Can you please introduce yourself?
My name is Raghuraman and I am the author of “DNA of a Champion Salesperson”, a popular self-help book for aspiring salespersons and “सेल्स शास्त्र”, one of its kind of self-help book for salespersons in Hindi. While you may be wondering, how a South Indian happened to write a book in Hindi, well let me tell you something. I grew up in Hyderabad and I have been living in Delhi NCR for last two decades. After working in various roles in sales and marketing for close to twenty years, I started my own sales training firm, called Salezart Consulting (www.salezart.com) in 2012. In the last 8 plus years, we have trained over 30000 salespersons in various selling skills. Currently, Salezart is focussed on training salespersons online through its “Salezart Online Learning App” which is available on both Android and iOS.
How is your book different from others?
Our books, “DNA of a Champion Salesperson” and “सेल्स शास्त्र” are one of its kind self-help books for salespersons. Our book is unique and ideal for salespersons for the following reasons
i. It is the only book that is customised for the modern Indian sales professional who wants to sell to Indian businesses of all sizes, from small to big
ii. This book has emerged from the experience of its authors, which means it is a practical book that suggests realistic methods to follow to improve sales skills. There are no idealistic theories that are difficult to practice in real life.
iii. Unlike many non-fiction books, this book gives real life examples and stories, templates and exercises that can be used in day to day life and ready reckoners that can be referred to regularly for self-improvement.
iv. With choice of two languages, Hindi and English, the reader can choose the book he or she is most comfortable with
v. The book is very compact and in simple and easy to understand language.
Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
Our books, “DNA of a Champion Salesperson” and “सेल्स शास्त्र” have emerged from authors’ real life experiences. Having worked with illustrious colleagues and senior industry leaders and world class companies, we have learnt lots of best practices which have made people and organizations successful. We have shared these success sutras in our books.
Running a sales training company from 2012 and having trained thousands of salespersons across industries, I have captured the essence of “success factors” that transform a regular person into a champion.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book?
We live in an age where surprises are the norms and change is the only constant. The biggest surprise was the reaction we got from many established business leaders who supported our book wholeheartedly and recommended it to their sales teams. This motivated us to start working on the Hindi version with gusto and enthusiasm.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
I prefer to write when my mind is focussed and not distracted by day to day business and personal tasks. Most of my writing happens either during my travels or on weekend mornings with my steaming cup of coffee. I travel a lot. So, I ended up writing good amount of the book on my flights. On a lighter note, despite the fact that I wrote parts of the book at 30000 feet altitude, the book has granular details that can be practiced and followed by salespersons. I also love writing on weekends when your mind is feeling peaceful and is able to focus.
What do you think makes a good story?
When writing non-fiction books, we have to make sure that we don’t preach. We have to write things that the reader can relate to. We have to back theory with real life case study or success story or an anecdote which is based on reality. Best way to explain is to share a story or example that the reader can connect with. Finally, the language has to be simple and smooth flowing. Our objective is to help people transform into champion salespersons and not become proficient in language or grammar. Even in Hindi edition, “सेल्स शास्त्र” we have ensured we use colloquial, day to day business language.
What is your writing process like?
I start with the scenario or real-life story as an example first. After that, I get into theory or the principle that helps the reader understand that challenges that we raised in our real-life story that we gave as examples first. Then we make the ready reckoners, tools, exercises and templates that are connected to the principles explained. Next step, we look at the flow and see if we have got the order right. Finally, we look at language and grammar to ensure the reader is able to understand what we have written without having to keep a dictionary next to him or her.
What advice do you have for writers?
Step 1, I would recommend they start writing or typing out all their thoughts and create a draft document. They should download their thoughts without worrying about language or flow or order. Just get it out of your system. Step 2, allocate time on a weekly basis to try and refine your document consistently. Step 3 – take expert help in case, unable to follow the 2nd step. There are writing coaches who can help you move from step 1 to 2. Step 4 – Collaborate with a co-author if you see that, teamwork can make your work better. Remember, the objective is to complete your book and get it published. Finally, reach out to a publisher like Invincible, who can make your dream into a reality.
How did this story occur to you?
The core inspiration happened when I started working as a fulltime sales trainer. I used to train many salespersons and tell them to develop good habits that can become ingrained into their system, like the DNAs of a person which cannot be changed.
I started codifying these DNAs to understand what would make a Champion Salesperson.
Cumulative experience of 30 plus years of both the authors as salespersons ensured that we could bring in all our learning and further refine the idea in to a proper book.
Having worked with illustrious colleagues and senior industry leaders and world class companies with best practices, we put out our learning to good use to make the book relevant to market and industry.
What is the book all about?
“DNA of a Champion Salesperson” talks about 10 DNAs that any aspirational salesperson can learn, imbibe and practice to transform into a Champion salesperson and become successful and prosperous in their career and life.
The Hindi edition “सेल्स शास्त्र, सेल्स का शिखर छूने के १० प्रमाणित सूत्र makes the book reachable to a large section of aspiring sales professionals who want to read and learn in Hindi.
