Discover the Simple way to Success in business, Richard Walters

Published by Harris Walters


Great tips for business owners

The eagle-eyed will have spotted the absence of an ISBN number above. I have a rule only to review books that have some kind of distribution, however feeble, and that generally rules out anything without an ISBN. However I am making an exception in this case because I believe this to be a very useful piece of work.

Harris Walters is a firm of accountants and, according to his biographical notes, partner Richard Walters has written a number of books for the business market.

Why do I like this book so much? Because it keeps the promise of the title – it is SIMPLE. Simple to understand, simple to read and simply covers the basics.

Mr Walters begins by getting the reader to consider what he or she really wants by asking “what is the most important thing to you about being in business?” Being different, asking the right questions, taking one step at a time and13 other vital steps are covered in the first few pages. I fact, in a total of less than 110 pages we cover sales and marketing, business management, people skills and vision and innovation. And it is done succinctly and SIMPLY.

Small enough to slip in your pocket, this book will repay its reading many times over. Not available on Amazon or even, so far as I can find out, from good booksellers, you will have to contact Harris Walters direct and part with about a tenner ($20) for your copy.

Well worth the trouble – http://www.harriswalters.co.uk/

Persuasion, James Borg

Published by Pearson

Buy it now from Blackwell Books

The world’s best-selling book on persuasion

That’s what it says on the cover of the second edition – and I’m baffled. Okay, it’s not a bad book, but it’s not a great book.

For a start, there are some really irritating bits. He quotes the tired old Albert Mehrabian stuff about the relative importance of visual, vocal and verbal information. But he has clearly not read the research, or has not understood it. This then brings into question his interpretations of other research and indeed his assertions throughout the book.

He also attempts to cover body language and memory, but does so superficially. To be fair, each requires a book of its own so I felt he would have been better giving less information and recommending further research; there is no bibliography which would have been a great help.

So, having dealt with my reservations, what is there to recommend?

I found the discussions of empathy, sincerity and listening/attention interesting and useful.

Psycholinguistics (saying the right thing at the right time is Borg’s simplification of this daunting word), difficult people and the personality spectrum are also sections that reward the reader.

On balance, probably a long-haul read that may repay you with a couple of useful ideas, if the airport bookstall has nothing more stimulating to offer.

Simply Success, Jack Miller

Published by Wiley

Buy it now from Blackwell Books

Sound advice for entrepreneurs

Jack Miller founded Quill Corporation in 1956 with the help of a $2,000 loan from his father-in-law and a phone line in his father’s poultry store. In 1998 he sold out to Staples for a little under $700,000,000.

Not bad for a man who rates himself as only averagely intelligent!

Mr Miller is an old-fashioned businessman who believes in hard work and putting the customer first. Not in the glib “our customers are paramount” lip service that is almost universal today, but simply by treating customers as he would family, neighbours and friends (my interpretation, not his).

In this delightful to read book he expounds his philosophy and tells the story of Quill. He talks about the importance of having a vision, of strategic planning, of budgeting and all the other things you would expect. But he talks with his own voice, not the platitudes of the business school and is twice as readable as a result.

He talks about what it takes to be an entrepreneur, to build a healthy corporate culture and to grow into leadership. Above all he is passionate about what made his business different – its unfailing concern to provide a better customer experience than any of its rivals.

He is frank about the mistakes he has made and about the things he wishes he had done differently; but this is at heart a success story; success founded on old-fashioned values that are as relevant this century as they were when Jack and his brothers were building what became the Quill Corporation.

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