Book Description

"Your customers are only satisfied because their expectations are so low and because no one else is doing better. Just having satisfied customers isn't good enough anymore. If you really want a booming business, you have to create Raving Fans."

This, in a nutshell, is the advice given to a new Area Manager on his first day--in an extraordinary business book that will help everyone, in every kind of organization or business, deliver stunning customer service and achieve miraculous bottom-line results.

Written in the parable style of The One Minute Manager, Raving Fans uses a brilliantly simple and charming story to teach how to define a vision, learn what a customer really wants, institute effective systems, and make Raving Fan Service a constant feature--not just another program of the month.

America is in the midst of a service crisis that has left a wake of disillusioned customers from coast to coast. Raving Fans includes startling new tips and innovative techniques that can help anyone create a revolution in any workplace--and turn their customers into raving, spending fans.

Reviews (65)

I'm a Raving Fan!
Kenneth Blanchard continues his trend of writing easy-to-read books with BIG ideas for making your business better. Raving Fans is a book of stories relating how fictional companies have created an environment of delivering awesome customer service. A guy that has just been put in a managment position requiring a turnaround goes on a fictional trip with his "angel" to visit businesses that have figured out their vision and their system to deliver customer service extraordinary. Based on three simple principles (Decide, Discover, Deliver), each company has created a group of Raving Fans (not just customers, but fans) who wouldn't consider shopping anywhere else for what one of these companies offers. Within each story is other nuggets of common sense and good ideas that can be implemented in any company that has customers and wants to create fans. We required our store managers to read the book and each created a list ranging from 20-40 points that they can put into effect at their stores to improve customer service. This is a simple, must-read for every business owner and manager.

Great Model for Approaching Perfection through Innovation
A major problem with most books on management processes is that that do too little to focus on how to make large amounts of progress beyond what is now done. Raving Fans is a big success in providing you with simple instructions for making large strides toward achievable perfection.

Imagining perfection is a critical first step to improvement, yet most people have never thought about what that could mean. Then testing that perfection with customers (and potential customers) must be done to be sure that there is a valid opportunity, and to be able to understand customers' ideas about achievable perfection. Then attaching the idea of continuous improvement toward that vision is also valuable, and useful. There are plenty of practical tips about how to do each part, which is key to making this book so valuable.

One of the reasons that I enjoy writing reviews about books on-line is that I can find a Raving Fans that agrees so much with my own perspective and research. This book will quickly get you past your Psychology of Disbelief, Bureaucracy, Procrastination, Communiation, and Ugly Duckling stalls.

Good for Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles . . . and good for you, too!

Fluffy
Way too fluffy. It should have been presented as a bulleted list, not a book. If you must get this book, I recommend the print version; Charlie's voice is quite annoying.

good concepts, juvenile delivery
The intellectual content of this little book could fit nicely and succinctly in a 500-1000 word magazine or journal venue. Instead, Blanchard sticks to the successful story telling formula that served him well in The One Minute Manager. The concepts are good, and I think their true value lies in their simplicity. They are easily understood and therefore should be easy to apply. Successful implementation may be another matter. If you agree with the concepts, and it's hard to see how you wouldn't, the actual book is a great tool to get them out to your people. The long narrative has the effect of beating the points into your head and the examples leave little to the imagination as to how the concepts can be fleshed out. I have found that people who last raved about Who Moved My Cheese also rave about this book. Those who don't care for this type of cutesy, least common denominator writing style will try to get through it as fast as possible and glean the concepts for further consideration afterwards. It can be read cover to cover in about an hour and a half at a pretty leisurely pace. Regardless of whether or not you like the style of the book I think you will find the concepts and down to earth examples good food for thought in your own enterprise.

Raving Fans
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is an easy read and contains some great fundamentals on providing excellent customer service. Readers who enjoy this book may also enjoy reading Time Management is an Oxymoron. ... Read more

Book Description

Retailing has become a high-tech, global industry. Retailing Management covers the latest developments in information technology for retailers. It also covers current trends and practices in international retailing.

An interactive website offers additional resources for the reader.

Reviews (2)

Basic introduction with a few bright spots
This book serves as a basic introduction to retail, though it often feels like "baby talk". It basically describes, without much analysis, the types of policies retailers adopt in several areas including merchandising, inventory management, ordering, HR, finance, store layout, etc. Good as a reference to what others are doing, but not at the cutting edge of retail.

A realistic review of Retailing....
RMgmt is a great book with valuable case studies from people with REAL experience.

From concept to info systems, the book helps the reader really understand the critical areas of a retail business and the virtal measures ... Read more

Book Description

Every marketer tells a story. And if they do it right, we believe them. We believe that wine tastes better in a $20 glass than a $1 glass. We believe that an $80,000 Porsche Cayenne is vastly superior to a $36,000 VW Touareg, which is virtually the same car. We believe that $225 Pumas will make our feet feel better-and look cooler-than $20 no-names . . . and believing it makes it true.

Successful marketers don't talk about features or even benefits. Instead, they tell a story. A story we want to believe.

This is a book about doing what consumers demand-painting vivid pictures that they choose to believe. Every organization-from nonprofits to car companies, from political campaigns to wineglass blowers-must understand that the rules have changed (again). In an economy where the richest have an infinite number of choices (and no time to make them), every organization is a marketer and all marketing is about telling stories.

Marketers succeed when they tell us a story that fits our worldview, a story that we intuitively embrace and then share with our friends. Think of the Dyson vacuum cleaner or the iPod.

But beware: If your stories are inauthentic, you cross the line from fib to fraud. Marketers fail when they are selfish and scurrilous, when they abuse the tools of their trade and make the world worse. That's a lesson learned the hard way by telemarketers and Marlboro.

This is a powerful book for anyone who wants to create things people truly want as opposed to commodities that people merely need. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

I loved this book!
Wow!I loved this book.In a world of dull business tomes designed to put you into a confused slumber, this is a winner!With entertaining and true stories as examples, Seth puts forth a real world view of marketing and the masterful way the successful marketing beguiles the consumer and sells products.Absolutely the best marketing tool I have ever read and those I know who have read it say the same.You won't go wrong with this one!

Hat Trick
All Marketers Are Liars completes the Seth Godin marketing hat trick begun with Purple Cow and Free Prize Inside. We all like being told stories (lies) from the time we are children. As kids, we want to believe in the magic and hope that fairy tales and fables bring us. As adults, we still need to believe in the power of magic, of things having exceptional qualities. Marketing stories/lies give us that magic. They take what is unique about a product/business (Purple Cow) and combine it with its extra benefits (Free Prize Inside) to create a story that we understand on an emotional level. Once a product/business has a strong lie, it can connect with its customer quicker and more efficently.
I would strongly recommend this book especially for small business owners who are having to act as their own marketing directors. You will come away with an direction for you marketing.

Seth Godin Is A Dirty, Rotten Liar! (Not Really)
Seth Godin is the kind of character and author that you either love - or love to hate. I find myself happily in the first camp. I find his view of the world and of marketing to be refreshing and insightful. I have always walked away from a personal encounter with Seth having learned something new and having been encouraged to think about familiar things in new and different ways. The same holds true for his books. I have devoured Purple Cow, Free Prize Inside, Permission Marketing, Unleashing the IdeaVirus.

His new book has just been released to bookstores. All Marketers Are Liars (The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World) stands on the shoulders of his previous books and builds the case for storytelling being at the heart of all marketing activities. And for Seth, the medium is often a crucial part of the message. Packaging is part of the story. Ergo, limited editions of Purple Cow came packed inside purple and white half gallon milk cartons. Free Prize Inside was sold inside a cereal box. All Marketers Are Liars features a picture of Seth Godin looking strangely like the love child of Pinocchio and Cyrano de Bergerac!

The deliberately arresting and provocative title of the book makes Seth's point succinctly. In telling us the title of his book - he is telling us a lie. The book is not really about the fact that marketers lie (although some do). It is about the fact that consumers tell themselves lies all the time to justify buying what they want rather than what they truly need. We tell ourselves stories about the products and services we desire. And the successful marketer finds ways to control the storytelling process.

"Stories let us lie to ourselves. And those lies satisfy our desires. It's the story, not the good or the service you actually sell, that pleases the consumer." (p. 84)

The heart of Seth's argument can be found in this pithy statement: "Marketers succeed when they tell us a story that fits our worldview, a story that we intuitively embrace and then share with our friends. Think of the Dyson vacuum cleaner or the iPod."

Every marketer, sales person and business executive should read this book and then engage in some healthy reflection and self-analysis.

Every consumer should read it to gain better understanding about what moves us to want and then to buy the things that we acquire.

I enjoyed this book. No lie!

Storytelling beats advertising every time
I've always enjoyed Seth Godin's books and have read each of them starting with Permission Marketing (1999) as they've come out. I particularly liked his e-book Really Bad Powerpoint (and how to avoid it) (2001) although I haven't been able to find the (free) download lately.

It was indeed a pleasure to get my Amazon delivery of his latest - "All Marketers Are Liars: The power of telling authentic stories in a low-trust world" - the day before a Boston to LA flight. Perfect. Seth has a terrific way of telling his stories in book form as a quick and fun read. I started the book at Logan Airport and finished somewhere over Kansas.

This book is a must read for any marketer who wants to break through the noise of one-way, TV-influenced interruption marketing. Stories are authentic. Interruption is not.I particularly liked the section "Telling Stories in an Internet World." Seth explains why good Web marketing through storytelling beats advertising every time.

The examples are fun, breezy and easy to grasp in several hours of airplane time. And hey, Seth says the stories can even fib a bit as long as they are authentic, reach the intended audience and not a fraud. Because marketers aren't liars, they are just storytellers. We tell stories that consumers want to hear. Want an example? It sounded great for me to say I read All Marketers Are Liars starting at Logan and finishing over Kansas didn't it? Because Kansas in the middle of the US and anyone can gague the speed at which you can finish the book. Guess what? I lied. I actually read the Boston Globe in Logan then took a nap at the beginning of the flight. The plane didn't even fly over Kansas (I asked the pilot). But I did finish "All Marketers Are Liars" on the plane and it is a great book. Read it and learn how to be a better marketer.

Worthy Sequel To The Purple Cow
Seth hits the nail right on the head!

Consumers will believe what they want to believe.Smart marketers tell a story that reinforces that belief.

My biggest 'marketing' success comes from 'selling' the concept that all successful marketers have a social, ethical, even moral obligation to use part of their success to sponsor a charitable cause.

I reinforced this worldview of 'giving back' by sharing the story of how 50% of my online profits go to my favorite charity, supporting children born with heart defects (a story which incidentally had me featured as one of Seth's '99 Purple Cows').

Spinning the tale of how I believed this to be the main reason behind my exponentially growing business was also a 'marketers' lie'

The story telling sure works.Many prospects make their own 'Positive Promise' - http://www.PositivePromise.com - and they too have enjoyed a similar kind of success in their business... a 'lie' that became the 'truth' - and enhanced the experience of a consumer, just as Seth Godin describes in 'All Marketers Are Liars'

Did I lie?Or just fib?Or neither?

I don't know.But I've helped some of my audience become bigger successes - and my non-profit raise cash to help save a few lives!

Read Seth's latest book - you could help change the world too! ... Read more

Book Description

This volume reflects the dynamic environment inhabited by today's marketers, helping readers understand the marketplace and the impact of technology on making strategic marketing decisions. Its modern, integrated presentation and strategy-based approach covers critical, fundamental topics required to succeed in professional work.Subjects include marketing philosophy and strategy such as market research, customer behavior and market structure, and marketing decision-making and analysis, including product decisions, advertising strategy, pricing and customer relationship management.For marketing professionals, product and brand managers. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent book from an excellent practitioner/professor
This book was one of the readings in the core marketing class I took 2 years ago (the author was the professor). The class was excellent, and the book is too, especially its integration of a strategic perspective throughout the entire book.

I have referred to it many, many times over the past couple years. Of course, if you're already a marketing expert, this book may be too basic for you. For anyone else, I'd definitely say it's worth the price.

Marketing Management, 1/e, Winer
This book gives the overview of integrate of the market and how it works in our business. It reflects the dynamic and changing market, which is impacting and changed by the technology. Today, market participants is also inhabiting the market. Through this book, I can understand the changing marketplace and know how to make strategic marketing decisions. This text is a good guideline to the professionals and its analysis is modern and arrurate, which sparks me much. ... Read more

Book Description

Influence: Science and Practice is an examination of the psychology of compliance (i.e. uncovering which factors cause a person to say “yes” to another's request).

Written in a narrative style combined with scholarly research, Cialdini combines evidence from experimental work with the techniques and strategies he gathered while working as a salesperson, fundraiser, advertiser, and in other positions inside organizations that commonly use compliance tactics to get us to say “yes.” Widely used in classes, as well as sold to people operating successfully in the business world, the eagerly awaited revision of Influence reminds the reader of the power of persuasion.

Cialdini organizes compliance techniques into six categories based on psychological principles that direct human behavior: reciprocation, consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. ... Read more

Reviews (49)

The Power of Persuasion and Manipulation
Robert B. Cialdini concisely explores six strategies that persons with good and/or bad intentions can use in influencing others to do something or not to do it. These strategies are authority, commitment and consistency, liking, reciprocation, scarcity, and social proof. Cialdini convincingly demonstrates the power of each strategy with examples belonging to a wide range of disciplines. These stratagems often work because the target audience has been preprogrammed to react to specific situations in a certain way. Cialdini clearly explains which counter-strategies the target audience can use in defeating the six strategies mentioned above, whenever appropriate. To his credit, Cialdini refrains from using jargon that makes "Influence Science and Practice" a very enjoyable read that is easily accessible to a wide audience. As a side note, in "Simplicity Marketing", Steven M. Cristol and Peter Sealey explore the increasing need for shortcuts that businesses and consumers in the most developed economies have in making choices. Cristol and Sealey show with panache that marketers can use four strategies called the 4 R's -- Replace, Repackage, Reposition, and Replenish -- to simplify the life of businesses and consumers who are overwhelmed with choices in an increasing number of product categories.

One of the best on this subject
I've reviewed many books on influence and persuasion and this is one of the top books in the category. Easy to read, excellent writing style, it is a hard book to put down and begs you to read it slowly so that you don't miss something important. One of the fun things about reading it is when the author makes a point and you can look back and realize that you have dealt with someone who used just that technique to get you to buy that candy bar, car, or change your mind about something.

Persuasive speaking is an important part of what I do and I am very successful at it. The ability to persuade others has been very hard to pass on to employees and other speakers who have asked me how I do it. This book allowed me to look at what I do and see how I can transfer that ability to others. It has also helped me see some of the tricks of persuasion that snare the unwary and how they are used by unscrupulous people.
Cialdini not only makes his case by carefully presenting the techniques and the experiments on which they are based, but also details how they are used and how you can use them. For each technique he also indicates how to know when it is being used against you and how to resist the influence.
A highly recommended book and one of the best on this subject, Cialdini's work is often quoted in other books on influence and persuasion.

I'm Convinced
The author doesn't like to be manipulated by telemarketers or salespeople, and yet who reads his book? Who do you think bot those 250,000 copies? Somebody trying to figure out how to manipulate you. According to Cialdini, marks respond to specific cues and tactics like an automatic door: wave your hand and beep, whirr. Click a switch and they'll be doing your bidding. There's an implicit anthropology: human beings don't know what they want until they get nudged in one direction or another, and then the prefenence for consistency and commitment takes over. Cialdini offers his own armchair rationalizations, that consistency is an evolutionary adaptation. But as a scientist, Cialdini should know that his hypothesis is not falsifiable. Pointing to evolution is just a form of hand waving? After all, what is the evolutionary advantage of irrational consistency? It's just as probable the other way.

Influence - is it useful for technical professionals?
Many reviews have previously highlighted the value of this book in everyday life situations. I limit my comments to technical professional life.
I am a technical professional who has to work with practicioners of other technical disciplines. The reason I came across this book because I wanted to learn how I can influence other technical professionals to take my point of view into account in their work. After reading this book I recognize why some of my colleagues have much stronger influence than others. It is not because they are technically more competent or offer a better solution. They practise the influence techniques discussed in Cialdini's book.

Fantastic Analysis of human psichology
This is a fantastic book on how to understand human psichology.
Not only it is fun to read with a lot of cases and real-life examples, but it is also very well documented (references and bibliography) and based on hundreds of published scientific studies.

If you want to know how "mechanically" we react to things without "thinking" about them; you want to understand why humans can only function in a hierarchical system (wether military, political or social system), then this book will bring you some insights about it.
You can see why Communism is not applicable to humans, why we are sold things we don't want to, why we react in a pre-determined way to basic situations (that override the reasoning and "thinking" processes).
All other reviews of this book talk about the ways you can use (or that someone can use in you) to force someone to buy things they don't want to. I think this book goes way beyond that... Psichology and Sociology students can get quite of good insights from this book also. ... Read more

Book Description

Jamie Reidy is to the pharmaceutical business what Jerry Maguire was to professional sports and Frank Abagnale (Catch Me If You Can) was to bank fraud. He's the guy who's been there, done that, and walked away with the insider stories. You'll find yourself rooting for Reidy and at the same time, you'll be shocked by the realities of the world that paid his salary. Hard Sell is a witty expos� of an industry that touches nearly everyone in contemporary America. It reveals the questionable practices of drug reps, nurses, and even physicians. Reidy traces his ups and downs as a rep for giant drug manufacturer Pfizer, maker of some of the most widely prescribed and used drugs in existence, including Viagra. With equal parts self-confidence and self-mockery, Reidy tells it like it is in the drug-selling trenches that are our local doctors' offices. The result is a funny and fascinating book that will appeal to those with pharmaceutical sales experience, medical professionals, those who have tried Viagra, and any American unhappy with rising drug prices. Hard Sell will be an easy sale this season.

Reviews (16)

Bart Simpson Sells Viagra
Imagine Matt Groenig letting Bart Simpson reach his mid-20's, after muddling his way through as a mediocre student at Notre Dame (what funnier place could there be for a confirmed slacker to practice his art?) and goofing off for a few years in the army. What could be the best place for Bart to get his first job, a place where he could refine his slacker's art while tossing around prepubescent sex jokes and sophomoric double entendres? Hmmm, let me think a minute. Why, of course, a Viagra salesman!!

In HARD SELL, Jamie Reidy fashions himself a real-life Bart Simpson, a perpetual slacker and all around "good guy" who stumbles into the world of pharmaceutical sales (he displays his initial disinterest in the job by labeling it farm tool sales). He lands a spot in Pfizer's vaunted sales training program for pharmaceutical reps and graduates into a position repping the company's Pediatric Division products in northern Indiana. Reidy details his rapid realization that he could play the system and work "T to T," Tuesday to Thursday, ten to two. The first three quarters of HARD SELL describes his learning process, describing how he manipulated Pfizer's voice mail system, its expense reporting system, and the doctor's signature system for distributed samples, all to look like he was working when he wasn't, even hiding dozens of unauthorized vacation days.

Not surprisingly, Reidy's sales numbers catch up with him; like Bart Simpson, Reidy seems incapable of seeing a few months ahead and putting the inevitable 2 and 2 together). His manager wants to move him out as an underachiever (he had no idea how true that was), and miraculously, Reidy transfers into Pfizer's expanding Urology Division just as Viagra is coming onto the market. The luck of the Irish follows this Notre Damer to Fresno, CA, and for a while at least, Reidy becomes the most popular guy in town. Matt Groenig couldn't have developed a better setup for the frat house hijinks to follow.

HARD SELL is eminently readable, using a writing voice that comes across like Reidy is talking to you over happy hour drinks at the local watering hole. His story is funny the way Bart Simpson is funny: a rebellious slacker with a sarcastic, frequently off-color mouth. Reidy's cultural references befit his slacker image, tending toward Pamela Anderson, Shaggy and Scooby, Sipowicz, the gang at "Cheers," Darth Vader, Pop Rocks, the Hulk, and the Fonz.

Reidy's book presents a humorous if somewhat immature inside look at one aspect of the pharmaceuticals industry. Nobody comes across as particularly noble: doctors come across as cheapskate nuisance avoiders, nurses as ineffectual gatekeepers swayed by candies, flowers, and free food. Pfizer field sales management is portrayed as distant and clueless, responsible for a veritable army of freebie-wielding slackers. Reidy makes a great, if perhaps inadvertent, case that pharmaceutical reps do almost nothing UPS and a decent, "doctors only" website couldn't do.

Readers looking for real insight, or just inside dirt, on Viagra and Viagra salesmen will find HARD SELL small potatoes. Reidy is far too shallow to deal seriously with ethics or morals, or with such conundrums as hypocritical pharmacists who gladly fill Viagra prescriptions while refusing to dispense birth control or morning after pills. He'd rather stand at the bar, snickering with the boys about Viagra, telling a story about witnessing a circumcision, and tossing out a high schooler's witticisms, like his book title, about ED. The book's conclusion is hardly surprising, although Reidy's sales results for one halfway serious year are.

On balance, sophomoric - a college sophomore's humor mixed with a high school sophomore's shallowness in an "'Animal House' meets Viagra" tale.

Funny, and Somewhat Informative
The book provides insight into the hiring of drug detailer's and their subsequent sales and product training, as well the how they are managed in the field.Reidy also provides information on the positive aspects of a drug rep's role in keeping very busy physicians informed. However, the book fails to reference how this information is often biased and distorted to favor a particular drug.

Further, while frequently humorous, most of the book is a summary of how a lazy, dishonest salesperson learned to fool management into thinking he was hard at work while instead at home sleeping or away vacationing abroad, and to misuse drug samples and other "freebies" given out at physician offices.It thus becomes a disappointing insight into some people's integrity and motivation.

Reading the book also brought home the extreme expense of the current system of relying on drug reps - each focused on a small number of products.The result not only raises costs for consumers (about $7 billion in 2004) but also takes much more physician time than necessary - resulting in them starting to ban drug reps.At least some of the drug companies are now reducing sales staffing; hopefully they will replace much of this unreliable and very expensive human system with easy-to-use video conferencing and Internet systems.

Those interested in much more objective, useful material about the drug industry and the role of drug representatives should instead read "The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It," by Marcia Angell (physician and former New England Journal of Medicine editor). She states that drug companies spend far more on marketing than they do on research (Reidy's book explains part of this cost)- and that much of the marketing is designed to sell "me, too" drugs, which are no better than those already on the market.

A final note about the author:Reidy move to Lilly, rose to a Sales Trainer position, and then was fired after the company learned of this book.

Funny Stories, Not So Funny Health Care
"In a perfect world, there would be no need for drug reps," writes Jamie Reidy in _Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman_ (Andrews McMeel Publishing).Of course, in a perfect world there would be no need for medicine or doctors, much less the representatives of the big pharmacy companies whose job it is to influence doctors to prescribe their particular medications.As a physician, I myself don't look at drug reps as a necessary evil.Each does, after all, have detailed knowledge of one or two drugs that I am responsible for prescribing.More importantly, reps provide samples, and for my patients, who are generally indigent, the samples represent a lifeline for those not yet on, say, Medicaid.I got lots of insights from Reidy's rollicking book, one of which is that other doctors find samples important as well, not for the poor but rather as starters for patients who will buy their own prescriptions if the supply of samples works.The larger revelations in Reidy's hugely entertaining book are not really complimentary to him or to Pfizer, the company about which he writes, or to drug reps in general, or to the medical profession.I know what drug reps do from my role in the system, but for other readers, there will be even more revelations of secrets here than there were for me.In the capitalist economy, we have not figured out the paradoxes of buying and selling health, and Reidy's book gives a small, detailed picture of some of the problems, with no suggestions for answers.

Reidy graduated from Notre Dame, with a degree in English, not pharmacology or even any other science.He did a spell in the military, and then he slacked.He was eventually invited to consider working in pharmaceutical sales, and went to Pfizer's"boot camp," learning that Pfizer's drugs were far better than those of any competing manufacturer.He was posted to a sales territory in Indiana, and began to make his rounds, using free food as a way of getting into the doctor's office behind the office staff.He learned which doctors like to be chatted up on sports, Pfizer's stock values, or his dating experiences.Reidy was simply good at his job.He also learned to be good at faking being good at his job.He learned how to fudge his visit books and sample signatures to make it seem he was making far more calls than he really was.Most of Reidy's book is about becoming and being a drug rep, and just getting by as a slacker.It is only toward the end of the book that Reidy starts telling his often ribald Viagra ("Vitamin V") tales.Being a seller of Viagra came with the unexpected benefit that everyone was curious about his work and proud of the fine job he was doing; one doctor even introduced him to a waiting room full of men as "The Viagra Guy," which resulted in all the patients standing up and clapping.

Reidy left Pfizer after five years when he didn't get the promotion he wanted, and his book ends there.He thereupon did four years with another big pharmaceutical company, which fired him when its officials got to see the galleys of his book.Given the slacker techniques he describes here, that's probably good for the company's bottom line.Reidy, former English major, is going to try writing for a living, in California.He's good at it; _Hard Sell_ is frequently laugh-out-loud funny, and he comes off as a lively, personable guy, just the sort of slap-on-the-back, elbow-in-the-ribs fellow that would make a good salesman.In many ways, however, his book is an unpleasant reminder of the wrongs of our system of providing medicine to sick people.It reveals a pharmaceutical giant over-paying a salesman for under-work.Americans who already know that they pay more than the rest of the world for name-brand drugs ought to remember that a lot of that extra price goes to this sort of marketing.

The Real Scoop on Selling
The cover of this book shows what every salesman's image is like: dark suit, big smile, looking over his sun glasses, carrying a big sample case. You don't notice at first that the image is printed over a rounded corner purple diamond shape that just happens to be the shape and color of the Viagra tablet. That sets the tone of the book.

I think I have a new hero. I really learned some things about how I could have worked less hard. His technique was to sleep late, get started about noon, quit early. I was more of a morning person, go to work early, call the boss promptly, then take off in the middle of the day to play with the baby, before calling in just before quitting time. I was in a different industry, but most of the secrets are the same. I can remember ... but that has nothing to do with reviewing the book.

This basically is how business is done in the United States, and probably in the world. There's more money in marketing than there is in R&D. The success of a new (or old) product depends more on sales and perception than it does on the product. And while this book is on drugs, I can assure you that selling computers (my field) and probably everything else is just about the same.

If you're a youngster reading this, you may want to read this book pretty closely. It might be why you should go into sales. Now that he's a writer, the author will probably have to work a lot harder.

Excellent Book, now I know why everyone wants to be a rep
Book was excellent. I now know why my co-pays keep going up.
It is a great look into an industry that looks straight forward, but in fact is quite complex. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sometime during the last 30 years, the service economy emerged as the dominant engine of economic activity. At first, critics who were uncomfortable with the intangible nature of services bemoaned the decline of the goods-based economy, which, thanks to many factors, had increasingly become commoditized. Successful companies, such as Nordstrom, Starbucks, Saturn, and IBM, discovered that the best way to differentiate one product from another--clothes, food, cars, computers--was to add service.

But, according to Joseph Pine and James Gilmore, the bar of economic offerings is being raised again. In The Experience Economy, the authors argue that the service economy is about to be superseded with something that critics will find even more ephemeral (and controversial) than services ever were: experiences. In part because of technology and the increasing expectations of consumers, services today are starting to look like commodities. The authors write that "Those businesses that relegate themselves to the diminishing world of goods and services will be rendered irrelevant. To avoid this fate, you must learn to stage a rich, compelling experience."

Many will find the idea of staging experiences as a requirement for business survival far-fetched. However, the authors make a compelling case, and consider successful companies that are already packaging their offerings as experiences, from Disney to AOL. Far-reaching and thought-provoking, The Experience Economy is for marketing professionals and anyone looking to gain a fresh perspective on what business landscape might look like in the years to come. Recommended. --Harry C. Edwards ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Nardelli-led bounce gives book its just due
As I write this review on July 29, 2003, I see 'The Experience Economy' is ranked at #624 in amazon.com's constantly updated sales rankings. Pretty heady for a fairly esoteric business book published in April 1999.

The reason has to do with the latest (August 2003) edition of 'Fast Company' magazine. The editors asked a series of business leaders to pick one "book that matters," noting that "one book can change the direction of a company -- or a career." Bob Nardelli, ex-of GE and now CEO of the Home Depot, chose 'The Experience Economy.'

That's a great thing, because this excellent piece of work really got the short shrift - with its April 1999 publication date, its message of capturing the full potential of face-to-face retail got buried in the tsunami of e-commerce hysteria.

Now that we all recognize the Internet as just another viable sales channel, this fine effort by Pine and Gilmore has a second life. The fact that Nardelli picked it as his one book that matters tells you all you need to know about his vision for the future of Home Depot.

The Divergence of Theory and Reality
The book takes a very logical, reasoned approach towards the theoretical next steps of economic expansion. It reasons that margins drive profits and that by constantly searching for higher margin offerings, a company will naturally improve and increase its profitability.

The logic is understandable... Commodity goods have small margins, as they are undifferentiated from each other and relativly easy to reproduce. Manufactured goods take things one step further, providing higher margins due to some level of product differentiation and brand specificity. Above that are Services, where the products don't last long enough to be copied and are customized enough to prevent easy manipulation. The higher margins should lead to higher profitability and better staying power. Fair enough.

Where the book's logic becomes strained, however, is where it strethes out towards the next generation of higher margin offerings, "Experiences." While it is true that experience companies my be able to provide higher margins than can older economy companies, experience companies tend to suffer from a fatal flaw that has infected many of the companies praised in the book. That flaw is the utter lack of repeat business generated by most experience economy companies.

Take two of the companies mentioned in the book as companies to emulate -- Planet Hollywood, the restaurant chain, and Peapod, the online grocery store. Planet Hollywood is under bankruptcy protection, because people are simply unwilling to pay through the nose repeatedly for the same experience over and over again. Peapod ran out of cash and is limping along only after being bought out by a Dutch firm. Hardly two stellar companies to emulate when searching for ever expanding profits.

Throughout the book, by expounding the virtues of ever expanding margins, rather than focusing on goods, services, and 'experiences' that people would be willing to repeatedly pay to have, the authors make the mistake of ignoring the overall forest for the sake of a single tree.

In the real world, experience companies know their limitations and create their pricing scheme to represent that fact. Amusement parks sell season passes for less than the cost of two visits -- acknowledging the fact that people may pay more for experiences, but only once, and repeat business depends heavily on making the repeat worth the cost.

Had the book focused more on successful ways for experience economy companies to thrive, rather than spending its time drolling on about the virtues of failing companies with the right plan, it would have been far more believable and enjoyable.

Insightful Look at Business Today
This book definitely makes you stop and think about what today's consumer wants and expects. (In fact, it's easy, just ask yourself what you would want - what you're offering or what Walt Disney is offering). Businesses that don't make a lasting impression, offer an experience for the consumer will eventually go the way of the dinosaur.

a fresh and novel view of the current business trends
this book is definitely out of the ordinary: it proposes a novel (to me at least) view of the current economy trends and well illustrate an equivalence between the work environment and the stage of a theatrical play.
Worth reading it.

The ultimate product differentiator
This book really opened my eyes, and made me see my service offerings from a customer perspective. I've become incredibly passionate about the experience economy concept, and am constantly looking for real life examples or potential applications.
When I stand in a queue I'm thinking about how I would go about offering the service or product I'm queueing for.
When I speak to the beauracracy that provides me banking or insurance services, I'm forever demanding that they change the impersonal and inflexible way that they engage with me.
If you're looking for a new paradigm in selling what you have to offer, then this is the book for you.
I love it. ... Read more

Book Description

A Framework for Marketing Management is a concise paperback adapted from Philip Kotler's #1 selling book, Marketing Management.A four-part organization covers understanding marketing management, analyzing marketing opportunities, making marketing decisions, and managing and delivering marketing programs. Readers will be able to see how marketing managers have applied key principles in actual company situations, making explicit the connection between theory and implementation at leading firms such as eBay, NTT DoCoMo, Caterpillar, and Starbucks.For anyone interested in the field of marketing—and its relationship with the consumer. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A very good marketing book...
This is a very good book for those that don't have a marketing background. It is relatively short and concise, which made it a quick read. I has most of what is in the larger book (the reference style book), but really does a good job of condensing the material. This is one that I will keep, as it acts like an 800 page reference book, just smaller.

Compact, authoritative guide to marketing management
From the guru of marketing, this concise work covers all the essentials of how to manage marketing planning, strategy and tactics. Informative diagrams and tables clarify key points and guide the reader through important principles. A valuable tool for marketing students--and a worthwhile overview for any marketing exec. ... Read more

Book Description

With a strong empirical and market segmentation approach, this book focuses on how the Internet has changed the way people obtain information about potential purchases, giving readers the most up-to-date material on how technology is changing their lives as consumers. The Thirty-two mini-cases help readers learn by applying the theory, drawing on current business news to demonstrate specific consumer behavior concepts.This edition now includes thirty-two Active Learning mini-cases. A clear consumer decision making model is set out in each chapter to facilitate learning—presented in the first chapter, this model serves as a structural framework for the concepts—the building blocks—examined in the following chapters. The book's final chapter ties all of these concepts together so readers see the interrelationships and relevance of individual concepts to consumer decision-making.For those studying consumer behavior and/or marketing. ... Read more

Book Description

Brian Tracy, one of the top professional speakers and sales trainers in the world today, found that his most important breakthrough in selling was the discovery that it is the "Psychology of Selling" that is more important than the techniques and methods of selling.

Tracy's classic audio program, The Psychology of Selling, is the best-selling sales training program in history and is now available in expanded and updated book format for the first time. Salespeople will learn:

Salespeople, says Tracy, must learn to control their thoughts, feelings, and actions to make themselves more effective.

Reviews (3)

Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracey
The author explains how to sell to people. The focus is to visualize the end results and set realistic goals. The importance of face-to-face contacts is enunciated in order to get people
involved in the transaction to refine needs and close the sale.
The author emphasizes the need to demonstrate the product so that
the customer can evaluate it. This book would be valuable to any
person embarking on a career or position in selling. There are practical examples, as well as a firm approach to get started
without the "analysis paralysis syndrome".

Take the mystery out of selling
If you're a salesperson and need to improve your skills, this book will do the trick. I found this book to be easy to read and packed full of sales techniques I could start using right away. Brian Tracy's The Psychology of Selling is a "must read" for any person serious about making it in the field of selling.

Not as good as Advanced Selling Strategies.......
I have to admit that I am a big fan of Brian Tracy, have many of his audio and video programs, several books and have been to his seminars.Usually when a new Brian Tracy book or audio program comes out, I invariably buy it.

Such was the case with The Psychology of Selling. This book is 8 chapters and 219 pages. It is a condensed version of his tape program which came out in the 1980's and sold over a million copies.

I have given this book a three instead of a five because I feel that this book is not as deep as Advanced Selling Strategies which Tracy wrote nearly 10 years go. This book, The Psychology of Selling falls somewhere inbetween Advanced Selling Strategies and Be A Sales Superstar, another book written by Tracy back in 2002. My personal favorite Tracy book on sales is Advanced Selling Strategies.

This book should not be confused with the great audio tape program of the same name. That program has far more depth and material than this book.


Nonetheless, The Psychology Of Selling is good reading for a new sales person or for a Tracy fan like myself who merely wants a quick synopsis of some of Tracy's best selling ideas. This book is like an printed abridged version of Tracy's audio program.

I read the whole book in one night. What I got out of it was a reminder of Tracy's best ideas and perhaps a few things that I had forgotten. In that regard, it was a worthwhileinvestment.

Good book, but being familiar with Tracy, I feel he could have included more meat.
... Read more

Book Description

A good market study can make or break a development project. This new book will equip you with the tools you need to evaluate trends and understand the key factors affecting real estate markets. Using a step-by-step approach, the author shows you how to get started, where to get information, and how to apply it to multifamily, hotel, office, industrial, entertainment, mixed-use, and master-planned communities. Thirteen case studies written by top market analysts demonstrate how they implemented these methods and provide you with models to follow. Ideal for anyone new to real estate development ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Thorough Reference
This book is written like a textbook - starting with the most basic concepts - but moves on to discuss the tools and techniques of market analysis in considerable detail. Separate sections deal with residential, office and industrial, retail, hotels and resorts, and mixed-use developments. Case studies are given for each type of property. Technologies and data sources to assist analysis are discussed.

The two primary authors are a real estate consultant and an author/director of the Urban Land Institute. Many other professionals are listed as having contributed to the case studies.

The book includes an appendix of data sources of use to market analysts, a glossary of real estate terms and a thorough index. ... Read more

Book Description

In the ever-changing world of sales, there is no single, sure- fire, tried-and-true method that can be readily imitated by anyone to miraculously improve performance. In fact, the world's best salespeople are not characterized at all by their technique. But they do share one common trait: Successful sales reps use their individual aptitudes to succeed in their work environment. DISCOVER YOUR SALES STRENGTHS is an extraordinary program built upon the concept that every person already possesses the tools necessary to become an amazing salesperson.Grounded in extensive Gallup research conducted over 40 years and based on hundreds of thousands of interviews with sales managers, salesmen, and consumers, it teaches individuals to focus on personal strengths and talents, and then guides them to transform those assets into solid sales skills-and successful careers. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Strengths & Sales = Gallup Delivers
Once again the Gallup organization, specifically Benson Smith and Tony Ruttigliano, deliver a good usable book to help improve your career based on strengths. This book begins with Gallup's common message, based on research, that if you focus on what you are good at; you will get better at it. This book continues on showing you what makes up a these strengths, based on a combination of talents which cluster together and come out as things like Competition, Empathy, and Command. This book will allow you to focus more on how you are wired, and what you have, than what you do not, and will never have.

Most importantly this book gives you access to your 'Top Five' strengths, or patterns for success. These strengths, ranging from Harmony to Woo, will show you how you alone are as unique as 1 in 30 million people. The book could have been 5 stars if Gallup would have provided more patterns of strength and how they work in sales careers, they only give you a few morsels from their vault of knowledge and what patterns and combinations of strengths work in sales. They do let you in on the fact that Competition, Command and Empathy were themes commonly found in successful sales-agents.

Overall this book is an A-, another great work from Gallup based on research, not just theory.

Joseph Dworak

don't buy the e-book version - doesn't have strengthsfinder
I bought the adobe e-book version, and complications aside, found out that it does not come with the access code to Gallup's online utility "StrenghtsFinder".
All the print versions come with this access code; the online utility is essential to getting the most of the book. Without the StrengthsFinder Tool, the book is worthless, unless the reader has taken the online test from other sources, like the "Now Discover your Strengths" book from Gallup.

Duplicates 'Now, Discover Your Strengths'
DO NOT buy this book if you've already read the Gallup Organization's earlier book, 'Now, Discover Your Strengths' by Buckingham. They're almost identical and you really learn nothing new in 'Sales.' Having taken the StrengthFinders tests for both books, I found that 3 of 5 strengths were the same for me. In addition, I found that 'Sales Strengths' did nothing to tell me what sales environment or type of sales I should be in. The authors did a poor job of applying the theoretical strengths to practical sales environments and telling me that if I have x strength I should seek y sales job. Overall, the 'Sales' book read like a very long instruction guide to the test. Caveat emptor...

Good book for developing salesmanship
I would recommend this book along with the Sales Bible as books that can help you to transform you sales career. I run a very successful business buying and selling on ebay and this book contains a lot of techniques that will help you develop the characteristics you will need to succeed in sales.

Best book I have ever read on Sales
Bar none, this is the best book you will ever read about the art of selling. Moreover, this book will change the way you think about hiring, training, managing and motivating anyone who is responsible for bringing new customers to your organization and keeping those customers engaged.

See of you can answer this question from the book correctly:
What do the top sales and marketing professionals have in common?
a. Experience and background
b. Education and training
c. Great presentation skills
d. Aggressive closers
e. None of the above

If you guessed "e", you are correct. According Gallup's extensive research spanning 30 years and interviews with 250,000 sales people, over 1 million customers and 25,000 sales managers, this is what the top sales people have in common:
• They were in the type of sales job where they were able to use their top talents every day
• They developed their own unique selling style based on their top talents
• They had a productive relationship with their manager.

Since the top 25 % of the sales force accounts for 57% of the sales revenue in most organizations, the more sales people get to use their top talents, the more likely they are to build a sustainable and profitable customer base.

So, how do you discover your individual strengths and talents? One of the unique features of this book is that you go to an Internet site and take an assessment that will immediately tell you what your top five strengths are. What I found intriguing is that these strengths are much more practical than the strengths I have seen in any other kind of assessment instruments. You can then use the book to determine how to put these strengths to work for you so they become true talents. (By focusing on these strengths I have increased my own productivity by 100%!!)

The other thing I really liked about this book is the easy to read format and the fact that the author includes great real world stories and examples of how top sales people used their talents to excel in their job. The author, Benson Smith, who started his career as a successful salesperson with a Fortune 500 medical device company and eventually became the CEO, writes in clear business language and does not spend a lot of time espousing complicated theories. If anything, the book is too short and leaves you wanting more.

The book also talks about the key role that managers play in insuring the success of the sales effort. The chapter on management should be required reading for anyone who is a manager or thinks they want to become one. (You will also find this chapter extremely helpful if your current manager is less than ideal.)

I have spent over 20 years in the medical and pharmaceutical industry in sales, management, marketing and training. Over the last 9 years, I have had a successful business focused on performance development consulting and training. This book has inspired me to rethink my approach. I hope it will do the same for others in my profession. Most organizations tie training to "improvement opportunities." Gallup's research has found that training will be far more productive if you focus on strengths and how to build them into true talents. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Nothing more to say...other than this book is great!
The other reviews here sum up this book nicely. It is very insightful and great to read. Highly recommended.

learn from the best
"Uncommon Practice is the book that lets you hear about the essence of business success straight from the horse's mouth. "
Phil Dourado, Editorial Director, eCustomerServiceWorld.com

In an increasingly crowded market place, there are certain companies that really stand out from their competitors - companies like Tesco, PizzaExpress, Virgin, easyGroup, First Direct, Harley Davidson, Krispy Kreme and Pret A Manger.

This new book by Interbrand and Forum, demonstrates, through interviews with key executives from these and other leading companies, how they provide remarkable experiences for their customers and staff alike. The premise behind Uncommon Practice is that that this success stems from their distinctive cultures uniquely developed to meet the needs of customers. The companies featured have defied conventional wisdom and broken the traditional rules of management to engender exceptional levels of commitment from their people, who, united behind a clear brand vision, translate their belief in the company into exceptional customer service.

Editors Andy Milligan and Shaun Smith have taken care to let the voice of the organisation speak for itself. Uncommon Practice is not a 'how to...' book, and does not provide a 'quick-fix' list of invariable rules for success. The editors do however provide insight into the core principles and practices that the leading companies featured share but which are uncommon in many organisations today.

Uncommon Practice explores the creation of outstanding brand experiences delivered through people, illuminated with interviews with senior executives and front-line managers.

Critical to the success of these brands is the way they treat their own people. Open management, share ownership, training and appraisals are common benefits, but can you guess which company has an empty seat policy on the company jet, keeps a fleet of yachts, has a monthly beer bus, gives an employee the Bentley for the weekend or awards Tiffany stars? Through a series of interviews with key executives, Uncommon Practice gives an insight into how certain companies have become so successful by providing remarkable experiences for their customers and staff alike. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The transformation from a manufacturing-based economy to one that's all about service has been well documented. Today it's estimated that nearly 75 percent of Americans work in the service sector. Instead of producing tangibles--automobiles, clothes, and tools--more and more of us are in the business of providing intangibles--health care, entertainment, tourism, legal services, and so on. However, according to Harry Beckwith, most of these intangibles are still being marketed like products were 20 years ago.

In Selling the Invisible, Beckwith argues that what consumers are primarily interested in today are not features, but relationships. Even companies who think that they sell only tangible products should rethink their approach to product development and marketing and sales. For example, when a customer buys a Saturn automobile, what they're really buying is not the car, but the way that Saturn does business. Beckwith provides an excellent forum for thinking differently about the nature of services and how they can be effectively marketed. If you're at all involved in marketing or sales, then Selling the Invisible is definitely worth a look. ... Read more

Reviews (103)

A "renewing of vows" between you and your consumer.
Harry Beckwith has boiled down the art of marketing into many small and easy to understand words of wisdom.

If you are in business you have to read this book. Whether you are an owner, CEO or department head, Beckwith lays out the essential tools to market your company, and sites fresh examples to illustrate. He says "Marketing is not a department" and he's right--it is your front line (sales people) to your CEO and everyone in between. Everyone at your company is involved in marketing your company-and the author makes sure you get the message. Stop wasting time with ploys that don't work. COMMUNICATE with the consumer and you will see increased sales and market share.

"Selling The Invisible" serves as a "renewing of vows" for those well into their careers. It provides a way to go from a jaded attitude to a fresh perspective and look at your company from the outside. If you think you've heard it all before, you haven't heard it like this. A clear a concise "handbook" for modern business.

Finally a Marketing Book that Applies to NonProfits!
Most marketing books are aimed at businesses that sell stuff, which makes them fairly inapplicable to the NonProfit world. "Selling the Invisible" comes the closest I've seen to helping market what NonProfits do. That's because "Selling the Invisible" focuses not on marketing products, but on marketing services, which makes it a great book for NonProfits.

"Selling the Invisible" is not a how-to book. Instead, it is a thoughtful guide, providing insights on how marketing works and how prospects think. The chapters are short - more like snippets than chapters - each with a single thought that moves you towards the next thought. I have read this book a number of times, and I can never get past 3 or 4 of its tiny chapters without stopping to scribble down notes, or to consider just how our clients (and our own organization) are currently doing things. I have even found it helpful in thinking about different ways to market my own book on NonProfit board recruitment.

The book starts by asking first things first: Are you sure what you have to market really is worth telling people about? Have you surveyed clients to find out if your service really is a quality service? Are you really providing what the community needs? Beckwith aims right for the heart.

Once you are convinced you have a quality organization to talk about, he moves you through all the thought processes that should go into that marketing. But don't expect to move quickly. Expect your brain to light up in thought. Keep a note pad handy.

Here are just some of the things I love about this book:
Under the heading 'Fran Lebowitz and Your Greatest Competitor,' comes this quote:
"Your greatest competitor is not your competition. It is indifference."
And under the heading 'The Value of Publicity,' you will find this:
"There are six peaks in Europe higher than the Matterhorn. Name one."

The last chapter is a discussion of other books that can help round out the reader's understanding of marketing. Because Beckwith takes a systems approach to the subject and not a 'sell-the-widget' approach, many of these books are applicable to the NonProfit world as well.

As someone who spends a lot of time combing bookstore shelves for business books that translate well to the NonProfit world, "Selling the Invisible" is one I would strongly recommend.

Short, Concise...Very Insightful
Having spent much of my career in the I.T. services sector, I thoroughly enjoy researching other interests and broadening my understanding of topics that can enrich my life and career. In the area of marketing services, this publication provided ample, tangible information on modern marketing and exceeded my expectations in a number of ways.

First, the covers of this book are not too far apart, which is a rare find these days. Often, writers try to impart an excessive amount of irrelevant information in their writings, as though their real ambition is to write the next, great American novel. This book is different.

This publication is short, concise and filled with valuable information. If you are in the business of marketing, you need this book. For anyone in the service industry, consider giving yourself an edge over your competition by reading this insightful book, and putting into action the relevant suggestions of the author.

Mixed Review: frequently just scratches the surface
The ideas that the author brings up are good, but too often I felt like I wanted more. The second section was irritating. I got the feeling that the author has extensive experience in advising others, but little experience in personally carrying out - nice stories and good talk, but few real world details. On the other hand, I have been able to apply some of the ideas to my business. Stick it out past the second section and it gets a lot better.

Bottom line: Not the only book you'll need to learn about marketing your service, but a worthwhile investment.

Do you keep using people who don't do little things right?
Selling the Invisible is must reading for anyone who wants to understand what it really means to run a service business. Your clients will know good service when they "see" it, but they most likely won't be able to tell you what it is. Beckwith can and does. Good service is all about doing the little things to help your customers "like" you. It's about creating relationships with new friends. Read this book, and you'll find out that it's not the most technically competent business that wins, it's the most likeable one that will. We're all very lucky because it's not really hard to do the little things that'll please our customers. Or is it? ... Read more

Book Description

Supply chain management, both in industry and in academia, has grown rapidly over the past several years mainly due to an increase in corporate goals of reducing manufacturing costs and the savings that come from planning and managing the supply chain effectively.Most textbooks do not include models and decision support systems robust enough for industry. Designing and Managing the Supply Chain: Concepts, Strategies, and Cases, 2/e by Simchi-Levy, Kaminsky and Simchi-Levi discusses the problems, models and concepts derived from issues related to effective supply chain management. This textis suitable for both academic study and practicing professionals. While many core supply chain management issues are interrelated, the authors have tried to make each chapter as self-contained as possible so that the reader can refer directly to chapters covering topics of interest. Each chapter utilizes case studies and numerous examples. Mathematical and technical sections can be skipped without loss of continuity. The accompanying CD-ROM also provides two simulations, the Computerized Beer Game and the Risk Pool Game and a computerized tool, new to this edition, for developing and executing supply chain contracts. These packages help illustrate many of the concepts discussed. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Useful "Supply Chain Management" reference
The book has used a simple words and real case to introduce what the supply chain management is. Until this movement, it maybe the best supply chain book in the world.

Major Bernie Boucher, United States Army
As far as Dr. Simchi-Levi's book, I try to stay on top of the latest updates in regards to supply chain management and attend supply chain management seminars and classes on a regular basis. I've found that the text is state of the art and is at the cutting edge in presenting the key "Best Practices" associated with logistics today. The use of theory and cases is a great combination in getting the key concepts across. I have used it several times already in implementing real world logistical solutions in support of the U.S. Military worldwide. Bottom line . . . Any logistician who considers themselves a true professional and desires to be at the forefront of logistics today must add this book to their personal collection.