Blog / Winning Business
A life in sales remastered
With Frank Woodward and Lee Woodward
Lee Woodward was a teenager when his father Frank, a highly regarded and successful Sydney-based car salesman, wrote his book, A Life in Sales. Lee was completing a plumbing apprenticeship and, at the time, had no desire to follow in his father’s footsteps. Like most teenagers, it would take Lee a few years before he was mature enough to appreciate the incredible passion and skill his father brought to his profession; attributes that saw him achieve the highest possible award in his field and eventually inspired his son to put down the tools and continue his father’s legacy. Today Lee is proud to announce the launch of his father’s remastered book, now aptly titled, The Sales Master after the legend in sales himself, Mr Frank Woodward.
The Sales Master – a practical guide to success in sales combines the timeless pieces of practical advice from Frank Woodward’s original book with commentary throughout from Lee to connect his father’s key points to real estate sales in the 21st century. The book brilliantly captures the principles behind outstanding success in sales and shows that no matter what product or service you sell, the greats in sales focus on one thing first and foremost - service. They service a community and they genuinely care about every customer they serve.
Below is an excerpt from the book which Lee has described as “one of the most fascinating and reflective projects of my career".
As a sales trainer and educator today, I can see that we have lost many of the timeless traits associated with a sales master back in my dad’s day. Our world has become so focused on speed and online shopping that we have lost sight of the value of product knowledge and great customer service. We seem to have learned to accept that product knowledge is something we must acquire ourselves as consumers.
While I am the first to acknowledge the importance of moving with the times I believe there is immense value in keeping some of the old-fashioned traditions of customer service alive for sustainable success in sales. No matter what product or service you sell, be it cars, real estate, electronics, fashion or furniture, the consumer wants to know they have made the right decision in purchasing from you. After all, nearly everything these days can be purchased from someone else or via the Internet.
I owe everything to my father; not just for the way he raised me, but also for giving me the privilege of observing the actions of and living with a true sales master. You don't realise at the time just how much things rub off on you. Like dad, I appreciate the benefits of being an early riser. I understand that when a customer complains, it's just another test of your skills. He taught me that the challenge is turning an unhappy customer into a happy one. Too many people take the easy route and let them walk away on the assumption that you can’t please them all and there will be more customers. The harsh reality is, there may not be.
In this digital world where the art of professional sales is at risk of being diluted or worse, lost forever, Lee felt that now was the perfect time to revisit his father’s book and relaunch it for today’s new breed of sales professional.
This unique bi-generational collaborative work will be launched in the first half of 2018. Call Real Estate Academy on 1300 367 412 to pre-order your copy.
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