‘Beat the Recession’: book review, and how to get your free copy

Review by Andrew Gray

I don’t usually do book reviews in the conventional sense. I prefer to take the ideas from my recent learning and experiences and weave them into my own thoughts and blog postings. (Is that what some people call plagiarism?)

I am making an exception for this book because we are offering a limited number of free copies to readers of this page (see the end of this posting to see how), and I would not expect anyone to waste their valuable time on a book (free or not) without knowing a bit about it.

What’s in it?
The book contains 176 key messages, with empty boxed-off spaces in the body of the text for the reader to write in their actions. These messages are in categories such as:

• Tough decisions
• Get selling
• Back to basics
• Opportunities
• Invest

I think that the main value of the book is in the last two of these sections. There really are enormous opportunities for anyone prepared to take their blinkers off and take advantage of, for example, the much lower barriers to entry in existing markets that exist in recessionary times.

It was first written in 2008 and then revised and reprinted (twice) in 2009, so its topical credentials are good.

The bits I liked
Whenever I read books I highlight the ‘good bits’.  Here are the things that I highlighted:

1. Recession exposes poor working practices
2. Now more than ever, we need to be brilliant at the basics
3. The way out of recession is innovation
4. Get out of the spiral of price cutting now
5. Use students to get work done cheaply and well
6. Know the facts - measure and manage all the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
7. Use adversity to get your team to act like a team
8. Recruit for attitude now more than ever
9. Only sell to FANs (those with Funds, Authority and a Need)
10. Do ‘real marketing’ – targeting, segmenting, adding value at minimal cost etc
11. Communicate simply and effectively. The phone is better and quicker than writing, even if you have to leave a voicemail.

Conclusion
The book is subtitled ‘A blueprint for business survival’. Personally, I would have chosen something a bit more direct,  e.g.  ’Everything you should have been doing in your business anyway, and which the downturn will not force you to do’.

I think that if you are just setting out on your business development journey, or if you are already on the way but risk being blown off course by all the negativity around at present, this book is a great way to (re)focus on the right path.

Get a free copy
If you are a client of Kirkpatrick & Hopes and you would like a free copy, please contact Bernadette Brownlie or any of your contacts at the office.

We also have 10 copies that we are offering free of charge to non-clients on a first come, first served basis.  Please email mail@kandh.co.uk asap if you’d like one.

Once you have read it, please post a comment here to tell us your views.