TurboCoach. Brian Tracey & Campbell Fraser.2005. ISBN 0814472486. Its
been awhile since I read a Tracey book. But this was in the remainder
bin and published by Amacom , who usually does a pretty good job in
selecting authors. Although the content is “thin” the 21 chapters are
well worth the read and show that Tracey still knows the coaching game.
He asks you the “hard” questions that you should ask yourself on a
regular basis. If you run a service business, I recommend picking this
one up, even from the library. The read is easy and the work you do
with it is worthwhile.

Book reviews for the business side of the technology industry.

10 Rules for Strategic Innovators. Vijay Govindarajan & Chris Trimble.
From Idea to Execution. 2005. ISBN 1591397588. The toughest job for
successful operating companies is to launch strategic product
innovations. If it is strategic it is not aligned well with the
corporate DNA. The authors suggest that the company must practise
forgetting, learning and borrowing. The numerous real life examples do
drive the thesis of the authors home. If you have tried to do this or
are in the midst of trying, the points are chillingly familiar. A great
tool when you need to attempt this task, the book is not an easy read,
but well worth the effort.

Book reviews for the business side of the technology industry.

A Whole New Mind. Daniel H. Pink. 2005. ISBN 1573223085. Moving from the
information age to the conceptual age. (Pink wrote Free Agent Nation).
This book adds to the growing literature which documents the rise of
right brain thinking for success in business and the continued decline
of importance of “pure” left brain activities. Very clearly written with
some valuable resources for each of the six sections;design, story,
symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. The insights bring together lots
of the issues facing North America today (like education, outsourcing,
search for meaning, rise of spirituality) and presents very interesting
opportunities for the businessman professionally and personally. I
would recommend this to anyone with a desire to seek an “open mind’, but
it is very valuable to the young person plotting his/her career path and
those wishing to hire them.

Book reviews for the business side of the technology industry.

Selling to Big Companies. Jill Konrath.2006. ISBN 1419515624. This book
is so good I must share it. The author lost her major client. She had
to completely rebuild the business and in doing so learned much about
getting into the very big companies. This is more than a book, it is a
thorough how to guide from start to finish. She is a good writer so it
is an easy read. She is also blogging steadily with resources on her
website, www.sellingtobigcompanies.com. This is a keeper if you are in
big company sales with the challenge of selling to very busy people.

Book reviews for the business side of the technology industry.

The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid. Eradicating Poverty Through
Profits. C.K. Prahalad. 2006. ISBN 0131877291. If you areat all like
me and tend to believe that most third world aid projects have limited
effects, then this is a very uplifting book. Prahalad, who wrote
Competing for the Future, has complied several case studies of
initiatives in Mexico, Peru, India and China. These studies give us
ideas on how multinationals and local companies (like ICICI bank,
Cemex, Lever Bros) can make real change with the poorest of the poor,
without NGO and World Bank subsidies and outright grants/loans. This
book turns traditional aid on its head, and for me, gave me some real
hope. A good book and an easy read.

Book reviews for the business side of the technology industry.

Knock Your Socks Off Prospecting. Miller & Zemke. 2005. ISBN 0814472850.
Key to any sales role is cold calling and the first lead call. Zemke was
the author of the Knock Your Socks Off sales series and this was his
last book. It is simple, well structured, pragmatic and immediately
useful. The book follows all the proven methods that we believe in,such
as; Maisters trust building, Bosworth Solution Sell, Rocket Builders
truth-based marketing, and Joyners 3 sec sell. It gives you symptomatic
target responses and seller responses.
If you had just one book for early sales work, this would be a good one
to have. A bit hard to find, but worth it.

Book reviews for the business side of the technology industry.