Book Review: Guts: 8 Laws of Business from One of the Most Innovative Business Leaders LUTZ

GUTS

Book Review:  GUTS
Author:            Robert A. Lutz
Language:        English
Format:            Hard Cover
ISBN-10:        0471463221
Topic:              Leadership


SPONSOR:  Shirley Temple Dolls


Publisher's Note
"Read it for no other reason than to learn Bob's Seven Immutable Laws of Business. . . . This is vintage Bob-contrarian, thoughtful, and he's really fun to read."-Forbes

In this edition of Bob Lutz's bestselling account of the business philosophy with which he revolutionized Chrysler and much of the automotive industry, Lutz reveals his unique brand of creative management. Readers will learn many lessons herein, including why the key to success in any business is maintaining a positive tension between the creative minds and the buttoned-up financial minds, and how to attract, motivate, and strategically deploy each type throughout an organization. This book features a new introduction and an epilogue in which Lutz introduces an eighth law that helps today's business leaders put his famed Seven Immutable Laws of Business into sharper perspective.

Robert A. Lutz (Scarsdale, NY) is General Motor's Vice Chairman of Product Development and Chairman of GM North America.

REVIEW:

Excellent book and well written.  I enjoyed the tough talk about taking things seriously.  The chapet about fear spoke to me and motivated me.

Book Review: The New Strategic Selling (Updated)

NEW STRATEGIC SELLING

Book Review:       NEW STRATEGIC SELLING
Author:    Stephen E. Heiman & Robert B. Miller
Language:    English
Format:        Paperback
ISBN-10:    044669519x

Topic:      SALES


SPONSOR:  Business Books


Publisher's Note:
UPDATED 


The Book That Sparked A Selling Revolution.  In 1985 one book changed sales and marketing forever. Rejecting manipulative tactics and emphasizing "process," Strategic Selling presented the idea of selling as a joint venture and introduced the decade's most influential concept, Win-Win. The response to Win-Win was immediate and helped turn the small company that created Strategic Selling, Miller Heiman, into a global leader in sales development with the most prestigious client list in the industry. The New Strategic Selling This modern edition of the business classic confronts the rapidly evolving world of business-to-business sales with new real-world examples, new strategies for confronting competition, and a special section featuring the most commonly asked questions from the Miller Heiman workshops. Learn: * How to identify the four real decision makers in every corporate labyrinth * How to prevent sabotage by an internal deal-killer * How to make a senior executive eager to see you * How to avoid closing business that you'll later regret * How to manage a territory to provide steady, not "boom and bust," revenue * How to avoid the single most common error when dealing with the competition.


By eliminating "fickle luck" from the sales process and replacing it with proven, visible, repeatable skills, this book offers a sure-fire method for making the sale every time. This expanded edition features the basic tenets from the first book, plus a valuable array of new features.

Presenting an effective method for making the sale every time, an expanded edition features the basic tenets of Buying Influences, Red Flags/Leverage from Strength, Response Modes, The Sales Funnel, Win Results, The Ideal Customer, and much more. Original.

The back list bestseller that demystifies methods for consistently and successfully "closing the deal" is now updated and expanded to address changes in client demand and the market.




REVIEW:

The company I worked for in 2009 used this method with much success.  Later when I started my own business, I used many of these concepts to open up larger accounts.  The section on defining the ideal customer was crucial.  It helped me to avoid wasting time and other resources pursuing inappropriate deals.

Saddam Hussein on eBay - Looted Loot gets Returned to Original Looters

Officials in New York have returned to Iraqi diplomats dinnerware once belonging to Saddam Hussein and the family of King Faisal II that was looted, then illegally imported to the United States and sold on eBay.

Looted Plates

Nineteen dinner and salad plates, some which contained the official seal of Iraq, were being used at the Park Avenue Autumn restaurant as part of an art exhibit. The plates, officials say, were returned to Iraqi representatives at the United Nations on Tuesday.

"After being advised of the illegal status of the Iraqi Plates, Creative Time, the owner of the Iraqi Plates, agreed to voluntarily relinquish them to the custody of the United States Attorney's Office, so they could be returned to their rightful owner, the Republic of Iraq," the office of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Wednesday.

News of the discovery comes on the same day President Obama marked the end of the war in Iraq with an address to troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Wednesday also marks eight years to the day that Saddam Hussein was discovered hiding in a spider hole and captured by U.S. forces.

The items are just a few among a large collection of artifacts that were stolen from Baghdad palaces and museums when U.S. tanks rumbled into the country's capital back in early 2003.

For some legal plates and glassware go here

Book Review: 9 Lies That Are Holding Your Business Back

Book Review:   9 Lies That Are Holding Your Business Back
Authors: Steve Chandler & Sam Beckford

9 Lies

ISBN: 156414836x
Topic:  Small Business
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2005

SPONSOR:  Civil War Books

Notes From The Publisher:  As an exciting sequel to his smash business bestseller 100 Ways to Motivate Others, Steve Chandler has teamed with Sam Beckford to write an astonishing wake-up call to the more than 20 million people in the United States and Canada who now own small businesses but don't know how to make them really pay off.

By exposing the nine most common (and often fatal) myths in business, Chandler and Beckford offer simple and inspired solutions to the self-induced problems created by small business owners every day. The surprising truths countering each lie – lies such as "It Takes Money to Make Money," "I Am A Victim of Circumstance," and "I Can Do This On My Own"—have been battle-tested for years by Sam Beckford and his hundreds of successful small business coaching clients.

Now, these same truths are delivered to millions of eager readers with the added kick of Chandler's trademark lively and entertaining writing style and powerful self-motivational tools. This book tells you not only how to guarantee that your business will be profitable, but also how to motivate yourself each day to do it!

Steve Chandler is one of America's best-selling authors whose eight books—including the bestsellers 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself and Reinventing Yourself—have been translated into more than 11 languages. Chandler is also a world-famous public speaker who was described by four-time Emmy-award winning PBS screen writer Fred Knipe as "an insane combination of Anthony Robbins and Jerry Seinfeld." Chandler was recently named to the faculty at the University of Santa Monica where he teaches in the graduate program of soul-centered leadership.

Sam Beckford is known throughout the United States and Canada as the "Small Business Millionaire." A five-time business failure who became a millionaire on attempt number six, his story has been told in books, on radio and television, and used in seminars across North America to help other business owners convert their own failures into successes. Beckford has successfully coached and been consulted by hundreds of business owners on how to get extraordinary results from ordinary small businesses, based on lessons from his own real-life experience.

Review:  Overall, the book is kind of simplistic with many pop television culture references, but the information is powerful and helpful.  I often battle the price demon, this book is a good reminder that value is more important to the customer than price.

Pennies from Heaven

The Penny's Future is Uncertain

The economy is not good right and Americans are very creative, hard working and entrepreneurial.  This is causing Americans to do seemingly odd things to make profit.

You cannot recycle a US copper penny as only the mint is legally allowed to melt the currency. It is a Federal offense to melt any US currency for sale despite the copper penny being worth less than it's face value. The Federal mint is losing money on every copper penny it mints and keeps in circulation today, which is one of the strongest reasons for ending it's circulation.

Yet, some are hoarding the pennies and waiting for the day for the US Mint and Congress to allow the melting of pennies.

Penny hoarders are opportunists. There are a slew of listing for pennies in bulk on eBay, but what's amazing is they include listings for $10 in pennies being sold for $20 dollars. If you think only a sucker would pay two cents for a penny, you're missing out on a business opportunity.  Pennies dated from 1982 and earlier are more valuable because those are the coins made with 95 percent copper. A copper penny is worth more than other pennies -- now mostly made of zinc -- currently priced at $0.024.

Read More on Yahoo

GOLD - How much is it worth? & Where to find it!

As of 12/2/2011 Gold is worth $1,747 per ounce.  There is debate as to will it go higher or fall back to $1,500 per ounce.

Reading BUSINESS BOOKS is a great way to increase your knowledge and relevance in your own business or at your place of employment. 

GOLD

Interesting fact:  Gold has been up 11 years in a row and that's unusual for any asset. Could it be somewhere along the line, gold is going to have a correction?

Also, from www.BusinessInsider.com , there are additional concerns regarding why gold could go down:

 Four Reasons for Metals Plunge

1. Fed did far less than expected
2. Mutual Fund redemptions
3. Margin calls at hedge funds
4. China growth story fading

So maybe it is a good idea not to buy at levels above $1,700, but, there are ways to find gold in the cracks of the sidewalk.  This guy claims to make up to $300 dollars a day by panning for gold and rare gems simply by walking the streets of New York City.   A fascinating video.   

DESIGNER AND VINTAGE HANDBAGS FOR LESS - Marc Jacobs, Timmy Woods

Statistics Revolution - THE LADY TASTING TEA

The Lady Tasting Tea

Book Review:  The Lady Tasting Tea (How Statistics Revolutionized Science In The Twentieth Century)
Author: David Salsburg
ISBN:  0716741067
Topic:  Economics
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2001

 SPONSOR:  Authentic Designer Handbags

At a summer tea party in Cambridge, England, a lady states that tea poured into milk tastes differently than that of milk poured into tea. Her notion is shouted down by the scientific minds of the group. But one guest, by the name Ronald Aylmer Fisher, proposes to scientifically test the lady's hypothesis. There was no better person to conduct such a test. For Fisher had brought to the field of statistics an emphasis on controlling the methods for obtaining data and the importance of interpretation. He knew that how the data was gathered and applied was as important as the data themselves.

In The Lady Tasting Tea, readers will encounter not only Ronald Fisher's theories (and their repercussions), but the ideas of dozens of men and women whose revolutionary work affects our everyday lives. Writing with verve and wit, author David Salsburg traces the rise and fall of Karl Pearson's theories, explores W. Edwards Deming's statistical methods of quality control (which rebuilt postwar Japan's economy), and relates the story of Stella Cunliff's early work on the capacity of small beer casks at the Guinness brewing factory.

The Lady Tasting Tea is not a book of dry facts and figures, but the history of great individuals who dared to look at the world in a new way.

REVIEW:

The book is friendly to those who are intimidated by numbers.  After reading this, I went back to my business thoughts and began implementing new ways to view my data.  The goal is to increase sales by finding the story the stats are telling.

BLOW OFF STEAM - Video Games

Art - The Devil is in the Details

Art restorers have discovered the figure of a devil hidden in the clouds of one of the most famous frescos by Giotto in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi, church officials said on Saturday.

Story on Yahoo

The devil was hidden in the details of clouds at the top of fresco number 20 in the cycle of the scenes in the life and death of St Francis painted by Giotto in the 13th century.

The discovery was made by Italian art historian Chiara Frugone. It shows a profile of a figure with a hooked nose, a sly smile, and dark horns hidden among the clouds in the panel of the scene depicting the death of St Francis.

The figure is difficult to see from the floor of the basilica but emerges clearly in close-up photography.

Sponsor:  ART BOOK - Lorenzo Lotto

Book Review: CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN

CONFESSIONS from John Perkins

Book Review: CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN
Author: John Perkins
ISBN:  0452287081
Topic:  Economics
Format:  Paperback
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2004

REVIEW:

SPONSOR:  Business Books

John Perkins gives a first-hand account of a world in which US corporations wildly over predict the growth that will follow big infrastructure projects in the developing world, convincing aid organizations to give big loans for these projects, resulting in big projects (and big money) for American firms and crippling debt for poor nations.

Part of the book tells of his own experiences, generating false predictions and both giving and receiving bribes.  Having had a similar experience while running a business unit overseas, I empathized with the weight of situational ethics.

I enjoyed the travel details but found some of his conclusions contrived.  Perkins adopts a confessional tone and does an excellent job of transporting me to the scene.  Perkins provides extensive references for those who would like to read more.

If you are going to work abroad, I recommend Confessions of an Economic Hitman, if nothing else, to rid you of being naive.  This will help with your mission.

Sponsor:  Rare Books

Book Review: Ogilvy on Advertising

OGILVY ON ADVERTISING

Book Review: Ogilvy on Advertising
Author: David Ogilvy
ISBN-13:  9780394729039
Topic:  Advertising
Format:  Paperback
Language:  English
Publication Year:  1987



Business Books

REVIEW:

The premise of Ogilvy on Advertising can be summed up with a quote from Claude Hopkins 80 years ago, "Advertising is salesmanship."

Ogilvy teaches the selling aspect of an ad.  Too often advertisers get confused, send an unclear message and confuse the buyer.

Although this book is dated, it was written before the internet, the concepts expressed are still applicable.  We advertise to sell and, Ogilvy on Advertising, delivers.  Be advised, the materials featured in the book are from the 1970s.

BUSINESS BOOKS

Book Review: BEYOND SURVIVAL

BEYOND SURVIVAL

Book Review: BEYOND SURVIVAL

Author: Robert B. Blaha
ISBN-13:  978-1880156049
Topic:  Management
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  1995


BUSINESS BOOKS

About the Book:
This guide to High Performance Work Systems (HPWS) details the steps involved in forming work groups, assessing needs, setting goals, implementing strategies, and measuring results. Written for those who want to maximize employee potential, the text uses histories and informative examples to describe the extraordinary impact of HPWS on earnings and customer satisfaction.

Review:
Very technical but ultimately very motivational.  In order to make the most of this system, a careful reading is required.  The major take-aways for me were, if systems are installed then they need to be followed or they won't be effective.  Also, that staff requires constant follow up or they will allow reports and other assignments to grow inaccurate and ineffective.

About the Author:
Robert B. Blaha has over twenty years of experience dealing with leadership, human resources, High Performance Work and change. He has held senior management positions with four major corporations: Ford, Monsanto, Engelhard and Asea Brown Boveri (ABB). Mr. Blaha has authored numerous articles and is an internationally sought speaker on leadership involvement and cultural change mechanisms.

In 1993 Robert founded Human Capital Associates (HCA) and serves as the company's president. HCA was created after thoroughly analyzing major initiative disconnects within organizations. He uses that knowledge to help organizational leaders create processes and programs to create competitive advantage through people.

Following the formation of Human Capital Associates, he moved the company to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he resides with his wife, Susan, and their seven children on Seven Arrows Ranch.

Book Review: THE MANAGEMENT 500

THE MANAGEMENT 500

Book Review: THE MANAGEMENT 500
Author: Dan Coughlin
ISBN-13:  9780814414231
Topic:  Management
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2009


BUSINESS BOOKS


REVIEW:

One of the most important things a manager can do is to read about the science of management and contemplate different styles.  By encountering new information, a manager can improve.  I am not a big fan of auto racing, but I found the analogy and style of THE MANAGEMENT 500 to be useful. Especially the author's chapters on change. 

One take-away for me is to be both mentally and physically prepared for change.  I tend to be  desk jockey and need to be more physically fit.  As I prep my team for a change in procedure, I now take personal time to walk 3 miles (1 hour) in the early morning.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Superstar drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Sr., Richard Petty, Mario Andretti, Michael Schumacher, and others reigned supreme on the famous motor speedways of Daytona, Indianapolis, and Monza, Italy, at an incredible pace—always within inches of certain disaster. To excel in the world of auto racing, a driver needs passion, shrewdness, quick-thinking, strategy, teamwork, attention to detail, practice, and dedication. And what’s true in auto racing is true in the business world. In fact, many of the qualities possessed by successful race teams are also essential for building and sustaining successful, profitable businesses. Whether you run a multibillion-dollar corporation or a hundred-thousand-dollar profit center, you need to achieve results quickly and improve performance month after month if you want to capture the checkered flag.

The Management 500 provides high-octane management lessons drawn from the thrilling world of professional auto racing. With practical insights and stories from some of the most successful people in Formula 1, IndyCar Series, and NASCAR over the past 60 years—including Lee White, President of Toyota Racing Development, Geoff Smith, President of Roush Fenway Racing, and Ed Laukes, head of Toyota Motorsports—consultant Dan Coughlin shows you how to rev up your skills in areas like leadership, teamwork, strategy, branding, problem-solving, change management, and innovation, and get your company running in high gear. With keen observations from such racing stars as Michael Schumacher at Ferrari Racing Team, Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports, and Dale Earnhardt, Sr., at Richard Childress Racing, you’ll discover how to:

● Master the eight problem scenarios business managers routinely face.

● Use pit stops wisely.

● Develop a team of people who understand your goals.

● Design a strategy to win.

● Build brand equity in any industry.

● Manage your people through an under­standing of their strengths, passions,

and values.

● Successfully navigate turns in the track.

● Problem-solve on the go, even when things are intense.

From Enzo Ferrari to Kyle Busch, and from the Indianapolis 500 to the Daytona 500, this inspiring book will give you invaluable tips from the fast, furious world of racing, and show you how to combine passion with precision to beat your rivals in today’s high-stakes world of business management.


THE AUTHOR:
Dan Coughlin is a Fenton, Missouri–based management consultant and popular key­note speaker whose clients include Toyota, Shell, McDonald’s, Roush Fenway Racing, Prudential, Abbott, and more than 150 other organizations.

Dan can be reached through his website at The Coughlin Company

BUSINESS BOOKS

Book Review: THE ART OF STRATEGY - A New Translation of Sun Tzu's Classic The Art of War

Book Review: THE ART OF STRATEGY - A New Translation of Sun Tzu's Classic The Art of WarAuthor: R.L. Wing

ISBN-13:  9780385237840

THE ART OF STRATEGY

Topic:  Strategy
Format:  Paperback
Language:  English
Publication Year:  1988

SPONSOR:  BUSINESS BOOKS

REVIEW:

"The Art of Strategy" takes the classic Chinese strategy to a level that modern Americans can easily relate.  This is a good book to remind you that it is the goal that is important to achieve, not the emotional turmoil that your adversary may create within you.  The material is timeless.  Sun Tzu was a masterful observer of human nature, and what was true then is true now.  This book is excellent and took me out of my current troubles and gave me insight to victory.  You to will learn how to analyze a situation, plan actions, obtain an advantage, make use of information, and gain a favorable position.

INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLISHER: 
More than 2,500 years ago, Sun Tzu composed his masterpiece The Art of War which has been used by the world's greatest leaders including Napoleon. Here, Wing makes the influential philosophies of the Orient accessible to all seekers of professional achievement and personal excellence. 20 halftones, 35 illustrations.

Book Review: Brands, Trademarks and Good Will: The Story of the Quaker Oats Company

Book Review: Brands, Trademarks and Good Will: The Story of the Quaker Oats Company

BRANDS TRADEMARKS AND GOOD WILL

Author: Arthur F. Marquette
ISBN-13:  First Edition 

Topic:  Early American Brand Marketing

Format:  Hard Cover Book
Language:  English
Publication Year:  1967

REVIEW:

The story of the Quaker Oats company.  Easy to read recounting of how Quaker Oats came to be what it is. Marks one of the first attempts to explore and study brands and the good will associated with them. 

It is amazing how far we have come.  In 1875 a branded approach was rare except for Bon Ami or Bull Durham, now everything seems to be branded.  This book puts together how a vast network of independent mills and distributors were put together in an empire that achieved global dominance.  An excellent foundation of knowledge book if you are involved in marketing or branding.

CONTROVERSY:  The sometimes disturbing look into how brands like "Aunt Jemima" came into being.  The history is, St. Joseph Gazette editor Chris L. Rutt of St. Joseph, Missouri and his friend Charles G. Underwood bought a flour mill in 1888. Rutt and Underwood's Pearl Milling Company faced a glutted flour market, so they sold their excess flour as a ready-made pancake mix in white paper sacks with a trade name (which Arthur F. Marquette dubbed the "last ready-mix"). 

Photographs from the History of Quaker Oats

Rutt reportedly saw a minstrel show featuring the "Old Jemima" song in the fall of 1889 presented by blackface performers identified by Marquette as "Baker & Farrell". However, Doris Witt was unable to confirm Marquette's account. Witt suggests that Rutt might have witnessed a vaudeville performance byPete F. Baker, who played a character described in newspapers of that era as "Aunt Jemima". If this is correct, the original inspiration for the Aunt Jemima character was a white male in whiten face, who some have described as a German immigrant.

Marquette recounts that the actor playing Aunt Jemima wore an apron and kerchief, and Rutt appropriated this Aunt Jemima character to market the Pearl Milling Company pancake mix in late 1889 after viewing a minstrel show. However, Rutt and Underwood were unable to make the project work, so they sold their company to the R.T. Davis Milling Company in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1890.

BUY IT NOW - RARE First Edition.

Book Review: UNBALANCED INFLUENCE

UNBALANCED INFLUENCE

Book Review: UNBALANCED INFLUENCE
Author: Pete Hammett
ISBN-13:  9780891062189
Topic:  Leadership
Format:  Hard Cover Book
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2007

REVIEW:

The book examines the practice and science of leadership.  There are case studies of C-Level executives that are struggling with ethics and effectiveness as they search for profitability.  How does effective executive leadership affect organizational success.

Unbalanced Influence explores how the personality preferences, interpersonal interactions, individual characteristics and leadership competencies of leaders shape the way they view creativity and innovation.  Examples of failure of initiative like in the response to Hurricane Katrina are used to illustrate some of Dr. Pete Hammett's points.

Drawing from research done at the Center for Creative Leadership's Leadership at the Peak Program, Hammett, who is associated with the center and was formerly an executive at American Express, describes characteristics of effective executive leadership and the paradoxes and myths that accompany them. He focuses on senior executives at the "C-level" (CEO, CFO, etc.) and data from the program that included their input as well as feedback on their performance from bosses, peers, and subordinates about decisions of leaders.

He discusses myths and paradoxes relating to power and influence, effective decision making, intuition and analytics, values and ethics, performance, creativity and innovation, developing future leaders, and work and life balance.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Pete Hammett is a dynamic speaker who offers real answers for today's tough business questions through leadership development, coaching and seminars.

BUY IT NOW

Book Review: SILOS, POLITICS AND TURF WARS

Book Review: SILOS, POLITICS AND TURF WARS

SILOS, POLITICS AND TURF WARS

Author: Patrick Lencioni
ISBN-13:  0787976385
Topic:  Management
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2006

For Business Books

REVIEW:

The book touches on what many of us experience but are unable or unwilling to confront.  I think about the offices I worked in and how hard it was for some departments to work together and how that had a negative impact on not only the customer experience and profitability but on the quality of life of the employees.

The way the information in the book's layout is easy to read and the concepts are quickly grasped in the fable then helpful advice style that is typical of Patrick Lencioni and his management series.  SILOS, POLITICS AND TURF WARS is a relief for managers at any levels.  If you ever felt lost, thwarted or betrayed by your own organization, and can't quite identify the cause of your anxiety. If the issue causing you trouble is not readily identified, then its probably the structure of the organization.

There is a little too much time devoted to identifying the problem of Silos rather than solving.  This could be due to the fact that sometimes the silo can be hidden by other issues.


OUR SPONSOR: BUSINESS BOOKS

Openness is the solution to turf warfare in a company.  In an open environment, people work together towards a common goal.  Information is shared without reservation.  With openness,  hidden agendas dissolve and collaboration takes hold.  Overarching goals take the focus instead of political infighting.  By asking questions about the organization's goals, metrics, and strategies, it can know what it needs to mature into a cohesive unit.  People need to know their role and how they fit into the plan and the organization.  Leadership must be vigilant and active as turfs and silos flourish without strong top down leadership and communication of direction and philosophy.

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Thinking about starting a "Green Business"?

Thinking about starting a "Green Business"?

Pros of Being Green:
Green is Hot
Is not just a fad.  Slowly but steadily, "green" concepts are being integrated.  Green can also mean sustainable.  With global economy growth, raw materials cost are increasing.  This creates opportunity.  These days everyone wants to be seen as being green, but that is not enough of a hook to hang a business model on.  You MUST have something that people need that is superior to non-green alternatives.  There are several Solid Business Opportunities with in the energy, clean tech or green tech sectors.  If you can solve a challenge people are dealing with everyday and are competitive, you may have something to build on.

Marketability Factor
Media managers still are attracted to "green" story ideas so you maybe able to capitalize on PR by placing your story.  Make sure your claims are legit or you might get bad press for green-washing (a term describing the deceptive use of green PR or green marketing in order to promote a misleading perception that a company's policies or products (such as goods or services) are environmentally friendly. The term green sheen has similarly been used to describe organizations that attempt to show that they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment.)

Competition Benefit
Your product must be as good or better than non-green alternatives.  If you can't compete on price, position your product/service in other ways to differentiate from competition, "green" is a way to do that.

Feel Good Feelings
If your product or service really makes a difference for the planet and society, you can leverage this in your branding and marketing. People want to lead a modern life and still minimize their impact on the world.

Cons to Being Green

Green is Fashionable
Once the wave subsides and people realize that the environment is harsh and human technology and development has created a level of comfort that never existed before, the "green movement" maybe viewed as a silly naive folly.  Make sure your business model does more than appeal to the current fashion but actually saves time and money.

Competition Increasing
Since green business is here to stay (not to be confused with the “buzz” or fad of being green), your competition will be bigger, more efficient and better financed.  They will squeeze and hammer your margins.

Complex Model
Government regulations are increasing worldwide in this area as competition moves in.  At the same time, the consumer is better educated and more sophisticated, less likely to fall for insincere greenwashing claims.

Green businesses, just like traditional businesses, must still pay rent, make payroll, figure out marketing and branding strategies and so on.  It is possible to help others solve their problems, make a profit and create sustainability. There is a sense of accomplishment and achievement when you succeed!p

Book Review: THE FINDABILITY FORMULA

The Findability Formula

THE FINDABILITY FORMULA - The Easy, Non-Technical Approach to Search Engine Marketing
Author: Heather Lutze
ISBN-13:  9780470420904
Topic:  Internet Marketing
Format:  Audio CD
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2009

REVIEW:
The Easy, Non-Technical Approach to Search Engine Marketing - The book is devoted to Google AdWords, but there is a chapter on SEO performance.  The material is an excellent introduction to pay-per-click advertising.  Advanced users will find the material too basic, but I approached from not really knowing that much and learned the basiscs.  The style is easy to comprehend and goes step by step.  Typical layout and good reference coming from Wiley Publishers.

INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLISHER:
To be successful in business you must be able to attract the right clients and persuade them to buy. However, on the internet, people only see what the search engines direct them to and the competition for those top spots is fierce. So how do you ensure that your business is front-and-center when prospects are searching for solutions? The answer is The Findability Formula. The Findability Formula is for anyone who wants to improve results from Internet marketing. The book is specifically written for business owners who are frustrated with a website that is not showing up in search results and not generating business. The Findability Formula will help readers understand how prospects and customers search for products and services on the Internet, and will show them, step-by-step, how to optimize their findability. The book will be a non-technical guide to effectively building and implementing, from the ground up, an Internet search marketing program that gets results. The reader will learn how paid search works, and how paid and organic search can work together to create optimum web visibility and reduce paid search costs over time. The basic message of the book is that there is a formula for findability and for converting prospects to purchasers.

Readers' Benefits from The Findability Formula:
* A complete step-by-step approach to search engine marketing applicable to any product or service, The Findability Formula will include easy-to-follow instruction from chapter to chapter as well as launch checklists in the appendix.
* The most up-to-date search research and statistics available, including uncommon ways to connect with your online buyer.
* Shows the reader how to avoid common search marketing mistakes that cost big money. How to not be bullied and take control of in-house e-commerce department strategies and SEM agencies.
* A small company can compete successfully in search with larger, well-established competitors. How to work smarter to get even better search engine "findability".
* Maximizes the reader's investment. The reader won't waste money by needlessly paying for "clicks" from customers who have no intention of buying. The investment in this book will be repaid thousands of times over.
* Saves time, money and energy in creating in-house search marketing programs and properly tracking results by keyword. Negates the need to hire outside SEM agencies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Heather Lutze is a nationally recognized Internet marketing speaker and consultant on search strategies. She has more than ten years of hands-on management experience in pay per click, search engine optimization, and landing page testing. She is also the founder of Lutze Consulting, a search marketing agency that helps companies improve their results and increase sales through paid search and organic search optimization.


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Book Review: FROM THE BUREAU TO THE BOARDROOM

FROM THE BUREAU TO THE BOARDROOM

FROM THE BUREAU TO THE BOARDROOM
Author: Dan Carrison
ISBN-13:  9780814410639
Topic:  Business Management
Format:  Hard Cover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2009

REVIEW:


30 Management Lessons from the FBI - The analogy seems to work in this business management book by Dan Carrison.  As a manager, I am always reading to improve my skills.  While I may not be able to drastically alter my organization to mirror the Federal Bureau of Investigation, there are some insights.  The chapter regarding "infiltrate the customer" was humorous but also serious.  The FBI infiltrates criminal and terrorist organizations and the consequences are dire, but as a business, you MUST know what your customers think and want, the consequences are the life and death of your business.  Two of the best ideas for me are: not second-guessing my decisions and winning with the tools I have not the ones I wish I had

The other lessons are equally informative.  In the end, the book is a quick read and provides motivational insight into how a business can adapt and improve using the FBI as a model.


INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Managers will learn how to:
* Encourage and accept new roles
* Publish and maintain a ten most wanted customer list
* Infiltrate the customer all the way to the top
* Manager failure and success
* Cultivate a One for All, All for One Corporate Culture
* Win with the tools you have, not the tools you wish you had
* Leverage the employee and the customer base
* Integrate Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity in the workplace
* Institutionalize Best Practices
* Cultivate maturity and good judgment

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dan Carrison who served in the US Marine Corps Reserve from 1965–1970 and is co-founder of Semper Fi Consulting, is a nationally recognized speaker, a writer and has been a sales executive for over 20 years. Dan has taken his & Rod Walsh's leadership message to countless audiences of business executives and government officials.  Dan received a BA in English Literature (cum laude) from the University of California.

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Book Review: RESUMES FOR DUMMIES

Resumes for Dummies

RESUMES FOR DUMMIES
Author: Joyce Lain Kennedy
ISBN-13: 9780470873618
Topic:  Business - Job Hunting
Format:  Paperback
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2011

Review:

The economy in 2011 is still in turmoil and job hunting has become an art as competition for good jobs increase.  Hiring managers are looking for that certain something and job seekers need to advertise that they got it. 

RESUMES FOR DUMMIES is good advice for an experienced worker who finds themselves looking for a new position.  Much of the advice may not apply to those seeking their first gig.  Like all "Dummies" books, this one is presented in a simple easy-to-read, well-organized format with large bullet headlines and plenty of graphics and examples.

The book has a wealth of resources in web sites available to assist those that are seeking a new position. The strategies are not advanced, but a good reminder to not overlook any potential job lead.  The section on www.linkedin.com  was basic but a good example of the benefits of staying professional and up to date with your network of contacts.

What I liked was the amount of ideas available.  You can take what you like and leave the rest.

Resumes For Dummies shows you the ropes and rules for a new era in recruiting and job searching.

• Instructions for writing an inclusive core resume
• Tips on targeting a known position, or tailoring a resume to specific industries
• Common resume-writing mistakes to avoid

Updated with the latest information on privacy issues in the electronic age, Resumes For Dummies is your go-to guide for getting your foot in the door.


About the Author
Joyce Lain Kennedy is the nation's first syndicated careers columnist. Her work, CAREERS NOW, is distributed by Tribune Media Services and appears in more than 100 newspapers and Web sites.

During her 40 years in syndication, Kennedy has received 3.9 million plus reader letters and e-mails. She has answered for publication in excess of 5,500 queries from readers.  Kennedy's counsel about jobs and career development addresses universal problems experienced by most working people--problems ranging from dealing with demotion to celebrating defining career moments. First to report on many new technologies and trends, Kennedy advises job seekers to relearn many strategies and tactics to prosper in a distinctly new job market.

She is the author or senior author of eight books, including Joyce Lain Kennedy's Career Book (VGM Career Horizons) and Electronic Job Search Revolution, Electronic Resume Revolution, and Hook Up, Get Hired! The Internet Job Search Revolution (the last three published by John Wiley and Sons). These books were the groundbreaking works for the new technology bringing people and jobs together.

Writing from Carlsbad, California, a San Diego suburb, the dean of careers columnist is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis.

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Web Site Review: www.CEOexpress.com

Web Site Review: CEOExpress.com

According to their web site, CEOExpress.com is designed to be the executive’s interface to the Internet. The site’s peer editor recognizes that executives have precious little time to obtain all the information they require to conduct business. At the same time, much of the information that executives need is available on the Internet. CEOExpress takes all that information, and by employing expert human editors and "mind ergonomics," pares it down to the 20% that is most critical and useful. That information is delivered to the user’s desktop in a clear, easy-to-use format.

The site’s ultimate goal is to be the best executive assistant imaginable, providing a tool that users would have created themselves if they had the time and knowledge of the Internet. CEOExpress filters and organizes the content executives need on the Internet while adding features to the site to make their lives even more streamlined and efficient. Email, stock quotes, headline news and customization are all conveniences users appreciate.

I find the site to be a useful starting point for the day or when I need to do research.  The site routinely is named "Best of Web" by business publications.  Very Useful. 

Looking for Rare and Collectible Books?  Check this out

App Review: Bloomberg Business App

Bloomberg Mobile App

Summary
Bloomberg.com has a tremendous amount of financial information.  In order to help tame the wild waves of information, the Bloomberg app has some options that will allow you to get news and information on the topic you are interested in when you need it. 

User Interaction
Once you set your preferences, you are fully informed and prepared for business anywhere in the world.  You can choose from; stock quotes, general index announcements, currency exchange or news.  Financial information on the entire financial world is the specialty of Bloomberg.  Once you limit the view to your interests, you can access the vast database.  The main benefit from this App is that you can personalize it to serve your need for financial data.

User Interface
Set and forget.  If your needs change just re-configure what you want to see.

Utility and Productivity
Get financial news as it happens like up to date accurate stock quotes.  Bonus material is the supporting graphical information like price charts, trend graphics, analysis and more.

Follow your investments or set to track certain stocks ahead of time, let the app sift through and decipher what is or isn't important.

Rating
A great application to keep you plugged into financial data. Data is accurate, it's Bloomberg.  The app puts the filter on a fire hose and allows you to stay productive by filtering out irrelevant information.  10/10

Where to get:
i-Phone:
Bloomberg Anywhere for iPad gives Bloomberg Anywhere subscribers all of the news, data, analytics, and communication tools they need to stay connected to the world’s markets. This is not a limited-content version of the BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL® service, this is your Bloomberg desktop on iPad.

Android:
Get business news, market data and portfolio tracking tools from Bloomberg.  Get business/finance news, market data and stock tracking tools from the most trusted source financial professionals around the world rely upon. Get comprehensive news coverage along with easy-to-understand charts and graphs that illustrate the impact of important business trends and issues.

Blackberry: 
Bring the power of the most trusted source for financial information to your BlackBerry, along with tools to help you analyze the world's markets.  That source is now available to you on your BlackBerry. Bloomberg offers news, stock quotes, company descriptions, market leaders/laggers, price charts, market trends analysis, customized list of stocks, podcasts and more.

Book Review: GET RICH WITH APPS!

Get Rich with Apps!

GET RICH WITH APPS!
Author: Jesse Feiler
ISBN-13:  9780071700290
Topic:  Business & Economics – Entrepreneur
Format:  Paperback
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2010

BUSINESS BOOKS

Review:

This is not a get rich quick book, it takes design, testing and marketing to be successful in this new field.  It's obvious i-Phone and Facebook are new and fertile ground for apps. 

GET RICH WITH APPS! does not discuss codes, but does make a case for how important apps are and how to plan and design their creation.  The book is aimed at the developer who is a would be entrepreneur. 

The book explains how mobile and social apps are different from a larger enterprise application.  For example, Facebook is a closed system and extra steps have to be taken to integrate your app with other frame works such as i-Phone.  Also, mobile and desktop apps are used in different ways by people.

The downside of this book is that most of it is to explain to a less hip to mobile and social audience of developers, if that even exists, and if you are already serious about app development, you are probably deep into Conduit already.  Conduit.com is an additional valuable resource in creating and distributing your apps. The book could also use a stronger web support. Author Jesse Feiler has a great amount of knowledge that could be shared in the form of examples or links to the app community. 

Apps are new and there is much room for growth.  This book is great if you are beginning your path of research.  From a marketing perspective, apps are a great method for marketing, there is much to learn if you are a business person looking to use these new tools in your business and this book is a great introduction.

CONDUIT:  
Although not mentioned in this book, the Conduit community is valuable if you wish to develop apps either for your business or as your business. Conduit is the fastest-growing network of Web and mobile app publishers, with over 260,000 members and their 230 million end-users. The Conduit Network empowers publishers - from global brands to independent developers - to create, exchange and distribute apps, and to collaborate through business partnerships.

Conduit enables publishers to seamlessly encapsulate content and deploy it everywhere, from Web browsers and Community Toolbars to mobile devices across all platforms. Publishers can distribute and exchange their apps directly, or through the Conduit App Marketplace. Conduit-powered apps enhance engagement, retention and monetization beyond the boundaries of the publisher's website.


About the Author

Jesse Feiler provides consulting services to small businesses and non-profits. He is the author of a number of books on FileMaker and Mac OS X as well as on new technologies such as Mashups, Facebook, and Bento. Active in the community, he serves on the boards of HB Studio and HB Playwrights Foundation; he previously served on the board of the Mid-Hudson Library System (including three years as president), founded the Philmont Main Street Committee, and chaired the village’s Comprehensive Plan Board.

Web Site Review: MANTA - Small Business Forum

Web Site Review:  MANTA - Small Business Forum

SPONSOR: Business Books

Manta is the world's largest online community for promoting and connecting small business. With more than one million registered users and 64 million company profiles, business owners and professionals use Manta to promote and differentiate their offerings and "be found" online by customers and prospects.

With Manta, you can do one of two things: write your company profile from scratch or "claim" the profile that Manta has already created for your business. Most do the latter--an easy process of contacting Manta and proving you are who you say you are. Once the profile is yours, you can go ahead and tweak it by adding content. You can include photos of your business as well.  Also, the profile can be used to alert the community to your events, both for recruiting and marketing.


"Manta is a de facto website for those who don't have one and a complementary resource for those who do," says Pam Springer, president and CEO. "It also functions as an online community for small businesses, and as a marketing platform that allows companies to connect with vendors, supplies, partners, and customers." Although Manta is available to any business of any size, the company targets very small players with 10 employees or fewer, says Springer, adding that 43% of Manta's registrants fall into that category.

You can check them out on Facebook: 

DOWNSIDE:  There have been some complaints from Home Business Owners that Manta posts their home address and when the business owner attempts to claim the profile, Manta just creates an alternative profile.  Also, Manta is used primarily by cold calling prospectors and when CEO Pam Springer claims you will connect with vendors, she means they will be cold calling and cold emailing you.  However, Manta is making the directory harder to come by for the prospector, see their blog post here.  A mitigating factor in this case is that it is against the terms and conditions of Manta to blast out cold calls from their list or to mass grab their list with a list grabber.  And the company does seem responsive and aware of unintended consequences.


Promote Your Company: Claim or Add Your Company Profile
It's Free & Easy!
Over 30 million people visit Manta every month. Your potential customers are among them. So, make sure your business stands out.

In just a few minutes of your time, you can claim or add your company profile and tell these potential customers exactly what you want them to know. Your profile can:

• Link to your website.
• Display your logo and business hours.
• Highlight the products and brands you carry.
• Provide links to Twitter and Facebook.
• And much, much more.

Book Review: A SURVIVAL GUIDE TO DEBT

A Survival Guide to Debt

A SURVIVAL GUIDE TO DEBT 
Author: Mitchell Allen
ISBN-13:  9781929774708
Topic:  Business & Economics – Personal Finance
Format:  Paperback
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2009

Review:

Bankruptcy, foreclosure and high credit card debt are all too common today.  But it's not the end of the world. Author of "A Survival Guide to Debt." Mitchell Allen, takes the reader through the three parts of his book in an easy to read and easy to enact way.  He writes clearly and the book is a fast read.  I recommend reading all of it and then going back to study the sections that you need help on and make your list to take action and begin to solve your financial problems.

Part I, "When the Wolf is at the Door," Mitchell explains what to do when the creditors call. How to respond to payment demands, what to say and when to say it. He reviews the "Cease-and-desist" letter. Mitchell provides good tools for the reader to work with like the worksheet for your Assets and Liabilities. Their are several recommendations on where to go for and how to get professional help. Don't get overwhelmed, take action.  Mitchell suggests places to go to get help. There is also a section on debtors legal rights and explanation of credit scores and a sample of a "Credit Dispute" letter.

Part II "Bankruptcy," Mitchell presents a complete tutorial on what, when, and how to file bankruptcy. He devotes the whole of part II to this very important aspect of the debt dilemma. He even goes as far as to give you the website for the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, so that you may be a well educated individual if you opt to go this route.

Part III "Rebuilding process,". Mitchell reviews how to rebuild after a bankruptcy. He provides tips and suggestions on "Personality, Attitude and Money" along with such things as how to rebuild your credit score.  He is right on when supplying "what to watch out for in the way of credit and credit cards." Mitchell concludes his highly informative text with pages of helpful websites; where you can go and find all the answers to most all the questions that you would want answers too.

Mitchell Allen's survival guide is well written and well presented.  The author makes the information available in a helpful and easy to comprehend manner, and unlike some guidebooks you don't need a financial background to decipher it. I would highly recommend this as the "go to" manual for dealing with financial problems and debt.

About the Author

Mitchell L. Allen is the founder, president, and chairman of Debt Education and Certification Foundation (www.debt-foundation.org), a leading provider of personal debt management courses. Courses he helped develop have been used in over 200,000 counseling sessions, and he has personally conducted more than 1,000 interviews with individuals in financial crisis.

Mitchell previously worked for Citigroup and The Associates Financial Corporation as senior director of modeling, where he led a team of economists and statisticians in developing statistical models to predict response, risk, and fraud within various private label credit card portfolios.

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Book Review: NEW PRODUCT BLUEPRINTING

New Product Blueprinting

New Product Blueprinting
Author: Dan Adams
ISBN-13:  9780980112344
Topic:  Business & Economics – Product Development
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2008





Review:

New Product Blueprinting explains how to develop new products to grow your company organically.  To grow from within by developing outstanding products and services.  The goal is to retain current customers and find new ones.  The alternative is to grow with debt financing or through the minefield of mergers and acquisitions.  

The problem is your competitors are employing the same debt and M&A strategies, you need to out-smart them by ending your mistakes, the same mistakes they are making.  If you can correct your course, you will propel past your competitors.

Something I found useful in the book was the use of the seven deadly sins of B2B companies.  Relying too much or too little on the sales team’s vision of “what the customer wants.”  A salesperson is unlikely to uncover a full set of market needs, especially if he is rewarded for near-term selling.  If you instead put a salesperson on a team with marketing and technical colleagues, train all in advanced B2B interviewing methods, you will run circles around your competition.

To truly hear the "voice of the customer" (VOC) a team conducts customer tours and Discovery Interviews, generating scores of potential needs to pursue. A laptop, projector and Blueprinter software are used with powerful listening and probing skills. Later, the team conducts Preference Interviews to gather hard data about customer needs

This book is very focused on the fact that if you are a B2B company, your methods are out of date.  

About the Author

Dan Adams is president of Advanced Industrial Marketing Inc.  He is passionate about B2B new product development.  In over 30 years working within and with major B2B corporations, he has explored every aspect of product development, building New Product Blueprinting from the ground up. He is a chemical engineer and holder of many patents and innovation awards, including a listing in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Adams was head of strategic planning for a billion-dollar company and has extensive experience in Fortune 500 marketing, business development and leadership positions. He is an award-winning speaker and conducts workshops in every region of the world.

Book Review: BUSINESS INNOVATION FOR DUMMIES

BUSINESS INNOVATION FOR DUMMIES

Business Innovation for Dummies

Author: Alexander Hiam
ISBN-13:  9780470601747
Topic:  Business & Economics – Business Management
Format:  Softcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2010

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Review:
Easy to read format, typical of the . . . For Dummies Series.  Filled with actionable tips to get new ideas for your business.  This is a workbook and very useful.  Recommended for business owners and top managers.

Business Innovation For Dummies gives you practical, easy-to-follow information for generating new ideas, using creativity to boost sales, solving problems creatively, mastering the art of invention, honing creative thinking skills, and identifying new opportunities.

• Advice on how to apply creativity to the workplace
• Ideas for spicing up presentations
• Shows you how innovation leads to more productive business 

About The Author

Alexander Hiam is the author of more than twenty popular books on business, including Marketing For Dummies and Marketing Kit For Dummies. Formerly a professor at the business school at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, he has had many Fortune 500 firms and large U.S. government agencies as his clients.


Take-Aways:
Once a week, focus on something big. That’s the biggest secret of successful innovators -- they elbow aside the routine stuff and find time to focus on something major.


“Eat ideas for lunch,” says Hiam. “Make a lunch date with a creative friend and lay these ground rules: Brainstorm about the topic of your choice, and in order to earn a bite, you have to suggest an idea. If you finish and don’t have the breakthrough idea you need, order dessert.”

Hiam also recommends working on your self-talk – the tendency to over-generalize from failures can depress your creative impulse. Creativity and innovation are tightly tied to mood, and hopefulness and optimism produce innovation. Work on your state of mind first, he says, and the innovative behavior you want will naturally follow.

He also suggests you cross train in art. Even if you never achieve full mastery of cooking, playing guitar or dancing, the journey offers many benefits. Studying anything artistic is a great way to get in touch with and strengthen your creative self.
.
Business Innovation For Dummies is for anyone looking to become more creative in their work. It helps generate new ideas, spice-up presentations, boost sales, solve problems, master the art of invention, hone creative thinking skills, and identify new opportunities.

“Being creative at work means bringing a special spark to it and recognizing that things are going to change,” says Hiam. “So why not be the one who dreams up and then spearheads innovations?”