Vinit Shah - Slice: Cutting Through to Excellence in Sales Leadership

Slice

First published in 2019 by

Panoma Press Ltd
48 St Vincent Drive, St Albans, Herts, AL1 5SJ, UK
www.panomapress.com

Book layout by Neil Coe.

Printed on acid-free paper from managed forests.

ISBN 978-1-784524-11-1

The right of Vinit Shah to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright holder except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Applications for the copyright holders written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publishers.

This book is available online and in bookstores.

Copyright 2019 Vinit Shah

My parents have never judged me and always tried to support me in the best way they could. Theyve provided me with a platform that has enabled me to thrive and I dedicate this book to them to say thank you for everything you have done for me and with me.

To each and every person who Ive shared any interaction and experience with throughout my life, I may not have appreciated everyone or everything at that moment in time. However, Im learning to live in the moment more and this book is also to acknowledge and say thank you, because without those moments weve shared I may not have been inspired to take action and share my thoughts.

Finally, if I have knowingly or unknowingly hurt anyone then I take this opportunity to say sorry and ask for forgiveness. As we say in Jainism Michhami Dukkadam to you all.

Over the last 20 years that I have been involved in sales, the art of selling has evolved significantly, and whilst the sales industry had an indifferent reputation many years ago, its now front and centre to the success of every business. The plethora of choice and freely available information means buyers in all industries are inundated with requests to sample or trial products, and as such the function of sales is shifting from consultative into the realm of advisory. This transition is taking place alongside innovations in technology that will automate processes and the emergence of smart artificial intelligence that will enhance the role that sales advisors will provide to their customers and prospects. These changes will over time lead to transactional aspects of a salespersons role to become redundant, whilst the need for innovation, strong leadership, better management of processes and talent will be required more than ever to transform the industry and help businesses achieve the growth and desired outcomes sought.

I wrote this book as a reference to help aspiring salespeople that want to lead, manage or take control of their own development. Those that want to cut through the noise and differentiate themselves from focusing solely on traditional sales management theories. The topics covered may also be of interest to individuals working alongside sales teams and looking for opportunities to better understand how to positively influence their colleagues performance and growth.

Whilst its based on my experiences and observations, the topics have been discussed with sales professionals from a range of companies. The messages resonate because the challenges we face today are similar irrespective of the nuances of the industries we operate in. The individuals we want to manage, lead and inspire are all looking for direction. The carrot and stick approach needs to be progressed to make considerations for new challenges that have emerged. True success comes from understanding not only yourself but the individuals that work with you and around you. Their needs are constantly evolving and hence they need to be engaged in a more thoughtful way which motivates them to realise their growth potential.

It is for this reason that Im cutting straight through and tackling more emotive, mindful and behavioural subjects that have historically never been given the credence that they deserve within sales organisations let alone businesses more generally. Key themes and areas of focus include:

The importance of personal vision and commitment

Appreciating your values, their origin and how they impact on you each day

Considering different perspectives and reducing the number of assumptions you make

The importance of self-actualisation and its continued influence on situations

Identifying the habits that are impacting on your growth and implementing change

Why everything you do impacts on your character

More than 10 years of my career have been in management and leadership roles. Ive developed numerous individuals, teams and have a proven track record in delivering positive results and outcomes. Ive fine-tuned my skills and appreciate what it takes to succeed. I practise a style of management and leadership that empowers individuals to experiment, pushing any boundaries that may exist whilst harnessing the power that is present within them to progressively endeavour to do the best they possibly can. Rather than just focusing on outputs and results, every salesperson, manager and leader must be obsessed with understanding the various inputs, perspectives and knowledge they are ingesting and how these are being processed within them in accordance with their values and emotional biases. The better were all able to understand ourselves and accept who we are, the less likely we are to negotiate with ourselves whilst developing at a faster pace and realising our growth potential.

For reasons of anonymity and confidentiality I have changed names of individuals and adjusted details of certain situations; however, the material facts and connotations are an accurate account of what happened from my point of view. My hope is that my observations and insights provoke your own reflective practice where you contemplate your own situation and identify how you and those around you can grow more effectively whilst building a character that makes you stand out from the crowd.

I encourage everyone to embrace their difference, diversity and awaken the sleeping giant that resides within you to unleash your power to maximise your growth potential.

I n one form or another I have been involved in selling or sales-related roles since the age of 10. Life has been interesting and provided me with many lessons, which due to my failure to comprehend at times has meant the need to have them played back repeatedly until Ive managed to fully understand and learn from them. That is par for the course for many of us no doubt and it takes hindsight to realise what you need to change in order to move forward. Ive learned to accept and value myself as well as embracing each experience as a blessing that I need to go through to help my continuous development and progression.