Organizations Books

A fountain of valuable information dealing with the issue of bullying that every parent and teacher needs to read. But most importantly this is about raising empowered kids...kids who are assertive, happy and productive individuals...who will never become victims or bullies. Filled with practical strategies, scripts, lessons and original stories that will teach kids to be express their feelings positively and peacefully; to respect and get along with others; to resolve conflicts; to communicate
and get along with each other... these children will not become bullies or victims! Every parent and teacher must read the section on how to create a positive, loving and caring home and classroom.

My neighbor lent me this book since both our kids attending the same school were victims of bullying. It goes into such detail and covers every aspect. It gives you the psychology of the bully and the victim which we could identify with. I thank the author for helping our family and I have a new child in my house, happy and healthy.

This is about raising totally empowered, respectful and happy children. A perfect book for parents filled with great child-rearing principles and practices that all caretakers can benefit from. Should be on every teacher's bookshelf as well.

This book does a marvelous job of pointing out what parents need to do to raise empowered and successful children. Don't let the title fool you- your child won't be a bully or a victim if you follow these important child-rearing principles. The most outstanding feature is its practical nature- filled with scripts, activities, stories....that can be used to teach and empower kids.

This book should be on every parent's book shelf- at least every parent who has a school-age child or actually a child from age 1-15. As a parent of two, I wish this had been written earlier. But I have used its stories with my kids, the tips on communication and support to prevent my children from being a bullies or victims....not to mention all the wonderful parenting tips on how to raise childen to be empowered, happy and loving individuals. And it works!!!!

Pellicer's book was an excellent book for anyone in the education field. Through short essays, he gives a clear, sometimes humorous, always honest view of what it takes to be a successful leader. While reading this book, I was able to personalize many of the experiences he speaks of and apply the lessons that he has learned through the years to my own life and career goals. Because of the way it is written, the reader has the ability to "skip around" and read the chapters that seem the most pertinent at the time. As a classroom teacher, I found this book to be a source of inspiration to me--inspiration that I desperately need at this mid-year point! After reading his thought-provoking, encouraging essays, I think I might just be able to make it until the end of the school year after all!

Caring Enough to Lead was an easy to read, interesting, thought-provoking book. By sharing personal experiences and perspectives in his book, Dr. Pellicer helped me begin to understand what it means to be a leader and to focus on some of the attributes and attitudes of an effective leader. The questions at the end of the chapters caused me to stop and reflect on my role as a leader in my school and in my classroom. The short chapters in the book enabled me to read one or more chapters at a time depending on how much time I had available.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dr. Pellicer's book, Caring Enough to Lead. It was easy to read and very entertaining while at the same time very applicable for teachers in any situation. It gently reminds us of why we choose teaching in the first place, to touch lives. Dr. Pellicer also reflects on several ways to lead as well as the responsibilities that come with leadership. It was easy to reflect on myself as a leader as I was reading this book. I was able to relate my own experiences to most of his chapters. His writing style of vignettes and questions was fun and unique to read. The short chapters made it convenient to read a chapter or two at a sitting and come back to it later.

This book, written by an education professor, should be required reading for everyone in the field of education. It is a very readable challenge to educators to reflect on their beliefs, practices, and reasons for becoming an educator. While reading the book, I highlighted many passages in order to come back to them and to share them with colleagues in the future. In reflecting on a career in education, the book helped reaffirm my belief that it is important to care about others and pointed out the fact that it is important to care about yourself also. This is a book that educators and leaders can read without feeling burdened with a lot of theory or extra rhetoric. The entire book can be read at one time or it can be read in small segments. It is a book that causes soul-searching and one that should be in every professional library.

Can a series of essays on leadership be described as pleasurable, thoughtful reading material? It can if it is Caring Enough to Lead by Pellicer. Pellicer presents twenty essays that are thought provoking as well as entertaining. Personal stories lead the reader into more in-depth philosophical questions about leadership. The essays contain countless statements that lead the reader to stop and think.
"Life affords us too few opportunities to show others how much we care, we can't afford to waste these opportunities."
"I wish I could find a way to encourage all the teachers in our school to run around and flap their arms on a more regular basis."
"Leadership is never about ruling others, it is about serving others."
"A good teacher can give a child power over his or her own life."
Pellicer feels that becoming a leader requires some who cares, excepts the responsibility of leading, and nourishes and supports others who care. All this is required in order to successfully educate our children.

Pastor Navarro has written a true gem here in "The Complete Worship Leader". This book is a "how to" manual for the novice worship leader, a reference and a tune-up manual for mid-level and experienced worship leaders. For Pastors, it serves as a valuable tool in selecting the appropriate format for worship depending on the church style as well as the type of worship leader for specific churches/denominations. The roadmap in regards to theology, discipleship, artistry and leadership are an eye opener in that these four elements are crucial to the success of the praise and worship and are interdependant on one another. This book confirms that the praise and worship team is not in the sanctuary to entertain, but to bring the presence of the Holy Spirit. Easy and fun to read, you will want to have a supply of highlighters as there is a wealth of knowledge in these 200+ pages. Recommended for worship leaders, pastors, praise team members and all church members. A Winner!!!

I picked up a copy of "The Complete Worship Leader" by Kevin J. Navarro just to give it a look. I did not put it down until I had read the entire book. Kevin spoke to my heart and to my transitioning context. I immediately purchased copies for my music staff and we are working through the book together. This is the first book I found to be useful in explaining the complete role of a worship leader. The practical way Kevin guides even the non-musical person through the theology and proclamation of worship makes it easy to understand. As a senior pastor, this is a book I recommend if you are serious about becoming a worshiping community.
Dr. Jerry McKinney
Senior Pastor

Worship leading is more than just leading singing, and a worship leader needs to be more than a musician with a decent voice. This book gives vital guidelines on how to be a well-rounded worship leader. The way "The Complete Worship Leader" is ordered prioritizes sound theology and personal discipleship over musical ability. Although the musical tips in the later chapters are helpful, it may be a revelation to some how important it is for a worship leader to be a theologian; not only to have the experience of salvation, but the knowledge of how salvation works. As the reader works his- or herself through the chapters, it becomes obvious that no stone is left unturned. This is truly an indispensible resource.

As a professional worship director, a seminary student and a student of worship, I have read any number of books on the topic of worship. Kevin Navarro's book ranks, without question, as one of the best.
"Complete" is the right word to use in reference to this book. Kevin manages to squeeze a wealth of information into a relatively short, easy and engaging read. The chapters on musical direction alone can be used as a handy reference book, invaluable to have available in a church staff office. The sections on theology, discipleship and leadership are equally spot-on; Kevin readily points out the elements which are truly needed in today's church environment. Best of all, Kevin's heart for worship is evident throughout.
I would highly recommend this book, not just to professional worship directors, but to anyone who accepts the challenge of leading a congregation into the presence of the living God.

While there's plenty of books on worship, few fall into the "must-have" category for worship leaders. The Complete Worship Leader is one of them. If you only read one book on worship this year, this is it. Author Kevin Navarro is now Senior Pastor of Bethany Evangelical Free Church in Littleton, CO, having served there for several years as the worship leader.

The "worship leader" is a relatively new category of leadership in worship. The roles of pastor, liturgist, organist, choir director and song leader are familiar, but the worship leader is a product of the worship awakening of the past 30 years. In the most in-depth study of the subject to date, Navarro gives us a glimpse at the opportunities and challenges of a worship leader.

A "complete" worship leader excels in several ways, not just in one area. Gone are the days when worship leaders could carry the ministry by their musicianship alone. In this well-written book, Navarro artfully weaves together the four main strands of effective worship ministry leadership: theology, discipleship, artistry and leadership. It's easy to see how neglecting any one of these will lead to problems; Navarro shows how we can grow in all of them and keep our balance.

Navarro brings a worship leader's perspective to these issues, and he writes as a worship leader to his peers. He's been there and done that, and offers nuggets of important insight in each of the four areas, as well as specific applications worship leaders will appreciate.

The Complete Worship Leader is an important book for pastors, worship committee and personnel committee members as well. It's a window into the world of worship leaders that reveals the unique challenges they face, and suggests helpful ways the rest of us can encourage them.

For the most part this book is a very easy read and is organized very coherently - however, the author seems to digress sometimes by paying too much attention to certain subjects that are important and integral, but could use a 'lite' version. For instance, Chapter 3 is horrendous. Acronym after acronym really made my head spin.

I used this book for an E-Commerce course I've taken over the Summer'08 and loved reading every bit of it!

Given that there are incredible number of mistakes in the Chapter on Security related issues, but the pros out weigh the cons by a HUGE margin.

This book for me was an absolute joy to read, and I don't think I've read any book off late that has so much packed in it!

This was a great buy, The book came in the indicated condition and has been a great help!

I have used this textbook for several years - while it is a good basic source of information, it badly needs updating and supplementation in several important areas: RFID is not mentioned; Mobile/hand set E-Commerce is covered at a surface level, Search Engine and major Portal marketing needs updating, and much of the data are 3+ years old - very old given the rapid changes taking place.

If you are teaching an E-Commerce course from a Marketing perspective, with this book as the base, be prepared to suppement this textbook with books such as Spychips, and student subscriptions to WSJ or NY Times. Ad Age is another excellent supplementary information source.

This is one of the few areas in business where the textbook should be updated every 2 years.

Note from Spring 07 - the newer edition is better but still requires supplementation on areas auch as RFID and security.

I just received the new edition of Laudon and Traver's textbook on e-commerce and think its just great! I previously used the 2nd edition, which I also loved, and this new edition lives up to its predecessor. It contains all new and updated information and is extremely current. Its so well-written that it doesn't read like a textbook at all. I highly recommend it to anyone interesting in learning about e-commerce.

I read this book with my wife each taking assignments and reporting back after a day or two. What an incredible read and experience. There is a wealth of challanging material in this book to help anyone wishing to expand themselves into a more thoughtful person.

A pure blessing that has potential and material to make a substancial upswing in one's life.
Rocco

I have been a fan of the Merills, since their synergistic work with Stephen Covey with "First Things First".

I am not married yet, nor do I have a job, but I find this book so practical and I am convinced as I grow up into the various future stages of my life, the wisdom within it, will become more and more obvious.

I really like the idea that balance is not in "balancing the scale" but in "balancing".

The sections that deals with Time Matters and Money Matters, is worth more than the price of the book. When I was browsing through the book, and got to read the Money Matrix diagram, I almost jumped out of my skin. I always felt the Time Matrix is always applicable to one's personal finance. I was so delighted to know the Merrills felt the same and has wrote and developed it further in this book. The book also feature a quote from my favorite personal finance guru, Robert Kiyosaki.

If you have a friend who is getting married, this would be an excellent gift to a newly wed couple. I recently gifted one to my best friend. Since the book is quite expensive for us living in India, I along with a group of friends, decided to give it together.

It's a book worth to be made a family heirloom. I am sure anyone would find it helpful. Its a rare diamond in the overly cluttered world of self-help books. Most self-help books offer advice, but ended up with platitudes and rehash of ideas. We need books like this one.

Another beautiful aspect to this book is the author's recognition that more than offering answers to people, it is more important to help people develop their ability to find the answer within. This is what they called navigational intelligence. It is the effort to develop personal conscience, and listening to it.

Its a book that will never leave my reading desk and will be refered to again and again and again, till I end this life and buried six feet under.

Thanks Roger and Rebecca for an enduring legacy for generations to come. I pray more and more people will embrace your message. If we all do the world will be a better place to live in.

New books telling you how to improve your life come off the presses every week, maybe every day. Some are bad, and you realize you have wasted your time. Some are average, and you might learn a few new things, but they aren't all that memorable. Some are great, and you go back to them again and again. "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" is one of the great books. Years later people remember it, talk about it, and reread it.

"Life Matters" is a great book. It covers a lot of good ideas, the thoughts and observations are well presented, and the book reads quickly.

The first chapter starts off talking about what is important in life. The authors focus on four areas: work, family, time, and money. They have a quiz to help in your self-assessment of how you are doing in each of these four areas. A big message of this book is there doesn't have to be conflict between the four areas.

The next chapter covers three things you have to do in any area of your life. The three "gotta do's" are:

1) Validate your expectations. You have to confront reality, for if you have an unrealistic expectation you will be frustrated. The authors make the point that the direction you are heading is more important than how fast you are going.

2) Optimize Effort. Look for ways to get the maximum benefit for your effort, and make sure your decisions are aligned with your goals.

3) Develop your "Navigational" intelligence. This is the ability to be aware of your changing environment, so that what looked like an important task at the start of the day may have to take a back seat when your boss gives you a new assignment, or a child needs attention.

The next four chapters are on: work, family, time, and money, with a chapter on each area. The authors weave each of the above three "gotta do's" into each area. For each area they explore different ways people see the area, for example how do you see your family, or your money. And then they discuss what is the reality. They have a list of "optimizers" which are techniques for getting the maximum benefit for your effort. And they talk about how to be flexible when situations change.

"Seven Habits" mentions a Time Matrix, which is a two dimensional matrix based on how important something is, and how urgent it is. Many people waste time on things that aren't important, or get caught up doing things that are important and urgent. Stephen Covey explores why doing things that aren't urgent, but important, can make a great difference in your life. For me one of the gems of "Life Matters" was exploring this same matrix in relation to money. The Merrill's point is that it is best to invest your money with the same Quadrant II focus, things that aren't urgent, but are important. For me, that idea alone was worth reading the book. There were a number of similar gems scattered through the book.

The last chapter was titled "Wisdom Matters" and here the authors explore why wisdom is important, and how to improve your wisdom. One of the points they strongly make is to develop an ongoing daily self-important program. The idea is to spend a few minutes each day improving your understanding of life, and how to make better decisions.

This is a great book. If you are interested in improving your life, buy this book, read this book, and then reread it. It will help you get better control of your life. For as the Merrills say, life does matter.

This book is one of many that build off Stephen Covey's "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," and is a more in-depth discussion of prioritizing (Living in Quadrant II for those who speak Covey). This book is divided into four sections that reflect the four biggest concerns Americans face--the workplace, the family, time, and money. The basic message of the book is that one must think in terms of "investing," whether it be money, time, or effort. It is important to examine what one invests in so that maximum returns can be paid on that investment. As an example, investing money in a car yeilds a much lower return (a negative return) than investing in a mutual fund. Investing time in televison watching yields a much lower return than helping your child with his homework. Investing in effort in a long-term project that is still months away yields a much higher return than filling out some pretty-unnecessary paperwork. Other commentators are correct when they say that the examples of theory-in-action can be fairly unrealistic (even though they really happened!), but they illustrate the authors' points well. I would first recommend the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. If you find that helpful (and I imagine you will), this book is an excellent follow-up to it.

Prioritizing the building blocks of life - family, work, money and time - is paramount to happiness. Some people do it unconsciously by living within their intellectual and monetary expectations. Others need a framework for balance, such as the one that authors A. Roger Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill provide. To achieve personal balance, the authors suggest becoming a better team player, working more effectively, learning about finances and setting home and work priorities. They establish the goal of building a strong family, centered around parental "family leadership." Do they successfully address the knotty issues they raise? Yes, in a folksy way. This is a useful self-help manual with checklists, self-assessments and personal anecdotes, which are sometimes touching, but sometimes impractical or saccharine. Though the management advice dons motivational language, the sections on family and work are particularly worthwhile. The authors deliver a solid antidote to misplaced modern values, albeit wrapped in some fluffy trappings. We recommend this book to corporate officers and human resource personnel, as well as to individuals seeking balance.

This is not a book which you read through over a period of hours. In fact it is quite possible that you will never read all of the book, but yet find it invaluable.

Fox breaks the sales stage down into logical segments and provides good "plays" to make the sales process more productive. Sales segments include: Thinking, Reaching, Engaging, Keeping.

None of the plays are innovative, but they are relevant. He provides the reader with good insight and detail on "plays" such as print advertising, Linkedin, PR, Customer referrals, Customer surveys etc. He also makes an effort to cost out these plays. I did find some of his costings on the high side, but it is up to you "the player" to make sure you get your value for money.

The book is not cheap, but if you want a good reference, idea book at your fingertip, it is good value.

Marketing Playbook: The Manual for Growing Organizations is a compendium of 102 marketing strategies to meet sales goals. A football-style theme and trappings capture the reader's eye, but at its heart Marketing Playbook is all business. Tips, tricks and techniques include the basics for creating a good business card, how to create a series of "thank you" postcards with impact, using web conferencing to give a sales presentation without leaving one's chair, how to break through voicemail, and much more. A surprisingly intense amount of detail on each topic and full-color photographs on every page distinguish Marketing Playbook as a top-quality reference and resource for marketing professionals.

Over the past several years there has been an outpouring of titles dealing with the topic of effective marketing techniques that has spawned a cottage industry of thousands of books, and whose publishers rant that by purchasing their book you will invariably be led to the Promised Land.

I don't doubt that most authors of marketing books often work extra hard to find new and creative perspectives on their subject. Unfortunately, however, most fail, as very often their approach is filled with a great deal of hype, but little useful content.

Now, along comes John M. Fox's fresh and innovative approach with his manual Marketing Playbook: The Manual for Growing Organizations 102 of the Best Marketing Plays to Get Your Sales Team Across the Goal Line, where the author uses the metaphor of a football playbook to tutor his readers on how to develop an effective and winning marketing plan.

The manual organizes itself into 102 plays, each comprising one glossy page with full color images, wherein you have the following sections: a diagram, illustration or picture of the Play when correctly executed, next to the image you have the number and name of the Play, on the left hand side of the page you have the strategies and costs, while the center of the page consists of the Assignments and Coaching Points, and the bottom of the page indicates the Primary Receivers as types, their level, and who is the product or service best suited for.
In addition, Fox includes a value-added bonus by providing at the end of some of the pages a section called Extra Points, where you can download from the author's website extra information pertaining to the Play. There is even a scoreboard that rates the Play's strategic or tactical applicability.
For example, if we look at Play 35, Press Releases That Get Ink, we notice that the focus of the strategy is to get your news story in the press, what are the expected costs of a professional writer, how the marketing team and the PR agency should work together, and ends with vital coaching points.

By presenting the material in this way, devoid of technical jargon, verbiage and redundancy, fundamental principles are broken down into understandable messages that everyone can easily follow. Moreover, the book is as informative as it is fun, as the author has taken pains to be clear and concise, while keeping the tone light and approachable. Although, the author states in his notes that he has written the book from the first-person to company leaders, rookie employees and the self-employed will likewise benefit from its reading.
For those who wish to explore the various topics further, the author provides a bibliography of references, resources and additional reading that correspond to each of the Plays. There is even at the end of the manual a glossary index containing a listing of some familiar and unfamiliar terms the author uses in his presentations.

Norm Goldman, Editor Bookpleasures

This book is very engaging, in fact, hard to put down. As a seasoned marketing executive, I am often disappointed with marketing books yet this one was a pleasant surprise and loaded with useful information. John's suggestions are easy to implement and focused on helping sales make sales! Too many marketers focus on brand image to the exclusion of lead generation and customer aquisition. What good is a brand if there is no money in the bank! This book will keep new and seasoned marketers in growth companies on track with cost-effective ideas to ring the sales bell. An excellent feature is a list of sample vendors and the approximate cost of various "plays"; this alone will save new marketers research time and money and allow them to maximize tight marketing budgets for maximum results. This book is worth every penny and there is something inside that will work for every type of business.

Whether a company needs to know how to get its news in front of people who care through news distribution, or how to present it in a binder, John Fox's Marketing Playbook lays it out ... plus John gives you the names of sources who will help. It's the kind of book anybody in marketing and sales will keep and refer to often.

Great information, very practical. if you want to understand the biblical need for planned and purposefully church communications, read this book!

Good book, great insights, will really make you think about yor church at whatever size or level you find yourself. I found it a little bit frustrating that the author does not include some "self-help" tools and "do-it-yourself" steps to surveying and ananlyzing the local church marketplace, however. This leaves the reader in the unfortunate position of feeling the need to hire a professional to get the results they want, something not everyone should do or can afford to do. -Pastor Gary Mauro

I am heading a marketing team for our church's Appreciative Inquiry process. Our team jumped in to the task with both feet, but were starting primarily from a corporate standpoint, and without this book's ability to refocus our efforts, we would have missed the most important question. "What face is our church showing the community now, and how can we change that?" ChurchMarketing 101 asked a number of hard questions, and is making us look at our church with new eyes which will enable us to move forward in a much more effective manner. It is a must read not only for the marketing team, but for our ministers and board as well. I highly recommend it for any church that wants to do a better job carrying the message.

For those interested in pin-pointing some of the modern trends in successful church venues. This book is insightful. Short of hiring a PR person for the church or ministry, this book is a great directional tool in putting your best foot/face forward for success in working with people/the church as well as the unchurched visitors in the 21st century.
Basically saying first impressions are everything and talks about ways to accomplish this. Not so much image as best face and in my opinion not any cheesier than "Write(ing) the vision on the wall that all may see and fun with it." It is scriptural. Visual fortification is scriptural and effective. Great resourse.

If you know anything at all about basic marketing do not bother buying this book as it is just redundant to what you already know. I was looking for true ideas and strategies not run of the mill Marketing 101 info. If you know NOTHING about marketing then not a bad buy but even then do not expect any big inspirations.

So many of the articles and books I have read about vision and visionary leadership fail to practice what they preach...inspiring through vision. This book not only provides the necessary theoretical and practical information about vision, but the way Lasley talks about vision is so passionate, vibrant, and clear that her vision of inspiring vision in her readers shines through every part of this highly recommended book.

Martha Lasley's book is essential for anyone who wishes to know about the power of visioning for making things happen in the world. It also makes an excellent case for the power of business coaching. Highly recommended.

Written by an expert executive coach, Courageous Visions: How to Unleash Passionate Energy in Your Life and Your Organization is an instructional concerning the art and skill of visioning and learning to unleash one's passion and energy to better fuel leadership in business and personal life. From how to share one's vision in an inspirational manner, to laying plans for the future based on what is most urgently needed, to fostering transformation in response to changing situations that demand adaptibility, and much more, Courageous Visions is a powerful, can-do testimony. Practical advice in plain terms and a positive emotional drive fuel this first-rate guide.

This is a book which should be read, digested, and incorporated into the conciousness of just about every entrepreneur. If this was simply a motivational work it would still excel its peers. What makes Lasley's tome exceptional are the steps leading from one's passion to the execution of actually living one's vision.

Unlike many self-help books this is a work for people who envision going well beyond inner changes and wish to extend their world through organizational superiority and leadership characteristics. A mature person can use this book with greater effectiveness than many Business School texts.

The chapter on "Turning Vision Into Action" was perhaps the most critically valuable as it integrated much of the book around principles such as planning and goal-setting, providing methodologies to bring everyone on-board and to get from "A" to "G", altering attitudes, delegating, and inviting everyone to embrace risk, newness, and calculated changes for growing an organizaiton with is stable and dynamic simultaneously.

The author attaches a short 3-page bibliography and a 6-page index, but her 87 chapter sections are easy to use if the reader looks to the table of contents for guideance. This is a valuable addition to a select short-list of humanistic organizational development books. Its utilization of self-awareness themes of our times coupled with highly specialized and knowledgeable experiences of an executive coach makes this appropriate for stocking in our Business as well as Personal Growth sections.

I loved how the author clearly addressed using the material for both individual and group work. I've now had a chance to experience her methods both personally and as a corporate coach/facilitator. I recently utilized some of the storytelling exercises with a team that had gotten a bit off track and found trust waning. There was a richness and uniqueness to the experience that completely shifted the tone of the session and set the stage for a more collaborative interraction. Thank goodness I found this tool!

Having completed a B.A. degree in youth ministry, no textbook was more influential for my ministry than this one. I read it again and again to remember why I chose the career path I did. Far from explaining "how to" of "what", this book inspires the reader to answer the question "why". Not a model of ministry, but a theology of transforming lives. Reading this book helps me remember my roots. A practical guide to build a foundation of incarnational theology to youth. In other words, this book helps its reader live as Jesus calls us to.

Working with teenagers in a Catholic highschool, I needed this information and all the stories that went with each theme.I not only was encouraged and inspired by this book,but informed so that I can share this information with those who teach in my department. THANK YOU!

This book, more than any other I have read to date, describes the changes that must take place as youth ministry enters the 21st century. The authors focus upon the necessity of having spiritual, youth relationships rather than just social, youth recreation. The crying need today is for churches to minister as only they can do to the emptiness young people face in their lives. Rather than competing with secular programming, Christian youth ministries are called to offer something entirely different from the secular world.

The authors describe in detail various measures to be taken that will energize youth in their Christian faith. This title is far from a book of programming ideas, but rather a very readable volume of philosophy and theology on youth ministry. I recommend it highly to all youth pastors, and other Christian professionals who will interact with teenagers on a regular basis.

This book reminds those in youth ministry why we are here: to be "God-bearers" to the youth whose lives we are entrusted with. This book is not about methods, how to grow a youth groups, or how to impress the rest of your church. This book is about realizing that at the core, youth ministry exists in order that we can form authentic relationships with young people. This book is a great read for a new youth pastor in order to make sure you have the correct focus in ministry. It would also make an exceptionally good read for the youth pastor who doesn't feel "successful" in youth ministry. Reading this book will encourage you and strip you away from the pragmatic standards of success and remind you that youth ministry only needs to have one authentic relationship with a young person in order for it to be successful.

I didn't give this book five stars because of the way in which it deals with Mary and some of the extra-biblical assumptions it makes. I found this part to be molded to fit the authors' desired point. Neverthless, this was a fairly minor drawback for me and I believe that every youth minister needs to read this book.

While the focus is on youth ministry, the ideas and principles in this book should be read by anybody who is a minister within the church. The "radical" idea of the book is that the church should be focused on changing the heart of people and society in order for all people to reach and strive for a relationship with God.
If you are looking for another gimmick in order to make a youth ministry program grow, this book is not for you. If you are looking for a book in how to minister to youth, thier families and the people who work with them, then this needs to be on your shelf.

If you follow Shel's advice in this well written, easy to use book, you will be successful. My copy is full of post it notes marking pages and highlighted areas, my advice is to buy this book if you want to be successful.

"Grassroots Marketing" is a great book for small business owners who want to improve their company's marketing and do so inexpensively. The book surveys nearly every marketing method known to man.

Horowitz says that the average U.S. adult is exposed to about 2,000 messages each day. So, entrepreneurs really need to make their message stand out from the crowd. Further, Horowitz argues that the average small business, individual, or organization needs to market very inexpensively.

Horowitz summarizes marketing as 1) Identifying your target market; 2) getting the right information and message to your market; and 3) Convincing the target customer to do business with your company.

Horowitz discusses:

- Choosing a company name and how it impacts marketing
- Designing logos
- Writing press releases
- Writing professional articles to market your business
- Using Yellow Page ads effectively
- Direct mail and when its effective and when its not
- Bumper stickers and billboards
- Radio and TV advertising via free publicity
- Internet marketing and getting listed on search engines
- Affiliate marketing
- Telemarketing
- Personal sales and mulitlevel marketing
- Word-of-mouth referrals and networking to get them
- Branding and creating 'buzz'

The chapter about effective copyrighting is especially strong. Horowitz expands the basic AIDA formula (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) into ten points of effective copywriting.

The strength of the chapter on writing effective copy isn't surprising, given that Horowitz is a professional copywriter who helps companies develop advertising. Horowitz also helps entrepreneurs plan marketing and publicity campaigns.

"Grassroots Marketing" gives many resources throughout. Not every marketing method discussed in "Grassroots Marketing" will be appropriate for your company. For example, while a plumber will benefit greatly from a Yellow Page Ad (Horowitz says that people tend to consult the Yellow Pages during emergencies among other occasions), other entrepreneurs will benefit more from direct mail. And, while Horowitz says that balloons with logos are best used to draw people to events, financial advisors will probably not want to place their business logo on balloons.

Peter Hupalo, Author of "How To Start And Run A Small Book Publishing Company."

I am not usually one to get all gushy and promotional about a book (unless it's mine!) but I've just finished Grassroots Marketing and I think anyone who is trying to market or promote themselves or their work, in any way, MUST have this book!

Regardless of your budget (the books starts at a $10 marketing budget and works up) this books has ideas, links, how-to, and tip that had me highlighting almost every page. I've read a dozen books on marketing in the last year and this was, by far, the best.

In fact, I wish I'd read it first as it would have saved me buying and reading all the others.

I don't think that there are two consecutive pages that I haven't highlighted, lol!

Perry P. Perkins
Author
"Just Past Oysterville"

"Grassroots Marketing" is an excellent textbook on small business marketing and advertising. It is an enjoyable and useful book. After reading the book, one will really understand that marketing is all about understanding the customer needs and finding solutions that delight the customer. The reader will come to appreciate that marketing is a philosophy of doing business for those organisations that are going to thrive in the current highly competitive markets.

This work is densely packed with valuable insights, guidance, and marketing techniques. It offers enormous potential to receptive and motivated readers who are able to move from thought to action. The book carries pertinent information, but it is organized and written in such a way that is easily digestible.

I would recommend it to newcomers to marketing or business entrepreneurs or small business consultants or trainers or those who just wants some insight into how to effectively market goods or services.

I bought this book after hearing Shel speak. He came off as extremely knowledgeable, very down to earth, and hype-free. So is the book - I was not disappointed.

In my opinion, this is a "friendly" textbook on marketing ALL small businesses, consultants, etc. should read, and certainly applicable to big biz as well. It answered questions I never knew I had. There was information I could use IMMEDIATELY! For example, I went back and made minor yet significant edits to my (very few) Press Releases right away.

Let's step back for a few minutes, I knew very little about marketing despite having run my own business for 15+ years. I never paid attention to marketing, sales, or much of anything but my core competencies - what I was getting paid for as a consultant. Yeah, I'd been "lucky," but don't want to count on luck anymore. There were some basic marketing principles I lacked, and this book taught those well.

I understood some advanced marketing issues and techniques very well, as I've been studying marketing the last few months out of interest and curiosity, but I lacked most basics. It's like understanding advanced calculus and topology, but not being able to add and subtract reliably. This book taught those basics. I should have read it 15 years ago, had it been published then! I still lack experience in some marketing areas, but now at least I have a "clue."

In my first pass I read the topics that interested me with extreme interest. For example, I have, or thought I had, zero use for "Yellow Pages" ads as just one example. I was wrong. I've read this book cover to cover a few times and keep getting more value - and actionable information. It's been on my nightstand now for months and I often read a random section before retiring at night.

If there is a downside, it's that the Internet section is somewhat out of date. That is no surprise as the Internet is evolving rapidly and the book is copyright 2000, but I still think it would be the perfect primer for the uninitiated. Hey, I'm a 25 year Internet veteran and I learned things!