By: Chikita Kukreja

About the authors

Simply Selling has been written by distinguished people who have vast experience in their own field. This book is an outcome of 20 years of experience and extensive hard work of a team of sales professionals from various nationalities.

Book Review

Are you looking for `simple selling' techniques for your business? Do you need sales training for you or your staff? Are you ready to make more money? Then this book is a must read for you.

Like a true sales manual, Simply Selling takes the reader through a detailed process of selling in a very simplified manner. Along with tried and tested exercises for sales professionals, the author also provides practical tips with factual examples from the author's' personal experiences.

The authors' question the often stated concept 'a sales person is a pushy low-life whomakes you buy things you don't want or need.' They put forth their point by making a clear statement that if you don't want it then why are you looking at it or listening to what a sales person has to say.

Simply Selling weaves in experiences from the lives of established sales professionals with a number of dos and don'ts. Agreeing to the fact that it's really tough out there in the market, the authors empathize by saying, `none of us say that selling is easy but we all definitely feel a sense of achievement and satisfaction in our sales careers.'
The author says selling is all about understanding the market, knowing your product, and couple this with the right attitude and working habits.

The little snippets that the author offers help one understand the industry better. As the chapters advance, there is a lot to learn about making sales calls, understanding the consumers mind, sales process and to top it all; how to keep your clients happy.
The authors talk about the importance of meeting deadlines and time management techniques. They portray examples to prove the significance of networking and the ways of getting to know more people who can be useful in near future.

Simply put, Simply Selling is a jargon free manual which describes the process of selling a product in this tough competitive world. It provides great deal of practical assistance to any sales person.

"My father is a writer. And his collection of books is what I was exposed to from my early years. Besides what he used to write, I also read virtually all the books he had in his library! The books in his library were really different from what my peers used to read in school! So, while my friends grew up on Hardy Boys and Famous five, I was trying to understand The Outsider by Albert Camus. Reading this particular book at a young age definitely made a great difference to my life and thinking. I would definitely recommend it to everyone I know.

I like a lot of fiction, particularly from different literary traditions - from Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Albert Camus and Gunter Grass. I do try and catch up with some of the classics as much as possible, but somehow because of my work schedule it takes a lot of time to finish a book! I particularly like some Latin American authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Time is a big problem. A bigger problem is ones' state of mind.One has too many choices and pulls to be able to sit back and read. Also, finding time to read can be particularly challenging when you have a young kid. Yet, I still try and take some time out to catch up on my reading.

My favourite books
I recently finished re-reading, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I find this Latin American authors' writing truly 'gripping'. And the fact that the cultural root it emanates from is so very different from the predictable stuff that comes out of European or American authors. Marquez is perhaps the world's best storyteller!

If I had to name my all-time favourite they would be One Hundred Years of Solitude and Ulysses by James Joyce..

I dislike
I don't like reading marketing, advertising, and self help or motivational books. Just to cite an example, I find authors like Edward De Bono quite boring and stretched though some of his ideas may be exciting. Somehow, I haven't been able to pull myself to read that genre of books; call them self help books or plain management and marketing jargon.

About the author - Jagdish N. Sheth is a renowned scholar and world authority in the field of marketing. His insights on global competition, strategic thinking, consumer behavior, and relationship management are considered revolutionary.
Rajendra S. Sisodia is Professor of Marketing and the Founding Director of the Center for Marketing Technology at Bentley College, Waltham. An electrical engineer from BITS, Pilani, Dr. Sisodia has a Ph.D. in Marketing and Business Policy from Columbia University.

About the Book

Tectonic Shift represents a continuation of the journey started by Commanding Heights, Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw's masterful recounting of the economic history of the 20th century. The book offers a plausible scenario on how the global economy is likely to evolve in the first few decades of the 21st century. So, in short it looks at global economies in view of the emerging geopolitical forces.

The book focuses on the future of different nations of the globe taking into consideration their economic and political state. The political system of a nation directly influences its economic balance. Sheth and Sisodia have divided the world's developmental process into three basic growth engines - Western Europe in 1800s, United States in 1900s and Large Emerging Nations in the 21st century. Of all the countries in the world, United States has the highest economic output according to the World Bank.

According to the authors, `the surest and the farthest way to benefit the largest number of people is to create true synergy by speeding integration between advanced and less developed countries.'

The authors, take case studies from across Europe, America, Japan, South Korea, Africa, Australia, and India to discuss the challenges faced from a historical perspective. Taking a futuristic view they also attempt to put forth the threats of tomorrow. They believe that by 2025, most countries of the world would be loosely or tightly aligned by the three trade blocs which are America, Europe and Asia.

The chapter wise description of the book makes the process of learning extremely interesting. The first few chapters explain in detail the 'magic of Ricardo' (read David Ricardo's theory of comaprative advantage) showing how free trade will prove to be beneficial in the future. Later, the authors focus on what each trade bloc must do to make itself globally competitive providing an overview of the needed change against the challenges to be faced.

Exec Speak: Interview with Joy Chakraborthy, Executive Vice President, network sales, Zee Telefilms

My day starts with
I am an early riser and am up by 5 am every morning. I am off to 'The Club' (a club in Mumbai's Andheri suburb which has facilities like a gym, squash, etc) for my workout at the gym. I make it a point to reach office by 9 am, so that I begin work early.

My fitness regime
I am an ex NDA and an ex airforce trainee pilot and therefore have always been into sports a lot. During my early years, I used to be a boxer and a football player. Nowadays it's either an hour of swimming or a combination of cardio and weights at the gym.

My diet mantra
I am a complete foodie, but I keep a check on what I eat and when I eat. When I am dining out, I love to try out Chinese, Japanese and Bengali food. Hilsa Paturi (a fish curry) and Golda Chingri (King prawns cooked with mustard paste, green chilies and yoghurt. Medium hot) are some of my most favourite Bengali dishes. I love to dine out at Oh! Calcutta in Tardeo, Mainland China in Andheri and Yokos in Andheri.

On traveling
I love to go hiking. I also take off to the hills over weekends. A long holiday happens once a year, during Christmas or New Year. I have traveled almost all over the world. Dubai remains my all-time favourite, as I can kill two birds with one stone. My brother and parents live there and it serves as a holiday place for me too.

Shopping
I am a shopaholic. Also, I am a credit card shopper and that's even more dangerous as one gets the bill only at the end of the month. Whenever I travel, I have this strong urge to buy something. Since, I am an impulsive buyer, my wife worries, when I travel abroad. I don't believe in window shopping !

Perfumes and watches are my weakness. I am also very brand conscious. Polo Sport and Issey Miyake are two of my favourite brands. As far as clothes go, for formal work wear, I prefer Ralph Lauren & Lacoste Shirts & prefer tailor made pants.

On movies
I love watching movies. Catching Movies on weekends is often a family affair. Recently, I enjoyed watching Rang De Basanti, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara and Zinda. All three films were extremely entertaining and are worth a watch. I pray every morning after my bath, I am a Kali/ Durga Bhakt.

On music
I freak out on Eagles, Eric Clapton and Elton John. As far as Hindi music goes, I love Kishore Kumar.

On Gizmos and Gadgets
I can't call myself a gizmo freak. I don't even know all the applications of my Nokia Communicator mobile phone. I possess a DVD player, a laptop and an iPod.

My Favourite Car
I drive a Toyota Corolla but definitely aspire for a BMW.

Stress busters
I love to spend quality time with my family, as I do not enjoy partying. I love to head out to 'The Club' on weekends, where i can watch my kids playing. Being a family man, I prefer to spend my free time with my family. Also on Saturdays and Sundays I go out shopping for fish, fruits and vegetables which is an amazing stress buster for me.

By: Raman Kumar
Partner, Director - Tracinema

I spent the early years of my life in Amritsar. As a child, my uncle, who was a Sanskrit scholar, left a deep impression on me. He had a huge collection of books and, in fact, he used to seek inspiration from books. Under his influence, I grew up to be a voracious reader.

As a child, I would visit all the bookstalls in Amritsar to find the right books to read. Sometimes, I would walk for a few kilometres or even for a few hours in search of the right books.

I grew up reading short stories, fiction and magazines. I have fond memories of reading my favourite Hindi magazine Parag. Since it was not easily available anywhere in Amritsar, I used to walk to the local railway station every month to grab it.

During my college days, I grew fond of a Hindi magazine called Sarika. Slowly, I graduated to poetry and as I got involved in the theatre scene I moved on to authors like Anton Chekhov. So, reading became a daily habit. After coming to Mumbai, I continued to read while commuting. Till date, I always carry a book and read whenever I can.
Earlier on, I could finish reading a book in three to four days as there were no other distractions like DVDs and television. But, now due to lack of time, I take a long time to finish a book.

My favourite books
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is my all-time favourite book. The character Heathcliff has stayed with me forever. I would say, it's not just a pretty love story but a tale of madness and revenge. I would love to make a film based on it one day.

An English novel,The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks has also inspired me immensely. Shekhar, Ek Jeevani by Ajneya is my favourite novel in Hindi as at different stages, it portrays the philosophy of life.

Some other authors who have caught my fancy are Amrita Pritam, Surendra Prakash, Rajendersingh Bedi and Narendra Maurya. I am also passionate about Hindi and Urdu poetry, which celebrates love, compassion and human equality. Kaifi Azmi, Nida Fazli and Rajesh Reddy from the new lot are my preferred poets. I also love ghazals by Gulzar.

Books that do not hold me
Self help and spiritual books do not hold me. The only self help book which I managed to finish was Who Moved My Cheese? An amazing way to deal with change in your work and life by Spencer Johnson. I like to read literature published by Osho Rajneesh whom I consider as one of the best scholars of this century. In fact, I subscribe to the Osho magazine and read it regularly.

Apart from this, I have a large collection of books at home but it's not really organised as a proper library. I have a person who delivers Hindi books to me at home. I also get a monthly catalogue to choose from all the new books in the market.

Currently, I am reading...
I've just finished reading Pukhtan, a collection of poems by Gulzar. Just started on with short stories titled Nine O Nine by Nandita Puri which is very good. I am a lot into reading short stories and fiction. Two of my films Saath Saath and Parbat Ke Us Paar have also been inspired by short stories published in magazines.

Browsing and E-reading.
I am also into E-reading. I think the concept of e-books is a wonderful concept. Recently I had ordered a book from firstandsecond.com, an interesting online book store. Also, another interesting concept is that of audio books which I've discovered on a site called audible.com.

Engeseth starts off by explaining the rather mysterious concept of Detective Marketing. The concept is basically an attempt to take the science of marketing to another level. The author says detective marketing is really an attempt to simplify the otherwise complicated marketing discipline. It's all about unlocking ones' own creativity, building bridges between people with different backgrounds for better communication.

The author says much of the noise you hear from the marketplace is the sound of money being flushed down the toilet. Not many brands manage to win a place in the mind of the consumer, inspite of the best marketing efforts. The reason being everyone involved in marketing knows very little about human behaviour. That's where detective marketing comes in.

It's all about following ones' own instincts in order to get the breakthrough. Also, it's all about building better communication. To quote the author - 'when you work to build bridges to other peoples' know-how, your understanding of the other side of the bridge increases.'

Here Engeseth brings in his '1+2=4' formula. The formula means that one and two factors come together to give birth to a third factor. Then, additionally, there is also a desired, unexpected and synergistic possibility of a fourth factor which makes 1+2=4.

The book cites various examples from companies such as CNN, Sony, Coca-Cola and Nokia to drive home the concept. From connecting people, Engeseth then moves on to the importance of actually being 'one' with the customer. The 'one' theory is all about increasing interaction between the manufacturer and the consumer by using a common platform such as the internet.

In the later chapters, Engeseth turns his attention to products and how product image can actually push up sales. In the chapter on Marketing The Product, the author introduces two innovative ideas which are actually derived from the product image and characteristics.

For better results, the book recommends the use of Information Technology and the World Wide Web extensively as platforms to catch on the pulse of the consumer.
The author brings in industry examples from CNN and Napster's online community of music lovers to drive home the point.

Thinking realistically, one would wonder how such ideas would survive the boardroom heat?

Well, in all, the book doesn't offer too many original concepts or ideas. But, somehow his ideas can be used like an detective's endless search for clues and answers in the business world.