by Paul Simister
on November 12, 2016
The full title of this book by Richard Klapholz is
“The Cash Machine: Using the Theory of Constraints for Sales Management“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a Four Stars rating. This means I think it’s good.
Here is my book review.
Explains the idea of using constraints to improve the sales process and increase sales revenue.
This is a business novel which explains how the Theory of Constraints (TOC) can be used to find ways to increase sales revenue.
It is set in a large ($700 million turnover) digital imaging company which has a seen sales revenues reverse, from growing progressively they have dropped for the last three quarters. The hero has a job swap, from vice president of marketing to the hot seat, VP for sales. Fortunately he had agreed to be open-minded and consider TOC after it had been used effectively elsewhere in the business. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on November 10, 2016
I rated this book,
Designing KPIs to Drive Process Improvement by Giles Johnston
at the Four Stars level in my review on Amazon.co.uk.
Here is my book review.
A short, easy to read guide about measuring process improvement
As the book title suggests, this is a guide to help you design key performance indicators and measures for process improvement and is therefore suitable for any process owners, team leaders and managers who are involved with studying work processes.
It is not suitable as a guide to KPI for business owners and senior managers who have responsibility for an entire organisation because in this situation, the overall business strategy should be the driver of what’s important and where improvement efforts need to be focused. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on November 9, 2016
The full title of this book by Cynthia Kocialski is
“Perfect Pricing in One Simple Lesson: Find Your Pricing Edge, Attract More Customers, and Earn More Profit“.
In my review ,on Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book a rating of Four Stars. This means I think it is good.
Here is my book review.
A nice guide to the important issue of pricing
The key importance of pricing is often overlooked by business owners who find themselves guessing a suitable price and hoping for the best.
A change on prices up or down is often the main cause of changes in profits. Perhaps counter intuitively an increase in prices offset by a small reduction in volume is often more profitable than slashing prices to sell more. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on November 8, 2016
The full title of this book by Matías Birrell and Javier Arévalo is
“Forget the Urgent!: Rather focus on the important: A business dialogue based on the best seller ‘The Goal’ by Eliyahu M Goldratt“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of FIVE Stars. That means I think it is excellent.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Anyone interested in the Theory of Constraints.
- Small business owners who want to improve.
The Big Idea
Every business faces constraints unless it is able to generate an infinite amount of money. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on November 7, 2016
The full title of this book by Lawrence Steinmetz and William Brooks is
“How to Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors: Winning Every Sale at Full Price, Rate, or Fee“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of FIVE stars. This means I think it is excellent.
Here is my book review.
Packed with great tips and advice on how to withstand pricing pressure from buyers
The content in this book is fantastic for anyone in business who comes under pricing pressure, either directly from customers or from sales people who have limited selling skills beyond offering discounts.
I tell my coaching clients that price is where your strategy hits the road and is truly tested. To increase sales, you need to offer better value than competitors but it’s so much nicer when those customers believe your product or service is worth more. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on November 2, 2016
The full title of this book by Uwe Techt is
“Goldratt and the Theory of Constraints: The Quantum Leap in Management“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book a FIVE Stars rating. This means I think it is excellent.
Here is my book review.
A very helpful summary
Goldratt’s business novels like “The Goal“, “It’s Not Luck“, “Critical Chain” etc are an excellent way to get a general appreciation of the Theory Of Constraints. Their weakness comes apparent when you want to go back and remind yourself of the critical concepts because they are too buried into the story.
The author, Uwe Techt has written an excellent summary of the fundamental ideas within the Theory Of Constraints which serves as both a refresher and a reference for when you’re trying to implement the concepts. As an initial introduction, I still recommend starting with “The Goal“. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on November 2, 2016
The full title of this book by Henry Harel is
“Where Is The Constraint? A Theory of Constraints DIY Toolkit Book 1“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means I think it is good.
Here is my book review.
A different perspective on finding the constraint
In this short book, the author shares his experience as a TOC practitioner helping businesses around the world.
It doesn’t attempt to summarise the logical construction of the Theory of Constraints in the way that a book like Goldratt and the Theory of Constraints.: The Quantum Leap in Management does. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on November 2, 2016
The full title of this book by John Haylock is
“Absolute Certainty: How to give your clients exactly what they want“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means I think it is good.
Here is my book review.
Ideas for improving service businesses contained within a novel
This is a book about improving service businesses with the ideas dressed up in a novel.
The main character in the story is an accounting partner from a local three partner firm. It’s doing OK but everybody is very busy. He meets with a client who has a design business that has made some fundamental changes in the way it works after getting feedback from customers that they were not happy but the firm was getting the work because the other designers were just as bad. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on October 22, 2016
The full title of this book by Robert Cialdini and follow-up to “Influence” is
“Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a Four Stars rating. This means I consider it to be good.
Here is my book review.
A follow-up to a classic
At the beginning of this book, Robert Cialdini tells the story of his first book called “Influence: The Psychology Of Persuasion” which is widely regarded as a master-work. It seems that when the book was first published, it sold poorly, even worse than expected at a time when no one was telling the persuasion story. It took four or five years to suddenly take-off and become a regular best seller that has clocked up 3 million of sales. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on October 15, 2016
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk for
“7 Secret Motivators That Drive Your Customers to The BUY Button“,
I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means I think it is good.
Here is my book review.
A nice introduction to why people buy
This is a nice, short introduction to buy people buy the things they do and, as a consequence, how you can link your products and services to one or more of these needs to encourage extra sales. [continue reading…]
