"It took me years to learn to listen properly" – ISP NextGen Season 3 Podcast with Helga Saraiva-"It took me years to learn to listen properly" – Helga Saraiva-Stewart (Executive Director @ Supero; Nova SBE)

"It took me years to learn to listen properly" – Helga Saraiva-Stewart (Executive Director @ Supero; Nova SBE)

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this podcast episode, Helga Sarraiva, Executive Director of Commercial and Growth at Supo and an ISP board member, shares her journey from 25 years in corporate fintech sales in London to leadership, teaching, mentoring, and entrepreneurship. She explains how moving to Portugal helped her recognize the value of the sales expertise she had developed over time, inspiring her to create consulting work, university programs, and mentoring initiatives.<br /><br />Helga strongly challenges the stigma around sales, arguing that great selling is about helping people solve problems, not being “slimy” or manipulative. She emphasizes core sales skills such as empathy, active listening, curiosity, and asking powerful questions. She also discusses her award-winning prospecting program, which focuses on mastering fundamentals like value communication, diagnosis, and role-play practice.<br /><br />A major theme is leadership: Helga believes strong sales cultures start at the top and must be client-centric, ethical, and coaching-led. She warns against ego-driven, spray-and-pray prospecting, burnout cultures, and overreliance on technology without strategy. She stresses that leaders must coach, not just demand results.<br /><br />Helga also reflects on mentorship, saying she learns from coaching others and feels a responsibility to help younger generations build confidence. She closes by encouraging sales leaders to prioritize coaching and development, and to connect with her on LinkedIn.

Keywords

sales leadership

mentorship

prospecting

client-centric culture

ethical selling

active listening

coaching