kristel, 19 Mar 2008
I am fashion business entrepreneur and also a fashion designer. Although I ve been trained in many areas of management within start ups companies and studied fashion design, i knew I needed to read more about fashion retailing. I bought this book to help me to understand more specifically the dynamics of a business structure within the fashion retailing industry and the balance between business and design.
I must say that this book is almost like a bible to me. It is a very good base to start organising a start up...but of course business is an art and there is not a definite picture to it and one have to adapt things. But the authors of this book achieved their goal in compiling it.
:-D quite long but the book deserves a long review!


A must for all students, 07 Dec 2003
This book is extremely well written and great as an introduction to many areas of the fasion industry. Very easy to read. It is very thorough, and has a sense of humour too.

I am actually lucky enough to currently be a student to one of the authors of this book, and it is as good as being in one of his lectures.
I have worked myself in fashion and was able to indentify with many chapters in this book from my own experiences, - plus, there are plenty of new areas that I have learnt about!

Excellent source of information for all aspects of fashion, 06 Jan 2002
An easy read even for the fashion layman, all idea's behind buying,marketing and merchandising exposed, I researched topics in a business library prior to reading the book, only to discover that it was a waste of time because everything I needed was in the book...

kristel, 19 Mar 2008
I am fashion business entrepreneur and also a fashion designer. Although I ve been trained in many areas of management within start ups companies and studied fashion design, i knew I needed to read more about fashion retailing. I bought this book to help me to understand more specifically the dynamics of a business structure within the fashion retailing industry and the balance between business and design.
I must say that this book is almost like a bible to me. It is a very good base to start organising a start up...but of course business is an art and there is not a definite picture to it and one have to adapt things. But the authors of this book achieved their goal in compiling it.
:-D quite long but the book deserves a long review!


A must for all students, 07 Dec 2003
This book is extremely well written and great as an introduction to many areas of the fasion industry. Very easy to read. It is very thorough, and has a sense of humour too.

I am actually lucky enough to currently be a student to one of the authors of this book, and it is as good as being in one of his lectures.
I have worked myself in fashion and was able to indentify with many chapters in this book from my own experiences, - plus, there are plenty of new areas that I have learnt about!

Excellent source of information for all aspects of fashion, 06 Jan 2002
An easy read even for the fashion layman, all idea's behind buying,marketing and merchandising exposed, I researched topics in a business library prior to reading the book, only to discover that it was a waste of time because everything I needed was in the book...

Tells you all about the world of fashion buying!, 15 Jan 2002
I read this book hoping to gain some knowledge into the world of fashion buying, an area which I am interested in persuing a career in. The content of the book is excellent for a first timer like myself with no real knowledge of what happens in the industry. The book begins by explaininf the role of a buyer in brief and chapter by chapter explains who you work with, where you may work, recruitment processes, case studies and practical on the job information (such as how sizing, costing etc works). Having read the book I am now certain that I want to be in the industry and I'm satisfied that I am a good person for the job too having read the section on necessary qualifications and characteristics! An excellent all rounder which I have certainly recommnded to my friends.

kristel, 19 Mar 2008
I am fashion business entrepreneur and also a fashion designer. Although I ve been trained in many areas of management within start ups companies and studied fashion design, i knew I needed to read more about fashion retailing. I bought this book to help me to understand more specifically the dynamics of a business structure within the fashion retailing industry and the balance between business and design.
I must say that this book is almost like a bible to me. It is a very good base to start organising a start up...but of course business is an art and there is not a definite picture to it and one have to adapt things. But the authors of this book achieved their goal in compiling it.
:-D quite long but the book deserves a long review!


A must for all students, 07 Dec 2003
This book is extremely well written and great as an introduction to many areas of the fasion industry. Very easy to read. It is very thorough, and has a sense of humour too.

I am actually lucky enough to currently be a student to one of the authors of this book, and it is as good as being in one of his lectures.
I have worked myself in fashion and was able to indentify with many chapters in this book from my own experiences, - plus, there are plenty of new areas that I have learnt about!

Excellent source of information for all aspects of fashion, 06 Jan 2002
An easy read even for the fashion layman, all idea's behind buying,marketing and merchandising exposed, I researched topics in a business library prior to reading the book, only to discover that it was a waste of time because everything I needed was in the book...

Tells you all about the world of fashion buying!, 15 Jan 2002
I read this book hoping to gain some knowledge into the world of fashion buying, an area which I am interested in persuing a career in. The content of the book is excellent for a first timer like myself with no real knowledge of what happens in the industry. The book begins by explaininf the role of a buyer in brief and chapter by chapter explains who you work with, where you may work, recruitment processes, case studies and practical on the job information (such as how sizing, costing etc works). Having read the book I am now certain that I want to be in the industry and I'm satisfied that I am a good person for the job too having read the section on necessary qualifications and characteristics! An excellent all rounder which I have certainly recommnded to my friends.

Good for students and practitioners alike., 25 Sep 2001
Kenneth Lysons has written a comprehensive and understandable book covering the complex subject of purchasing and supply. He manages to cover the difficult subject of commercial buying whilst relating it to the wider supply chain challanges. It is a reference book for practitioners and a text book for students. It is well worth having on your shelf.

kristel, 19 Mar 2008
I am fashion business entrepreneur and also a fashion designer. Although I ve been trained in many areas of management within start ups companies and studied fashion design, i knew I needed to read more about fashion retailing. I bought this book to help me to understand more specifically the dynamics of a business structure within the fashion retailing industry and the balance between business and design.
I must say that this book is almost like a bible to me. It is a very good base to start organising a start up...but of course business is an art and there is not a definite picture to it and one have to adapt things. But the authors of this book achieved their goal in compiling it.
:-D quite long but the book deserves a long review!


A must for all students, 07 Dec 2003
This book is extremely well written and great as an introduction to many areas of the fasion industry. Very easy to read. It is very thorough, and has a sense of humour too.

I am actually lucky enough to currently be a student to one of the authors of this book, and it is as good as being in one of his lectures.
I have worked myself in fashion and was able to indentify with many chapters in this book from my own experiences, - plus, there are plenty of new areas that I have learnt about!

Excellent source of information for all aspects of fashion, 06 Jan 2002
An easy read even for the fashion layman, all idea's behind buying,marketing and merchandising exposed, I researched topics in a business library prior to reading the book, only to discover that it was a waste of time because everything I needed was in the book...

Tells you all about the world of fashion buying!, 15 Jan 2002
I read this book hoping to gain some knowledge into the world of fashion buying, an area which I am interested in persuing a career in. The content of the book is excellent for a first timer like myself with no real knowledge of what happens in the industry. The book begins by explaininf the role of a buyer in brief and chapter by chapter explains who you work with, where you may work, recruitment processes, case studies and practical on the job information (such as how sizing, costing etc works). Having read the book I am now certain that I want to be in the industry and I'm satisfied that I am a good person for the job too having read the section on necessary qualifications and characteristics! An excellent all rounder which I have certainly recommnded to my friends.

Good for students and practitioners alike., 25 Sep 2001
Kenneth Lysons has written a comprehensive and understandable book covering the complex subject of purchasing and supply. He manages to cover the difficult subject of commercial buying whilst relating it to the wider supply chain challanges. It is a reference book for practitioners and a text book for students. It is well worth having on your shelf.

Invaluable reference book, 26 Oct 2006
This is an excellently written and well laid out reference book, covering all aspects of logistics and distribution. Every topic is described and explained in a clear and easily readable style. Some of the sections give logical processes for designing and selecting the physical aspects, which are not available elsewhere. If you only have room for one book on logistics, make sure it is this one.

Complete reference and an easy read, 25 Jan 2001
This book covers all the major aspects of logistics today. I have used it extensively as part of my studies and would recommend anyone who is studying any logistics-related course to buy this book. It really is THE logistics handbook. Well worth the investment.

kristel, 19 Mar 2008
I am fashion business entrepreneur and also a fashion designer. Although I ve been trained in many areas of management within start ups companies and studied fashion design, i knew I needed to read more about fashion retailing. I bought this book to help me to understand more specifically the dynamics of a business structure within the fashion retailing industry and the balance between business and design.
I must say that this book is almost like a bible to me. It is a very good base to start organising a start up...but of course business is an art and there is not a definite picture to it and one have to adapt things. But the authors of this book achieved their goal in compiling it.
:-D quite long but the book deserves a long review!


A must for all students, 07 Dec 2003
This book is extremely well written and great as an introduction to many areas of the fasion industry. Very easy to read. It is very thorough, and has a sense of humour too.

I am actually lucky enough to currently be a student to one of the authors of this book, and it is as good as being in one of his lectures.
I have worked myself in fashion and was able to indentify with many chapters in this book from my own experiences, - plus, there are plenty of new areas that I have learnt about!

Excellent source of information for all aspects of fashion, 06 Jan 2002
An easy read even for the fashion layman, all idea's behind buying,marketing and merchandising exposed, I researched topics in a business library prior to reading the book, only to discover that it was a waste of time because everything I needed was in the book...

Tells you all about the world of fashion buying!, 15 Jan 2002
I read this book hoping to gain some knowledge into the world of fashion buying, an area which I am interested in persuing a career in. The content of the book is excellent for a first timer like myself with no real knowledge of what happens in the industry. The book begins by explaininf the role of a buyer in brief and chapter by chapter explains who you work with, where you may work, recruitment processes, case studies and practical on the job information (such as how sizing, costing etc works). Having read the book I am now certain that I want to be in the industry and I'm satisfied that I am a good person for the job too having read the section on necessary qualifications and characteristics! An excellent all rounder which I have certainly recommnded to my friends.

Good for students and practitioners alike., 25 Sep 2001
Kenneth Lysons has written a comprehensive and understandable book covering the complex subject of purchasing and supply. He manages to cover the difficult subject of commercial buying whilst relating it to the wider supply chain challanges. It is a reference book for practitioners and a text book for students. It is well worth having on your shelf.

Invaluable reference book, 26 Oct 2006
This is an excellently written and well laid out reference book, covering all aspects of logistics and distribution. Every topic is described and explained in a clear and easily readable style. Some of the sections give logical processes for designing and selecting the physical aspects, which are not available elsewhere. If you only have room for one book on logistics, make sure it is this one.

Complete reference and an easy read, 25 Jan 2001
This book covers all the major aspects of logistics today. I have used it extensively as part of my studies and would recommend anyone who is studying any logistics-related course to buy this book. It really is THE logistics handbook. Well worth the investment.

The shopaholics guide to Buying for Mother And Child Online, 03 Jul 2007
What an absolute fabulous book, if only we had read this book when i was pregnant, this book has a website for practically every thing you need from maternity clothes to prams, safety equipment in the home, birth annoucments, baby showers, 1st birthday parties, absolutely everything you need, this book is a must, also take a look at her other books, you will never go in a shop again - Bliss

kristel, 19 Mar 2008
I am fashion business entrepreneur and also a fashion designer. Although I ve been trained in many areas of management within start ups companies and studied fashion design, i knew I needed to read more about fashion retailing. I bought this book to help me to understand more specifically the dynamics of a business structure within the fashion retailing industry and the balance between business and design.
I must say that this book is almost like a bible to me. It is a very good base to start organising a start up...but of course business is an art and there is not a definite picture to it and one have to adapt things. But the authors of this book achieved their goal in compiling it.
:-D quite long but the book deserves a long review!


A must for all students, 07 Dec 2003
This book is extremely well written and great as an introduction to many areas of the fasion industry. Very easy to read. It is very thorough, and has a sense of humour too.

I am actually lucky enough to currently be a student to one of the authors of this book, and it is as good as being in one of his lectures.
I have worked myself in fashion and was able to indentify with many chapters in this book from my own experiences, - plus, there are plenty of new areas that I have learnt about!

Excellent source of information for all aspects of fashion, 06 Jan 2002
An easy read even for the fashion layman, all idea's behind buying,marketing and merchandising exposed, I researched topics in a business library prior to reading the book, only to discover that it was a waste of time because everything I needed was in the book...

Tells you all about the world of fashion buying!, 15 Jan 2002
I read this book hoping to gain some knowledge into the world of fashion buying, an area which I am interested in persuing a career in. The content of the book is excellent for a first timer like myself with no real knowledge of what happens in the industry. The book begins by explaininf the role of a buyer in brief and chapter by chapter explains who you work with, where you may work, recruitment processes, case studies and practical on the job information (such as how sizing, costing etc works). Having read the book I am now certain that I want to be in the industry and I'm satisfied that I am a good person for the job too having read the section on necessary qualifications and characteristics! An excellent all rounder which I have certainly recommnded to my friends.

Good for students and practitioners alike., 25 Sep 2001
Kenneth Lysons has written a comprehensive and understandable book covering the complex subject of purchasing and supply. He manages to cover the difficult subject of commercial buying whilst relating it to the wider supply chain challanges. It is a reference book for practitioners and a text book for students. It is well worth having on your shelf.

Invaluable reference book, 26 Oct 2006
This is an excellently written and well laid out reference book, covering all aspects of logistics and distribution. Every topic is described and explained in a clear and easily readable style. Some of the sections give logical processes for designing and selecting the physical aspects, which are not available elsewhere. If you only have room for one book on logistics, make sure it is this one.

Complete reference and an easy read, 25 Jan 2001
This book covers all the major aspects of logistics today. I have used it extensively as part of my studies and would recommend anyone who is studying any logistics-related course to buy this book. It really is THE logistics handbook. Well worth the investment.

The shopaholics guide to Buying for Mother And Child Online, 03 Jul 2007
What an absolute fabulous book, if only we had read this book when i was pregnant, this book has a website for practically every thing you need from maternity clothes to prams, safety equipment in the home, birth annoucments, baby showers, 1st birthday parties, absolutely everything you need, this book is a must, also take a look at her other books, you will never go in a shop again - Bliss

A structured approach works for strategic or implementation, 16 May 1999
This book provides such a straight forward roadmap for outsourcing projects/decisions that I wish I had more projects to evaluate/manage. The roadmap provided is usable on the strategic decision or on the implementation of an outsourcing decision. I found it easy to read but also I found it an easy reference as a project unfolds.

OUTSOURCING ELIMINATES STALLS, 15 Apr 1999
I was pleasantly surprised by STRATEGIC OUTCOURCING which deals not only with what to outsource but how to make the outsourcing decision using key two questions: Is this a core or strategic area? and What do I save and gain by outsourcing this activity? Peter Drucker believes that the reason to outsource is to free up critical management time to work on important things. If you happen to save some money in the process, that is an added benefit, but not the outsourcing driver. STRATEGIC OUTSOURCING also deals with the people and transitional issues, and how to manage the business and the employees once the activity is outsourced. If you have not outsourced anything except payroll and tax before, you must read this book. Another process that you must pursue primarily because of the time saved for management is described in THE 2,000 PERCENT SOLUTION, by Mitchell, Coles and Metz. They describe a unique approach to achieve your goals in 1/20th the time by identifying and eliminating the stalls to progress and focusing on the best possible ways to reach your objective. Outsourcing may be one of them! I highly recommend both books.

The best book I have read on outsourcing..., 13 Apr 1999
Maurice Greaver has written a comprehensive and practical guide for any senior executive considering or currently undertaking an outsourcing initiative within their organization. The book clearly outlines and defines the issues to be considered when making outsourcing decisions along with the pitfalls to be avoided. Maurice Greaver has done this by developing a well defined process along with case studies, examples, and graphics to illustrate his process. These also make the book far more interesting to read than most other outsourcing books on the market. This book is a must read for every organization's senior management team or for anyone interested in contemporary business issues and solutions.

BEST PROCESS FOR IMPLEMENTING OUTSOURCING DECISIONS, 04 Apr 1999
Our firm regularly benchmarks the outsourcing done by major corporations, and the most notable thing about this is that most companies do not have a well-thought-through process for outsourcing. This book provides a solution for that problem. To decide if you should outsource, you need to know how you measure up compared to the alternatives of eliminating the activity, simplifying it, improving it, and automating it. A major advantage of outsourcing that is demonstrated in our research is that it allows you to focus on doing fewer, more important things better (creating 2,000 percent solutions -- getting 20 times the results with the same resources or 20 times faster results). Even if you adopt this process, you will want to exceed it in the future, so be sure you anticipate where the future best practice will be in outsourcing and what the ideal best practice is. Then be sure you exceed the future best practice and approach the ideal best practice. Do buy, read, enjoy, and apply the lessons of this excellent book to overcome your stalls about how to do outsourcing successfully.

kristel, 19 Mar 2008
I am fashion business entrepreneur and also a fashion designer. Although I ve been trained in many areas of management within start ups companies and studied fashion design, i knew I needed to read more about fashion retailing. I bought this book to help me to understand more specifically the dynamics of a business structure within the fashion retailing industry and the balance between business and design.
I must say that this book is almost like a bible to me. It is a very good base to start organising a start up...but of course business is an art and there is not a definite picture to it and one have to adapt things. But the authors of this book achieved their goal in compiling it.
:-D quite long but the book deserves a long review!


A must for all students, 07 Dec 2003
This book is extremely well written and great as an introduction to many areas of the fasion industry. Very easy to read. It is very thorough, and has a sense of humour too.

I am actually lucky enough to currently be a student to one of the authors of this book, and it is as good as being in one of his lectures.
I have worked myself in fashion and was able to indentify with many chapters in this book from my own experiences, - plus, there are plenty of new areas that I have learnt about!

Excellent source of information for all aspects of fashion, 06 Jan 2002
An easy read even for the fashion layman, all idea's behind buying,marketing and merchandising exposed, I researched topics in a business library prior to reading the book, only to discover that it was a waste of time because everything I needed was in the book...

Tells you all about the world of fashion buying!, 15 Jan 2002
I read this book hoping to gain some knowledge into the world of fashion buying, an area which I am interested in persuing a career in. The content of the book is excellent for a first timer like myself with no real knowledge of what happens in the industry. The book begins by explaininf the role of a buyer in brief and chapter by chapter explains who you work with, where you may work, recruitment processes, case studies and practical on the job information (such as how sizing, costing etc works). Having read the book I am now certain that I want to be in the industry and I'm satisfied that I am a good person for the job too having read the section on necessary qualifications and characteristics! An excellent all rounder which I have certainly recommnded to my friends.

Good for students and practitioners alike., 25 Sep 2001
Kenneth Lysons has written a comprehensive and understandable book covering the complex subject of purchasing and supply. He manages to cover the difficult subject of commercial buying whilst relating it to the wider supply chain challanges. It is a reference book for practitioners and a text book for students. It is well worth having on your shelf.

Invaluable reference book, 26 Oct 2006
This is an excellently written and well laid out reference book, covering all aspects of logistics and distribution. Every topic is described and explained in a clear and easily readable style. Some of the sections give logical processes for designing and selecting the physical aspects, which are not available elsewhere. If you only have room for one book on logistics, make sure it is this one.

Complete reference and an easy read, 25 Jan 2001
This book covers all the major aspects of logistics today. I have used it extensively as part of my studies and would recommend anyone who is studying any logistics-related course to buy this book. It really is THE logistics handbook. Well worth the investment.

The shopaholics guide to Buying for Mother And Child Online, 03 Jul 2007
What an absolute fabulous book, if only we had read this book when i was pregnant, this book has a website for practically every thing you need from maternity clothes to prams, safety equipment in the home, birth annoucments, baby showers, 1st birthday parties, absolutely everything you need, this book is a must, also take a look at her other books, you will never go in a shop again - Bliss

A structured approach works for strategic or implementation, 16 May 1999
This book provides such a straight forward roadmap for outsourcing projects/decisions that I wish I had more projects to evaluate/manage. The roadmap provided is usable on the strategic decision or on the implementation of an outsourcing decision. I found it easy to read but also I found it an easy reference as a project unfolds.

OUTSOURCING ELIMINATES STALLS, 15 Apr 1999
I was pleasantly surprised by STRATEGIC OUTCOURCING which deals not only with what to outsource but how to make the outsourcing decision using key two questions: Is this a core or strategic area? and What do I save and gain by outsourcing this activity? Peter Drucker believes that the reason to outsource is to free up critical management time to work on important things. If you happen to save some money in the process, that is an added benefit, but not the outsourcing driver. STRATEGIC OUTSOURCING also deals with the people and transitional issues, and how to manage the business and the employees once the activity is outsourced. If you have not outsourced anything except payroll and tax before, you must read this book. Another process that you must pursue primarily because of the time saved for management is described in THE 2,000 PERCENT SOLUTION, by Mitchell, Coles and Metz. They describe a unique approach to achieve your goals in 1/20th the time by identifying and eliminating the stalls to progress and focusing on the best possible ways to reach your objective. Outsourcing may be one of them! I highly recommend both books.

The best book I have read on outsourcing..., 13 Apr 1999
Maurice Greaver has written a comprehensive and practical guide for any senior executive considering or currently undertaking an outsourcing initiative within their organization. The book clearly outlines and defines the issues to be considered when making outsourcing decisions along with the pitfalls to be avoided. Maurice Greaver has done this by developing a well defined process along with case studies, examples, and graphics to illustrate his process. These also make the book far more interesting to read than most other outsourcing books on the market. This book is a must read for every organization's senior management team or for anyone interested in contemporary business issues and solutions.

BEST PROCESS FOR IMPLEMENTING OUTSOURCING DECISIONS, 04 Apr 1999
Our firm regularly benchmarks the outsourcing done by major corporations, and the most notable thing about this is that most companies do not have a well-thought-through process for outsourcing. This book provides a solution for that problem. To decide if you should outsource, you need to know how you measure up compared to the alternatives of eliminating the activity, simplifying it, improving it, and automating it. A major advantage of outsourcing that is demonstrated in our research is that it allows you to focus on doing fewer, more important things better (creating 2,000 percent solutions -- getting 20 times the results with the same resources or 20 times faster results). Even if you adopt this process, you will want to exceed it in the future, so be sure you anticipate where the future best practice will be in outsourcing and what the ideal best practice is. Then be sure you exceed the future best practice and approach the ideal best practice. Do buy, read, enjoy, and apply the lessons of this excellent book to overcome your stalls about how to do outsourcing successfully.

Ever heard "Lean won't work here, we're too different"?, 01 Jul 2008
If you have ever been told "we can't do lean here, our business is too complicated"?, then this is the book for you.
The book builds on the value stream mapping techniques taught in "Learning to See" by Mike Rother & John Shook and explains how to apply them in a more complex (realistic) environment. It discusses how to deal with situations where you make a wide range of products each with varying levels of demand. How to group products into families, how to balance the operator and machine work loads to customer demand and how to schedule to maintain flow. If you are struggling to apply lean techniques in a high variety, low to medium volume environment with high demand variation, this is the book you're looking for.
Duggan Inc also run courses on the material contained in the book.

kristel, 19 Mar 2008
I am fashion business entrepreneur and also a fashion designer. Although I ve been trained in many areas of management within start ups companies and studied fashion design, i knew I needed to read more about fashion retailing. I bought this book to help me to understand more specifically the dynamics of a business structure within the fashion retailing industry and the balance between business and design.
I must say that this book is almost like a bible to me. It is a very good base to start organising a start up...but of course business is an art and there is not a definite picture to it and one have to adapt things. But the authors of this book achieved their goal in compiling it.
:-D quite long but the book deserves a long review!


A must for all students, 07 Dec 2003
This book is extremely well written and great as an introduction to many areas of the fasion industry. Very easy to read. It is very thorough, and has a sense of humour too.

I am actually lucky enough to currently be a student to one of the authors of this book, and it is as good as being in one of his lectures.
I have worked myself in fashion and was able to indentify with many chapters in this book from my own experiences, - plus, there are plenty of new areas that I have learnt about!

Excellent source of information for all aspects of fashion, 06 Jan 2002
An easy read even for the fashion layman, all idea's behind buying,marketing and merchandising exposed, I researched topics in a business library prior to reading the book, only to discover that it was a waste of time because everything I needed was in the book...

Tells you all about the world of fashion buying!, 15 Jan 2002
I read this book hoping to gain some knowledge into the world of fashion buying, an area which I am interested in persuing a career in. The content of the book is excellent for a first timer like myself with no real knowledge of what happens in the industry. The book begins by explaininf the role of a buyer in brief and chapter by chapter explains who you work with, where you may work, recruitment processes, case studies and practical on the job information (such as how sizing, costing etc works). Having read the book I am now certain that I want to be in the industry and I'm satisfied that I am a good person for the job too having read the section on necessary qualifications and characteristics! An excellent all rounder which I have certainly recommnded to my friends.

Good for students and practitioners alike., 25 Sep 2001
Kenneth Lysons has written a comprehensive and understandable book covering the complex subject of purchasing and supply. He manages to cover the difficult subject of commercial buying whilst relating it to the wider supply chain challanges. It is a reference book for practitioners and a text book for students. It is well worth having on your shelf.

Invaluable reference book, 26 Oct 2006
This is an excellently written and well laid out reference book, covering all aspects of logistics and distribution. Every topic is described and explained in a clear and easily readable style. Some of the sections give logical processes for designing and selecting the physical aspects, which are not available elsewhere. If you only have room for one book on logistics, make sure it is this one.

Complete reference and an easy read, 25 Jan 2001
This book covers all the major aspects of logistics today. I have used it extensively as part of my studies and would recommend anyone who is studying any logistics-related course to buy this book. It really is THE logistics handbook. Well worth the investment.

The shopaholics guide to Buying for Mother And Child Online, 03 Jul 2007
What an absolute fabulous book, if only we had read this book when i was pregnant, this book has a website for practically every thing you need from maternity clothes to prams, safety equipment in the home, birth annoucments, baby showers, 1st birthday parties, absolutely everything you need, this book is a must, also take a look at her other books, you will never go in a shop again - Bliss

A structured approach works for strategic or implementation, 16 May 1999
This book provides such a straight forward roadmap for outsourcing projects/decisions that I wish I had more projects to evaluate/manage. The roadmap provided is usable on the strategic decision or on the implementation of an outsourcing decision. I found it easy to read but also I found it an easy reference as a project unfolds.

OUTSOURCING ELIMINATES STALLS, 15 Apr 1999
I was pleasantly surprised by STRATEGIC OUTCOURCING which deals not only with what to outsource but how to make the outsourcing decision using key two questions: Is this a core or strategic area? and What do I save and gain by outsourcing this activity? Peter Drucker believes that the reason to outsource is to free up critical management time to work on important things. If you happen to save some money in the process, that is an added benefit, but not the outsourcing driver. STRATEGIC OUTSOURCING also deals with the people and transitional issues, and how to manage the business and the employees once the activity is outsourced. If you have not outsourced anything except payroll and tax before, you must read this book. Another process that you must pursue primarily because of the time saved for management is described in THE 2,000 PERCENT SOLUTION, by Mitchell, Coles and Metz. They describe a unique approach to achieve your goals in 1/20th the time by identifying and eliminating the stalls to progress and focusing on the best possible ways to reach your objective. Outsourcing may be one of them! I highly recommend both books.

The best book I have read on outsourcing..., 13 Apr 1999
Maurice Greaver has written a comprehensive and practical guide for any senior executive considering or currently undertaking an outsourcing initiative within their organization. The book clearly outlines and defines the issues to be considered when making outsourcing decisions along with the pitfalls to be avoided. Maurice Greaver has done this by developing a well defined process along with case studies, examples, and graphics to illustrate his process. These also make the book far more interesting to read than most other outsourcing books on the market. This book is a must read for every organization's senior management team or for anyone interested in contemporary business issues and solutions.

BEST PROCESS FOR IMPLEMENTING OUTSOURCING DECISIONS, 04 Apr 1999
Our firm regularly benchmarks the outsourcing done by major corporations, and the most notable thing about this is that most companies do not have a well-thought-through process for outsourcing. This book provides a solution for that problem. To decide if you should outsource, you need to know how you measure up compared to the alternatives of eliminating the activity, simplifying it, improving it, and automating it. A major advantage of outsourcing that is demonstrated in our research is that it allows you to focus on doing fewer, more important things better (creating 2,000 percent solutions -- getting 20 times the results with the same resources or 20 times faster results). Even if you adopt this process, you will want to exceed it in the future, so be sure you anticipate where the future best practice will be in outsourcing and what the ideal best practice is. Then be sure you exceed the future best practice and approach the ideal best practice. Do buy, read, enjoy, and apply the lessons of this excellent book to overcome your stalls about how to do outsourcing successfully.

Ever heard "Lean won't work here, we're too different"?, 01 Jul 2008
If you have ever been told "we can't do lean here, our business is too complicated"?, then this is the book for you.
The book builds on the value stream mapping techniques taught in "Learning to See" by Mike Rother & John Shook and explains how to apply them in a more complex (realistic) environment. It discusses how to deal with situations where you make a wide range of products each with varying levels of demand. How to group products into families, how to balance the operator and machine work loads to customer demand and how to schedule to maintain flow. If you are struggling to apply lean techniques in a high variety, low to medium volume environment with high demand variation, this is the book you're looking for.
Duggan Inc also run courses on the material contained in the book.

A Classic Text for Anyone involved in High-Value, Long Sales-Cycle Selling, 05 May 2008
Dating from the 1980s, Rackham's book can be considered as a classic for anyone involved in high-end, sophisticated deals that require long sales-cycles. It is dated, and I'm sure that there more current variants out there, but is still very applicable to today and serves as a good refresher of some of the core skills needed in major account selling.

Rackham spent a substantial ammount of time carrying out research, identifying what made a difference to the outcome of the sales process and what failed or made no difference. The book is full of examples.

He identifies as crucial the need for both Implication Questions, identifying the consequences of problems to increase the value perception of the vendor by the customer, and Need-Payoff Questions, focussing on the value of a solution to those problems.

Getting the customer to move from implicit to explicit needs is also well brought out in the book, again with the impact being shown through detailed research. Through explicit needs can the saleperson go on to demonstrate how their product can benefit the customer... and make the customer see that value.

This a a book for the key account salesperson involved in complex deals with sophisticated customers and one that I highly recommend. It is an easy, and fairly quick, read and can be pulled off the shelf and dipped into every now and then as a refresher.

Very useable, well presented and just what I was looking for, 19 Mar 2008
This is one of my best investments in a long time. The knowledge presented in this book is highly valuable in high-end solution sales and I recommend it to anyone in that line of business.

Worthwhile, 19 Nov 2007
SPIN-selling is definitely worth a read as although a little dated now the approach it describes is still valid in today's business climate

A strong but rather dated classic, 27 Apr 2006
Originally published at the end of the Eighties, SPIN Selling details a questioning technique that prompts prospects to identify and explore the severity of business problems, and then understand how your solution would resolve their issues.

In contrast to the aggressive and combatitive approaches before it, SPIN Selling turned the sales call into a constructive experience for the prospect and greatly lowered the number of objections received by sales people. It was so effective that it became widely recognised as the Grandfather of all modern sales techniques.

This book can genuinely claim to be a classic sales text, though it is fair to say that newer methodologies, based on SPIN, have been developed that augment and extend the core of the SPIN model. For example, some newer methodologies offer an end-to-end guide to selling (e.g. how to generate and manage opportunities, understanding the prospect company structure, precall planning, predicting successful close probability, etc), all of which are extremely useful, but absent in "SPIN Selling". Furthermore, the business environment has change significantly since the publication of this book and therefore, some of the techniques suggested in this title require "tweaking" in order to be useful today.

If you are already familiar with consultative/solution selling techniques, then you will find little helpful content in "SPIN Selling" (as what you have already read/been trained in, will probably have stemmed from SPIN in the first place!) If you do not currently employ a question-based, problem solving approach to selling, then this book will unquestionably up your sales. However, a title like "New Solution Selling" (by Keith M Eades) would provide you with a similar approach that is better suited to the temperament of today's buyers, plus you would benefit significantly from a more complete methodology to guide your sales activities.

Review from a Sales Training expert for SPIN Selling, 18 Feb 2006
SPIN Selling was based on research done by Neil Rackham on thousands of salespeople in several countries over an extensive period of time. The results of the research provided an insight into how the best salespeople operate. Like the discovery of NLP in the 1970's then SPIN techniques were already being used in the field, they just hadn't been broken down and named so they weren't being taught as such.

Even before SPIN most salespeople knew that they ought to ask questions and listen more ("Two ears, one mouth"!) but many perhaps did not know where to go with their questions to get the most effective results. Rackham for example explains how after speaking with many decision makers he discovered that simple Situation based questions can turn a decision maker off as they feel that they are educating the salesperson. Previously most salespeople may well have believed that these were building rapport!

In the SPIN methodology Rackham outlines how the salesperson should progress from Situation questions to Problem questions to Implication questions to Needs questions. This method is well explained and easily executable by someone with reasonable intelligence and a commitment to practising the techniques. The material will need tailoring for the individual and the industry however this would be expected with any methodology aimed at salespeople in general. Purchasing the SPIN Selling Fieldbook at the same time is worthwhile and will certainly help you to do this as it gets you to create your own questions and is full of tests and checks to ensure that you really have understoood the concepts and can apply them.

SPIN Selling is in my opinion a MUST READ for salespeople as the vast majority of sales systems in the marketplace today span off from SPIN (despite what some of them might say!). If you haven't got your own copy of SPIN then you should get one and read it.

Footnote: Some peoople deride SPIN saying that it is now outdated and has been improved upon. I disagree. True there are other options out there including my own "Ingham Sales System" and these systems are all slightly different with different structuring and key points however... I would still recommend all salespeople to read SPIN. If there were "must-read" texts for salespeople this book would still be in my top 10.

kristel, 19 Mar 2008
I am fashion business entrepreneur and also a fashion designer. Although I ve been trained in many areas of management within start ups companies and studied fashion design, i knew I needed to read more about fashion retailing. I bought this book to help me to understand more specifically the dynamics of a business structure within the fashion retailing industry and the balance between business and design.
I must say that this book is almost like a bible to me. It is a very good base to start organising a start up...but of course business is an art and there is not a definite picture to it and one have to adapt things. But the authors of this book achieved their goal in compiling it.
:-D quite long but the book deserves a long review!


A must for all students, 07 Dec 2003
This book is extremely well written and great as an introduction to many areas of the fasion industry. Very easy to read. It is very thorough, and has a sense of humour too.

I am actually lucky enough to currently be a student to one of the authors of this book, and it is as good as being in one of his lectures.
I have worked myself in fashion and was able to indentify with many chapters in this book from my own experiences, - plus, there are plenty of new areas that I have learnt about!

Excellent source of information for all aspects of fashion, 06 Jan 2002
An easy read even for the fashion layman, all idea's behind buying,marketing and merchandising exposed, I researched topics in a business library prior to reading the book, only to discover that it was a waste of time because everything I needed was in the book...

Tells you all about the world of fashion buying!, 15 Jan 2002
I read this book hoping to gain some knowledge into the world of fashion buying, an area which I am interested in persuing a career in. The content of the book is excellent for a first timer like myself with no real knowledge of what happens in the industry. The book begins by explaininf the role of a buyer in brief and chapter by chapter explains who you work with, where you may work, recruitment processes, case studies and practical on the job information (such as how sizing, costing etc works). Having read the book I am now certain that I want to be in the industry and I'm satisfied that I am a good person for the job too having read the section on necessary qualifications and characteristics! An excellent all rounder which I have certainly recommnded to my friends.

Good for students and practitioners alike., 25 Sep 2001
Kenneth Lysons has written a comprehensive and understandable book covering the complex subject of purchasing and supply. He manages to cover the difficult subject of commercial buying whilst relating it to the wider supply chain challanges. It is a reference book for practitioners and a text book for students. It is well worth having on your shelf.

Invaluable reference book, 26 Oct 2006
This is an excellently written and well laid out reference book, covering all aspects of logistics and distribution. Every topic is described and explained in a clear and easily readable style. Some of the sections give logical processes for designing and selecting the physical aspects, which are not available elsewhere. If you only have room for one book on logistics, make sure it is this one.

Complete reference and an easy read, 25 Jan 2001
This book covers all the major aspects of logistics today. I have used it extensively as part of my studies and would recommend anyone who is studying any logistics-related course to buy this book. It really is THE logistics handbook. Well worth the investment.

The shopaholics guide to Buying for Mother And Child Online, 03 Jul 2007
What an absolute fabulous book, if only we had read this book when i was pregnant, this book has a website for practically every thing you need from maternity clothes to prams, safety equipment in the home, birth annoucments, baby showers, 1st birthday parties, absolutely everything you need, this book is a must, also take a look at her other books, you will never go in a shop again - Bliss

A structured approach works for strategic or implementation, 16 May 1999
This book provides such a straight forward roadmap for outsourcing projects/decisions that I wish I had more projects to evaluate/manage. The roadmap provided is usable on the strategic decision or on the implementation of an outsourcing decision. I found it easy to read but also I found it an easy reference as a project unfolds.

OUTSOURCING ELIMINATES STALLS, 15 Apr 1999
I was pleasantly surprised by STRATEGIC OUTCOURCING which deals not only with what to outsource but how to make the outsourcing decision using key two questions: Is this a core or strategic area? and What do I save and gain by outsourcing this activity? Peter Drucker believes that the reason to outsource is to free up critical management time to work on important things. If you happen to save some money in the process, that is an added benefit, but not the outsourcing driver. STRATEGIC OUTSOURCING also deals with the people and transitional issues, and how to manage the business and the employees once the activity is outsourced. If you have not outsourced anything except payroll and tax before, you must read this book. Another process that you must pursue primarily because of the time saved for management is described in THE 2,000 PERCENT SOLUTION, by Mitchell, Coles and Metz. They describe a unique approach to achieve your goals in 1/20th the time by identifying and eliminating the stalls to progress and focusing on the best possible ways to reach your objective. Outsourcing may be one of them! I highly recommend both books.

The best book I have read on outsourcing..., 13 Apr 1999
Maurice Greaver has written a comprehensive and practical guide for any senior executive considering or currently undertaking an outsourcing initiative within their organization. The book clearly outlines and defines the issues to be considered when making outsourcing decisions along with the pitfalls to be avoided. Maurice Greaver has done this by developing a well defined process along with case studies, examples, and graphics to illustrate his process. These also make the book far more interesting to read than most other outsourcing books on the market. This book is a must read for every organization's senior management team or for anyone interested in contemporary business issues and solutions.

BEST PROCESS FOR IMPLEMENTING OUTSOURCING DECISIONS, 04 Apr 1999
Our firm regularly benchmarks the outsourcing done by major corporations, and the most notable thing about this is that most companies do not have a well-thought-through process for outsourcing. This book provides a solution for that problem. To decide if you should outsource, you need to know how you measure up compared to the alternatives of eliminating the activity, simplifying it, improving it, and automating it. A major advantage of outsourcing that is demonstrated in our research is that it allows you to focus on doing fewer, more important things better (creating 2,000 percent solutions -- getting 20 times the results with the same resources or 20 times faster results). Even if you adopt this process, you will want to exceed it in the future, so be sure you anticipate where the future best practice will be in outsourcing and what the ideal best practice is. Then be sure you exceed the future best practice and approach the ideal best practice. Do buy, read, enjoy, and apply the lessons of this excellent book to overcome your stalls about how to do outsourcing successfully.

Ever heard "Lean won't work here, we're too different"?, 01 Jul 2008
If you have ever been told "we can't do lean here, our business is too complicated"?, then this is the book for you.
The book builds on the value stream mapping techniques taught in "Learning to See" by Mike Rother & John Shook and explains how to apply them in a more complex (realistic) environment. It discusses how to deal with situations where you make a wide range of products each with varying levels of demand. How to group products into families, how to balance the operator and machine work loads to customer demand and how to schedule to maintain flow. If you are struggling to apply lean techniques in a high variety, low to medium volume environment with high demand variation, this is the book you're looking for.
Duggan Inc also run courses on the material contained in the book.

A Classic Text for Anyone involved in High-Value, Long Sales-Cycle Selling, 05 May 2008
Dating from the 1980s, Rackham's book can be considered as a classic for anyone involved in high-end, sophisticated deals that require long sales-cycles. It is dated, and I'm sure that there more current variants out there, but is still very applicable to today and serves as a good refresher of some of the core skills needed in major account selling.

Rackham spent a substantial ammount of time carrying out research, identifying what made a difference to the outcome of the sales process and what failed or made no difference. The book is full of examples.

He identifies as crucial the need for both Implication Questions, identifying the consequences of problems to increase the value perception of the vendor by the customer, and Need-Payoff Questions, focussing on the value of a solution to those problems.

Getting the customer to move from implicit to explicit needs is also well brought out in the book, again with the impact being shown through detailed research. Through explicit needs can the saleperson go on to demonstrate how their product can benefit the customer... and make the customer see that value.

This a a book for the key account salesperson involved in complex deals with sophisticated customers and one that I highly recommend. It is an easy, and fairly quick, read and can be pulled off the shelf and dipped into every now and then as a refresher.

Very useable, well presented and just what I was looking for, 19 Mar 2008
This is one of my best investments in a long time. The knowledge presented in this book is highly valuable in high-end solution sales and I recommend it to anyone in that line of business.

Worthwhile, 19 Nov 2007
SPIN-selling is definitely worth a read as although a little dated now the approach it describes is still valid in today's business climate

A strong but rather dated classic, 27 Apr 2006
Originally published at the end of the Eighties, SPIN Selling details a questioning technique that prompts prospects to identify and explore the severity of business problems, and then understand how your solution would resolve their issues.

In contrast to the aggressive and combatitive approaches before it, SPIN Selling turned the sales call into a constructive experience for the prospect and greatly lowered the number of objections received by sales people. It was so effective that it became widely recognised as the Grandfather of all modern sales techniques.

This book can genuinely claim to be a classic sales text, though it is fair to say that newer methodologies, based on SPIN, have been developed that augment and extend the core of the SPIN model. For example, some newer methodologies offer an end-to-end guide to selling (e.g. how to generate and manage opportunities, understanding the prospect company structure, precall planning, predicting successful close probability, etc), all of which are extremely useful, but absent in "SPIN Selling". Furthermore, the business environment has change significantly since the publication of this book and therefore, some of the techniques suggested in this title require "tweaking" in order to be useful today.

If you are already familiar with consultative/solution selling techniques, then you will find little helpful content in "SPIN Selling" (as what you have already read/been trained in, will probably have stemmed from SPIN in the first place!) If you do not currently employ a question-based, problem solving approach to selling, then this book will unquestionably up your sales. However, a title like "New Solution Selling" (by Keith M Eades) would provide you with a similar approach that is better suited to the temperament of today's buyers, plus you would benefit significantly from a more complete methodology to guide your sales activities.

Review from a Sales Training expert for SPIN Selling, 18 Feb 2006
SPIN Selling was based on research done by Neil Rackham on thousands of salespeople in several countries over an extensive period of time. The results of the research provided an insight into how the best salespeople operate. Like the discovery of NLP in the 1970's then SPIN techniques were already being used in the field, they just hadn't been broken down and named so they weren't being taught as such.

Even before SPIN most salespeople knew that they ought to ask questions and listen more ("Two ears, one mouth"!) but many perhaps did not know where to go with their questions to get the most effective results. Rackham for example explains how after speaking with many decision makers he discovered that simple Situation based questions can turn a decision maker off as they feel that they are educating the salesperson. Previously most salespeople may well have believed that these were building rapport!

In the SPIN methodology Rackham outlines how the salesperson should progress from Situation questions to Problem questions to Implication questions to Needs questions. This method is well explained and easily executable by someone with reasonable intelligence and a commitment to practising the techniques. The material will need tailoring for the individual and the industry however this would be expected with any methodology aimed at salespeople in general. Purchasing the SPIN Selling Fieldbook at the same time is worthwhile and will certainly help you to do this as it gets you to create your own questions and is full of tests and checks to ensure that you really have understoood the concepts and can apply them.

SPIN Selling is in my opinion a MUST READ for salespeople as the vast majority of sales systems in the marketplace today span off from SPIN (despite what some of them might say!). If you haven't got your own copy of SPIN then you should get one and read it.

Footnote: Some peoople deride SPIN saying that it is now outdated and has been improved upon. I disagree. True there are other options out there including my own "Ingham Sales System" and these systems are all slightly different with different structuring and key points however... I would still recommend all salespeople to read SPIN. If there were "must-read" texts for salespeople this book would still be in my top 10.


Good book for beginners in the logistics area, 08 Jan 1999
A useful resource for someone entering the logistics area or trying to understand what logistics means... Lots of examples - better explain the wider scope of logistics - rather than just transportation for which logistics is often mistaken. Probably the only "Fundamentals" book on Logistics. Reasonable price too..

kristel, 19 Mar 2008
I am fashion business entrepreneur and also a fashion designer. Although I ve been trained in many areas of management within start ups companies and studied fashion design, i knew I needed to read more about fashion retailing. I bought this book to help me to understand more specifically the dynamics of a business structure within the fashion retailing industry and the balance between business and design.
I must say that this book is almost like a bible to me. It is a very good base to start organising a start up...but of course business is an art and there is not a definite picture to it and one have to adapt things. But the authors of this book achieved their goal in compiling it.
:-D quite long but the book deserves a long review!


A must for all students, 07 Dec 2003
This book is extremely well written and great as an introduction to many areas of the fasion industry. Very easy to read. It is very thorough, and has a sense of humour too.

I am actually lucky enough to currently be a student to one of the authors of this book, and it is as good as being in one of his lectures.
I have worked myself in fashion and was able to indentify with many chapters in this book from my own experiences, - plus, there are plenty of new areas that I have learnt about!

Excellent source of information for all aspects of fashion, 06 Jan 2002
An easy read even for the fashion layman, all idea's behind buying,marketing and merchandising exposed, I researched topics in a business library prior to reading the book, only to discover that it was a waste of time because everything I needed was in the book...

Tells you all about the world of fashion buying!, 15 Jan 2002
I read this book hoping to gain some knowledge into the world of fashion buying, an area which I am interested in persuing a career in. The content of the book is excellent for a first timer like myself with no real knowledge of what happens in the industry. The book begins by explaininf the role of a buyer in brief and chapter by chapter explains who you work with, where you may work, recruitment processes, case studies and practical on the job information (such as how sizing, costing etc works). Having read the book I am now certain that I want to be in the industry and I'm satisfied that I am a good person for the job too having read the section on necessary qualifications and characteristics! An excellent all rounder which I have certainly recommnded to my friends.

Good for students and practitioners alike., 25 Sep 2001
Kenneth Lysons has written a comprehensive and understandable book covering the complex subject of purchasing and supply. He manages to cover the difficult subject of commercial buying whilst relating it to the wider supply chain challanges. It is a reference book for practitioners and a text book for students. It is well worth having on your shelf.

Invaluable reference book, 26 Oct 2006
This is an excellently written and well laid out reference book, covering all aspects of logistics and distribution. Every topic is described and explained in a clear and easily readable style. Some of the sections give logical processes for designing and selecting the physical aspects, which are not available elsewhere. If you only have room for one book on logistics, make sure it is this one.

Complete reference and an easy read, 25 Jan 2001
This book covers all the major aspects of logistics today. I have used it extensively as part of my studies and would recommend anyone who is studying any logistics-related course to buy this book. It really is THE logistics handbook. Well worth the investment.

The shopaholics guide to Buying for Mother And Child Online, 03 Jul 2007
What an absolute fabulous book, if only we had read this book when i was pregnant, this book has a website for practically every thing you need from maternity clothes to prams, safety equipment in the home, birth annoucments, baby showers, 1st birthday parties, absolutely everything you need, this book is a must, also take a look at her other books, you will never go in a shop again - Bliss

A structured approach works for strategic or implementation, 16 May 1999
This book provides such a straight forward roadmap for outsourcing projects/decisions that I wish I had more projects to evaluate/manage. The roadmap provided is usable on the strategic decision or on the implementation of an outsourcing decision. I found it easy to read but also I found it an easy reference as a project unfolds.

OUTSOURCING ELIMINATES STALLS, 15 Apr 1999
I was pleasantly surprised by STRATEGIC OUTCOURCING which deals not only with what to outsource but how to make the outsourcing decision using key two questions: Is this a core or strategic area? and What do I save and gain by outsourcing this activity? Peter Drucker believes that the reason to outsource is to free up critical management time to work on important things. If you happen to save some money in the process, that is an added benefit, but not the outsourcing driver. STRATEGIC OUTSOURCING also deals with the people and transitional issues, and how to manage the business and the employees once the activity is outsourced. If you have not outsourced anything except payroll and tax before, you must read this book. Another process that you must pursue primarily because of the time saved for management is described in THE 2,000 PERCENT SOLUTION, by Mitchell, Coles and Metz. They describe a unique approach to achieve your goals in 1/20th the time by identifying and eliminating the stalls to progress and focusing on the best possible ways to reach your objective. Outsourcing may be one of them! I highly recommend both books.

The best book I have read on outsourcing..., 13 Apr 1999
Maurice Greaver has written a comprehensive and practical guide for any senior executive considering or currently undertaking an outsourcing initiative within their organization. The book clearly outlines and defines the issues to be considered when making outsourcing decisions along with the pitfalls to be avoided. Maurice Greaver has done this by developing a well defined process along with case studies, examples, and graphics to illustrate his process. These also make the book far more interesting to read than most other outsourcing books on the market. This book is a must read for every organization's senior management team or for anyone interested in contemporary business issues and solutions.

BEST PROCESS FOR IMPLEMENTING OUTSOURCING DECISIONS, 04 Apr 1999
Our firm regularly benchmarks the outsourcing done by major corporations, and the most notable thing about this is that most companies do not have a well-thought-through process for outsourcing. This book provides a solution for that problem. To decide if you should outsource, you need to know how you measure up compared to the alternatives of eliminating the activity, simplifying it, improving it, and automating it. A major advantage of outsourcing that is demonstrated in our research is that it allows you to focus on doing fewer, more important things better (creating 2,000 percent solutions -- getting 20 times the results with the same resources or 20 times faster results). Even if you adopt this process, you will want to exceed it in the future, so be sure you anticipate where the future best practice will be in outsourcing and what the ideal best practice is. Then be sure you exceed the future best practice and approach the ideal best practice. Do buy, read, enjoy, and apply the lessons of this excellent book to overcome your stalls about how to do outsourcing successfully.

Ever heard "Lean won't work here, we're too different"?, 01 Jul 2008
If you have ever been told "we can't do lean here, our business is too complicated"?, then this is the book for you.
The book builds on the value stream mapping techniques taught in "Learning to See" by Mike Rother & John Shook and explains how to apply them in a more complex (realistic) environment. It discusses how to deal with situations where you make a wide range of products each with varying levels of demand. How to group products into families, how to balance the operator and machine work loads to customer demand and how to schedule to maintain flow. If you are struggling to apply lean techniques in a high variety, low to medium volume environment with high demand variation, this is the book you're looking for.
Duggan Inc also run courses on the material contained in the book.

A Classic Text for Anyone involved in High-Value, Long Sales-Cycle Selling, 05 May 2008
Dating from the 1980s, Rackham's book can be considered as a classic for anyone involved in high-end, sophisticated deals that require long sales-cycles. It is dated, and I'm sure that there more current variants out there, but is still very applicable to today and serves as a good refresher of some of the core skills needed in major account selling.

Rackham spent a substantial ammount of time carrying out research, identifying what made a difference to the outcome of the sales process and what failed or made no difference. The book is full of examples.

He identifies as crucial the need for both Implication Questions, identifying the consequences of problems to increase the value perception of the vendor by the customer, and Need-Payoff Questions, focussing on the value of a solution to those problems.

Getting the customer to move from implicit to explicit needs is also well brought out in the book, again with the impact being shown through detailed research. Through explicit needs can the saleperson go on to demonstrate how their product can benefit the customer... and make the customer see that value.

This a a book for the key account salesperson involved in complex deals with sophisticated customers and one that I highly recommend. It is an easy, and fairly quick, read and can be pulled off the shelf and dipped into every now and then as a refresher.

Very useable, well presented and just what I was looking for, 19 Mar 2008
This is one of my best investments in a long time. The knowledge presented in this book is highly valuable in high-end solution sales and I recommend it to anyone in that line of business.

Worthwhile, 19 Nov 2007
SPIN-selling is definitely worth a read as although a little dated now the approach it describes is still valid in today's business climate

A strong but rather dated classic, 27 Apr 2006
Originally published at the end of the Eighties, SPIN Selling details a questioning technique that prompts prospects to identify and explore the severity of business problems, and then understand how your solution would resolve their issues.

In contrast to the aggressive and combatitive approaches before it, SPIN Selling turned the sales call into a constructive experience for the prospect and greatly lowered the number of objections received by sales people. It was so effective that it became widely recognised as the Grandfather of all modern sales techniques.

This book can genuinely claim to be a classic sales text, though it is fair to say that newer methodologies, based on SPIN, have been developed that augment and extend the core of the SPIN model. For example, some newer methodologies offer an end-to-end guide to selling (e.g. how to generate and manage opportunities, understanding the prospect company structure, precall planning, predicting successful close probability, etc), all of which are extremely useful, but absent in "SPIN Selling". Furthermore, the business environment has change significantly since the publication of this book and therefore, some of the techniques suggested in this title require "tweaking" in order to be useful today.

If you are already familiar with consultative/solution selling techniques, then you will find little helpful content in "SPIN Selling" (as what you have already read/been trained in, will probably have stemmed from SPIN in the first place!) If you do not currently employ a question-based, problem solving approach to selling, then this book will unquestionably up your sales. However, a title like "New Solution Selling" (by Keith M Eades) would provide you with a similar approach that is better suited to the temperament of today's buyers, plus you would benefit significantly from a more complete methodology to guide your sales activities.

Review from a Sales Training expert for SPIN Selling, 18 Feb 2006
SPIN Selling was based on research done by Neil Rackham on thousands of salespeople in several countries over an extensive period of time. The results of the research provided an insight into how the best salespeople operate. Like the discovery of NLP in the 1970's then SPIN techniques were already being used in the field, they just hadn't been broken down and named so they weren't being taught as such.

Even before SPIN most salespeople knew that they ought to ask questions and listen more ("Two ears, one mouth"!) but many perhaps did not know where to go with their questions to get the most effective results. Rackham for example explains how after speaking with many decision makers he discovered that simple Situation based questions can turn a decision maker off as they feel that they are educating the salesperson. Previously most salespeople may well have believed that these were building rapport!

In the SPIN methodology Rackham outlines how the salesperson should progress from Situation questions to Problem questions to Implication questions to Needs questions. This method is well explained and easily executable by someone with reasonable intelligence and a commitment to practising the techniques. The material will need tailoring for the individual and the industry however this would be expected with any methodology aimed at salespeople in general. Purchasing the SPIN Selling Fieldbook at the same time is worthwhile and will certainly help you to do this as it gets you to create your own questions and is full of tests and checks to ensure that you really have understoood the concepts and can apply them.

SPIN Selling is in my opinion a MUST READ for salespeople as the vast majority of sales systems in the marketplace today span off from SPIN (despite what some of them might say!). If you haven't got your own copy of SPIN then you should get one and read it.

Footnote: Some peoople deride SPIN saying that it is now outdated and has been improved upon. I disagree. True there are other options out there including my own "Ingham Sales System" and these systems are all slightly different with different structuring and key points however... I would still recommend all salespeople to read SPIN. If there were "must-read" texts for salespeople this