’m doing, what calls are being made and everything,” Nibit says. “But right now it’s just me, figuring out everything, figuring out what sort of content there should be. The responsibility is all mine and I own it and I love it.”

And that authenticity shines through.

This article is part of our series Stories of CommerceCX, which seeks to collect and record employee experiences into a series of articles exploring their history and growth and how CommerceCX’s investment in goodwill and employees’ quality-of-life leads to positive business results. Read more Stories of CCX here.