The following review was contributed by: S.V.SWAMY

ZenWise Selling: Mindful Methods to Improve Your Sales and Your Self is written by Lee Godden, who has consistently and successfully used a Zen mind in his career as a sales executive. It is primarily meant for people who are already in sales or who may be looking at sales as a possible career option. The book does offer a basic course in selling too, but the focus is on Zen techniques.

The book has ten chapters and covers the subject well, both in breadth and depth. The approach is friendly and polite. The style is interesting and will hold your attention. For very definite reasons, the author has chosen a second person, guide book approach rather than the self-promoting autobiographical approach. He keeps himself in the background. Since the book does refer to 'you', the focus is on you, the reader, the customer, the consumer. The 'I' has been subdued, keeping with the Zen approach.

If you are totally new to Zen, this book may or may not be sufficient to understand that concept. The first few chapters of the book and the appendix give a fairly good treatment of Zen. But if you prefer to first read a more thorough introduction to that subject, the author gives good recommendations.

Lee Godden rightly differentiates between philosophical Zen and religious Zen. He uses the philosophical aspects of Zen, which when added to a set of beliefs and rituals forms the religious core for a good number of people in the present world.

The book is well-written and is well-produced. There are a couple of typos, but they don't interfere with understanding. Use of bullets and pointers, use of boxes with specific messages, exercises with specific focus, in general all the tools that make a guide book effective, have been liberally used. The book has two appendices on Zen, one on its history and one listing Zen resources. For those needing or wishing to explore the subject further, the notes and bibliography sections are a welcome addition. The book's index will help you quickly locate the topic of your specific interest.

A summary or recap at the end of each chapter would have been a useful addition. Chapter 7 discusses the role of a Sales Manager, including coaching, correcting and critiquing. The painful but sometimes necessary step of terminating the services of an employee, who can't be corrected has also been dealt with, in a sensitive manner. However, the other scenario of a dissatisfied employee, quitting, has not been touched upon.

The book ZenWise Selling is indeed a radical departure from the usual guides to selling - which often focus on the individualistic aspects of selling and winning at the expense of another if needed. However, this book is at a higher level, where you, the customer and every one else, wins. This idea is emphasized throughout the book and is dealt with more at length in Chapter 8. Sales and business professionals open to new approaches will enjoy - and benefit from this book. Even if you are not immediately comfortable with Zen's place in sales, but are willing to explore further, this book will become your friendly spiritual guide. And, it's also a good value for your money.