Economics Books

In "Make Your Contacts Count," Lynne Waymon and Anne Baber have created a networking bible for today's professionals - in any profession or life stage. Reading chapter after chapter, I was able to identify both short and long term strategies to build and nurture my network. In addition, I was struck by the number of practical, simple tips which can be easily learned and practiced in all my interactions - professional and personal. The book provides current real life examples, as well as theory behind authors' recommendations. As a baby boomer with over 30 years of professional experience, networking was something for sales and marketing types. Professionals in private practice or business - lawyers, accountants, consultants - called it rainmaking. For most of us, it was something we only thought about when we were job searching. While job searching is addressed in one chapter, the book is really about how to build relationships - six stages described and how to strengthen. I'm convinced ..... networking is the essential career survival tactic and a core competency for today's leaders.

As a career counselor, I spend a lot of time and energy persuading clients to network who are not naturally good at it. Now I can make better use of my time by recommending this book. There is something for everyone's risk level. No reader can walk away unchanged after perusing this book.

This new edition of Making Your Contacts Count hits the bullseye. The authors state that networking is the essential professional competency in today's business world. Clearly, this book is the essential guide to ramping up your networking skills. Making Your Contacts Count provides substantial practical actions. For instance, strategic advice like how to plan your "agenda" for conversations is interspersed with tips like how to remember names(ex. repeat the first name and introduce that person to someone else..it works!) In our study of organizational success, Shaping Your HR Role: Succeeding in Today's Organizations we found that effective networking was a tactic often used by those who achieve results. I recommend this guide to all people who need to influence others in today's complex organizations.

I just finished reading "Make Your Contacts Count, Networking Know-How for Business and Career Success," by Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon and it is a must-read for anyone who wants to be successful in the business world.

"Contacts Count," gives you all the tools you need in an easy-to-use manner to get out there and become successful in the business networking arena.

I have already started using some of the techniques that Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon share in their book and I am finding that it is easier to describe my business and my value to others.

If you keep showing up to business networking events and leaving empty-handed and non-connected, buy this book, read it and start implementing the many practical ways to connect with others, build lasting business and personal relationships and watch your business grow!

Meeting and keeping a network of contacts to further a career is a basic tip for any upward-bound businessperson - but few titles spell out exactly how to achieve this goal. MAKE YOUR CONTACTS COUNT: NETWORKING KNOW-HOW FOR BUSINESS AND CAREER SUCCESS offers business libraries and upward-bound career seekers step-by-step tips for creating, cultivating and using networking opportunities. From professional memberships and networking events to checklists and questionnaires for fine tuning, this updated edition offers new case studies and expanded advice on how to use business networks. A 'must' for any library catering to business readers.

An almost too simple invitation to an otherwise complex topic so highly advocated by people so influential as Pankaj Ghemawat, Nancy J. Adler and Orly Levy ... the topic of developing of a Global Mindset! Global Mindset is the ability to handling very complex cognitive challenges in a cosmopolitan world - this takes Personal Leadership! In the book `Personal Leadership' you are as reader invited on a voyage that - if you allow it, will change your efficiency as leader in Global context... enjoy!

I loved the book. Some of the concepts were familiar. When I read the original authors, I found them too abstract. The way that the authors laid out the principles and practices so clearly and practically with exercises converted all that abstraction into a useful tool. I thought of a least one situation where I could apply it immediately. The authors were very open and generous in sharing personal stories. Congratulations on this significant achievement.

This book is a key to understanding how to build effective multicultural organizations. It is a must read for every leader in all organizations - including corporate, government, education, and non-profits.
This is a book for "our time" and includes an easy process that is important to practice on an on-going basis. This process is the key to making a difference in the world.
Dr. Ann C. Schauber, Professor Emeritus, Oregon State University

There will likely still be a place, and an important place, for cultural dimensions, value descriptions, and generalizations about cultural difference for decades to come. Yet such knowledge-focused tools are only a small part of the cultural competence equation and can be rendered futile when not matched with the right mindset, skills, and behaviors.

Personal Leadership helps address this need. It rests on the powerful premise that intercultural development is a lifestyle and daily practice--not simply a skill you get taught in a cultural training course--and offers a new approach that transcends a focus on specific cultures or limit to training or teaching environments. As such, it is an approach synonymous with and symbolic of the intercultural work of the future.

Is it only me questioning how I could keep my enthusiasm and inspiration in living life with purpose and vision at the same level as I was reading a great book like "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle? I was thrilled to find the answer in this book, Personal Leadership! With a simple but profoundly practical methodology of two principles and six practices, Personal Leadership has given me a tool to improve my competency to take better actions for various challenges at work as well as to expand my personal life aligning with my vision.

Sounds too good to be true? Read it first, and you will find what I am talking about...;-)

If you are headed for college, this is the pep talk you need! I read it in a single evening, and it got me pumped to do my best in college. It gives you lots of great tips on how to make the most out of college, but it's a quick and enjoyable read! You're investing a great deal of time and money into your college education; its important to get a good return on that investment. Making College Count shows you how. This book has all the good advice of a needed lecture, but it's got a light tone so you want to keep reading! Enjoy!

Making College Count has to be the most realistic, accurate account of college success available to students today. Not only does one encounter all details of college life, but many aspects of life beyond the books. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to strive for the best in their college years, taking skills to last a life time.

Pat O'Brien came to speak to my graduating senior class this year about the reality of college and how to make the best of it. I think it was a good thing to put the end in perspective first and make goals for yourself in order to make your path towards success even more efficient. His Winning Characteristics are not always easy to accomplish, but with discipline and hard work anyone can achieve them. Basic tips on studying, getting to know professors, extracurricular activites, and internships are helpful in envisioning your undergraduate years as challenging, but exciting experiences. Overall, O'Brien offers sufficient and real information that every college freshmen should know, and if he or she utilizes O'Briens advice they will be much more likely to be successful.

This book is about more than just surviving in college, it's about thriving in college. A must have for every student entering college. If you like this book, you'll love "Major in Success," by Patrick Combs. It changed my life.

I read the book during my senior year in high school and then referred to the book often during my first quarter in college. I followed the suggestions in the book, I organized my day and I found that I had enough time to study and also enough time to enjoy college life. Well, the results are in I earned a 4.0!

As I begin my own financial services practice I find this book to be very helpful in two areas.

1. The author gets at motivation first. We need to ask the WHY of what we are doing. We need to answer that question in our own lives if we are to be successful. Set goals and then work to achieve those goals. It begins with the reasons we are in this business.

2. Practical steps. The author takes the reader through very practical steps of time management, and even lays out some very basic marketing plans and ideas.

This is a marked up book that will be a constant reference for me.

David Mullen's main theme is a variation of Thomas Edison's oft-repeated words that "genius is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration." Although his book is repetitive and circular, he adds a little more information each time he loops back to an idea. Aspiring brokers will find the effort of following Mullen's train of thought worthwhile: He provides scripts and sample letters, and describes helpful techniques for handling rejection, communicating with prospects and closing sales. He includes information about how to work in teams and how to train sales associates. Mullen's advice is not groundbreaking, but it is specific and practical - although, strangely, he never mentions the importance of developing investment expertise. Thus, getAbstract recommends this book to those who already understand the field and want to use what they know to start selling.

Follow these principles and be your own coach! David Mullen combines strategic planning and how-to-do-it with clarity. Topics include market planning and realistic steps to building a million-dollar practice, as well as building blocks necessary to create a firm foundation. This is the #1 book I recommend in coaching FAs.

Dave Mullen Jr. has put together the essential steps to success in the EXTREMELY difficult process of building a financial services practice. I am one of his disciples and the concept of clearly defining your market action plans, understanding that it takes 100 clients that are constantly being upgraded and 100 prospects that are constantly in your pipeline is the key to success.

Reading the book is step one, consulting directly with Dave Mullen should be your next step. Bravo for a process that works if you are willing to commit!

Howard Hissrich, CFP(r)

I am just beginning my career as a financial advisor and I have found that this book has been very useful in providing the basic steps and fundamentals on building your client base. There are no short cuts in this financial services industry but better planning goes a long way to being successful. In general I feel that this book gives you excellent advise on how to go about getting a solid understanding on what you need to do to be successful as a financial advisor.

Author Norman R. Howes tackles project management in all its intricate bureaucratic glory, and brings the process up-to-date in what is essentially a book of instructions. Helpful in designing and tracking projects, this clear, crisp manual comes with Modern Project software, the program used to carry out the project management steps delineated in the book. The book, like any owner's manual, is very list-oriented. Howes does not teach you how to manage a project, either practically or theoretically, as much as he outlines the managerial process. His step-by-step guide focuses on detailed information telling readers how to take advantage of the software as they manage projects. While we from getAbstract recommend this guide specifically to project managers - who should keep it on hand, particularly if they use the related software package or want to learn more about it - the book is also designed to be used in corporate training programs and college classes.

Great book. Clear, well thought-out, and useful. I am using the method and tools to manage a series special event projects with 19 staff and 6 other vendors. Everyone has read the book so we all have a common understanding, and everyone is using the tool to generate reports - very cool.

Doesn't cover every aspect of PM but every aspect it covers is done very well. An easy read that can change how you do things. The enclosed software reinforces your knowledge.

I concur with other reviewers that this book is
extremely valuable, insightful, and comprehensive. It
provides clarification of several Project Management
concepts that are typically glossed over and sometimes
completely ignored in other texts. Perhaps the most
important contribution the author makes is in his
explanation of the subtleties of Earned Value - the
primary measurement for a project's performance. Many
Project Managers that I have worked with do not
understand how to measure Earned Value and end up with
incorrect measurements, or simply fail to use this
critical indicator altogether. I recommend this book to
all project managers who want clarification on this and
other topics that will help them improve their own
performance as managers.

This book focuses on modern project management concepts and techniques, but covers the standard stuff like what you will find in the PMI PMBOK. The project management system that comes on the CD with the book contains tools you won't find even in expensive PM systems. There are at least a couple dozen tools on the CD and an example project you can use to try the tools out on.

"If you plan to live in a society that uses money as a means of exchange, then it is intelligent to master money," says Phil Laut author of Money is My Friend. Of course I agree, while noting that I have trouble recalling ever reading that sentiment put quite so bluntly.

Mastering money is, indeed, crucial to succeeding in our society and fortunately, or unfortunately, as the case may be, that task runs right through the task of mastering yourself, according to Laut. He effectively emphasizes the importance of throwing off negative programming and learning to write the script for your life and your financial success. He's 100% on target, but he makes it sounds simple, when, in practice, it may not be so easy.

Aside from the philosophical/psychological approach, Laut appeal's to the reader's analytical side by introducing and expounding on his four laws of wealth -- I. THE EARNING LAW, II. THE SPENDING LAW, III. THE SAVING LAW, and IV. THE INVESTING LAW -- throughout the book. But, where the book really excels is by offering ways we may have acquired "stinkin' thinkin'" regarding money and how to counteract it.

Money is My Friend is actually very similar to Moneylove by Jerry Gillies. These books offer slightly different takes on very consistent core themes. Since both authors site Leonard Orr as an influence, so it should be no surprise. Orr was an earlier proponent of the idea that the state of one's mind and one's beliefs about themself are key factors in manifesting more money. I actually like to think of these books in tandem. I recommend reading both of them in succession, as their slightly different takes form a more comprehensive whole.

In the final analysis, Money is My Friend makes a clear case that money, in and of itself, can not cure financial woes. But, the reader may rest assured in the knowledge that applying the ideas in Money is My Friend, as well as Moneylove, can pay massive, life long, dividends.

A friend recommned this book to me, and since I trusted this friend, I ordered the book. First of all, I am very sceptical of these money and beliefs books... but after reading through the book and doing the exercises, I realized the definite power this book has. It is extremely practical and provides the indepth work that one needs to do to overcome barriers to wealth.

This book really made me think. Its not a fluffy get rich quick scheme - its about owning up to negative values and habits and how to change them. I gladly recommend this book to anyone who has experienced poverty/and or debt and wants to rise well above it! It has really helped me challenge my beliefs...

BTW, after reading this book and applying these prinicples I ended up with a nice new apartment (and saved $200 in rent), a wonderful girlfriend (now fiance and soon to be wife) and I got rid of my 20 year old car and got a nice reliable vehicle... So there! The principles in this book are great! It WORKS!

Money making process is a very wide area. Author tried to mention all the ingredients that make a successfull money making formula. In doing so the book is more a list of things, then practical ideas how to accomplish them. Also I do not like how he goes very deep into psychology. Rich Dad's series are much better if you need to change your way of thinking about money.

Money is my friend is a wonderful "how to" guide on how to achieve financial freedom. It is built on sound principles that show you how to eliminate you financial fears and reprogram your conscious and sub conscious mind with affirmations of riches and success. One of the prerequisites that are required in order for you to achieve mega riches is to believe you are worthy of mega riches. This book shows you how to reprogram your mind to believe that you have what it takes. Highly recommend!

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works and Founder of www.EmpoweringMessages.com

This book does a great job of explaining the reasons for commonplace hang-ups about money and offers a very workable solution. I actually struggled with being an "over saver" - and there aren't many books written for us. Laut outlines a great way to live for today (spending what you have) while also saving for the future. It's easy to read and easy to implement.

Mary Kay's autobiography tells of a woman with indomitable spirit and profound emotional intelligence. How she reached the pinnacle of success despite the tragedies and measly capital is a life lesson we should all learn from. I like Jim Underwood's writing style. His closeness to Mary Kay and his first-hand knowledge of her leadership style certainly provided credibility to this book. Highly recommended!

I was really impressed with the work that Jim Underwood put forth to create this woderful book. One of the most inspiring things for me is the fact that he shares insights that I didn't know about the company that I am proud to represent. I left each reading session with an added sense of pride and inspiration.
More Than a Pink Cadillac...is a great tool for sharing with prospective team members and their spouses/spices as it comes from a person who doesn't represent MK Inc and shows how much corporate does care about those who represent MK in the field.

When I decided to start my own business, my goals were lofty and to the average person unattainable. Many people in my life were unconvinced that I could accomplish them. Desperate to grown personally, I began working my way through self-help books and the like. By mistake I picked up MORE THAN A PINK CADILLAC" and my life was forever better. Jim Underwood offers us a look into the life of a remarakable woman who refused to let anyone hold her back. Not only does this book share her personal/professional journey, it shares the journey's of women just like myself. It's not just about business, it's about people. It reminds us that this world is nothing without the people in it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever thought they couldn't make it work...no matter what "it" is. Pure inspiration!

Mary Kay, Inc., is perhaps best known for two things: the cult of personality surrounding its founder, Mary Kay Ash, and the fact that it rewards successful salespeople with pink Cadillacs. In this illuminating book, management expert Jim Underwood delves into the guiding principles of Mary Kay, Inc.'s daily operations, which remain, 40 years later, true to Ash's founding vision. Countries or corporations founded by a charismatic leader often sag or sink when that leader inevitably steps down. Mary Kay's leadership was unique in that she built a solid foundation for the company so it could continue without her day-to-day guidance. This corporate biography represents the first time the privately owned company allowed an outsider complete access to its managers and employees, enabling Underwood to persuasively illustrate nine leadership rules with testimonies from members of the "Mary Kay family." We recommend this to anyone who aspires to leadership. Mary Kay may look fluffy, but it's all about the firm.

I cannot say enough great things about this book. Mary Kay Cosmetics is truly a wonderful company and Mary Kay Ash was a very inspiring businesswoman. Even for those people not in leadership positions, this is still a fantastic book. This exceeded my expectations. I was very thrilled with my purchase.

I ordered several mortgage books to use as reference tools as I begin my new loan officer career. I have not had a chance to read the book yet, but I feel confident that it will serve well as a reference tool. It was as described, and shipped in a timely fashion.

Good Book to get familiar with the jargon thrown at you by the realtors. Also covers some mortgage related history, math you need to know while answering the basic questions you have...

Breaks down industry terms into bite sized chunks. Concepts are clear and simple. Put this in your backpack when talking with lenders/brokers/agents.

This book helped me understand the mortgage jargon. I feel more confident of certain terms and mortgage products which can confuse anyone that is unsuspecting of mortgage dealings. Great Book!!!!

Mortgages 101 is an excellent resource for current home-owners, and aspiring ones. It provides a smart, clear understanding of the topic, and is relevent and accessible to a broad range of people and experiences. The question/answer format is easy to flip through, and is quite thorough. There is some very practical and realistic information for low to moderate income homeowners that are at-risk for predatory lending and other threats that can lead to foreclosure. This book is being strongly considered for the Post Purchase Education Curriculum --geared toward recent Home Owners--at a Local, Non-profit Home-Ownership Center.

"Must-Win Battles" appeals to me as a book that gives readers (most typically managers) the tools to lead their teams through a journey that can save their very own jobs in the long run. With a style not too distant from Lencioni's, where the authors show a fictional case in action, the book presents the path in a journey to help teams win those battles they cannot afford to loose, what they call Must-Win Battles (MWB). While offering tactics to deal with the expected bumps along the road, the book remains very strategic all the way through, focused on the strategic goals of aligning steering teams around the same agenda and eventually getting the entire organization to buy it in and embrace it.

The book wraps up with lessons from won and lost MWB journeys and a real-life case from the Unilever Ice Cream Frozen Foods business group to illustrate the entire process in action. While the fictional case presented belongs to the executive team leading the entire European organization of a company, the learnings in it could easily be extrapolated to smaller settings: a production facility, a university, etc. Highly recommendable like all Wharton School Publishing books I've had a chance of reading.

Unilever's 19-page MWB journey described by Kees van der Graaf is a fantastic read. It not only illustrates the stages and steps aligned with the authors' belief of leadership principles, I find it most valuable is Kees van der Graaf sharing with us with his personal lessons learned from the processes such as "trust my gut more than ever before" and "We have great values; they come from the heart". This reminds me of another book titled "Head, Heart & Guts" by Dotlich/Cario & Rhinesmith. Indeed Kess van der Graaf brings these to life.

MWB stands for "Must Win Battles," which is the title and a common acronym throughout this this book. Authors Peter Killing, Thomas Malnight and Tracey Keys use "battle" to refer to competitors and "must-win" to mean these battles must be won. There are a lot of circumstances applicable to the concept of 'battle.' Examples and case studies cover management style, team work, planning, shortlisting, and executing, are noted. One example is Unilever in Africa, Nestle China, and a two-year case study of the CFF business groups from the words of an executive.

Three sections and nine chapters.

Section I: Preparing the Journey

Section II: Engaging the Team

Section III: Making it Happen

The different types of managers listed are the commander, diplomat, thinker, and motivator, who are defined and described. This is followed by the role of Emotional Intelligence in the workplace. EI is just as, and oft-times more vital than IQ. There are questions regarding this that the reader can answer for themselves so they can apply this concept to their own situations in life and in the work place. This book helps the manager and employees as individuals and allows them to reflect on others and themselves.

Different dynamics of MWB, which often may include change. While strategically planning and implementing Must-Win Battles there are Resisters, Bystanders, and Supporters. A time-line is almost always necessary and matrices and diagrams are presented, when planning and executing.

A good reality check is in chapter 4, which lists "Typical Company-Related Myths." Those who've worked in medium or large organizations can identity with the company values and slogans. But they're usually only slogans, because they aren't practiced. :)

At the end of the book there are:

A) The MWB Journey and Road map
B) The Denison Survey: Questions
C) Using the External Assistance

This is helpful for all people who manage and work in organizations of all types and sizes.

In any organization, at any time, there are probably three to five key battles that must be won to achieve important goals, write authors Killing and Malnight. As you read this, you are probably thinking of the battles that are ongoing right now, the ones you need to win to get to your own goals. The first step, then is identifying what the key battles actually are and eliminating the sideshows that distract from the real issues. The authors advise that these battles are NOT internal, instead they are:

Market-focused
Something that makes a difference
Creates excitement
Are specific and tangible
Are winnable (!)

The example provided is one of Unilever, a large multinational company, working to gain market in Africa. But despite Unilever as an example, the strategy to pick your fight and win it is equally applicable to small business--if not more so.

One point I really admire is that the authors recommend that emotion be considered along with reason in how to win those battles. In other words, instead of steamrolling over emotion, which is a statement of condition, like the weather, the authors recommend dealing with it and generating excitement by directing emotion. There is also good advice on "not shooting the messenger" or how to take bad news. As one top CEO remarked to the press on how he achieved success "First, you have to deal with reality."

Excellent book and a must-read for business managers of any organization.

Q: What must be managed effectively to improve an organization's performance?

A: "First, [managers must] identify and win the right battles....But to win the battles, many organizations need to create a more effective top team and build an organization that [is] .less silo-based and capable of focusing all of its energies and capabilities on the chosen battles."

Q: What is a "must-win battle" (MWB)?

A: "MWBs are the three to five key battles that your organization absolutely must win to achieve its key objectives."

Q: What are the characteristics of a well-chosen MWB?

A: It must "make a real difference, be market focused, create excitement, be specific and tangible [and measurable], and be winnable."

Q: What is an "MWB journey"?

A: It is simultaneously both an emotional and intellectual process which must be completed by everyone involved in order to transform their organization. Ultimate success will depend upon a "shared understanding of the challenges and options facing the organization, an agreed list of three to five MWBs, a committed [and competent] team for each MWB, a high-level action plan for each MWB, new [better] ways of working together, individual commitments, and an initiation assessment of the starting conditions for engaging the organization."

Granted, this is an unorthodox way by which to begin a review but I really could not think of a better one. (No doubt someone else has.) The authors of this volume share what they have learned about why some organizational transformation initiatives succeed while most others fail. What they propose is a three-phase process (a "journey") which begins with a rigorous and thorough assessment of the current situation, followed by an engagement of the Team and then of teams for the MWBs, and then an engagement of the given organization which involves embedding the Team agenda and aligning the organization while maintaining momentum of the MWB initiatives.

I especially appreciate the authors' provision of all manner of reader-friendly devices throughout their lively narrative. For example, check lists of key points, graphics (maps and figures) which illustrate step-by-step segments of the "journey," and - whenever appropriate - caveats and disclaimers which correctly remind the reader that no course of action (including the one which the authors recommend) "fits all."

In the final chapter, they share eight "Lessons" learned from their research: five from successful MWB "journeys" and three from those which failed. In Appendix A, readers are provided with a comprehensive "MWB Journey Roadmap" and then in Appendix B, the authors provide "The Denison Survey: Questions" (copyright © by Daniel R. Rosen), a culture survey which is discussed on pages 47-48.

Presumably the authors agree with me that it would be a fool's errand for anyone to read and re-read their book, then rush - or even stroll -- to implement everything in it. It would also be a fool's errand to cherry pick diverse (albeit sound) ideas from a variety of different sources and then attempt to consolidate them in a single plan of "attack." Rather, I urge each reader to read Must-Win Battles with great care and then, preferably in discussion with others, co-determine what would be most appropriate to the given organization. Killing, Malknight, and Keys can be very helpful to that process of aanalysis and, especially, to identifying the highest priorities and most important objectives. My guess is that, by following that procedure, the "must-win battles" will reveal themselves.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Jason Jennings' THINK BIG, Act Small, Michael Hammer's The Agenda and Robert Mittelstaedt's Will Your Next Mistake Be Fatal?

Wow! I have read many books on negotiation over the years. This is the one that quickly succinctly and immediately does the job.

His ten tips and the supporting examples are exactly what any salesperson absolutelt needs to know and use.

1. Develop "Negotiation Consciousness"
2. Be a good listener
3. Be prepared
4. Aim high
5. Be patient
6. Focus on satisfaction
7. Don't make the first move
8. Don't accept the first offer
9. Don't make unilateral concessions
10. Always be willing to walk away.

There is more much more in this tiny treasure. Buy it, read it regularly and do not lend it!

Here's a great way to learn the basics of bargaining. The author's writing flows nicely, he gets right to the point, and he clarifies his advice with innumerable entertaining anecdotes. You could hardly hope for a more enjoyable way to learn skills that have so much use.

While emphasizing the importance of a cooperative approach, a fair bit of trickery is also discussed - including bluffing and making straw demands. However, if you and your opponent find yourselves playing the same tricks, you might conclude that you have both read this book, and you'll no doubt have to resort to more cooperative tactics.

Nonetheless, the sneaky stuff is fun to read about - and it's important to know about, in case it's ever used on you. For example, if you can quickly recognize when you are being taken by surprise, you'll have a better chance of resisting. And the author does explain how to resist.

Manipulative tactics are more likely to work if your opponent's confidence is weak, as the author points out. But they can be problematic in long-term relationships - such as in a workplace setting. Even if you can get away with using them, negative manipulative tactics won't help build healthy self-esteem or morale. You'll more likely undermine your team with resentment, repressed anger, and passive resistance. This won't boost your firm's productivity. Worse still, your intended victims might see through your tactics, and simply conclude that you are obnoxious and socially clumsy.

While bluffing, posturing, and trickery can be effective in appropriate circumstances, you won't go wrong if you adhere mainly to the author's core advice: Try to question your own assumptions about what can be negotiated; understand your opponent's needs, not just her position; communicate clearly - with emphasis on listening; and keep a cool head. These are just some of the pointers this book covers in depth - pointers that you will likely put to daily use. In fact, whether you are hoping to increase your sales or improve your family relationships, this book has a great deal of helpful advice to offer. And it's a lot of fun to read.

Paul Francis Musgrave, author of Indispensable Marketing Strategies - How to Outwit Your Competition, Attract and Retain Customers, and Multiply Your Profits - Marketing Strategy Secrets for Profitable Small Business Management

I got the audio for this book and truly enjoyed it. It is informative, easy to understand and has excellent information. This book is a must read for every consumer, even if you don't utilize the techniques to negotiate it will help you to recognize when others are "playing" you.

Brodow provides a very useful summary for those needing to negotiate - eg. for a raise, starting salary, buying or selling a house or car, etc. Overall suggestions are made (eg. the most important trait is listening, with the ability to ask good open-ended questions also important; be willing to walk away; have a pre-thought minimum acceptable, target, and high target prior to beginning), followed by specific suggestions for certain situations and involving specific personalities.

I would suggest giving the book a quick read, then keeping it handy to refer to in future negotiations.

I liked this book a lot. Most negotiating books are either so complicated that you'd have to be an ambassador to understand them or so aggressive in their tactics that you wouldn't want to use them. This book is a perfect balance of ethical methods that will make you a winner. Ed Brodow is a competitor of mine on the negotiating lecture circuit and he has done an excellent job of distilling his all-day boot camp into a highly readable book. From Roger Dawson, Author of "Secrets of Power Negotiation."