Business Books

Actually, I picked this book up at my local library because it was just sitting there and it didn't cost anything. But to my surprise it was a very informative book.

Like all books and readers, no shoe fits all but the author did try and was successful as far as I'm concerned.

After this reading, I definitely see my broker in a different light. As an options trader, I've learned things that were right there in front of me and just didn't see it. Great info regarding industry tricks.

There was too much detail in certain areas but you can speed read those and continue to you find the gems that appeal to you. Very good read.

Best wishes

So, you think you broker is honest, maybe not!

The book explains that yes brokers are concerned about making you money, but they are more concered about making money off of you first.

The book explains how investment firms pressure their
stock brokers (aka financial analysts, money managers)
into creating as many "hidden" charges off your account as possible.

One big think the book points out is to watch for excessive
trading and the "hidden" cost of spreads and mark ups and mark downs.

One really good point was about the use of margin.
Most brokers do not explain to their clients the costs and
risks associated with the use of magin( borrowing money to buy
more stocks.)

One hidden cost of margin involves Flat Fee accounts where the money you borrow (and pay a good rate of intrest on) increases
the amount of assets in you flat fee acount, so you pay that
1 or 2% flat fee on the margin too.

Another key point in the book is ask you broker to tell you
what all you expenses total to as a percent of your assets.
You may be suprised how much they reall charge you.

You may not be so happy with your broker when you realize, yes
they made you a 15% return this year, but the market average(at same risk at you assets) returned 25% for the year.

And your broker only got your broker did not have you invested
in those assets that would have given you higher return becuasse
he got a bigger commission ( or hidden costs) on the assets that made you less money.

Many many games revealed about your "honest" broker.

The book has a little fluff so it could be a bit shorter, but the book is full of the many tricks your broker maybe using on you.

So for starters:
Stop your broker from usng high risk high commision product
(lke futures).
Stop your broker from using margin ( borrowed money).
Stop your borker from trading too much with too little reutrn.

Books gives a current and accurate picture of brokers,
on Jan 13,2004 a story on the front of the NY Times and
the Wall Street Journal stated Morgan Stanley was finded
for getting kick backs from sell certain mutual funds.
And in Sept 2003 Morgan Stanley was fined for holding
contests to see who sold the most of Morgan Stanley Products.

Tracy Pride Stoneman and Douglas Schulz were way out ahead of the Wall Street fraud/conflict of interest cases at the big brokerage firms. This book basically tells you what you should look for in brokers (and in most cases, the brokers don't want you to know). It really goes back to the old credo "buyer beware". As in selecting any service, you must perform due dillegence in researching and selecting a good broker and the products that are right for your investment goals and strategies. This book tells you how to do this in simple straightforward langauge. Great information here! Excellent on-line trading information and what to do and expect if you do have problems. Information is power and this book is definitley a POWER BOOSTER!

In many things it is better to say "Know thyself" but if you have a brokerage account it is best to say "Know others before thyself." This is a wonderfully concise and insightful book. The authors are able to convey their in-depth knowledge in an understandable and direct manner. They describe what to look for, how to detect it, and what action to take if you suspect brokerage misconduct. This book will educate as well as hold your interest.

I was disappointed to find several errors I believe would not be made by people with real expertise in the brokerage industry. On page 34 the authors contend that analysts "work in the investment banking departments of such large firms as Merrill Lynch, Prudential, and Bear Stearns." Actually, the analysts work in the Equity Research Departments of those firms, which are separate (although they interact with Investment Banking Departments at Merrill and Bear). Prudential advertises today that it does not do any investment banking and therefore has no conflict with research.

Page 41 says "Analysts hold no brokerage licenses. Therefore, no securities rule or regulation applies to them." These statements could not be more wrong. I do not know any analyst that does not hold series 7 and 63 licenses. I do not know of any brokerage firm that allows its analysts to publish research without first having passed the series 7 and 63 exams. There could be small, regional firms that permit this, but the major firms require their analysts to be registered representatives. The authors repeat their mistake on page 74.

The math on page 176 does not work for the "spread" issue. The authors obviously did not proof the offer price, which should have been $10.50, not $10.00.

After spotting these errors, I skimmed through the rest of the book. Although the issues the authors address may aggregate information for the investing public, nothing they say is earth-shattering. The book seems more to ride the tide of dumping on the investment community and offers little in the way of a position on fixing what is wrong. I am the first to agree that the system could be improved, but so could this book.

It is too bad that way too many managers, supervisors and leaders in the secular world will not follow the timely and true advise Mr. Sanders lays out in this book.

This is the first book I have read that has the correct way to view the secular world with a biblical reference. With that said, I dare you to read this book AND try some of the points in it and see if your work will not succeed!

An Important Book written by
Dan J. Sanders
CEO United Supermarkets

Reviewed by M. Joyce McMenamin

CALL IT THE CLEVERLY PACKAGED LITTLE BOOK
THAT CAPTURED MY ATTENTION & INSPIRED US TO
CREATE A NEW SECTION IN OUR
LITTLE MAGAZINE!

CALL IT WHAT YOU WILL, WE THINK THAT MR. SANDERS HAS DONE A SUPERB JOB OF POSITIONING THE IDEA THAT "BUYER & SELLER'S INTUITION", COMBINED WITH EMPIRICAL DATA, CREATES A BLENDED SUCCESS MODEL OF THOUGHTFUL & INTELLIGENT PROFITABLITY & LONGEVITY.

SANDER'S GOES BEYOND MERELY MIMICKING PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED MODELS AND
WE WERE ACTUALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE DOWN-TO-EARTH MODELS PRESENTED IN
THIS NEW BOOK BY THE CEO OF UNITED SUPERMARKETS. NO SMALL FEAT. THE CAREER,THE BOOK, NOR THE SUCCESS OF THE ORGANIZATION. ASIDE FROM THE
"INSIDE THE BOOK" ADMIRATION BESTOWED BY BEST SELLING BUSINESS AUTHORS,
STEPHEN R. COVEY & KEN BLANCHARD, THIS BOOK DELIVERS ON IDEAS THAT NEED
TO BE DISCUSSED MORE IN THE FUTURE. IDEAS THAT NEED TO BE TAUGHT IN BUSINESS SCHOOLS & NEED TO BE PUT INTO PRACTICE BY ANY ORGANIZATION THAT
WANTS TO GROW AND THRIVE, LET ALONE SURVIVE, INTO THE NEXT DECADE.
THIS IS A MESSAGE THAT ALL LEADERS NEED TO HEAR, BELIEVE & PUT INTO ACTION.

SANDERS SHOULD GET A TEAM OF FACILITATORS TOGETHER TO BUILD WORKSHOPS
AROUND HIS PRINCIPLES & TAKE IT TO THE MILLIONS OF MANAGERS OUT THERE THAT
STILL DON'T "GEDDIT". BACK WHEN I WAS CONSULTING & FACILITATING CORPORATE GROUP SESSIONS, I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE HAD MATERIAL LIKE THIS TO DRAW FROM. SANDERS GETS IT!

WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?

IN A WORLD WHERE TOO MANY, WHO "SHOULD KNOW BETTER",MERELY SPEAK TO THE METRIC-MODEL, IT'S OBVIOUS THAT SANDERS & UNITED LEARNED HOW TO WALK BEFORE THEY TRIED TALKING. SOMETHING MANY PROFESSIONALS SHOULD EMULATE. IN LIFE LEARNING HOW TO WALK, STUMBLE, FALL AND GET BACK UP AGAIN, IS THE NATURAL PROGRESSION TO GROWTH. WHO KNOWS? IF THIS BOOK HAD BEEN AROUND 20 YEARS AGO MAYBE WE'D STILL HAVE A STRONG AMERICAN AUTO INDUSTRY! BY THE LOOKS OF THINGS, UNITED SUPERMARKETS AND THE GROCERY INDUSTRY IN GENERAL ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE... AFTERALL, WE ALL GOTTA EAT, RIGHT?

BRAVO!
UNITED, WE STAND & APPLAUD.

Reviewed by: M. Joyce McMenamin
Publisher, Producer and author of The Integrity Channel [m.j.m. estrada]
Network Abundance sponsored by Sensitive Pie Productions

This review originally appeared in NoNiche Magazine November 2007 Issue

This is a beautiful business book. It really teaches you that your business vision and mission must serve a higher purpose in this life. Your mission should not be money, but instead of servitude to humans. All businesses must serve, lead and help their employees and customers attain a higher purpose in this life, and you as a business leader must do just that instead of focusing on profits. Read it, you will have a different view of business after you are done with it.

United Supermarkets, the company Dan Sanders runs, has long been a strong presence in the community I live in...a very strong and a very positive influence.

The environment and culture Mr. Sanders talks about in his book are evident, from a customer's view point, so it was great reading what was going on behind the scenes of this corporation to help create this atmosphere. He does practice what he preaches.

The most difficult thing a person can achieve naturally is a requirement and achievable in Christ, and that is to serve another human being.

We try and do things our way only to end up pursuing wealth, power, status, stuff and things. All along we miss out on the one thing that will bring fulfillment into our lives.

There are many books written on Management and Leadership; most prescribing tools and processes that when implemented over time the companies eventually retreat to nothing but empty warehouses and broken livelihoods, placing cities and towns under a burden of unemployment and families and governmental structures in a deficit. Built to Serve hits the nail on the head by providing practical steps on how to operate in a process that is proven to work.

Serve the people and they will spend more money just to be served; serve them well and they will drive great distances to spend their money because of how being served by your company made them feel. The three keys that I feel made this book so outstanding is that it deals with the reality of a current business mindset which operates in most businesses today which is that you the customer should be glad we are here to take your money and treat you like the ignorant customer that we you and believe you are. Go into businesses and organizations right where you live and you will surely come across this mindset and current prevailing attitude. Serving, the value of people (internal/external customers), and keeping the faith, are all keys that this book really addresses. Combine all of these together and you find yourself in relationship with your customers. Greater is the fact that you can actually begin to reproduce quality leaders.

This book touches my heart for people and helping them to employ daily their talents to assist people and bless their employers. I look forward to the day when more businesses, PNP's, companies, and organizations begin to apply the right tools for today's business problems. This is well written and contains many great truths...good job.

Its been a good reading so far. Interesting points of view. I'll keep reading it for sure.

I can't speak for every industry but it's dead on for the media industry. When we look at the diminishing number of clients or prospects that have a solid respect for what we do, many of the answers (the little things) are in this book.

I don't hide the fact that I go against the grain in my search to improve procedures and systems to super serve clients while strengthening a company's bottom line. In that quest, a book called, "Close Like The Pros" by Steve Marx, had an impact on me. It's the closest strategy that I have found to date that I totally agree with in terms of real and realistic sales. "Close Like The Pros" is not a sales style, but rather a sales strategy for sales professionals who already understand why and how you should focus on customer needs. The book explains that providing the focus, power, and direction for the sale are important points to make during the sale. Oftentimes, management forces their own sales style on other members of their team and loses focus of the common goals to fill the client's needs while generating revenue for your company.

It's clear that Steve Marx has a sales training company because he provides a useful resource for the employee-focused manager. Those who live by partnership creation realize that it takes a great deal of work to provide that training and teach that skill to others. As an effective tool for the sales staff you want to educate and inspire, "Close Like the Pros" tells it like it is with clear, easy-to-follow examples. The book also includes easy and precise "how-to's" and encourages the exploration of the sales process in steps that permit growth. For the sales person who welcomes the opportunity to become even better, and for the manager who would appreciate an effective format for addressing the subject with new life, "Close Like the Pros" sets the stage for discussion in an active and energetic manner. I don't think there's any doubt that interactive selling is effective - "Close Like the Pros" will boost your own enthusiasm and renew your skills, whether you manage a staff of sales individuals or sell directly yourself. I've heard it said that 90% of all jobs are sales in one way or another. This book benefits people in every field because the ability to interact, to sell our product, or ourselves, is part of life as we know it.

If you are a seasoned sales person/manager who knows the pain of too many Nos or no answer proposals, this is your book. This is a fitting up to date replacement for the New Solution Selling. Marx has been there, dione that and got all the T-shirts,. It is a pure sales book which happily ignores completely the need for nurturing etc. But for pure in the trenches, gut feel selling this is the book. I took a while to read it as the title put me off. But boy was I was mistaken. Marx could have been listening in on many Rocket Builders consults wrto sales and the buyer's journey. He is so bang on. Some insights:

* The salesperson gains power by empowering the buyer.
* Selling is tough but so is buying today.
* Your prospects want to buy, why would you be invited.
* Contracting is essential to set and maintain buyer expectations.
* What is the buyer doing to move the sale forward?
* Use half baked/straw man ideas before you present the maximum idea
* Use progress reports to show how far you have come
* A critical path details where you are going.
* There is no correlation between a rapid turnaround of a proposal and a good sale. None.

This is a salesman's/manager's must buy book.

Planguage is a word and concept that combines Planning and LANGUAGE and is rooted in the author's experience since 1960. The core tenant of Competitive Engineering is that well structured specifications have a dramatic cost reduction over down-stream error correction. The defect prevention process (DPP) is used to clean up early stages specs, or preferably measure defects and motivate lower defect injection, in specifications and the attendant issues instead of relying solely on defect detection andcorrection once actual development has begun. Competitive Engineering provides focus and skills to dramatically increase how productive many of us have been in the past.

The centrality of quality specifications means significant gains for the broadest spectrum of stake-holders who stand to win with the System Of Interest (SOI). Take this specification as an example to clean up:

"The new system will use Foo language running on OS Bar and ensure top industry quality response time on web requests."

People in the field have seen specs like these. Hopefully you aren't writing them. There are what Gilb classifies as "Major defects" in this spec. Which web requests, the front page or all of them pulling from the various databases? Can the old system be incrementally upgraded instead of an entirely new development environment? Why use Foo and Bar if something else gets the job done better, faster, and with less resource utilization? Just how fast is "fast", anyway?

In Competitive Engineering you're told to get measureable quality requirements, record who requested that requirement, and exactly what "success" is defined as. That allows you to go back to the requester with notes such as "If we use OS Baz we'll get a 27% increase in CPU performance" and let them make a decision or escalate to the project funder. You're also encouraged to weed out "design constraints"; at least out of the mandatated and into the labelled area "Design Constraint". Wouldn't it be great if you got a specification that let you design the best you could without technical input from someone that can't use a web-browser?

See if you can understand my re-write of the above spec into Planguage.

Response Time on Front Page of Company Website.

Type: Performance Requirement
Version: 1.2
Status: Draft
Owner: F. Flintstone

Stakeholders: Marketing, Server Support, Corporate Intelligence, ,

Ambition: The front page of the corporate website should respond fast enough to keep the viewer's attention.

Description: Marketing research indicates the typical business website viewer makes an opinion on the website, and thus the company, within 20 seconds. Our corporate site pulls data from three different databases and a sizeable image library, taking an average of 26.87 seconds on a home DSL/Cable modem equivalent network. Marketing advantage can be gained if we can grab viewer attention noticibly faster than our two nearest competitors who average 23.43 and 26.09 seconds, respectively.

Vision: Enough accurate information provided quickly enough to keep the customer on our site.

Scale: Time, in Seconds, to a complete front page load on the equivalent of a 250K network connection.

Past [Front page, 1 Apr 07]: 26.87 seconds

Goal [1 November 07]: 19 seconds <- Marketing Director: BR

Stretch: 15 seconds

Wish: 9 seconds

Design Constraint: Supportability <- Server Support Manager WF Must utilize .

Design Constraint: Security <- Corporate Intelligence BB Must meet .

------------------------ end of spec example --------------------

Probably the only thing that might confuse you about that specification is the use of text within "<...>". Planguage uses that to denote a "fuzzy requirement"; something that is defined but not with the concreteness you'd like. In this example, however, it would be relatively simple to query B. Rubble for the specific guidelines her team seeks to enforce. The use of fuzzy requirements also allows for change over time; more OS versions may become supported while others are obsolete.

When I read part of an electronic copy of the text I had a problem. My antiquated home printer could not print it and if I used the work printer I view the output as a possession of my employer. The book is written as part instruction, part reference manual; I bought my own copy because I know I'm going to use it for the next few years and several employers.

This is one the books which has caused a great impression on me. It helps to get away from high-level, gut-feeling, fuzzy goals and descriptions to very concrete targets, unambiguous requirements and rational decisions. This strikes a chord at the heart of systems design and architecture, which consists in maximizing a set of business goals with limited resources (time, budget, personnel). I highly recommend it.

Building software systems is not easy, this book can help you to do a better job.

In a period where the trend is to follow agile approaches with condensed guidance (see the 12 principles of the Agile Manifesto for instance), it could seem strange to publish a book on software development with more than 500 dense pages. You should however not be frightened by this book. Beneath the size and the structured form lies an approach based on practical experience that incorporates change and flexibility without abandoning the quest for precision and delivering value.

The main concept of Competitive Engineering is Planguage, a word created mixing plan and language. Communication is the basis for working together. This is why Tom Gilb emphasises first the creation of a common vocabulary. He states that his glossary could be considered as the best contribution of this book. Beneath the definition of a common language, for me the "hidden agenda" of the book is to help us to think... further. The common language is only a tool that helps us express our thoughts more precisely and completely.

Fortunately for us, Tom Gilb didn't only write a dictionary of system engineering. A large part of the book is devoted to the activities of system engineering and project management. Based on Planguage, Gilb gives us a framework to elicit clearer requirements. He emphasises a measurable vision ("bad numbers beat good words") and presents tools to achieve this objective. He also helps us separate requirements from design. He devotes an entire chapter to quality control. Finally, there is a presentation of the techniques of evolutionary project management that supports incremental development based on the priority and impact techniques described in previous parts of the book.

In every chapter you will find examples and case studies that help to visualise how the concepts translate into practice. There is also an "additional ideas" part that presents material for further thinking. Beneath the seriousness of the topic, Gilb also manage to place some lighter parts and you will find how to compare seriously apples with oranges.

At the end, your realise that you have a book where process is not opposed to people, structure is not opposed to flexibility, precision is not opposed to allowing change, documentation is not opposed to active refinement, Gilb's proposed solution is not opposed to customisation for your needs. It is just a book that gives you new inspiration to deliver better software solutions to your customer.

If you are interested in software process improvement, you can read this book from the beginning and find practical material to examine your current practices with a different vision. If you are a lonesome project manager or developer, you could begin by just using the index to get Gilb's view on your current activity or problem. Be cautious, because there are many chances that you will be tempted to read more material ;o)

After reading this book, I browsed again my old copy of "Principles of Software Engineering" that I bought when it was published in 1988. I saw that many ideas from "Competitive Engineering" were already presented in this book. Tom Gilb just applied to his ideas the same concepts he proposes for system engineering. He refined, expanded and structured them to get a better product. The printing industry has just prevented evolutionary delivery, but you can bet that he will find a way to include this in the future.

My interest in the topic of competitive engineering (CE) was piqued several years ago when I heard very favorable comments about Tom Gilb's tutorial on that subject at the INCOSE 2002 Symposium in Las Vegas.

The book's subtitle is "A Handbook for Systems Engineering, Requirements Engineering, and Software Engineering Using Planguage". The term "Planguage" is central to an understanding of the book. Planguage, which is derived from a union of "plan" and "language", is the methodology for implementing CE. Much of the book is devoted to describing the generalized processes, rules, and vocabulary of Planguage. Tom notes, "Planguage should be viewed as a powerful way to develop and implement strategies that will help your projects to deliver the required competitive results." Fundamentally, the book presents a new take on best practices in systems engineering and management.

The book is useful on several levels. For organizations without a formal or documented process, tailoring of Planguage would jump start the process at a high level of maturity. For organizations that have achieved CMMI level 3 status, Planguage by itself is not as useful. However, many of the ideas of CE-the Planguage methods-are worth considering for enhancement of existing organizational processes. Tom states that CE is "about technological management, risk control, and breakthrough improvement in complex business systems, projects, and processes." CE is a believable approach for delivering complex projects on time and within budget.

The book passed my value-added test, when I realized that I was photocopying several pages for future reference, to be part of my "toolkit" of helpful tips and techniques. I particularly enjoyed reading the 10 often witty, summary principles in each chapter. Two examples are:

* The Principle of `Storage of Wisdom': "If your people are not all experienced or geniuses, You need to store their hard-earned wisdom in your defined process. Capture wisdom for reuse, Fail to write it, that's abuse!"

* The Principle of `The early bird catches the worm': "Your customers will be happier with an early long-term stream of their priority improvements, than years of promises, culminating in late disaster."

About 30% of the book is the Planguage Concept Glossary, which Tom views as a central contribution of the book. I focused my attention on the other, more interesting, parts of the book, which describe the main CE/Planguage methods of Requirement Specification (RS), Design Engineering (DE), Impact Estimation (IE), Specification Quality Control (SQC), and Evolutionary Project Management (EVO, also known as Evo). RS describes an approach for identifying all types of requirements while avoiding ambiguity and also planning for change. Functional and performance requirements are distinguished. DE deals with identifying, choosing, and prioritizing the order in which design ideas are implemented and delivered. In conjunction with Evo, DE selects the design ideas most likely to provide a significant benefit for early delivery.

SQC is an eminently practical approach for evaluating the quality of any technical document via sampling measurements. An hour of SQC early in a project can save almost 10 hours of rework. SQC also provides a means to assess the success of process improvement efforts. IE provides a realistic method for evaluating-in quantitative terms-the effectiveness of designs in meeting both the requirements, especially critical performance attributes, and the resource budgets.

Evo focuses on early, frequent delivery of project results via a series of high-value, small evolutionary steps. An ideal Evo approach would divide the project into a series of cycles. Each cycle would consume 2-5% of the total financial budget and 2-5% of the total project time-while delivering some measurable, required results to the stakeholders. The next cycle is selected to deliver the best stakeholder value for its cost (highest ratio of value to cost, or highest ratio of performance to cost). Although an ideal approach can't always be realized, Tom provides some convincing examples to argue that there is always a solution to making a project evolutionary (small steps with critical deliveries first).

Perseverance pays off with Competitive Engineering. The book is not a quick read, which Tom acknowledges. You have to carefully study some of the pages to understand the concepts being presented. The reward occurs when you glean the nuggets of wisdom from the numerous practical examples, case studies, and Planguage examples. Tom's way of presenting the CE concepts makes the book a useful addition to the systems engineer's library.

To the experienced real estate investor, a lot of the ideas in this book are already familiar and redundant but overall I am pleased with this book. It is by all means, not an "explain it all book" on foreclosures.
But like what most previous reviews have already stated, a great book to
start.

The author's writing style is very easy to read & understandand just as his title reads "explained simply". Introducing readers to the different types of procedings involved in the pre through post foreclosure process and how one can score deals and profits any time in the process, i love how we are constantly reminded that we are making profits based on other people's misfortunes. Very to the point and 100% true.

If your interested in learning about or new to foreclosures and looking to capitilize on the coming tide, or should i say TSUNAMI of foreclosure opportunities, this book is a MUST READ and a perfect place to build a foundation.

Good luck, fellow real estate investors and happy hunting!

If you hesitated about getting into real estate investing during the real estate housing boom, the new boom - the one in foreclosures - may be your chance to build wealth by buying forclosed real estate.

This book is not for everyone. As a licensed real estate agent for eight years, I have seen people try to get rich quick using various schemes they have heard about on television or read about in books - with little success. This method is no fly-by-night strategy and not everyone who would be able to invest successfully. Investors need - at the very least - good credit, some ready cash and a willingness to work hard and stick to the plan.

Those who are able to take advantage of the foreclosure niche in the current buyer's market can create for themselves a life making income as a real estate investor.

The authors wrote this book for the brand-new investor, including not only basic information on how to choose and invest in foreclosures, but current information on where and how to find and choose foreclosure properties, current real- estate and foreclosure laws from state-to-state and detailed information on what to expect during every step of the process. The are even chapters on how to rent your new property, if you choose to do so.

While this book is primarily for investors, buyers looking for a home of their own will find this book filled with useful information. Foreclosed homes can be found at bargain prices and home buyers can use these same procedures to find the home of their dreams. Too many buyers, frightened by the headlines, are not taking advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime buyer's market to buy their own home.

Investors will also find the real estate dictionary and extensive list of references extremely helpful if they plan (and they should) to continue to learn about investing as the foreclosure market changes.

The authors do not pretend that making money by buying and selling or renting-out foreclosures is easy and they caution that in real estate investing, money can be made, or it can be lost. That attitude is what makes this book superior to most. If your plan is to buy foreclosed homes with no money down, no assets and no risk, then look somewhere else - an good luck to you. But, if you are looking for a levelheaded approach to real estate investing in the current market, this approach is a winner.

In digging into this book, the author continually quoted other books. That annoyed me quite a bit and kept me asking, "Why didn't I buy the other book?" If you're starting off at "ground zero" and know nothing about mortgages, etc. this book is a helpful guide. It also contains concise explanations of different types of "legalese" and gives you places to look. Overall, a good place to start.

Real estate investors can amass a fortune by purchasing foreclosed homes at various foreclosure auctions, and this guide is the resource novices and pros will find an outstanding key to locating such bargains. From auctions and online processes to making it easy for bargains to come your way, THE COMPLETE GUIDE is a survey investors will find easy to begin with, making it the perfect item of choice for public libraries.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This was my first foreclosure real estate book I've purchased. This book is more of an overview of the topic. This book feels like reading a college text book. It has no soul or spirit behind it. What I mean is that, you will rarely read about the author's first hand experience with foreclosure. To tell you the truth, this book feels like a research paper or an article written by a college professor who has no real world first hand experience in the subject. Don't get me wrong, the information presented in this book was great and accurate. But it lacks the entrepreneurial spirit found on RE books. I recommend this book to people doing research on the topic or someone who just wants a general overview on the subject. If you want a "how to book" this book may not be the answer for you. I would recommend The Pre-Foreclosure Property Investor's Kit: How to Make M Buying Distressed Real Estate -- Before the Public Auction. The problem that I had with this book was that the author just presented the information but really didn't give a formula on how to buy foreclosures. It left it up to the reader on how to go about it.

I will be using Sandra's title as a recommended resource in my upcoming High Profile Hiatus: Career Comeback Series starting June 2, 2008.
The 8-week tele-course will show ambitious career women, entrepreneurs and other professionals seeking to re-enter the workforce how to stay visible, credible, confident and connected "during a hiatus" or lay-off to help them avoid career suicide, re-launch their careers with confidence and ease the re-entry process when they're ready to return to work.

Barbara Bamba is a career hiatus expert who specializes in "career hiatus marketing and management." She is the founder and former owner of the Philadelphia Speakers Bureau, a sought after speaker and creator of the High Profile Hiatus: Career Comeback Series for ambitious women, entrepreneurs and other professionals who step-out, opt-out or get pushed-out of the workforce. Contact Barbara for more info at: barbarabamba@aol.com [...]

Complete Publicity Plans: How to Create Publicity That Will Spark Media Exposure and Excitement (Adams Streetwise Series)

as a public relations director, i was really missing this book. It refreshed my knowlege and added new inputs to me. this book is good for beginners as well as PR professionals. I highly recommend it for those who want to grasp pulbic relations and corportat communications subjects.

As PR has become more of a necessity for more companies, the world of public relations has become just as cluttered as the world of advertising, yet it remains a completely distinct animal. Gone are the days when writing a decent press release was enough to get you exposure. Today you need to take a strategic approach and have a complete plan. This book helps you develop that plan (and also helps you with how to write a good press release if you've not done that before).

As the host of a radio show called The Publicity Show, I have spoken with a lot of publicists and PR professionals. This book gives an insiders view on what it takes to break through the clutter that reporters are bombarded with and create real momentum that will snowball. If you are looking for how to get consistent exposure instead of just a quick hit, this is the book.

This is an excellent book to create publicity for your business. It tells you step by step how to write and implement a publicity plan to promote your products or services. I cannot recommend it more highly.

I classify business books as follows: read and forget, take notes and dump, keep for reference. This book is definitely in the latter category. For small businesses, typically characterized by a tight budget, PR is often a mystery. How do so many businesses get into the media - sometimes repeatedly? This book demystifies PR in plain language. It also has formats, elements and numerous examples of the varius types of press releases. The book also makes the valid point that money is better spent on PR than advertising. Buy this book, save thousands of dollars for a consultant, and increase the probability to make thousands for your business.

To tell you the truth, this book made me a little more nervous than I usually am... My fear of public speaking is not really an issue, but after reading some parts of this book, it just may be/come so!!! RElax is the key word is what the authors should be telling us... A book called "The Method of SElling" covers all this in a very realistic and cool way.

Very impressed that you pulled this off.
Matt (the swede)Donley

Parts of this book were not applicable to me personally, howerver the rest of the book was thoughtful, helpful and full of practical advice. I'm sure there is great learning in parts for everyone. Definatly worth reading.

Great book. The one chapter alone on gender differences, and feminine/masculine speaking styles (men to men, men to women, women to women, women to men) makes the book worth hundreds of times the price, especially to anyone in consulting or sales. If you have ever been left shaking your head and wondering what's going on when speaking to people; after reading that chapter, the "light will go on".

This is much more than merely a speaking book. It is a book on communications survival in a highly competitive world - essential for anyone who makes their living by talking to people, and most of us do.

Recommended.

I am just a few chapters into the book and am already able to use the tips from this book to change the way I view public speaking. These tips have even helped me in my "worst fear" of chatting with people one on one. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that ever has to "speak"...okay, that is EVERYONE!!!

This book gives a picture of how customers buy to day. If you dont change according to this, you'r out!!

Great job on this book Michael and Elizabeth!! It is an easy, fresh read and I really, really liked the "real world" companies and individuals you used to illustrate your points so well.

I have always considered myself the "reluctant salesperson", but what I now realize is that I had it right all along -- figure out what people really want and give it to them with integrity and sincerity.

Great Book! Lots of information about how to work the way your customers demand - with honesty and integrity. What a refreshing concept for sales and marketing!

I am a fan of both Michael Port and Elizabeth Marshall. They're top-notch trainers and thought leaders. The Contrarian Effect did not disappoint.

Port and Marshall pulled off their own contrarian effect: their book is an easy read and packed with substance! Their knowledge, passion, and personal touch flow through the pages.

In these economic times more than ever, sales professionals and other business leaders need the information in this book to identify and seize the many opportunities that are right in front of their eyes, if only they know how to look for them with the right perspective.

Your clients need you to own your expertise and all of the value you provide to them, be transparent, listen and respond to them, and collaborate with others to bring them even more value. They need you to be contrarian!

This book walks you through in detail how this win-win relationship works - the more you give, the more you will receive. I strongly recommend you read this book today!

Mollie Marti, Ph.D.
www.BestLifeDesign.com
Author of "The 12 Factors of Business Success" and "Selling"

I have been in sales for 10 years selling everything from life insurance to consulting to food.

Many people's livelihood is reliant upon selling a product or a service. The world of sales has changed and old techniques and old "truths" are not true anymore. People who haven't realized this yet need to take heed to what a lost sale really is and to the words I am saying now:

"If you wan't to succeed and it requires that you sell a product or a service to do it, this book is required reading. For years people have known something was being done wrong in sales, Elizabeth and Michael are the one's to finally say it and correct it!"

Being an executive recruiter and a career consultant for over 32 years with many years of public speaking on the topic of "Your Future Marketability" I found that Lee's book was an incredibly inspiring book. "Customer service" is something that is dwindling away in our society. We have been a continuous visitor to Walt Disney World for almost 30 years. The service that they give is just as good today as it was back then when all they had was the Magic Kingdom. It is dedicated people like Lee who have made the name "Disney" what it is today.

I have already read the book twice and have referred to it in my presentations on interviewing techniques. Marketing yourself in an interview is just as important as marketing the Disney package. When an employer is made comfortable in their hiring decision then the decision is easy to hire the person. Whenever we decide on a destination for our vacations, Walt Disney World is a yearly event. We find ourselves needing to be "Pixie Dusted" at least once a year. We go to WDW because of the extraordinary service and it is people like Lee who have made this possible.

A definite "must read"

[...]

Having studied Disney and its methods and motives for over 30 years I am always keen to learn more and read different insights and views.

Lee is a Disney legend. He has been at the top of the profession for many years and I found this book a wonderful read.

Its not a story, its a manual on how to lead with real examples. Its well written and easy to follow. You will be using it time and time again.

I am constantly trying to use this. his RAVE falls at my place of work as the people, well. But it has made me a better leader (I hope) which is the aim.

Thanks Lee.

Creating the Magic is a nice light read. It seemed to me like there were more stories about Marriott in the book than I would have expected. I would have liked more stories about Disney World. I think more discussion of the unintended consequences of change would be helpful. Often times books like this champion change and overlook the unintended consequences of change. Creating Magic does give a little nod to the consequences of change when it recommends you be compassionate when you let someone know they are losing their job because you think you have a better way of doing things. On the other hand, implementing strategies like Fast Pass at Disney World are declared great successes without any discussion of the negative impact Fast Pass had on guest flow at the theme parks. Have you ever noticed Fast Pass has not been expanded and has even been rolled back? The author clearly improved many things at Disney World. However, I would have appreciated a more balanced evaluation of some of the strategies.

Boy do I wish I had this book years ago... but I've got it now!. Great, practical, inspirational and undeniable logic. It's a "how to" guide to leadership that spills over to everyday life. If you deal with other human beings on any level, I'd recommend you buy this book and absorb ever word. I couldn't put it down.

A clear and easy to understand read. Focuses heavily on lessons learned through a very successful business career. While Mr. Cockerell admits he didn't always choose the best courses of action early in his career, he learned from his decisions and evolved into an incredibly effective business leader. His insights and advice will help others skip the "trial and error" phase and perfect their business leadership expertise. Fantastic insight into the reasoning behind Disney's approach to customer service and cast member empowerment.

I tend to side with free market economists on many issues, but I am always open to convincing arguments against that thinking. For me, Bernstein almost gets there. I agree that power is a major issue in many of the decisions that are made regarding economic policy, I just don't know if things play out as nefariously as Bernstein suggests. His approach also is a little too glib, which makes it a bit of a turn-off and a distraction from his fact-based arguments. For example, don't just repeat your claim that certain businesses are "addicted" to low-wage employees - show something empirical. Some of the Mexican workers in New York City's service industries may find this addiction beneficient.

Bernstein does have some serious and strong claims. For example, that growth is not benefitting people equally but rather mostly those at the top, leaving the vast middle class trailing, is a major problem. Also, the fact that the middle-class is hit hard by higher than overall inflationary increases in areas like housing and higher education, is also a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

I'm just not so sure that his solutions are the most workable. Where, ultimately, does sustained job creation come from? Is it from small businesses or from the large invesors whom Bernstein so disdains?

I think that Bernstein poses serious questions but is weak on the answers.

My Dad and I have been having this running debate about the direction the world is going. I say better, he says worse, and we never seem to come to any consensus. Crunch, by that rare bird a progressive economist, could be exhibit #1 in the evidence Dad presents to support his case. Bernstein makes the (valid) point that while our country has gotten much richer on the whole over the past two-decades, most folks feel economically "crunched" due to stagnating wages and significant increases in costs for housing, health care, and education. While some things have gotten cheaper due to globalization (like computers), this has not made up for the rise in expenses for the most important things we need, and just to keep up families have had to work longer hours in jobs that are increasingly less secure. Bernstein is an excellent writer, a clear minded economist (one of the first to recognize the growth in low-wage workers and a big source for my dissertation), as well as a player on the Washington policy scene. So is Dad right? I think that Bernstein's time horizons are simply too short, and the growth in living standards, health and longevity over the long run due to increases in technology and the spread of market economics are the really big stories. Sure, we should fight for a progressive agenda (and elect Obama), but Bernstein's observations and policies ideas are not in conflict with recognizing that on a macro sense we would not want to trade life in 2008 for life in 1958.

Let's start by understanding that Dr. Bernstein is not an economist. His Ph.D. is actually in the area of Social Welfare. And that tells us a lot about this book. In general, the only place in American academics where Marxism is still taught as a legitimate theory of economics is in Departments of Sociology.

Dr. Bernstein is correct to raise the concern that rigid adherence to certain economic assumptions can "lead to ideology." But he would do better overall to recognize that it is just as likely that ideology can lead to certain economic assumptions -- as is the case with his thinking.

In general, when reading this book, it is essential at the start to recognize that Dr. Bernstein's worldview is fundamentally Marxist/Keynesian in nature. He is a proponent of government action. He is a proponent of regulation (just better written). He sees corporations and wealthy people as unduly powerful. He exhibits a marginal belief in and understanding of markets, their functions and their powers.

Bernstein blames many things on so-called "bubbles." Unfortunately, he takes no pains to understand the nature of these events and he adopts a generally feckless approach to reasoning about these events and their effects. His conclusions are doubtful simply because his starting point is not solid.

I have rated the book a five not because I agree with any of its premises or conclusions, but because I would want fair minded people to read and understand how a left-leaning economic thinker approaches the issues of the day. I agree with almost nothing in the book, but I still think it is a good specimen of leftists' economics-styled politics framed in more formal economic terms.

At this point, I am going to reread the book and be back with specific commentary on important arguments in the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the facts behind the newspaper headlines. Bernstein doesn't bother with dry theories. He delves right into explanations. The book is worth reading just to debunk some widely believed myths, such as Social Security going bust and benefits of lobbying against technological changes.

Bernsein has made technical information accessible and even humorous. Commenting on a random graph, he writes (p 32): "I kind of see a little doggie running, but that's me."

The key to this book also comes on page 32:
"We're clearly kickin' back, spending money hand over fist, with little regard for what works and for what's cost effective and what's' not."

Although he's writing here about the medical system, this statement also applies to our programs of education, criminal justice, economic development, employment and poverty. Let's face it: societies don't run on scientific or logical principles.

I do have some quibbles about some of Bernstein's specifics and solutions.

To revamp the medical system (I like his term, "Medical Industrial Complex"), Bernstein supports a single payer system like Canada's. I lived in Canada for a few years (although as a certified medico-phobe, I never saw a doctor).

Countries with single payer systems have huge tax rates - higher than 50% at the upper levels. If you're earning $40-45K or more, you may be able to buy a comprehensive policy in the US for less than the additional sums you'd pay in taxes for a single payer system.

Single-payer systems require huge investments of time. I knew someone whose operation kept getting delayed till she got an infection and had to be admitted as an emergency. Others told me they had to return a dozen times for a simple check-up because doctors got paid small amounts for each office visit, whether it took 7 minutes or 70.

Often these systems are supplemented by private care or the overload is handled by paying US providers. I kept hearing about an underground market for health care: for as little as $1000 you could jump the queue.

I would also supplement Bernstein's answer to, "Why are teachers paid a lot less than stock traders?" Value and ability to measure output matter, but so do supply and demand. Desirable jobs pay less. Big companies pay more because they want to choose from a larger applicant pool. Airlines offer very low salaries to flight attendants, but thousands apply.

Of course supply can be controlled artificially, through rigid or even bizarre licensing requirements. Unions also can control supply. Unions tend to be most powerful with employees who feel powerless and/or are just not marketable or in demand. In unionized universities, English professors support unions and finance professors often wish they'd go away. On a micro-level, I would recommend staying marketable, not appealing to unions or waiting for the government to get around to fixing things.

On page 171, Bernstein notes that unions face organized opposition. Folks who have been in unions can be quite cynical too. The combination of dues and a long strike can wipe out financial gains. Union presidents tend to get very close to company presidents, not their own members. Unions make deals and enjoy wide latitude when deciding who they will help and how much, with little real accountability.

Finally, Bernstein addresses the opportunity costs of war. We could make an even stronger case for the opportunity costs of the criminal justice system, which is based on ideology and emotion, not scientific analysis of human behavior.

Overall, though, the book is intended more as a primer than a stimulus to thought or action. For this objective, Crunch is more successful and far more enjoyable than most.

This is a fantastic book. I love the author's no B.S. approach to the economic troubles that face Americans.

He explains why much of today's economic policy is little more than rationalized greed. In particular how the Federal Reserve Board's hiking of interest rates when labor markets get tight is great for the large investor class, (lowers wages by increasing the number of unemployed in a slowed economy), but hammers working people.

I also enjoyed the explanation of the "education myth", how it is naive to think the 70% of the population that does not attend college should somehow do so and all will be well. The author pointed out this is an easy way for the free market apologists to place the blame for gross inequality on "other people"...if only they would do this, or that, they could live worthwhile lives. Right. The devaluing of others labor and the addiction of American business to cheap labor in general is an age old sport.

Mr. Bernstein seems to enjoy poking fun at the free market zealots and economists who think all will be well for everyone through the magic of the market place. As if greed and injustice do not exist. This "Easter Bunny/Santa Claus" economic approach is ripped by the author and I loved every single line. Finally someone from Washington with the guts to tell it like it is.

This was just a great book. Easy to read, and gets to the heart of real issues impacting average Americans. I loved it.