Other Business Books

The full title of this book by Dennis Becker is

80/20 Power: Following Pareto’s Principle to Maximize Your Small Business Success

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Two Stars, meaning Disappointing.

Here is my book review.

A fundamental concept but this is not the book to start with

The 80/20 principle that a small numbers of things or activities produce the majority of results is a vital improvement concept. In theory, you can get more results by switching from low value activities to high value activities.

This is basic common sense that can all too easily get overlooked. [continue reading…]

In my review of

Summary: The 80/20 Principle: Review and Analysis of Koch’s Book

posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the summary Three Stars, meaning Worthwhile.

Here is my review.

Useful summary of an important book

It must be ten years since i read Richard Koch’s book “The 80/20 Principle “. The main message is easy to remember but I thought I’d probably forgotten many of the nuances.

These book summaries fit into 80/20 thinking. You can learn most of the lessons by reading a summary that’s chopped away 80% of the bloat.

The big reminders I got were:

– be proactive. Think what are likely to be the key 20% of inputs?
– the scope of using 80/20 ideas in business is very wide. Most problems can be tackled with 80/20 thinking.

The 80/20 ideas can also be applied to your personal productivity and effectiveness as well as in your personal life. This about living life purposefully by deciding what you want and thinking about the most effective ways to do it.

The summary is useful because it’s quick to read all the way through when too many books are started and not finished. It will help you decide if you want to apply the 80/20 ideas but if you do, I suspect you’ll want to read the full book or one of the other books Richard Koch has written.

The ideas behind the 80/20 principle are important to understand and this summary provides an easy way to start learning.

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The full title of this book by Sandra Fox is

Growing Customer Lifetime Value: Retention & Renewal

In my review of this book posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Three Stars, meaning Worthwhile.

Here is my book review.

For information marketers

When I downloaded this book, I hadn’t appreciated it was focused on helping information marketers like paid newsletter subscribers and membership websites. Unfortunately I was hoping for something for ordinary products and services.

If you’re an information marketer, I think you’ll find this helpful but, if you’re not and you want a broader theme, I recommend you skip it. Some of the ideas will still apply but there should be better books available.

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The full title of this book by Anthony Polucci is

“The Wise Guys” Copywriting Handbook: How To Create Marketing Messages And Offers They Just Can’t Refuse

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars, meaning Worthwhile.

Here is my book review.

A useful guide to copywriting

This is a useful guide to copywriting that will suit anyone new to the ideas. It is easy to read and practical.

In the appendix, there is helpful ways to develop headlines, the essential part of the copy that attracts attention.

I’m not sure there is much here for anyone looking for an advanced guide after reading a few copywriting books.

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The full title of this book by Melanie Saladino is

Why People Buy: How to Answer the 9 Questions People Ask Themselves Before They Make Any Buying Decision

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars, meaning Worthwhile.

This is a book about copywriting

This book is about copywriting rather than the topic implied by the title, buyer psychology. These are linked but the emphasis of the book might be different from what you expect. In my opinion, the book doesn’t answer the “Why People Buy” of the title.

In fact, it doesn’t have the substance to be called a book and it refers to itself as a report. I suspect its origins were as a lead magnet to get email addresses.

This means that it all feels very rushed. There are some interesting ideas introduced in the book but I didn’t think there was enough substance to give you the confidence to put any of the ideas into action.

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The full title of this book by Brian Burns is

How and Why Large Companies Make Product Selections: You Know How to Sell, Now Learn How Companies Buy

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars, meaning it is Worthwhile.

Here is my book review

Best for complex or large items

This is an interesting book that aims to explain the issues involved with selling to large businesses.

It starts with six myths but I thought they were stretched to make various points. I find it hard to believe that any are widely held. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Csaba Babak is

Beer Means Business: Economics and Marketing in the UK Brewing Industry

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars, meaning it is Worthwhile.

Here is my book review.

A wide-ranging review of the UK beer industry

I found the book hard to read, in the beginning, as it’s written in the peculiar language of “MBA-speak”, with long sentences with complicated words, too often saying obvious things. I got used to the style but reading it wasn’t a pleasure.

It is a wide-ranging review of the UK beer industry focusing on the growth of craft beers. It is not a book about how to succeed by using clever strategies and tactics.

If you don’t know much about the industry but for some reason feel drawn to it, you may find it helpful. However it is written at a high level and could be much more informative. For example, it mentions various trends but doesn’t back up the claims with statistics, tables and graphs. Nor does it highlight any examples of interesting practices by naming breweries and their innovations.

Even after reading it, I’m not sure of the purpose of the book. For an outsider, it is interesting but I’m not sure that anyone who wants to start a brewery will get much from it.

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The full title of this book by Marty McDonald is

Great Beer Is Not Enough: How Social Media Can Create Raving Fans & Increase Consumer Demand

In my review posted at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars, this means Worthwhile.

Here is my book review.

Interesting but too promotional

This book is written by the owner of a social media marketing business specialising in the craft beer industry (along with others) in America. He thinks that you should outsource your social media activities.

The message is about building a community and, in particular a local community. It therefore gives very different advice compared to the BrewDog book which took an international view of its market opportunities. Of course local in the USA is different to local in the UK because of the huge distances involved when you get away from the seaboards. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Ross Cameron is

Stock Market Price Moving Averages: How to Use Moving Averages Effectively for Trading Strategies

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars, which means Worthwhile.

Here is my book review.

A helpful introduction

The book starts by explaining the difference between simple moving averages and exponential moving averages and how the length helps indicate short or long term trends. [continue reading…]