Book Description
This revised and updated edition of the classic MBA guide provides a complete explanation of what top schools look for, plus a step-by-step guide to the entire application process. Included are more than a hundred successful essays and in-depth advice from more than 30 admissions directors. In addition, this guide shows applicants how to:
- Develop an optimal marketing strategy
- Assess and upgrade their credentials
- Choose the right program
- Write high-quality essays
- Choose and then manage recommenders
- Ace interviews
- Prepare for business school and get the most out of it
Customer Reviews:
advices w/ practical examples.......2007-10-15
Insightful information and good examples of essays and recommendations. I also liked the directors of admission's quotes. It is pretty much the same advices you hear when you go to the School's info sessions but on the book the advices are clearly linked to how you write each part of your application.
Great book, but nothing new from previous editions.......2007-08-31
Needless to say, this book is now the Bible of MBA applications.
What works:
1. Lots of advice, starting from the basics.
2. Tons of feedback from Admissions Committee Members
3. Essay samples
What doesnt:
1. Essay samples are limited to people who were leaders, consultants, etc etc. I dont believe these form the majority, Instead, I think the majority applicants are engineers, investment bankers and people from Asia. So the examples should have been chosen to fit that demographic too. I am more interested to see how an engineer represented himself well to get into a B-school, rather than read an essay of someone who was in the Army asa Lieutenant. It doesnt help much by publishing essays of people who're inherently different because of a very rare background.
2. Nothing much has really changed over the 2002 edition of the book. So, if you have the old one, I dont think this is worth buying. You could just use the library.
Fantastic Guide, we call it the MBA admissions bible.......2007-08-15
This is a fantastic book. I used it while in the Peace Corps to write my application to a top 5 MBA program. It has great advice on how to organize your application and your thoughts. It is not a 'shortcut' to getting in, but helps you put yourself together and show all of your background and your ambitions in the best light possible. If you're looking at even a top 10 program, this book is required reading. I can safely say probably 80% of us here used it to help us write our apps.
Wrong Title.......2007-08-10
I just think this book's title is misleading to someone who has already decided to get an MBA, researched schools, and selected the top schools to which apply. I was looking for something that was going to help me AFTER all these events have taken place as the title suggests. If you're saying: "I already know exactly what I want to do, now give me some tips to make it happen;" then this book is not for you. I found SOME tips, while skimming this tomb, and I think they're all common sense, widely available on the web, or easily obtainable simply by looking at the MBA schools' websites.
A complete guide to readying yourself for an MBA.......2007-07-07
Immediately upon receiving this book, I was shocked at it's sheer size. When I ordered it, I had neglected to notice how many pages it includes, and I assumed it was going to be relatively short since it is not expensive.
Then, I wondered how much there could be to say about the MBA admissions process, and if the book would become too repetitive. Well, as it turns out, the book doesn't repeat itself and Montauk takes advantage of every page to guide you through what it takes to get into a good MBA program.
I am still in the process of applying, but what I have found is that this book has given me a great outline of what I should be doing to prepare myself, and provided detailed steps of how to navigate each step. Studying for the GMAT, getting letters of recommedation, writing the schools' essays, interviewing, it's all covered in great detail.
I continue to use this book as a reference guide as I am going through the application process, and I find that whatever I am confused about, the answer is provided in the book.
Book Description
Richard Montauk, a savvy admissions insider who is also a lawyer, demystifies the entire law school application process and provides targeted tools to ace every step. Incorporating advice and insights from dozens of admissions directors, this significantly revised edition of How to Get into the Top Law Schools offers an in-depth and candid view of what leading law schools look for in an applicant-and gives solid, information on how to assess and upgrade credentials to better match that ideal profile.
Customer Reviews:
The Most Honest Book on the Market.......2007-05-22
As other reviewers mentioned, Montauk's book is the most complete tome on the subject of law school admissions to date. It's also very honest. It is hard to get into a top 20 law school and he makes sure the reader understands this fact. He also lets the reader know that for many people, law is the wrong choice and will only lead to lots of debt and unhappieness in the future.
The negative reviews on Amazon seem to come from people who were taken aback that Montauk might suggest that law isn't right for everyone, but he is really doing potential applicants a favor. If a brief diatribe on the pitfalls of law scares you away, you probably weren't that committed to it anyway. The dark secrets that law schools/law firms don't want you to know:
1. If you don't go to a top law school (at least top 25), you will not have a good chance of getting a Biglaw job, i.e. the highest paying most coveted jobs in the industry. If you pay full price at a school outside of the top 25 and expect to make big bucks upon graduation, you might find out, as so many other students have, that you cannot find a job that pays well enough to justify the $150k in loans you just took out for law school.
Note--If you have alternative career plans or receive substantial scholarship money, then this changes the equation.
2. Most lawyers are unhappy with their jobs (regardless of salary). A recent survey showed that 75% of lawyers would not go to law school if they could do it all over again.
Moral of the story: Forget the "you can do whatever you put your mind to!" crowds and take a realistic look at your talents, situation, and the legal profession. Some people aren't well-suited for law and many people will hate the profession--even those who are good at it. Just realize this before spending 3 years of your life and $150k-$180k to go to law school.
If you decide that law is for you, Montauk's book is the best for increasing your chances of admission.
kla.......2007-05-05
Richard Mountauk's guide on "How to Get Into the Top Law Schools" is a thorough, comprehensive, candid, and convenient must have for anyone considering law school. It takes you from the very initial process of thinking about law school to dealing with acceptances, waitlists, denials, transferring options, and to first-year law school experience. It gives you the tools you need on how to market yourself effectively and strategize your application packet to put you in the best light possible, and thus possibly improving your chances to your top choices. With cited quotes and excerpts on various subjects and topics from admissions officers themselves, that are heavily inserted throughout the entire book, one knows they are getting first-hand knowledge. This is an organized, effective, and excellent resource for one to have for a behind the scenes look at a process that few are privy too. Definitely a must read!
Incredibly helpful.......2007-03-18
Applying to law school can be a stressful process no matter who you are. I bought this book in the midst of the application process, after already writing a few drafts of my personal statement, meeting with teachers for recommendation and hundreds of hours of research into schools and a couple meetings with my school's law advisor. It far exceeded my expectations. Not only was it helpful, but it took some of the mystery out of the process and taught me to how "sell" myself to the schools.
To take it a step further, under the direction of the small passage at the beginning of the book, I met with Mr. Montauk for more specific advice. Under his direction I put together a very strong personal statement (completely different than my original), teacher recommendations (he advised the recommenders), resume and additional essays. He also gave me insight on how to succeed in law school and once I am out. After my first 2 hour meeting with him I walked away knowing it was the best money I ever spent.
After looking at almost ever law school entrance book, this was by far the most informative and well-rounded (spanning beyond law school into a career). I would also highly recommend meeting with Mr. Montauk in person if your LSAT and GPA scores don't fully reflect your potential to practice law.
There is no doubt in my mind that if I hadn't met with Mr. Montauk I wouldn't have been accepted to some of the schools I got into.
Essential Guidance.......2006-10-23
This book has served as a valuable guide through my undergraduate years. I purchased the first book before my sophomore year of college, and I believe the knowledge I gained has helped me to make the right choices in my endeavor toward law school. If you are an undergraduate student, and you aspire to law school, buy this book now. The longer you have it, the more helpful it will be during your preparation. If you are ready to apply, you will learn how avoid mistakes and put forth the best possible application you have to offer. The quotes from admissions people helped me to understand which schools I was best suited for and which ones to avoid. The path of law is a very important choice, and I appreciate that Mr. Montauk takes a prospective student from that decision process all the way through to tips for study success after the acceptance letter. As a side note, I had an urgent question about my law school application, and Mr. Montauk was kind enough to return my call (his phone number is in this book) on a Sunday. I wholeheartedly recommend this book!
Very Helpful.......2005-11-28
Oh thanksgiving day, I am thankful for this book and the great help it was for me during the past year.
If you are applying to law school or even thinking about it, get this book, it is very helpful. It has examples of essays to help you figure out how to write your personal essays, it also has a time line, so you can schedule the year accordingly until the time you are planning to get into that law school of your choice.well that is just couple of examples, but it is great.
Good Luck
Book Description
The premier authority on organizational transformation takes his classic work to the next level, showing managers how to prevent a company from falling into a period of decline.
For three decades, Ichak Adizes, Ph.D., has studied the patterns of organizational growth and changes in businesses worldwide, from Bank of America to Domino's Pizza to small start-ups. In his breakthrough book Corporate Lifecycles, Dr. Adizes traced the typical corporate path from inception to decline. Now, in this long-awaited follow-up, he guides companies on the optimal path--and reveals how to sustain peak vitality.
Courtship, Infancy, the heady Go-Go years, and turbulent Adolescence. These are the stages every company goes through to reach what Dr. Adizes calls PRIME--the ideal stage of balanced creativity and discipline. At every stage, he shows how to anticipate and handle "normal" problems--whether with goal setting or managing employees--then quickly move on and up. Once in the PRIME stage, the author presents proactive measures for maintaining focus and vision, nurturing cohesion, and achieving "predictable excellence." He also offers strategies for avoiding the typical downhill path--starting with the Signs of Aging, such as risk avoidance; moving on to Aristocracy, where power and protocol dominate; and culminating in the final stages of decay: Recrimination, Bureaucracy, and Death.
Easing the pains of growing, MANAGING CORPORATE LIFECYCLES opens the way for every organization to thrive--indefinitely.
Download Description
Execubooks are eSummaries of books for mobile professionals, available in single-copy or by subscription, and optimally formatted for onscreen reading on laptops or handhelds - so you can stay abreast of leading business wisdom, wherever you have a moment! Renowned business analyst and author, Ichak Adizes, follows the patterns of organizational growth and changes in business over the past three decades. This book explains how a company can continue to maintain its peak levels indefinitely.
Customer Reviews:
Buyer beware.......2003-09-26
Shame on me for not reading the reviews. The information on the download version is readily available all over the net.
Avoid the e-book version.......2003-09-13
The hardcover and the e-book version should not be linked together because the e-book version is only 12 pages! Complete waste of money, I wish I could return it. I made the mistake of reading the review of the hardcover version (which is shown on this page too), and since I had already read the original book, I though I was making a bargain. The joke is on me... :-(
Helpful in sorting out a turbulent corporate adolescence.......2000-04-02
This book (an updated, improved version of Adizes' 1988 "Corporate Lifecycles") has given me an extremely useful framework for thinking about and improving the organization I work with. In the Adizes framework, my organization would be considered in Early Adolescence, and a turbulent Adolescence at that. What Adizes has helped me to more clearly see is that some of our turbulence is predictable and structural, just as each stage in the typical corporate lifecycle features problems that are normal (as well as problems that are abnormal or pathological). Furthermore, Adizes doesn't stop at diagnosis; he offers prescriptions for anticipating and addressing the tensions inherent in moving from one stage in the lifecycle to another. As a founder of more than one company, Adizes is also refreshingly candid about the difficulty founders face in helping their companies move through the stages. ("It's hard to see the picture when you're in it.") Adizes has helped me to articulate critiques and advocate solutions that I have long sensed dimly, but couldn't adequately pinpoint. Here's a great resource for your leadership team to discuss at a retreat or planning session -- and then to act upon.
Book Description
You've seen them in the movies, on television, in magazines....You know the ones: Herms handbag on the arm. Hair just so. Sleek and groomed as greyhounds. The Park Avenue Weight-Loss Plan, from one of New York's premier weight control doctors, reveals the secrets of how the successful and rich get and stay thin. With a two-week quick-start program that the dieter later builds on to keep losing weight and eventually to maintain their shape, The Park Avenue Weight-Loss Plan includes: Meal plans high in protein, omega-3 fats and complex carbohydrates Calcium, through food rather than supplements, in the maximum amount the body can absorb at a time A morning exercise program as an adjunct to eating The Stop! Watch! method to curb food cravings: any craving can be stopped within just 15 minutes How to eat at fabulous restaurants, for business or pleasure, and keep losing weight. The Park Avenue Weight-Loss Plan features recipes including the fabulous low-cal dessert le Socialite, tricks of the nutritionist's trade, and simple strategies to keep dieters on track and focused on their goals. Dr. Klauer has made a study of what makes the rich stick with weight loss. She discloses the Park Avenue mindset, which includes secret weapons such as how to order at a business dinner, what food to carry on a private plane flight, and how the rich reward themselves while dieting. From The Park Avenue Weight-Loss Plan: The Park Avenue Weight-Loss Plan teaches you how to be healthy, vibrant, sexy and slim in an efficient format that is based on science. If you are looking for a quick-fix or magic bullet, you wont find it here. The plan is for life. Follow it and you will look and feel like you just won a million bucks! Non-negotiables: 1. Daily exercise. You must schedule it into your routine. 2. Protein in a high quality form is vital for the functioning of your body. Include protein at every meal. 3. Calcium is essential for increasing metabolism levels. 4. Food cravings can, and must, be managed. 5. Eliminate all processed food.
Customer Reviews:
How the Rich get thin.......2007-10-21
Excellent & very informative. More than about loosing weight this book provides huge amounts of scientific information regarding food and its effect on the human body (as far as loosing weight & health is concerned). I learned an incredible amount of things that will guide me in what I choose to eat from now on.
32 Pounds - Gone!.......2007-09-02
Found this fresh approach to weight loss intriguing. Having been diagnosed with osteoporosis and needing to lose weight, I jumped right in! Happy to report that I lost 32 pounds in 15 weeks rather painlessly. The emphasis on calcium and the facts that accompany it are fascinating, as well as the list of drugs that actually make you fat - Yikes! I'm keeping this book for future reference and encouragement.
Love this book!.......2007-08-16
This is not a get thin quick scheme so if that is what you are looking for... this isn't your book.
I've been doing weight watchers for 5 years now and have been on a plateau for some time (due to my own laziness). I have incorporated this book into my weight watchers routine and I am now losing weight again (about 1-2lbs a week) and, more importantly, I feel wonderful!
Oh, and her marinade for grill tuna is fantastic and easy.
Fantastic, practical information.......2007-07-28
This book has give me more insight on how to kick start my metabolism with the protein-rich , low-carb diet similar to Atkins as well as providing useful information on the importance of getting enough sleep to regulate hormones and why calcium aids weight loss.
Very informative!.......2007-07-13
I could not believe just how much I have learned from this book about calcium alone. I was amazed to learn that what you take it with, depends on whether or not you assimulate it. This book opened my eyes about several things diet and I thought I knew it all.
Book Description
Learn how to succeed by turning on the charm.
Customer Reviews:
What we should all know and do in business and life.......2006-01-20
I really enjoyed this book. The author basically tells you to honestly be interested in the other person, to listen and treat them as if they are important to you. No where in the book does he say to use manipulation or dishonesty. There is nothing dishonest about caring about the people you do business with, making them know they are important to you nor in sending birthday cards. Wouldn't life be much better for us all if we did take the small extra effort to actually care about others and treat them as though they matter?
One thing I liked alot was that he didn't name drop as another author on the subject does in "Never Eat Alone".
In my sales as well as in life, I will use what I learned and should have been doing all along.
A WASTE OF MY TIME.......2005-12-27
Is this guy serious? He has got to be the most insincere, egotistical, condescending "author" out there. Whatever happend to good old fashioned saying it like it is... politely of course. Mr. Levine is all about manipulation, and nothing about just being real. It's a sad commentary when we have people telling us that we need to compromise our values and integrity by using flattery. This book made my stomach turn. To be fair to Mr. Levine, I didn't finish the whole book so maybe he redeemed himself somewhere in the back of the book. But, I was so sickend by what I read, I couldn't go on wasting my time. A word to the wise, don't waste your time!
Good for Quarterlifers.......2005-09-12
In an age of instant messaging, email, text messaging, pagers, palm pilots, and the Blackberry today's quarterlifers--people in their teens, twenties, and early thirties--often overlook the relationship behind the electronic communication.
Michael has build one of Hollywood's most successful P.R. firms through his attention to those relationships. In Charming Your Way to the Top Michael has boiled down over 20 years of experience in working with our cultures most captivating celebrities and politicians into an approachable and practicle manual for bringing out the charisma in each of us.
In many ways it's a back-to-the-basics book. The advice is not hard to follow, yet as Michael points out few people actually do it.
I recommend Michaels book for anyone who has asked the question, "What is it about __________ that makes me like them so much?"
Charming Your Way to the Top will help you find the answer.
Listen to Charm!.......2005-04-20
In his book, Charming Your Way to the Top, Michael Levine offers some extremely beneficial insights into being successful in business and, more importantly, in life. In chapter six of Charming, Michael writes that the skill which is most closely associated with charm is listening. He goes on to share that there is nothing to be lost by listening. He states, in fact, how so much is to be gained from listening sincerely to others. I truly admire Michael's idea, because I know the respect that I feel for someone who takes the time to listen to what I have to say. In addition, Michael writes about the importance of listening to someone's name and using it. Since reading this book, I have started to repeat people's names throughout the conversation as Michael suggests. The responses I have seen are amazing. The simple act of asking someone their name when I normally would not is enough to light up their face. As Michael Levine offers, "It is very charming, and clearly quite memorable" (p.48). Levine's book provides an honest and realistic approach to being a successful person. After reading his book, I can understand why he is considered one of the most successful PR executives in Hollywood.
Entertaining and informative book!.......2005-03-31
In his entertaining and informative book, CHARMING YOUR WAY TO THE TOP, Michael Levine defines charm as "the act of making the other person believe you care" . . . he then goes on to present countless examples of how this can be done in a wide variety of situations.
Levine, who heads his own public relations firm, also mentions names of people who have and haven't used charm in their careers . . . my only regret is that he hadn't mentioned both
Cary Grant and Adolph Hitler quite so much and instead had cited his actual clients more.
Yet that said, I still liked CHARMING and got much out of it . . . you will, too . . . for example, here were just a few of the ideas that caught my attention:
The most obvious way to ingratiate yourself to other people is to demonstrate interest in them. Women often complain that first dates are awful because the men they date rarely want to talk about anything but themselves. Listening as well as talking is a severely under-practiced skill and one that needs to be cultivated and used intelligently. It is simple and basic, but it is also true--we want people to listen to us.
Light conversation is a skill and an art--it requires a little thought, and quick reactions. But it is not difficult and it is not dangerous. Asking people how their day is going is a simple and quick way to start a conversation, and-especially-to demonstrate that you are interested in them, in their feelings and problems, at least on a very limited basis. I'm not talking about the robotic "have-a-nice-day" kind of communication that is clearly rehearsed and insincere.
In this case, the easiest thing at the dry cleaner, the supermarket, the restaurant, or the bookstore is simply to look the person behind the counter in the eye, smile, and ask, "How's your day going?"
Also, using that technique [using someone's name] when leaving voice mail or telephone answering machine messages is a very telling, important point. Yes, identify yourself, but make sure you speak directly to the person for whom you're leaving the message, and use his name. It shows that even during unguarded moments you are thinking of someone other than yourself.
Book Description
The definitive resource for students determined to stand out from the crowd of applicants and join the ranks of the chosen few the country's most prestigous schools.
Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Stanford, Columbia, Georgetown, UCLA, West Point-- each year, elite schools like these attract hundreds of thousands of smart, talented, motivated, and hopeful applicants. Author of the highly successful How to Get into the Top MBA Programs, Richard Montauk and Krista Klein present the first comprehensive, in-depth, and targeted resource showing students just what it takes to make the grade at the nation's forty leading private and public colleges, and the three premier service academies.
Focusing on both the nuts-and-bolts and strategic planning, Montauk takes students, step by step, through the entire application process. Once students determine their target schools-- with the help of detailed descriptions and rankings--candid insider insights illuminate the unique mindset and methods behind admissions. Through extensive examples of recommendations, essays, and interviews, students will learn to shape their credentials for effective self-marketing. And telling case studies of typical applicants--with feedback from actual admissions directors-- pinpoint the most common weaknesses and ways to improve them.
Lively, accessible, and revealing, HOW TO GET INTO THE TOP COLLEGES is the ultimate guide for serious students with their sights on the Ivy League.
Customer Reviews:
Great Information =].......2007-06-17
I found this book to have a lot of information. I loved how they used quotes from 'important' people at colleges. I wish that they had put more information in about different schools. There was a lot of great stuff about important topics though. For example, getting reccomendations. I found a lot of this information useful, and I know that I will be coming back to this book throughout my education. Thank you! =]
A Nuts and Bolts Approach to Tackling College Applications.......2006-12-07
This comprehensive book covers it all from understanding the rankings and deciding where to apply to test taking, positioning yourself, and writing essays (a particularly in-depth analysis). There are even chapters on applying to the US service academies and colleges abroad. Every parent should read the chapter on Financing College as the options have changed dramatically since we went to school. Among the highlights of this book are the abundant quotations from admissions officers at the top schools, including the Ivies. They broaden the book's perspective and help clarify the similarities and differences between schools. If you buy one college admissions guide, this should be the one.
Can Be Helpful, But Causes Anxiety.......2006-08-29
While this book has a lot of good points, I think a better title would be You're Not Panicked Enough: The Admissions Guide For Families That Want More Stress. It should be noted that the book is written by paid professionals who help students get into elite colleges. Therefore, if families weren't worried about getting into those schools, the authors would make less money. The authors state things that have been proven false in books like Harvard Schmarvard such as you have greater chance to succeed and get higher salaries or have more opportunities if you attend an elite college. That's not true. Read Jay Matthews. Read Loren Pope. How to Get into the Top Colleges claims that rather foolish tricks like applying to a weaker division of a university in order to gain admission so you can transfer to the division you really want later are sometimes okay. They state, in all seriousness, that students should skip admissions interviews if they are anorexic or if they are "so contentious they will inevitably get into a verbal battle with the interviewer" or if they can't modify inappropriate behavior such as dressing like a neo-Nazi skinhead. Actually folks, parents of kids like those should probably be looking into therapy or nurturing care facilities instead of highly stressful college environments.
To be fair, this book does have a lot to offer, and the breadth of topics it covers is exhaustive. There are informative quotes from admissions officials at various colleges, although their definition of a top college focuses on exclusivity rather than educational opportunity. They have a large number of well-written essays that could give students ideas on how to compose effective essays of their own. Some of their advice on how to approach a teacher for a recommendation is very wise. (For example, make sure you give the teacher the opportunity to say no if she doesn't think she can write a "strong letter.")
Still, I do not recommend this book because of the atmosphere it creates. My favorite is the Fiske Guide to Getting into the Right College. It's the most readable and concise. (How to Get into the Top Colleges is very thick and probably too overwhelming for busy students. It's really geared for the parent consumed with the prestige schools.). Fiske also creates a calming atmosphere. While not as clear as Fiske, I think families that insist on focusing only on the elite colleges would do pretty well with Admissions Matters by Sally Springer. It prepares students for the application process without scaring them and goes into more detail on application strategies for the toughest schools than Fiske.
Honestly, How to Get into the Top Colleges would probably help the kind of student with stellar GPA's and incredible test scores who will only look at schools like Swarthmore and Stanford. But if you find that the things in the book are making you hyperventilate, stop reading it and buy a different title.
Best college guide on the market for parents!.......2006-03-07
As both an educator and parent, I have read most of the college guides on the market written primarily for parents going through the college application and selection process for the first time. This comprehensive publication clearly explains all parts of the college application and how they are weighted by those who will ultimateley determine ones admittance or rejection. The authors' explanation of the early decision and early action options are the best I have read anywhere. There are many helpful suggestions for evaluating the college rating guides, visiting campuses and writing effective essays. Selecting the right college from the 5000+ choices across the nation can be a daunting task. Today, tuitions in private colleges can run between 140,000 and 170,000 dollars for a four year degree. Parents must become more informed and involved in this very important and expensive decision. To this end, How to Get Into the Top Colleges, is one of the best resources available to both parents and students alike. Good-luck!
a practical college guide book.......2004-09-26
This book is strongly recommended to those who have almost no idea of applying for colleges. It contains almost everything throughout the whole process you will encounter. NOTE: this book is designed mainly for general white american citizens or green card holders. If you are a minority or international student, there's not much information that is suitable for you.
Book Description
Innovative and on the cutting edge, Visionary Selling shows you how to sell effectively to top decision makers by going beyond the hard sell of a specific product to aligning with the broader vision of top management.
As a result of reengineering and the trend towards new "horizontal" management structures, top executives are more accessible and more responsive to outside sources of information and ideas. By discovering customers' vision and formulating innovative ideas to enhance their businesses, salespeople can "cross the boundary" of sales to perform as business allies in a collaboration to fulfill the vision of their customers. The sales results can be spectacular.
In this practical and informative book, top saleswoman and professional trainer Barbara Geraghty explains that the best way to sell to a CEO or other top-level executive is to learn to think like one. Her Visionary Selling program will guide you through every step of this innovative process, using helpful true-life examples of how salespeople have used this approach effectively. You'll also learn how to discover the customer's vision, values, and core competencies; how to package the information into a strategic collaboration; and how to communicate a pertinent story that adds value at the executive level. With her gift for making complex ideas accessible, Geraghty explains:
How to "cross the boundary" of sales and become a business ally of your customers
How to turn gatekeepers into allies (illustrated by success and horror stories from CEO administrative assistants at Fortune 500 companies)
How to use the Internet to research industry issues, specific company information, and marketplace trends and opportunities
How to approach executives through e-mail with compelling ideas and valuable information for their businesses
How to craft a pertinent and provocative presentation that contains key elements of interest and value to an executive
Challenging its readers to look beyond the product to the achievement of a long-term alliance with their customers, Visionary Selling will be the turning point in the careers of salespeople everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
A Solid Sales Process to Follow.......2007-02-11
This is a book that encourages research and doing your homework prior to engaging a business prospect. Very much common sense in the overall approach, but common sense is very uncommon. The information you need to get ahead in the sales arena is likely at your fingertips, but you've got to invest a little time to find it and put it together in a format that benefits you throughout the sales process.
A good book that outlines a solid approach to selling in today's marketplace.
SELLING TO TOP DECISION MAKERS.......2002-06-13
OK this one is easy.... Geraghty has compiled a very unique primer not just in selling, but in selling to top decision makers. The book's major spin is that one incorporates the corporate vision of the target client into one's sales spin --- by identifying with common visions and common ideals. The prospective client sees more of a common interest between your company and their own company and are (surprise, surprise!) more willing to plunk money down on the botton line and hire you/use you/ use your product/ services.
For that simple, but very effective advice Geraghty has created a book at least somewhat different from the standard sales tomes that litter the shelves in the low brow business section of bookstores (usually next to Zig Zigler).
The first half of the book articulates Geraghty's visionary Philosopshy and is the best. The last part tells how to incorporate the philosophy into actual presentation details. It is also good. There is a tendancy for the uninitiated or those with no sense of self-evaluation however, to present and merely mirror the image of the client company (I have seen this numerous times). What then happens is that one gets a simple syncophantic ramble from the salesperson doing the pitch. If the punt is as simple as the presenter a sale may result, but business people are rarely as simple and lacking in irony as some would suggest. More often a client who is brazenly and badly flattered can easily see through the scam to the two-bit sales person who makes such a pitch.
The real strength of Geraghty's sales approach is that it really adds another weapon to the the sales person's arsenal: when wedded with honesty, critical appraisal, and consultative selling style, visionary selling is a powerful tool. As such it should part of every current business library.
Roadmap to selling high-level executives.......2002-03-17
Anyone who's read any sales books at all has usually read many. And I've read many--but most are simple rehashes of the handful of original ideas found in the rest. Barbara Geraghty's Visionary Selling stands out and is a nice addition to any sales library. Uniquely, author Geraghty provides a step by step formula for getting in synch with your C-level prospect's vision. If you've successfully sold to CEOs (and I have) you'll know that they don't really care about the details of your product's features and benefits - so forget boning up on product knowledge. What they do care about is realizing their personal or corporate vision. If you can prove to a chief executive (or any other C- or Chief- level executive) that your product or service will help them do that, you're in. This book shows you, in detail, how to demonstrate you "grok" their vision, so at least you have a chance.
I'd rate this book a definite "worth reading."
Didn't Do It For Me.......2001-12-20
Visionary Selling didn't strike me as particularly visionary. Geraghty's precept is to sell to the "C" vision. This is simply a variant of "Solution Selling" where the problem is fulfilling the executive's vision. I expected more out of Geraghty's text than the repackaging of an established idea.
Visionary Selling - a must read for C level selling.......2000-06-19
I read all books on selling as soon as they are released as part of my responsibilities at Rockwell Automation. I really like this book. It reads well,(And fast)and is full of great ideas, as well as a processs to call on executive level buying influences. It is exactly what salespeople selling today need to access the high level executives that control the money to sponsor visionary ideas. I liked the book so much I have hired Barbara to spend two days with her visionary Selling class with our 100 top sales people. All our sales managers and top sales people have read and evaluated this book as excellent.
Book Description
*From the author of the best-selling How to Be Happy Dammit *Provides short, snappy tips for busy people *In-your-face attitude and humor will appeal to readers With Gut, readers will discover the key to making amazingly smart and beneficial decisions on a daily basis: listening to their gut instincts. Working under the premise that wise decisions are always based on being attracted to opportunity, priorities, and high values, successful author Karen Salmansohn shares brief but useful tips for conquering fear and self-doubt, learning to tap into instinct, and relishing the consequent rewards.
Customer Reviews:
Trust your intuition it's just like going fishing..........2007-08-17
This little volume is chock full of wit and wisdom that can change your life. Gut teaches one to listen not from your head but from the butterflies in your stomach; to hear with your heart and to take action from that place of inner knowing. Attention must be paid if you really, really want to succeed. It's readable, re-readable, portable and giftable.
Get this book.
Use your gut and read this book!.......2007-08-17
This book is written in an engaging, simple, and practical style with exercises designed to help you flourish and be more successful in your career or entrepreneurial pursuits.
Book Description
This insider look at succeeding as a CTO and technology professional is written by C-Level executives (CEOs, CFOs, CTOs, CMOs) from the world's leading companies. Each executive shares their knowledge on how to get an edge in business, from managing your technology resources to continuing to learn in your field to understanding other areas in your company better (such as marketing, finance, operations, hr). Pulling from every book, report and journal published by Aspatore Books, also covered are over 250 specific, proven innovative strategies and methodologies practiced by leading executives and technology professionals that have helped them gain an edge. This report is designed to give you insight into the leading executives of the world, and assist you in developing additional "special skills" that can help you be even more successful as a technology professional. Also included in this report is a special section written by Mark Minevich, former CTO of IBM, on the job responsibilities and resources a CTO needs to be successful.
WRITTEN BY C-LEVEL EXECUTIVES FROM COMPANIES AT: Advanced Fibre Communications, American Express, American Standard Companies, AmeriVest Properties, AT Kearney, AT&T Wireless, Bank of America, Barclays, BDO Seidman, BearingPoint (Formerly KPMG Consulting), BEA Systems, Best Buy, BMC Software, Boeing, Booz-Allen Hamilton, Corning, Countrywide, Credit Suisse First Boston, Deutsche Bank, Drake Beam Morin, Duke Energy, Ernst & Young, FedEx, First Consulting Group, Ford Motor Co., Frost & Sullivan, General Electric, IBM, Interpublic Group, KPMG, LandAmerica, Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, Merrill Lynch, Micron Technology, Milliman & Robertson, Novell, Office Depot, On Semiconductor, Oxford Health, PeopleSoft, Perot Systems, Prudential, Salomon Smith Barney, Staples, Tellabs, The Coca-Cola Company, Unilever, Verizon, VoiceStream Wireless, Webster Financial Corporation, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Yahoo!
Book Description
Do you want to get to the top? Do you want to know how to rise above the crowd and become a leader in your field? Then this is the audio book for you. In How to Get to the Top, bestselling author Jeffrey J. Fox combines his own experience as an extremely successful entrepreneur with lessons learned at the family dinner table by business leaders such as Howard Schultz, Chairman of Starbucks; Tom Chappell, founder of Tom’s of Maine; Leslie Blodgett, CEO of Bare Escentuals; and George Steinbrenner, principal owner of the New York Yankees. The essential guide on how to get to the top—and stay there—this compelling audiobook contains hard-hitting advice on independence and self-reliance, management dynamics, and problem solving, including:
• Speak sweetly: You may have to eat your words
• Tip as if you were the tippee
• Act like you own the place
• You have to know the rules to break them
• Never be late
• Always compliment the chef...especially at home
• Teach your girls to whistle
• Spend the company’s money as you would your own
• Don’t teach the quarterback to catch
Customer Reviews:
Basic advice that applies to just about any walk of life.......2007-07-14
Jeffrey J. Fox is rapidly becoming one of my favorite
business authors . . . his HOW TO BECOME A
RAINMAKER is a "must" read for anybody in the
field of marketing . . . I'd now add his latest,
HOW TO GET TO THE TOP, to that same list--but
also involve virtually anybody else involved in any
aspect of business . . . those involved with non-profit
organizations and/or in education would benefit from it, too.
Fox took based his lessons on a series of lessons he
learned at the family dinner table from such business
leaders as Jim Donald, CEO of Starbucks; Tom Chappell,
founder of Tom's of Maine; Leslile Blodgett, CEO of
Bare Essentials; and George Steinbrenner, owner of
the New York Yankees.
Some of the advice seems very basic, but in thinking
about it, I wonder how often I don't do it more often; e.g.,
keeping the following in mind:
* Everyone is a tipper. Tip as if you were the tippee. Yesterday's
tippee might be tomorrow's tipper.
I also liked what he said about complaining:
* Be like Mom: No matter the pain, don't complain. As one at the
top puts it: "In all the years, over forty, that my mother was
a single mom, despite poverty, crippling ailments, heartbreaking
setbacks, the one thing my mother never once did was to
complain. Not once."
Lastly, there was this suggestion that made so much sense that
I'm amazed that so few store owners never thought of it previously
(but then again, neither did I):
* Windows are for window-shopping. Walking through your doors
is the first customer action that precedes a sale. Why deface your
stores and windows with, for example, credit card stickers and
news of community events? Customers expect businesses to
accept all credit cards. Turning your doors into a credit card
collage is unnecessary, irrelevant. Your windows are not bulletin
boards. They are a place to display merchandise, to entertain
customers, to attract customers. If you feel the need to display
the ads and flyers announcing the Lions Club pancake breakfast,
pin them to a bulletin board in the back of your store. Interested
customers will have to walk by your merchandise to read the
notices. Take a lesson from the master merchants of Fifth Avenue
in New York City. Their holiday window displays make the stores
a destination, generate publicity, and enhance the shopping
experience.
My only criticism of this otherwise excellent book had to do
with his list of contributors at the end . . . he includes them,
almost as an afterthought, and they have little relationship
to the individual chapters . . . I would have much preferred
seeing what exactly Steinbrenner or any other business
leader actually taught Fox.
The Big Umbrella.......2007-07-04
Unlike his earlier books, this one has no overarching theme---it is a bunch of good advide, in short bullet like chapters, with an umbrella like title as an excuse to pull them together. But the advice is well worth it, delivered as Fox always does---direct and to the point. Upset with a boss or colleague? Ask what's in it for you to take them on. Can't close the deal? Hey, it's like the person you have dated for 5 years---it's you who must pop the question; same with business. Want to know what's going on? The sales force knows. They are the ones closest to the action. And, always, always remember---nothing is more important than getting and keeping good customers. A good vacation book---small and portable.
Sometimes it "rains" indoors.......2007-05-31
I have read and then reviewed all of Jeff Fox's previous books and thus was eager to read his newest one in which he shares "business lessons learned at the dinner table" while he and other contributors to this volume were growing up. Of special interest to me is how skillfully Fox uses real-world situations to illustrate the lessons' practical value.
For example, one story in Chapter II focuses on Guiseppe ("Joe") Italo who was the only person at work one Saturday, sorting and distributing his company's mail. He answered a call from an especially important customer who had an emergency. Joe solved the problem by hiring a helicopter to deliver the needed product. Later, the chairman of Joe's company (a "notoriously tightfisted skinflint") was outraged to learn about the incident. Then he received a call from the customer. "I am president of [a U.S. automobile manufacturer]. I was told that you have a guy working there who saved my company maybe millions of dollars. I think is name is Joe Italo, or something like that. Please bill us for the helicopter, and be assured that we will never forget what you did for us." Joe was willing to go (as Napoleon Hill would describe it) "the extra mile" but he also demonstrates the power and value of personal initiative. In this context, I am reminded that there are only two rules for Nordstrom's employees: #1 Use good judgment and #2 See rule #1.
Throughout his narrative, Fox cites dozens of other examples, many of them contributed by a diverse group individuals who also learned valuable lessons from "the kitchen table, or its equivalent" that has been "the center of families of all cultures in all places since the cavemen discovered fire." Of special interest to me is Fox's observation that, to get to the top, become an effective multi-tasker: "juggle like Mom. Meticulously manage your time. Keep a list. Stay organized. Be relentless. Get a lot done every day. Plan. Be on time. Stay healthy. Don't complain. Be like Mom: No matter the pain, don't complain."
I especially appreciate Fox's wit that adds a special seasoning to the series of observations. Here's a brief selection, obviously out of context:
"Speak sweetly, you may have to eat your words."
"Tip as if you were the tippee."
"Bad ROT is bad return on time."
The rainmaker's S.W. Rule: "Some will. Some won't. So what?"
"Let the customer park as close to your cash register as possible. You park in the rain. Be a rainmaker."
"Keep listening until you hear ka-ching."
"Always be ready to play. And never forget your playing shoes."
"If you are reluctant to bring a [job] candidate home for dinner, don't invite him, and don't hire him."
"Don't give the Jewish guy a pork roast."
"Sour milk is bad. Sour grapes is worse."
In several of his previous books, Fox has shared his thoughts about "rainmaking" which, in essence, is the process by which to create or increase demand for whatever one offers while establishing and then sustaining mutually beneficial relationships with everyone involved in the given enterprise. Quantify (i.e. "dollarize") the value of what you offer to each prospect and customer and you will create "rain." Preferably, a deluge of new and repeat business. Here's the formula: Rain = revenue.
In How to Get to the Top, Fox brilliantly uses an extended metaphor, the dinner table, when asserting that for everyone - as children, spouses, parents, and grandparents - there are important life lessons as well as business lessons to be learned at the dinner table, wherever it may be, whoever else is seated around it. Frankly, until I began to read this book, I was uncertain what Fox means by "the top," especially the recurring reference to CEO in the titles of his earlier works. One man's opinion (mine), I think for Fox and everyone else, "the top" is not a location nor even a destination; rather, it is a process by which to become the very best human being each of us can be. That process never ends because each of us will always be a "work in progress." If we can apply the lessons to be learned from others, and if we can also learn from our own experiences (especially failures, setbacks, and disappointments), we can - and will - become better human beings. In other words, rain = wisdom.
That is Jeff Fox's hope for those who read his book. It is a great and admirable expectation.
Books:
- How to Practice : The Way to a Meaningful Life
- How to Start, Operate and Market a Freelance Notary Signing Agent Business
- How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches
- How To Write A Proposal That's Accepted Every Time
- How To Write A Proposal That's Accepted Every Time
- I Hate Red, You're Fired!: The Colorful Life of an Interior Designer
- Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone
- Insider Secrets to Financing Your Real Estate Investments: What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Finding and Financing Your Next Deal
- Journey to the Emerald City: Achieve A Competitive Edge by Creating A Culture of Accountability
- Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life
- O Jerusalem
- College Mathematics for Business, Economics, Life Sciences and Social Sciences
- De la Bourdonnais versus MacDonnell, 1834: The Eighty-five Games Of Their Six Chess Matches, With Ex
- History: Fiction or Science
- Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall: An Artist's Country Estate
- Juan Alvarado Governor of California 1836-1842
- Accounting and Finance for Non-Specialists
- Debt's Dominion: A History of Bankruptcy Law in America
- Ferns of the Coastal Plain: Their Lore, Legends and Uses
General
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The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 11th Edition
Your MBA Game Plan: Proven Strategies for Getting into the Top Business Schools
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