By Rolf Crocker

A few months ago I referenced Audible, an on-line audio book service (www.audible.com).  This is an excellent resource for current business books, and Audible is a great delivery system.  You can choose from several formats, and listen on your computer, download to an MP3 player, and/or burn to a CD and listen while you drive.  My current setup is to use an MP3 player with a cassette interface into the car stereo system.  That way, I can listen while I drive or exercise and not lose my place.

This month, I am highly recommending two books by Jeffery Fox.  Fox runs a consulting company specializing in sales and marketing consultation.  His “How To Become A…” books are short, street-wise, easy to read (or listen – he does his own narration) and to-the-point.  These reviews are based on the audio versions.

How To Become A Marketing Superstar (©2003 Hyperion)  In a nutshell – concepts and tips on how to make the cash register (or in our case, the bank account) go ‘ka-ching’.  Fox tears up conventional wisdom, drilling down to the simple truths of what the customer is looking for, and innovative ways to deliver it.  Keep in mind that, as Community Association professionals, we have a critical product to sell – SERVICE!  Some of the material is in an earlier book (How To Become A Rainmaker), but this is still well worth it   3 Stars!

How To Become A Great Boss (©2002 Hyperion).  The sub-title of this book is, “The Rules For Getting And Keeping The Best Employees”. What does a great boss look like?  What does she or he do that makes them great?  In this book, Fox lays out what great bosses do.  Some of it is common sense – hire great people, say thank you often (in public AND private), take care of them.  However, Fox also deals with how you hire good people – what to look for, how to find it, and if you can’t – DON’T SETTLE!  In our industry, where the axiom is ‘better a warm body than none at all’, this may seem a bit unrealistic.  But Fox makes an excellent point that the cost of a bad hire in time, training, staff morale and client upset can far outweigh waiting for the right person, not just the next person above room temperature.  Excellent!   5 Stars!