3 Review(s)

Writing from personal experience as well as scientific and historical deductions, Jena paints an authentic and holistic picture of salesmanship. Demystifying myths and exploring the ground realities of sales is the book’s biggest contribution to any eager mind disposed to entering the world of sales. Summary Of The Book A degree is something most people rely on to get a career, but in the case of sales it's how you deal with the realities of the world. The various permutations and combinations replete in math, science and engineering along with theories postulated in management and history are absorbed by students in a bid to complete an education that is primed to help out with training for the job. In the case of sales, Jena lays down the facts about how far knowledge and studied law actually contribute to selling. A Salesman’s Lessons is a bid to bridge academics and fieldwork in sales that can finally edge out the right candidates who choose to find success. All the finer details and other material left out in the academic environment is what Jena equips his readers with through the lessons in the book. Drawing from 15 years of experience in sales, the book contains a rich repository of analogies and observations born from direct involvment in the field. Each chapter draws inspirations from either a mathematical or scientific theory or from a mythological, biological, historical incident and then Jena breaks down the relevance of that term in the real world of sales. Some of the topics tackled in the book involve demystifying the 2 theory rule or the 80-20 rule that is an important tenet of academics in sales. In addition to these, another chapter looks into the domain of CERT and CPM methods and through it all, Jena maintains a simple narrative that doesn’t involve the use of much jargon. Almost all the stories make use of Jena’s personal experiences while maneuvering sales and simple advice along with shedding light on obscure facts of the trade, making this a worthwhile read. A Salesman’s Lessons doesn’t market itself as a self-help guide but instead as a light read containing advice on sales written by a salesman. About C. R. Jena C. R. Jena is the Business Head of Mahindra Satyam for Africa based in South Africa. He has written another book, 22 Things you should know about Indian IT delving into the growth of the sector in India which received acclaim from the IT industry. He graduated from IIT Kharagpur after which he completed his Masters from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar. He worked in the IT industry in the sales department around the World for 14 years before becoming Business Head of Africa for Mahindra Satyam.