Industry Books

I would recommend this book to a friend with absolutely no hesitation. The title of the book, Sell More, doesn't really cover the scope. While increasing sales is always the ultimate goal, the book touches on almost every aspect of running a business from initial set-up to getting the most from employees to how to deal with unhappy customers. Sell More was obviously written for businesses that want to give their customers great value and generate good word-of-mouth and repeat business. Honestly, in a perfect world I would only have to deal with companies that followed the advice in this book. Written in a fun and fast-paced style, but always takes the subject seriously. The suggestions are extremely creative but above all solid. The specific advertising strategies are frequently flat-out brilliant. Sell More would be a valuable tool for any business, for a new business it would be crucial.

Sell More by Judy McKay is very well written in a simple and interesting manner. She immediately grasps your attention and holds it until the very end. The book is challenging and thought-provoking. She encourages entrepreneurs or prospective entrepreneurs to be creative - be proactive.
One subject that especially interested me was discussion on the niche market. She emphasized the importance of identifying and focusing on our niche market.
Even though there are only 102 pages, Judy has left no stone unturned. In very short and simple language she covers many subjects that apply to long-time entrepreneurs and those new in the business field. I recommend her book to anyone wanting to "Sell More" and make a difference.

This is an excellent book. I found this book particularly helpful since I work in the hospitality industry. With such a wide spectrum of competition, new ideas are always required to maintain guest satisfaction and for gaining their continued patronage. This book delivers!

As the owner of a small business, budgets for extensive advertising simply do not exist, however the need to reach my target audience to drive more sales is constantly at the forefront. We have been conditioned to believe that the higher the cost of an advertising effort - the more successful the results. It simply is not true.

Sell More shows us that what we really need is to really take time to understand what we are selling and specifically how that relates to customer's needs. The common sense and economical strategies are the "practical magic" that is needed to turn this understanding into dollars in the register.

A must read for all small business that want to take it to the next level.

I am a nursing student in Indiana and I read this book. Ms. McKay's chapter on customer service was instrumental in helping me successfully interact with my client's on a daily basis. In Chapter 6 "Customer Service, it's not brain surgery or rocket science; its harder," Ms. McKay writes, "It is about integrating a positive customer experience into all facets of your day to day operation." Using this technique, I have had very positive feedback from my client's. If you deal with clients on any level this book is a "must have."

Very engaging. Written so well you don't realize you're reading a book about the airline industry.

My Mom flew for Pan Am during the glorious 60's/beginning 70's and she was based in Berlin. As from my childhood on I was fascinated from Airlines/Aircrafts. So one day I thought that it would be nice to read more about 'the' american Airline my Mom worked for - and to learn a little bit more from the time which has passed. So I went into a bookstore and ordered this book. What shall I say - it was very impressive to read so many facts about the airline. I also questioned my mom and she told me that many things were the way as they are written in the book. The book is very easy to read (even for people that can't speak/read english that well) and written in a very interesting way. What I missed in the book is a map with all the destinations Pan Am was flying to on a regular base. It would also be interesting to know what happened to all the employees that stayed with Pan Am till the last day and so on. I can really recommend the book.

A nostalic look at one of the world's premier airlines. During my younger days, I flew Pan Am to several of its world wide destinations such as London, Frankfurt, West Berlin, Montivideo, Buenos Aires, Miami, and New York Kennedy. I always liked this airline because of its exotic destinations, but at that point the planes were really old.

The book is a great read detailing the early starting of Pan Am by Juan Trippe and others. It progresses with Trippe being a visionary in the fifties/sixties with the 707 and 747. These planes really revolutionized the way the public traveled. Along the way, the author tells the story of the Skygods, old flying boat pilots who flew their planes any way they wanted. Sometimes they crashed their planes, and after a series of accidents, Pan Am instituted safety procedures that resulted in the company becoming one of the safest. After Trippe retired,
Pan Am's CEOs became just plain bad, and flew the airline into the ground. The book does answer why Pan Am went Tango Uniform
(bankrupt). Some of the reasons detailed in the book:
1. Purchasing National Airlines at an inflated price and then
moving National's personnel up the pay level to Pan Am's
level.
2. Unfair advantages by foreign carriers for passengers
(landing rights, government assistance, and other fees).
3. No domestic network in the sixties and seventies, even
though the domestics were expanding with international
routes. This is where the Federal Government was
responsible by tying the hands of Pan Am.
4. Poor leadership

The last portion of the book details how Pan Am was sold piecemeal to satisfy the creditors, and then the failure in 1991 after the sale of the remaining European routes to Delta.

Gandt is a former pilot with Pan Am, and throughout the book, he details the fall of the Skygods. His story includes many personal ones which add interest to the story. Pan Am may not fly anymore, but it is not forgotten. This is a great read for anybody interested in the airline business.

Great book for aviation enthusiasts. Fascinating story of the demise of PanAm and the bad management decisions that led to the fall. Also full of stories and anecdotes about PanAm operations from the pilots viewpoint. Follows a group of newly hired pilots from the '60's until the end. I read this book in two days, could not put it down.

I am a pilot for American airlines and think this is a must read for anyone in the airline industry. If you think your company couldn't fold, you need to read what happened to Pan Am.

Its also an entertaining read. I highly recommend this book.

I cannot say that I myself didn't wondered about all those question that are posed in this book. What kind of questions are those, it is easy to imagine. Place and nature of books, value of reading (and in connection with that one, with writing), learning. Above all, overwhelming feeling of chaos came not once to me, when I confronted myself with thousands or tons of books, just waiting to be read, and yet, knowing somewhere deep inside, that I will have nor time nor will to read them all. Eventually, death is imminent.

So I picked this book, kinda looking for answers, wondering what will noted mexican author have to say about this matter. He said quite a lot. Many of that what he said were number. Info about production cost, storage cost and all kinds of costs that you can possibly imagine involving books, their production, storage and usage. Apart from that, there was very little. Being overly materialistic in his essay, what, when it comes to books, automatically means oversimplifying, Zaid tried to present books as a merchandise, very peculiar kind of one but nevertheless. And, whilst being a merchandise and having by that characteristic it's own production/usage values, Zaid tried to argue the means of such a thing becoming something of cultural significance.

Ideas presented here, concerning new methods and forms of producing and storing books, in their oversimplifying way, are rather paternalistic, scientous, and, in a way fascist. Introduction of control (of any kind, being private or state one) of printing, valuation which would say what kind of books are "worth" to be published and what kinds are not, is in it roots rather autotarian.

Whilst making some interesting points of future of publishing, this book feels shallow and unfinished, but everything more than competent essay on future of books, and that's what it's trying to be.

Lays out ideas on how to live and think in an age of too much information. Especially notable for its deft experimental interludes (e.g., "A Hairshirt for Masochistic Authors"). A thoughtful, sympathetic look at the terror of practically infinite opportunity. Catch it.

When you reach for a book you have plenty of assumptions in the back of your mind. These assuptions may concern the price (have you ever thought why you pay roughly the same for the first novel by an uknown writer and the latest Harry Potter?), potential readership (did you ever think that in case of most books you could be on first name basis with most of their readers?) importance, distribution, you name it. Well, you have your assumptions and you have Zaid to prove you completely wrong.
Isn't it time to let a specialist open your eyes?

If you are the kind of person who clicks on a link to see "So Many Books" on Amazon you are almost certainly the kind of person who will love this book. Go on, just order it.

It's short, nicely put together, and totally mind-blowing. Very plugged in to the cultural moment, too -- if you ask me it speaks as much to the internet & the blogosphere as it does to the world of books and publishing.

Wonderfully translated, too.

If a new book is published every 30 seconds, then how do we decide what is worth reading?

Contained within the 144 pages of this book is an engaging series of conversations about books, about reading, about our 'universal graphomania'. The reader is invited to think about many different issues including: the uniqueness of each reader; the constellation of books from which to choose; and the evolution of book production. This book is an open invitation to think, to engage in debate and to question. Consider: 'The uniqueness of each reader, reflected in the particular nature of his personal library (his intellectual genome), flourishes in diversity.'

If 'every private library is a reading plan', then my own private plan is chaotic. And I love it.

Highly recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

A well researched description of how the economy changed but what we do about it is not clear.

This is a great book. I reviewed it earlier in the month - http://www.truthonthemarket.com/2007/11/19/comments-on-the-speculation-economy-penned-by-gw-professor-larry-mitchell/ - and I thought it worth reviewing here for potential buyers.

The Speculation Economy is a valuable book for anyone wanting to understand how the legal, regulatory, financial, and legislative climate of big business evolved through the late 1800s into the early 1900s, laying the foundation for today's modern publicly-held corporations and giving rise to what author Larry Mitchell calls "American corporate capitalism." Of particular value, at least to me, was the detail Mitchell offers regarding the important economic, political, and legal events within this relatively narrow time period. With engaging writing, Mitchell takes the reader through early attempts to federalize corporate law to the Panic of 1907 to the Owen Bill, the Pujo Committee, the Hepburn Act, the Mann-Elkins Act, and the Littlefield Bill to the sunset of Woodrow Wilson's economic progressivism (covering, on the way, a whole host of other relevant material).

The Speculation Economy is a solid historical read highlighting a critical time in corporate and capitalism history. I found the book interesting, and I think Mitchell does a great job covering material that I have not seen addressed in depth elsewhere. The Speculation Economy is a must-read for anyone with an interest in legal history, corporate law, securities regulation, the evolution of the markets, or big business.

Six years after his remarkable "Corporate Irresponsibility," Lawrence E. Mitchell provides an eye-opening account of how American capitalism as we now know it was always a matter of choice. Based on a comprehensive, historical research, Mitchell tells the story of the formation of the giant corporation in the early 20th century as the moment in U.S. history when economic and business decision-makers replaced long-term production with short-term stock value as the nation's economic compass. Straightforward and clearly written, this book is not only a huge contribution to scholarship in business, public policy, law, and history, but also a great source for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in these fields. It teaches us how the social institutions we consider today as almost "natural" (in this case, the stock market and the business culture and regulatory landscape that surround it) were in fact made by public policy makers and business leaders not that long ago to reflect their political preferences and economic interests. Therefore, Mitchell's book is not only a thorough study that points to current problems and their roots but also an optimistic call for change and its prospects.

Mitchell(M) has done a great job in this book .He allows the reader to clearly understand the crucial differences between entrepreneurship-enterprise and speculation.The former leads to booms and economic growth.The latter leads to bubbles,manias,panics,and crashes.

There is one small area where M could have improved the book.He correctly cites the work of Veblen and Keynes .The works of these two philosopher -economists clearly demonstrates that an economy that produces debt finance,as opposed to physical assets,is on the road to self destructing.However,Mitchell appears not to have realized that this was the message of the Thomist,Canonist,and Scholastic philosophers of the Middle Ages.In 1776,Adam Smith updated their conclusions but did not explicitly cite their work in his The Wealth of Nations(See Smith's careful appraisal on pp.280-340,Modern Library(Cannan)edition).Smith is very clear.First,the rate of interest must be permanently fixed in the long run at a low level a little bit above the prime rate of interest.Second,no loans can be made to projectors(speculators),prodigals,and imprudent risk takers.Loans are to be made to the sober people only.What happens if the speculators get their hands on bank loans in order to leverage their debt position ? The aggregate savings of the nation will be wasted and destroyed.(For Smith's conclusion see Smith,1776,pp.339-340;Modern Library(Cannan)edition).
M correctly emphasizes the importance of the Glass-Steagall Act that was aimed at preventing the speculative excesses of the period Mitchell examined in his book(1897-1919)after the collapse of the American banking system in the early 1930's.This act was a half way successful attempt to implement the ancient wisdom of the Scholastics and Adam Smith.Prevention is the key word here.It is easy to see that, as long as a Bill Casey was head of the Securities and Exchange Commission,the firewall created by Glass-Steagall would have prevented the speculative waves of the 1980's( the Drexell- Lambert- Milkin-Boesky junk bonds fiasco),of the 1990's(the Nasdaq and dot.com fiasco),and of the 2000's(sub prime mortgage backed bonds)from severely weakening the American economy of 2008.

As anyone who has the slightest interest in finance has noticed (and the boosters of the "Ownership Society" keep touting that most Americans are now stockholders) fiascoes like Enron and WorldCom have shown that many of today's corporate finance schemes are often just a house of cards. Mitchell's The Speculation Economy demonstrates that this is nothing new and the corporate prototypes for Enron and WorldCom became firmly established by the end of the Wilson Administration. The discretionary valuation models employed by the likes of Skilling and Lay at Enron and Ebbers at WorldCom were first dreamed up by fellows like "Sunshine Charley" Mitchell who was hired by the ancestor corporation of CitiGroup to set up its bond-selling operation in 1916. In those days before Glass-Steagall banks nevertheless had to be circumspect about selling securities, but they got around the restrictions by selling their stock printed on certificates with the stock of their investment companies printed on the reverse side. Neat, huh? This is only one of the many early schemes used by banks and investment promoters to turn the American economy from one of producers into one of financiers chasing deals. Indeed, Mitchell shows us a heritage in which the "Ownership Society" has a long pedigree.

Mitchell traces how it all started with New Jersey's need to pay off Civil War debt and the needs of business to find ways to combine industries for economies-of-scale and to control destructive competition. While reformers were focused on the harm caused to consumers by combinations that set prices--the anti-trust issue--business moved the competition of the market from production to Wall Street. Mitchell shows how the anti-trust battles and the investigations into corporate schemes actually helped sell the stock the promoters were pushing. It is a story that has not been told well because most history books focus on the "current events" approach that look at the newspaper accounts and give a face-value look back, or look back with hindsight. Mitchell looks at the events from the standpoint of a law professor of corporate finance who analyzes the transactions and the legal changes that molded the times. What is striking is how much the history comes alive in comparison with today's events.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must explain that I am one of Professor Mitchell's guinea pigs from his first corporate law class after he left Wall Street, and note that he is not related to me, nor am I or is he related to Sunshine Charley, though we all share a very common last name. The fact that I am one of Professor Mitchell's students does not make me biased. On the contrary, it gives me a special perspective on his insight because when he left Wall Street to teach corporate law, we were all very excited about the prospects awaiting us in those heady days of junk bond frenzy. The law firms were crawling all over campus seeking canon fodder for deals to help push the mountains of paper needed to justify the fees they were raking in. Professor Mitchell cautioned us and showed us in our Corporate Finance class how the valuations in those deals were skewed using the financing schemes of the day.

He has demonstrated in The Speculation Economy how the valuations of the nascent finance economy were just as skewed right from the beginning. Through the lens of history, Mitchell lets the reader see how the allocation of capital model we have today began not as a beneficent tool, but more as a promoter's pitch. Instead of the market being a great engine of efficiency, we see the other side, the 76 trombones of Professor Hill's Big Parade in which the instruments serve no purpose to anybody, but it's alright as long as everybody keeps playing. In the same way, the speculators who created the finance economy started a game of musical chairs by which capital is allocated. As long as the music keeps playing, everything is fine; the Big Parade keeps going round and round. It is only when the music stops that some get a chair and some are left out, but that is what capital allocation is all about, right? Somebody needs to lose once in a while for the system to work. When it all started back in the 1890s, people were not as sanguine about being left out, with no place to sit, and no money when the music stops for a moment as they are today. Back then, they had "panics." Today, we have "corrections" and "profit taking" because there are so many people and so much money in the market that it can absorb big fluctuations. Mitchell sets out in detail how the promoters used the legal system to change people's attitudes about the Big Parade and got them singing from the Music Man songbook.

One thing that stood out for me was the concern that people had as corporations grew and combined businesses using inflated stock schemes that resulted in "overcapitalization," which was the buzz word of the day in congressional hearings about trusts and the harm they posed to the country. Today, we look forward to overcapitalization in our assets; we expect it. We call it leverage. When shopping for a condo in a resort the salesman will tell you about the great "leverage" the condo produces. Upon deeper examination, what he means is that the condo does not provide enough rent to pay the note, but as an investment, the loss is a tax deduction, and the appreciation in price you will reap upon resale is great "leverage" on the note. That is great leverage as long as everyone agrees to keep playing the instruments, buying the paper, and going along with upwardly spiraling appraisals. Someone once said success has many parents, but failure is an orphan. Now, those condos are having a hard time finding buyers and the prices are crashing. They were "overcapitalized" to use the phraseology of the early twentieth century.

Another factor about an overcapitalized economy is the so-called "wealth effect" of people whose assets keep going up in value. They have no more money in the bank, but on paper they look wealthier and have more "leverage." They can borrow more. On what can they borrow? They can borrow more money from the bank because the bank is loaning more money on appraisals it was approving for the whole neighborhood. Everybody was getting wealthier on the appraisals, but the music had to reach a crescendo. People starting buying houses as a business: "flip this house." Everybody was doing it and a lot of money was changing hands, but was it real money, or was it "overcapitalization?"

What individuals were doing on an individual scale with houses and their local banks in the last decade is the same thing banks and corporations with investment companies were doing to form so-called "trusts" at the turn of the twentieth century. They created an enormous wealth effect that still operates today. Mitchell explains how it all got started and the legal levers that had to be pulled to make it happen. The law went through major changes to create the finance economy. It had to be liberated from valuation models of the past. Business needed discretion to set the value of its assets. Mitchell's history demonstrates that law determines value and value is the ultimate measure of wealth, not cash. To borrow George Goodman's phrase, the Speculation Economy laid the foundation for Supermoney, value that was worth more than cash. Mitchell's narrative lays out how the liberation of the law made it possible for stock to be used as an uber currency to buy companies. History shows how corporate finance developed into a wealth industry that was superimposed onto the extractive, agricultural, and manufacturing industries that produce the goods of life. Finance took over the levers of life.

The lesson of the last few years, as Enron leveraged derivative contracts on top of derivative contracts and then bankers freed from Glass-Steagall restrictions took finance to new heights by leveraging as many American Dreams as possible into securities, trying to turn home mortgages into the right to print money, is that discretionary valuation models can get out of hand. Maybe, greed is not so good. The Speculation Economy shows through historical and legal analysis -"Just the facts M'am"--how it got out of hand in the formative years of the new finance economy. Mitchell does not go any farther than that. He lets the facts speak for themselves. He leaves it for the reader to decide and to search for more information about what happened after 1919. How did the groundwork laid by Sunshine Charley and others lead to the Crash of '29? Did it lead to the Crash? Were the valuations in the 1920s skewed, or was it just the brilliance of opening up a new world of valuation? Was the problem that the financiers were way ahead of the rest of society and it has taken all this time for everyone else to catch up, or is it all just a house of cards waiting for a stiff breeze of reality to blow it down? Is Enron just an example of "creative destruction?" What should be done about the mortgage crisis? How should the asset-backed securities be marked down? What about Fannie Mae? How deep is this mess and will it affect the global economy? How can all of these mortgage-based investment securities that were bundled and then traded around the world be unwound, discounted, re-valued, or whatever as the local legal systems deal with the individual debt scattered all over the United States in thousands of cities and counties? Hey, maybe it's not that big a deal? Maybe the market is big enough, global enough to absorb anything and just keep on growing?

Mitchell does not go into any of these forward-looking questions. His book is a fascinating expose' of how the finance economy came to be. It is the starting point for any discussion of all the other questions about valuation and where the economy should be headed. The book is not so much about arguing for this policy or that policy. It is about the facts behind the policy choices. The research stands on its own. The writing stands on its own. He does not preach or grind any axe. Well, maybe he does a little in the Epilogue, but that is what epilogue's are for. However, he does give students of history and law a tool with which they can understand more about the corporate finance economy that determines the value of their wealth. Any lawyer who does one iota of corporate work should read this book as continuing legal education to understand better the history of corporate law.

Cicero said: "Not to know what has been transacted in former times is to be always a child. If no use is made of the labors of past ages, the world must remain always in the infancy of knowledge." Mitchell has made excellent use of the labors of past ages. I recommend The Speculation Economy to all who have any interest in corporations, business, history, economics, or law. It has sixty or so pages of footnotes and bibliography, making it a good reference for the topic. For anyone interested in trying to cope with the question--"How free should corporations be to allocate capital, other people's money, in the financial markets, and how much accountability should they be required to give in the process?"--The Speculation Economy is the place to start gathering the necessary information to wrestle with that question. It is an important question because the history of the formation of the Speculation Economy as well as the last decade have shown us that sometimes there is more sizzle than steak. If there is too much sizzle, somebody is going to get burned.

This book covers many aspects of writing, such as copyright, writing contests, agents, contracts, writing courses, how to keep out of legal trouble with your writing, what to do if you've sold something to an editor who won't pay up and much more. It is a tool to help a writer make it through the hazards of writing and the many pitfalls that wait for the unwary. The book also includes sample contracts for you to check out. It's a great reference book for every writer to have. I keep it handy where I can use it all the time.

A great book for a new author! I found this book very informative, enlightening but scary, realizing all the mistakes I have already made- myself but acknowledging some of the good decisions I've made as well. Nevertheless, it's better to know at the beginning of my journey than much later. If only I had read this book first! Thanks for the much needed info.

Jenna Glatzer and lawyer Daniel Steven have combined forces in THE STREET SMART WRITER and given any writer a valuable resource.

Too many writers have gone innocently down the wrong path with a scam literary agent or publishing house and lived to regret their choice. Follow the wise counsel in these pages and you will protect yourself from disappointment and you will save yourself a lot of money and grief.

"We want to believe that people have good intentions."

If you're not familiar with Jenna Glatzer then you really need this book because you're obviously not as internet/writer savvy as you need to be. Jenna is the owner of AbsoluteWrite.com, a writer friendly site. She's also the author of Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer and one of my favourites, Outwitting Writer's Block. Not only does she write for writers but the last year she wrote an authorized biography for Celine Dion: For Keeps. This working writer has a knack for sharing her experience with others. In this publication she has joined forces with Daniel Steven, a writer and publishing lawyer.

This is definitely a must-have guide for writers, especially the writer who dabbles in many areas. It's not only about what to avoid but doing it better. The Street-Smart Writer is divided into 17 chapters with an appendix of additional forms tacked on the end. Chapter breakdown:

1 - Agents & Managers (spotting sharks)
2 - Agents & Managers (finding a good one)
3 - Paying to Publish (vanity and subsidy presses)
4 - What to do if you've been screwed
5 - Trouble Spots in Book Contracts
6 - After Publication Rip-offs for Book Authors
7 - Vanity Poetry Contests
8 - Deceptive Contests for Novelists, Short Story Writers, Screen writers & others
9 - Crash Course in Copyright
10 - Special Screw-over for Screenwriters
11 - Monstrous Magazines & E-zines
12 - Dealing with Deadbeats
13 - Costly Courses & Shady Seminars
14 - How to Know When They're really using You
15 - Spotting False Credentials
16 - Protecting Yourself from Threats & Lawsuits
17 - "They Stole My Idea!" and other things not to worry about.

One of the things I appreciated about the Street-Smart Writer was its ability to explain instead of tell. Like the "big bucks" you make at vanity presses: -Let's say you managed to sell a hundred copies through bookstores. How much would you earn on a 250-page paperback book printed as cheaply as possible with a retail price of $20? About $240. Which means if you paid a print-on-demand company to publish your book and didn't even spend a dime to have it edited or promoted, you still wouldn't even have recouped your initial investment, let alone made any profit from your hard work.- To finish off Street-Smart provides a commercial publisher arrangement for you to compare. An eye opener for anyone thinking they can make big(ger) bucks by doing it themselves.

Many sample letters appear throughout and to help you decipher any forms the appendix provides examples of: Literary Agent Agreement, Interview Release, Permissions Agreement, Contributors Agreement, Trade Publishing Agreement, Film Option & Literary Purchase Agreement. These are not meant to be substitute agreements but to give you some background information when you're cool and collected because you know your stomach is going to be in knots when the real thing comes.

There's so much in this book for the eclectic writer. But any writer can learn from all these areas and apply it to their own work. Jenna Glatzer's usual comedic style, logic and blunt truth delivers the cold hard facts about the writing world. In layman's terms she explains away the idiots of the industry's scam tactics by teaching readers how to read between the lines. It's not meant to be a scare tactic but to make you an informed writer and it accomplishes its task. Reviewed by M. E. Wood.

While the entire book is fantastic, and offers an insider's look into the world of freelance writing and authoring books, I have to say I found Chapter 5: Trouble Spots In Book Contracts to be the best part of the book. It delves into trouble areas that can hurt the author, and how to maneuver around them. Finally, the appendix of forms is priceless: sample literary agent agreement, interview release form, permissions agreement, contributor's agreement, trade publishing agreement, and film option agreement.

This was a required book for my client relationships course and I found it well-written and very applicable to anyone dealing with customers on a daily basis.

Building a technology-based service business is certainly no walk in the park but Mooney and Bergheim help make that walk a little less treacherous. Follow the ten demandments of the demanding customer and you will be rewarded by those customers.

Don't be so sure your company - or ever yourself - is all that consumer friendly because after taking Kelly Mooney's self-assessments at the end of each chapter, you might be depressed. While its a cliche, it is true: the rules of engagement have changed. Today's exceptional, differentiated products and services are tomorrow's expectation and demands in the age of the well-informed, technology-empowered consumer. While not a book about the internet, Kelly Mooney's book here illustrates how the internet has armed today's consumer with more information, options and price comparisons - all at the speed of light. This is just one factor that has led to the consumer calling the shots more and more and who now just does not have needs, but true DEMANDS. And the businesses that understand this and empower their customers with the information, privacy and control they now demand will emerge the most successful. Those who do not will fall by the wayside.

Lots of marketing books are from the reference point of a business or brand forward: how to get more sales and increase brand awareness of your product. But, Kelly Mooney shows the view only from the stressed-out, untrusting and impatient consumer's vantage point. And we all are consumers who can relate to good and bad experiences. And guess what? Today's demanding consumers don't like, appreciate or trust all you have to say or offer them if they are not asking to hear it. They are suspicious of your uninvited emails or requests for personal information (a big point of discussion in this book). They want straight talk ... they hate all that fine print ("Lose it" is the recommendation) ... they want it all fast (or forget it) .... they want to consistently experience your brand the same way regardless of channel ... they want to be rewarded for their loyalty ... and they want complete control of their information and want to remain as anonymous as possible (so forget information requests that do not offer them something in return).

Each chapter is dedicated to one of the ten "demandments" - complete with a self-evaluation at the end of each chapter. As Mooney colorfully illustrates in her many examples, today's consumer wants - umm, demands that your business:
- Earn their TRUST
- INSPIRE them by your company or product
- Make things EASY
- Put them IN CHARGE of the process
- GUIDE them as they ask
- BE AVAILABLE 24/7
- REWARD their loyalty
- EXCEED their expectations
- RESPECT them as in any relationship

This is an engaging, easy-to-read book that is not a textbook monologue nor an analytical Harvard Business Review article, but really a 'street-smart' approach to serving your customers according to the "new demands on the street." It is chocked with many simple but insightful examples (termed "the voice of the consumer") that keep the flow lively and drive home the basic (but often difficult-to-master) principles. Sometimes Mooney is a bit repetitive, but some probably need that to get the points. Many companies don't realize they probably give a certain amount of "lip service" to the idea that "the customer comes first" or "without the customer, our purpose for existing ceases to exist" (haven't we all felt this way as consumers ourselves after a frustrating interaction?). But, after reading this humble, but enlightening little book, they probably will see how much room there is to improve and truly serve today's demanding consumer. So, overall, this book is a fresh, pretty different and important view point worth the time to read. Certainly the price should not deter anyone from getting it.

As my company begins 2003, #1 on the radar is our customer experience. So I was delighted with The Ten Demandments and have already begun thinking about how to incorporate several of the "demandments" into our own strategy. Easy to read, fast paced and insightful! Highly recommend.

This is the first book I've read on the topic of customer experience and loyalty that truly inspired ME! This is a lively and engaging book with a great point of view. It's written from the customer's perspective- a very interesting and refreshing twist on an important topic.

But why aren't companies doing a better job of providing the exceptional experiences the author talks about in her book? It was certainly an eye opener for me! Glad I found it when I did.

One of the best thrillers among my recent collection and that of a new and budding author. I was intrigued by both characters and plot. Having friends who worked in ambitious pharma companies, I can see certain paralells about how ruthless a business can get when driven by greed and the potential to earn big bucks. Apart from the fact that the reporter seems somewhat of an exhibitionist, the plot is convincing and realistic in most parts. Can't wait to read the sequel.

This is one of the kind of books you start reading in the evening, and you don't put down reading it, even if you are reading all night. Scary. Makes you seriously wonder about corporate ethics. The plot is very realistic and very detailed. It must be based on a real and possibly covered-up story. Much worse than the Enron scandal - at least Enron was only about money. If the story is real, this would be a scandal of epic proportions. Egomania and greed with a disregard for human life. If I remember right, a San Diego biotech one paid a hitman to take out a competitor. "Thin" may be another story that has not hit the newsdesks (yet). Even if it is pure fiction, "thin" is one of the best novel I have read in a very long time. I wonder who owns the movie rights to this one.

Little did I know when I ordered a random book from a new author, what was in store for me. I did not put the book down until I was finished with it. I spent a sleepless night reading, curious as to what the outcome was. The plot seems very realistic - outright scary, if you think how monetary greed can motivate the wrong people to do the wrong things. I wonder if this story is based on a real event - there are many details that sound just like it. I think Winston has created a splash - I am waiting for the sequel or at least the movie to go with this. Based on the book, I'd put the author into the leagues of the Tomm Clancy's and Michael Crichton's. A must read for anybody.

Suspenseful and gripping Thin is a great read. Excellent attention to detail and character development. It was hard to say good-bye. I look forward to further adventures from L.A. Winston.

A fast paced thriller that I had a hard time putting down. Sympathetic characters, an interesting premise, a few unexpected twists and turns, and a nice payoff at the end all make for a great read. I highly recommend this book.

Byrne gave an interesting insight into what so many employees think, but often left unspoken to management. He brought water cooler discussions and internal monologues into the spotlight, which will enable managers to defly read between the lines.

Thanks, every busness owner or manager should read this and take it to heart. People today want more than just a pay check and you point this out with years of experience behind it. This is a great quick read.

Thanks again Mark!!!

I like those books best that make me think and challenge my existing views. At the heart of this book is an intriguing question. What would happen to an organization whose employees were more than simply satisfied by their work and compensation? What if they actually inspired by going to work each day? What could they achieve? The author will help you consider the possibilities. If you are not satisfied with the status quo and old business models, this quick read is for you.

I have worked for large telecommunications companies for the past 12 years that have very comprehensive employee development programs. However, too often I find that the day-to-day interactions and experiences are not aligned with the corporate philosophies.

Mr. Byrne's book helped me realize that there are opportunities to "fill in the gaps" in the ways I can treat my employees and peers everyday. This is very refreshing after years of thinking that employee development wasn't something I needed to worry about since it was already covered in the documented core values of the company.

This is a well-outlined, quick read with lots of great insight. Time well spent!

Mark Byrne is an absolute genius! In this day of increasingly high turnover in the workforce, Mr.Byrne has written a masterpiece of what every good employee has wished his boss already knew. His work is clear, concise, easy to read in one sitting, and an absolute must-read for any employer who geuinely cares about the bottom-line. Full of innovative and simple ideas to maximize productivity, inspire and retain quality employees, and minimize the costly effect of losing employees.

This book should be required reading for every CEO, executive and business owner!

Let's face it. Most sales people we come in contact with drone on about what they think is gonna make you buy. Wahburn and Wallace have revealed profound conclusions of what customers want to hear, based on hundreds of research questionaires conducted with customers of highly successful companies. I've been in sales for 17 years and I gave up on reading sales books because they were not helpful. This one is different. It immediately helped me improve my presentation that I've been giving for the last 11 years. I thought it was as good as it was gonna get. Wrong. I'm making more money and saying what customers want to hear. Even better, more customers are saying what I want to hear. Buy the book. You won't regret it.

I have heard of different personality types for years, how to pick them out and what to do after you know their type, but it was always so complicated. The authors make it VERY easy to pick out the personality type, then they tell you what to do with the information. They give excellent examples from their own work with clients over the years.

This is not one of those books that is just an advertisement for their consulting or their seminars. Each of the three personality types is clearly described. A simple trick is given to remember how to pick each personality type. Then many real life examples of how to sell to that presonality type. All the authors have left for you is to modify the examples to the products you are selling, modify the presentation you already use so that it targets the three personality types in 4 or 5 areas and you will be selling in a way your client likes to buy.

What if you are doing group sales with a mixture of personality types in the same room? It is covered in this book.

This book is too good and too cheap not to get and read. The contents are too easy to not put into practice.

I am a CPA and Harvard MBA and have sold sophisticated tax shelters on a commission basis for years. This is one of the finest books on salesmanship I have ever read.

It is grounded in excellent theory, yet it presents the information in a simple manner that is easy to understand AND easy to implement.

The book focuses on two areas:

1) Know where your customer is in the buying cycle. a)Is he committed to do something yet, or not. b)Is this a repeat of a prior purchase or not? c)Is he evaluating alternatives? d)From whom will he buy the product or service selected? e)Is the price right?

2) Different personality types buy in different manners. The book describes three types. a)Commander (take-charge, action-oriented leaders) b)Thinker (logical, analyze details, and like knowing the answers), and c) Visualizer (practical, intuitive, see things as they are).

A buyer is interested in certain information at each STAGE in the buying cycle. Additionally, each personality prefers to receive their information in a different manner. By recognizing the buying stage and the personality of the buyer you are trying to persuade, you can choose the most compelling arguments to make every time. This will avoid 90% of the turn-downs other salespeople get when trying to close a sale.

I have read other books classifying personalities into 9 or 16 types. Other authors define 8 or 11 stages of a sale. By using 5 stages in their DREAM sales cycle, and 3 personality types, I think Washburn and Wallace have done salespeople a GREAT service. These categories are well defined, easy to identify, and easily utilized to increase sales with their strategies.

Readers looking for more advanced strategies in these areas can try Kerry Johnson's "Sales Magic" and "Selling the Way Your Customer Buys" by Marvin Sadovsky and Jon Caswell. However, I feel Washburn & Wallace's "Why People Don't Buy Things" has the ideal mix of quality content which works, is easily digested, and implementable. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Great book on why we sometimes let the big one slip away. Full of ideas and case studies to help anyone selling anything to better position their product/services and ultimately sell more.

I refer to this book on a regular basis to train my sales force. It reinforces what we have been working on for several years AND the results are there. Great job Harry and Kim.

As a manufacturing executive and California resident, it has become increasingly difficult to remain competitive in the world market place. Author Ronald Buckley has written a "how to" book for achieving or just rejuvenating your operations world-class results.

There is a saying that knowledge is power. However, implementation is just as important. Mr. Buckley has written a book that delivers both the key concepts for continuous improvement and real world examples of successful implementation. At the end of the day, we are all striving to achieve world-class results. This book delivers an ideal balance of diverse industry knowledge and hands on experience.
A key element throughout the book is the impact of cross-functional, self-directed teams on driving change and breakthroughs within organizations. Mr. Buckley provides a blue print for the formation, management, recognition and dissolution of these teams.

If it is time for breakthrough results, this is a book to be read by anyone who is interested in influencing their organization to achieve manufacturing excellence.

Mr. Buckley has written this book with an insight into reality of Manufacturing. This book provides a clear picture based on his experiences how we can turn around manufacturing companies into Lean by using "Self Directed Cross Functional Teams
Mr. Buckley's experience in defining a world class manufacturing facility is so apt for the new millennium. He shares the entire supply chain starting from Customer to factory to Parts that come from suppliers. He talks about Customer Quality out of box failures, Manufacturing velocity, first pass yield and Kanban process for parts getting from suppliers.
What I really admire and encourage about this book his the way Mr. Buckley approaches to establish the highly productive manufacturing operations, with cross functional team working while providing an insight into end to end approach.

Mr. Buckley has written this book with an insight into reality of Manufacturing. This book provides a clear picture based on his experiences how we can turn around manufacturing companies into Lean by using "Self Directed Cross Functional Teams
Mr. Buckley's experience in defining a world class manufacturing facility is so apt for the new millennium. He shares the entire supply chain starting from Customer to factory to Parts that come from suppliers. He talks about Customer Quality out of box failures, Manufacturing velocity, first pass yield and Kanban process for parts getting from suppliers.
What I really admire and encourage about this book his the way Mr. Buckley approaches to establish the highly productive manufacturing operations, with cross functional team working while providing an insight into end to end approach.

Author Ronald Buckley has written what will surely be considered the Manifesto for Manufacturing at the dawn of the Third Millenium. He clearly and concisely puts forth a methodology based, not on theory, but his own experiences in turning his factories into manufacturing powerhouses to be reckoned with.

From the factory, to quality, to cross functional self-directed work teams, Buckley shares with his readers a blueprint for "doers". Only a 30 year operations veteran could offer his readers this sage advise, " Sure, it would be nice if the resources were available for a full blown Six Sigma program; however much progress can be made using the simpler tools, such as SPC. So if you are a smaller organization, start with SPC and when you collect from the payoff of your efforts here, move on to Six Sigma, but don't think for a minute that you cannot compete without it." This may be considered heresy by the Six Sigma "bigots" but for a small or midsize company struggling to survive it's like the clouds parting and the stone tablets being handed down from on high!

If your company's back is up against a wall, your choices have been reduced to two: You can quit or you can stand and fight. If you choose to stand and fight "Winning in a Highly Competitive Manufacturing Environment" can be a tool to begin rebuilding your factory with a chance to have a future!

Mr. Buckley has captured the essence of what it takes to win in a highly competetive manufacturing environment. The most important element of any continuous improvement program is employee involvement. The author conveys an exceptional message that it is the combination of teamwork along with lean flow techniques, that can make an operation truly great.