Michael Abbassian

Senior Executive Search Associate , TORONTO

I am a firm believer that every profession in this world employs a level of sales practice and acumen. The teacher selling the value of education to a classroom of children, to the doctor selling the need and urgency for a patient to change their unhealthy life habits to improve their health – sales is everywhere!

When I was a child I remember being the only kid in school with the most desired trading card collection. From sports cards to other desired trading cards, I was the individual in school that everyone came to get what they wanted. I loved the challenge of influencing a classmate to want to either buy or trade for one of the cards that I had in my collection. The thrill from having to approach each experience differently and how my proposition to each classmate changed ever so slightly is a childhood memory I likely will never forget. 

However, as a career, I never really considered sales until just recently. I do believe that a lot of that had to do with our education system both on the secondary and post-secondary level not presenting the immense value that a sales career can bring to someone as their first choice out of school. Instead, I went into teaching and worked both here in Canada and overseas in the United Kingdom. While teaching was immensely impactful and meaningful to the communities I served, it seemed to always leave me wanting more, a sense of emptiness where I knew I had more to offer both for myself and for those I look to impact and help grow positively. 

Now, as a Senior Executive Seach Associate at Sales Talent Agency, I get to work with both emerging tech companies and industry leaders to help solve recruitment challenges to secure elite sales talent to both impact and help grow their future as they work towards their infinite futures.

Outside of that, I am a diehard basketball fan who digests a copious amount of basketball content every week. If you cannot find me at home binging the latest TV show or movie, you will likely find me at one of Toronto’s trending restaurants or hidden-gems devouring a delish plate of food. 

For the love of sales!