The Sales Professionals' Master Workbook of SYSTEMS

By Gerard Assey

‘The Sales Professionals’ Master Workbook of S.Y.S.T.E.M.S’ is uniquely designed to transform one into a Master Sales Consultant by helping them, discover the secrets that drive the top world's sales professionals. It is designed to help the individual or his team create the habits and lasting changes, by enabling them replace current unacceptable patterns that are costing their company sales with new ones that will eventually help them achieve their sales goals faster and more consistently.
As budgets continue to shrink and the competition continues to increase, mastering the sales process the ‘professional way’ is a vital part of survival. People no longer buy a product or a service for its features; customers now want to know how that product or service will benefit them before they make a purchasing decision. To be successful in this environment, salespeople must be adept at both uncovering customer needs and demonstrating how they can fulfill those needs.
Establishing value does not start with a prepared presentation, but with a search for the customer’s real needs. Customers care more about solving their problems and meeting their objectives than they do about the range of services the Sales Person and his company has to offer.
The Sales Professionals’ Master Workbook of S.Y.S.T.E.M.S will provide a very structured, formatted & step by step approach to help ‘win & keep customers for life’! No gimmicks, no jargon, just emphasis on relationship building, this is a well structured course on 100% building value & long lasting partnerships with customers!

A must for anyone in Sales-right from the front-line to the CEO!

Praises, Raves & Reviews
“Gerard is an absolute STAR salesperson with huge doses of each of the attributes mentioned in this book. This amazingly structured book he has put together, with his long years of experience both on field as a sales professional, and as a coach and mentor for several sharp minds across the world will bring out the best in you. If you have bought this book, let me assure you, that it has all there is to learn about consultative selling! Just go get that sale!!!”
Radhika Shastry (Former Managing Director), RCI-South Asia

“Gerard Assey takes the sales person on a compelling journey in mastering the art of selling and salesmanship ...a must read for anyone aspiring to become a successful business executive”
Mike Selvarajah, International Business Executive & Associate Director, BELL CANADA

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gerard Assey
• Release date: Aug 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9788194684749

Gerard Assey

Gerard Assey has had over 20 years’ experience in sales, sales management and general management. Gerard had a three-year stint in the Gulf, as a Consultant with a leading British consultancy firm. During 20 years, he was trained by several international organisations like GTE – USA, BCE (Bell Canada), DPC – Asia. His experience spans hiring personnel to organise training programmes at all levels and working as a profit-centre head. Gerard is a certified NLP practitioner, an accredited management teacher and a member of several prestigious bodies and trade institutions. He contributes regularly to business and trade journals, including international ones. He now runs his own training and consultancy organisation specialising in programmes for sales, sales management, customer service training for collection of debts and several self-development programmes like time management, goal setting, team building and leadership. He is the official Indian representative for the International ‘Stevie Awards’ and the business world’s own ‘Oscar Awards’.

Book preview

The

Sales Professionals’

Master Workbook of

S.Y.S.T.E.M.S

(Saving You Stress, Time, Energy, Money & Sleepless Nights)

Gerard Assey

The Sales Professionals’ Master Workbook of S.Y.S.T.E.M.S

By

Gerard Assey

© Copyright 2020 by Author

Published by:

Gerard Assey

19/18, Palli Arasan Street

Anna Nagar East

Chennai - 600 102

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means- electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the author.

ISBN: 978-81-946847-4-9

Cover Design & Layout:

Kulothungan G,

Chennai - 600 044

CONTENTS

1.       Dedication

2.  Forward

3.       Praises, Raves & Reviews for The Sales Professional’s

Master Workbook of S.Y.S.T.E.M.S

4.       Preface

5.       Getting the most out of this book

6.       The Sales Profession! Why it is the most Fascinating,

YET most hated profession?

7.       Key Attributes of a Professional Consultative Sales Person

8.       Sell yourself before you sell anything else!

9.       Why your Self-Esteem matters! How to build a high self esteem

10.       Key Activities of a Professional Consultative Sales Person

(Effectively managing your Day and Activities)

11.       The Selling Process-The 6 Step Selling Plan outline

12.       Preparing and Planning for your Call

13.       Approaching Customers (Phone and Face-to-Face)

14.       Fact-finding: Uncovering the Needs and Pains of Customers

14.       Proving Value of your Products/ Services

16.       Standing out and differentiating from the Competition

17.       Handling Customer Concerns and Objections

18.       Providing your Recommendation/ Solution

19.       Closing the Sale

20.       Tips to Negotiate Effectively

21.       Negotiation Questions to Ask Yourself-Preparation Checklist

22.       At-a-Glance-Summary of the 6 Step Selling Plan

23.       Post Mortem-Evaluating your Call

24.       Post Call-Win or Lose, Stay Professional!

25.       Retaining your Customers for Life- Importance of Great

Customer Service!

26.       Taking this forward!

DEDICATION

This book: ‘The Sales Professional’s Master Workbook of S.Y.S.T.E.M.S’ is lovingly dedicated to ‘ The Great Name, Above All Names, The God of the Impossible, The One and Only One’ Who has blessed me beyond imagination.

A work of this nature can never be accomplished purely by the efforts of one person. It often is the culmination of a progressive learning process-firstly through my own experience in Sales and Management, through trial and error, along with the many people in my working career, coupled with the many courses, books/ videos/ CD’s that have also significantly impacted my life.

Consequently, some of the ideas involving the skills & techniques reflect the concepts that I have internalized which we use in our programs

To all my clients, customers, sales personnel and associates that worked with me and taught me the numerous lessons- A BIG Thanks!

And finally to you my reader- Thank you for obtaining this copy! I have done my part. Now it is your turn to apply these concepts by putting it to practice!

We both need each other!   

...But those who hope in ADONAI will renew their strength, they will soar aloft as with eagles’ wings; when they are running they won’t grow weary, when they are walking they won’t get tired Isaiah 40:31 (CJB)

FOREWORD

I am privileged to write this foreword for this meticulously compiled one stop manual for a Sales Professional by my friend and colleague Gerard Assey - a brilliant sales person himself. If you have bought this book, let me assure you, that it has all there is to learn about consultative selling!

I met Gerard way back in 1987 when both of us joined an organisation that shaped our careers in sales and firmly got us hooked to selling as a profession - and it soon became a way of life. The learning’s from that stint at GETIT yellow pages built several careers in sales for fresh, enthusiastic youngsters that have never looked back since. I went on to become the Managing Director of an American Hospitality multinational for their South Asia operations and several of our colleagues too climbed the corporate ladder swiftly - armed with the ability to be able to close deals. We were bound by that one thread - our passion for consultative selling!

The key to this form of sales is to completely understand the current and future needs of your prospective customer and then make a bespoke recommendation to enable her to make an informed buying decision. This is easier said than done! It requires tremendous amounts of patience, empathy, restraint, sensitivity and squeaky clean ethics. All of us human beings can sell at one level or the other, which is why you were hired in the first place. But a Master sales person is one who can do it with panache in a manner that is non-threatening and keeps the customer engaged throughout an extended period of time.

Gerard is an absolute STAR salesperson with huge doses of each of the attributes mentioned above. This amazingly structured book he has put together, with his long years of experience both on field as a sales professional, and as a coach and mentor for several sharp minds across the world will bring out the best in you.

Just go get that sale!!!

Radhika Shastry

(Former Managing Director),

RCI-South Asia

(Not to us, O LORD, not to us, But to Your name give glory...Ps 115.1)PRAISES, RAVES & REVIEWS FOR

THE SALES PROFESSIONAL’S MASTER WORKBOOK OF S.Y.S.T.E.M.S

Gerard Assey takes the sales person on a compelling journey in mastering the art of selling and salesmanship. This book captures the essence of consultative selling and the approach to win-win partnership between the salesperson and the customer. In today’s world of global competition and the constant change taking place in the local marketplace, this book is a must read for anyone aspiring to become a successful business executive

- Mike Selvarajah,

International Business Executive & Associate Director, BELL CANADA

Creating a workable system to achieve consistent high sales is a big challenge for any company. It’s a fact that sales people like to learn from sales people & it’s also a fact that there is none better to enlighten you on systems of achieving sales than Gerard Assey. He is providing value to MRF through training our sales force for 10+ years and the results speak for themselves. This book would serve as a ready reckoner to achieve excellence in selling through adopting the systems described by Gerard

- V. Chacko Jacob,

Assistant Manager-Learning & Development, MRF Ltd.

"Gerard, once again, your book is brilliant!

I must say you have done a fabulous job in covering this fundamental and critical topic. I especially value and recommend to all Sales Managers and Company Owners willing to improve their company performances, your straight-forward and common-sense approach towards Sales Management.

Your book provides the right guidance for Sales of every level to build up their inner confidence and improve their sales performances. Thanks to the right mind-set and a good grip on the selling and buying processes!"

- Renaud Guttinger,

General Manager, JCL LOGISTICS INDONESIA

In a highly competitive field, today’s sales professionals approach is mostly driven by the market forces or competition. This often is counterproductive and leads to his failure. Gerard has tried to address this in his book which helps a sales professional remain organised and optimise his skills. Coming from a master who has headed highly disciplined and competent sales teams, the book is timely and bound to be a big hit

- A.M. Sundar,

CFO & Company Secretary, SNOWMAN LOGISTICS LIMITED

Interesting narrative on the sales process in the changing markets , a practical and an implementable one; if practiced well, can add value to both corporates and the customer. A must read for a budding professional and to the seasoned ones to re-visit basics like never before.

-Raja Rajasekar K S,

Deputy General Manager-HR, KONE Elevator India Pvt. Ltd.

For two decades of my professional life I have followed the principles of ‘consultative selling’, stretching the concept beyond sales to communication - this has contributed in a major way to successes along my career. I remember looking for guidance on how to improve my consultative selling skills and found none. Glad that Gerard’s book is timely, especially since the field of ‘sales’ is not looked upon too kindly. By detailing a step-by step systematic approach on understanding client needs first and then working to meet these needs, the book is designed to nurture a ‘sales professional persona’ to mirror not just the brand or product, but also the company’s image of ‘customer first, product or service next’... 

-Sangeetha Rosemarie Rajeesh,

Research Uptake and Communications Manager,

Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia Consortium

M S