Event Planning : The Ultimate Guide to Successful Meetings, Corporate Events, Fundraising Galas, Conferences, Conventions, Incentives and Other Special Events

Book Description

For event planners, there's no such thing as a dress rehearsal!

Any event you plan and stage is a reflection of your company's image — from the initial invitation to onsite operations. Whether you're planning a product launch, conference, sales meeting, an incentive event, or a gala fund-raiser, remember that the magic of a truly memorable event is in the details, but so is the devil. Special events are fraught with thousands of details, and have to come off without a hitch. Whether your event is for 50 or 2,000 people, whether it has a budget of a few thousand dollars, or hundreds of thousands, planning and executing the project is like a high-wire act without the safety nets. Event Planning gives you a blueprint for planning and executing special events with flair and without any unexpected surprises and expenses. This unique book is loaded with practical advice on every aspect of organizing and managing special events:

Choosing the best venue
Preparing and managing the budget
Scheduling and staffing
Coordinating food and beverage, décor, entertainment, and themes
Working with professionals, such as public relations firms and creative directors.

What you don't know or know to ask can have a major effect on the success of your event and on your budget. Event Planning takes you through every aspect of organizing and executing a successful event: the planning stages, timing and logistics, budget preparation, operations, and on-site management. Event Planning:

Includes sample costing forms to help you generate a detailed project plan and budget.
Explains what you need to ask before you contract with suppliers.
Is loaded with practical tips and examples that will help you avoid expensive mistakes.
Features a companion website with forms from the book, additional forms, author Q&A, and more.

Event Planning takes you behind the scenes, and provides practical tools for anyone who has to plan and execute a truly special event:

Corporate in-house event planners
Public relations and communications companies, and their clients
Marketing and corporate communications professionals
Fundraisers and not-for-profit organizations
Professionals in the hospitality and entertainment industries

Customer Reviews:

Not for beginners and not for professionals.......2007-05-03

It is hard to tell who this book is geared towards. A novice should not take on any event that is as over their head; as most of the event situations that are listed in the book are. A professional would know from experience the answers to most of the questions or they would have the common sense to take care of any odd situation that arose. The book may be helpful to assistant managers or banquet captains, but most houses have their own way of doing things. Interesting read and a good refresher, buy used.

Very useful Hand Book.......2007-03-10

It was very useful to me as I used it to brak into the wedding/event business. It presents a very corporate approach, yet it seems to uncover all kinds of secrets of the event world that are hidden to the public eye.

This Book is Alright.......2006-08-09

Being an avid reader of Event Planning literature, I must say that this book is alright.

Packed with Knowledge!.......2005-10-14

Details, details, details. That's really what successful event planning is all about, and that's the key to this very successful event-planning manual. Author Judy Allen notes, lists, copes with and gives an example of virtually every detail in planning anything from a sedate corporate event in a major city to a huge celebration on a remote island. She provides examples galore plus tips, questions and answers, sample cost sheets and schedules. How much floor space does a person need to be comfortable in a tent? Answer: 20 square feet. How many bathrooms should be available for a party? Answer: One per 75 guests. And don't forget to ask about the stemware, adequate parking and even the photographer's back-up camera battery. This author seems to have thought every contingency, as the book's ambitious title promises. Her one glaring omission is that she does not include the party planner's fee - our guess is that she'd be worth it. We highly recommend this well-organized, very practical book to all event planners. Don't send out press releases for your party without consulting Judy Allen.

Great book.......2005-10-01

This is a great book for anyone interested in working in the event planning field.

The Budget-Building Book for Nonprofits: A Step-by-Step Guide for Managers and Boards (Jossey-Bass Nonprofit & Public Management Series)

Average customer rating:

Needs Updating
To the point
Excellent Purchase
Excellent Resource
Budget Management

The Budget-Building Book for Nonprofits: A Step-by-Step Guide for Managers and Boards (Jossey-Bass Nonprofit & Public Management Series)
Murray Dropkin , and Bill LaTouche
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Cash Flow Management Book for Nonprofits: A Step-by-Step Guide for Managers and Boards
Bookkeeping for Nonprofits: A Step-by-Step Guide to Nonprofit Accounting
Not-for-Profit Accounting Made Easy
Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations, Second Edition
The Executive Director's Survival Guide: Thriving as a Nonprofit Leader

ASIN: 0787940364

Book Description

Provides clarity, strategy, and utility to the financial management and asset management of social sector organizations.
--Frances Hesselbein, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management

This nuts-and-bolts workbook guides nonprofit executives and boards through the budget cycle, offering practical instruction on completing each step of the process. This one-source budgeting tool kit is specifically designed to give nonprofits everything they need to prepare, approve, and implement their own budgets. It is a start-to-finish guide that is comprehensive and easy to use. It provides smaller nonprofit budgeters and non-financial nonprofit managers with a simple, systematic method to create, maintain, and track their budgets. Examples, to-do lists, worksheets, schedules, and other hands-on tools help readers get down to work. Murray Dropkin draws on years of experience in working with nonprofit financial management to make this workbook an essential tool for anyone involved in financial management within a nonprofit organization.

Customer Reviews:

Needs Updating.......2007-05-12

Contains some decent tips but disappointing overall. Lacks treatment of the issue of restricted funds, essential to non-profit budgeting. Does not provide insight into effective use of spreadsheet programs like Excel which are essential to budget building. Does not show modern methods for calculating overheads like the FTE system. Contains a plethora of forms that can be used in various stages of the budget building process.

To the point.......2007-03-25

The book gives you straight forward step-by-step directions for developing a budgeting process that allows you to move the key budgeting tasks down into the organization to those who will do the tasks being budgeted. You are given informative examples of the key steps in budgeting and lots of forms to adapt and use in your organization. One of the best books on budgeting I have read.

Excellent Purchase.......2007-01-04

Being a new treasurer in a newly formed non-profit organization, this book is extremely helpful in planning and executing asset management. It was recommended by the national organization's board and it is well worth the purchase purchase price.

Excellent Resource.......2006-11-07

This book has been very helpful to our fiscal staff and me. I have used it to assist our department directors prepare their budgets for the first time. It has saved me hours of work.

Budget Management .......2006-04-23

When I purchased this book I thought it might be outdated for my organization. I was wrong - this is an excellent budget WORKBOOK. The author did an excellent job in bringing the complex and problematic issues of budgeting for Nonprofit organizations and takes you step by step into the process. The book covers everything from the start of the budget to financial reporting of the budget. This book also provides numerous samples of budgets. If your a budget manager or director - this book should give a fresh new way to look at the budgeting process.

Financial Management For Public, Health, and Not-for-Profit Organizations (2nd Edition)

Average customer rating:

Financial Management for Public health

Financial Management For Public, Health, and Not-for-Profit Organizations (2nd Edition)
Steven A Finkler
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0131471988

Book Description

This is one of the only books available that addresses financial and managerial accounting within the framework of the three major areas of the public sector. Clear and comprehensive, Finkler's unique and accessible text provides the fundamentals of financial management for those who lack a financial background so that readers can access and apply financial information more effectively. Details the many aspects of strategic and budgetary planning. Outlines the processes involved in implementing and controlling results. Features aspects of accounting unique for Health Care, not-for-profit organizations and state and local governments. Explains balance sheets, operating and cash flow statements. Provides basic foundation for financial analysis. For managers and policy-makers in public service organizations who want to make more efficient use of their organization's financial information.

Customer Reviews:

Financial Management for Public health.......2007-05-07

Not for beginners. Not much help for my UOP MSN class.

The Fundraising Planner: A Working Model for Raising the Dollars You Need (Jossey-Bass Nonprofit and Public Management Series.)

Average customer rating:

Fundraising Plan
Plan, plan, plan!
Good Intro Book
A "real" working model

The Fundraising Planner: A Working Model for Raising the Dollars You Need (Jossey-Bass Nonprofit and Public Management Series.)
Terry Schaff , and Doug Schaff
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters
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Effective Fundraising For Nonprofits: Real World Strategies That Work
Fundraising for Nonprofits: How to Build a Community Partnership
Relationship Fundraising: A Donor Based Approach to the Business of Raising Money

ASIN: 0787944351

Book Description

A good fundraising plan can make a vital difference in the quality of a nonprofit organization's programs and services. It can be the map by which the organization charts and secures its future. This step-by-step guide is designed to help you and your organization construct an operational fundraising plan that is appropriate to your specific funding needs. From meeting deadlines and scheduling special events to creating an overall plan for fundraising activities, The Fundraising Planner ensures that all activities fit together as a whole and support each and every program.

The model presented in this workbook is flexible and suited to multiple purposes. Use The Fundraising Planner and learn how to:

Create an effective overview plan
Formulate a calAndar of events, mailings, and strategies to attract contributions
Draw fundraising ideas from financial data
Strengthen your donor and prospect lists
- Survey your board to refine its mission
Produce a basic funding proposal and press kit
Prepare clear status reports for the board, development staff, and key fundraising participants
Track progress towards your funding goal

The authors have organized the workbook into four sections corresponding to the main stages of designing a fundraising plan:

Understanding the Big Picture
Deciding Plan Inputs
Putting the Plan Together
Monitoring the Plan

Within each section, chapters detail how to master an essential fundraising skill and offer "To Do" exercises to reinforce learning. The exercises allow you to build a cogent, practical fundraising plan. Additionally, there are real-life examples reflecting current fundraising issues across the country. The Fundraising Planner provides easy-to-follow advice to fundraisers from organizations of all sizes. With this valuable guide, you and your team can achieve greater efficiency in the day-to-day challenges of fundraising.

Customer Reviews:

Fundraising Plan.......2007-04-23

Great tool for fundraising planning. Workable model for creating a donation and fundraising plan for nonprofit companies.

Plan, plan, plan!.......2004-12-30

The Fundraising Planner does a nice job covering the "particulars" of planning without losing sight of the bigger picture. Like other titles in the Jossey-Bass series, this guide is helpful in structuring an approach and strategy for raising funds. Practical and well-written.

Good Intro Book.......2004-01-31

This is a pretty solid introductory book to fundraising, donor management, proposals, etc. If you are new to the business I would definitely recommend it, though more experienced people might not find it quite as helpful. (though there are still a some good nuggets of information)

A "real" working model.......2001-05-24

Terry & Doug Schaff have provided a virtual road map in The Fundraising Planner. The information is presented in a clear and well thought out manner presenting information that can be seamlessly inserted into your current programs. The planner illustrates how to develop, plan and implement the strategies necessary to conduct successful and accountable fundraising activities.

This book truly has something for everyone. From the neophyte to the seasoned professional, the Schaffs have provided a tool that will take your plans to the next level. The planner truly is a step-by-step guide that does not insult the reader with coddling phrases and usless data. Each chapter delves ever deeper into the raison d'etre for each mechanism used to move the fundraising process.

As a Development Director I found many applications within the planner that I can utilize to complement my planning activities. The real world applications provided after each step are valuable exercises as you facilitate your yearly planning process. The information presented is very timely, relevant and useful.

Book Description

A practical guide to taking your company public—successfully This updated version of the Ernst & Young Guide to Taking Your Company Public looks at the IPO as a milestone in a larger process called The Value Journey ^sm, the basis for the work of the Ernst & Young Center for Strategic Transactions ^®, a business advisory resource for CEOs. This practical book is designed to help you determine whether an IPO is the right move for your company and addresses the major leadership challenges that CEOs face. It describes how to plan your IPO journey and chart your business strategy, focusing on the steps you must take to succeed during and after the IPO event and fulfill the critical need to continuously innovate and renew your company.

Customer Reviews:

Good, easy-to-read textbook. Not not a great guide........2001-01-27

About the book

Based on research questioning about 500 executives who took IPOs between 1986 and 1996. So, most IPOs came from companies who had been profitable for a few years. After the collapse of the Internet stocks, the context is similar, but I believe such profit records may not be as important as during 1986-96.

Published in 1999. So, it has comments to imply "being first makes the company valuable without profits".

About the authors and their style

Authors are experienced in their job of bringing IPOs.

This book is not at all in the class of books by Al Ries and Jack Trout, but more like a text book, covering every related point (from text book point of view). There is no prioritization or difference in emphasis of the importance of various issues involved.

Their diagram on cover of book is confusing because they have used 2-dimensions to show a linear 1-dimension process, which essentially are their recommended steps.

Book's Message

1. Define goal/success. IPO may not be the best way to achieve that.

2. Plan and start working on IPO at least one year ahead of the need.

3. Many specific to-do items: · Revise salaries as variable salaries that include stocks rather than just cash. · Plan personal estates. Give gifts before IPOs to family members to minimize future tax liability. Hire CPA for this planning. · Hire Earnst & Young early. · Clean books of accounts-use GAAP. · Build strong executive team. · Start working like a public company at least one year before-that is-create quarter-to-quarter profitability guidance and exceed them. Create reports such as needed by SEC. · Build external Board. Create committees of Board members.

If you want to read just 7 pages, read these: 25, 37, 56, 65, 74, 108, 170

MasterGuide for IPO (US).......2000-11-30

Aimed at executives considering an IPO, the `IPO Value Journey' is also of use to staff in pre/post-IPO companies to understand about market perceptions of companies & ideal "success factors".

The lightly referenced, well structured chapters span: the CEO's journey; the journey's early vital steps; chart your transaction strategy; chart your personal strategy; create the winning team; complete your IPO platform; be the public company; the IPO event; and deliver the value. Useful appendices span: outline for a business plan; selecting the stock market; registration exemptions and resale restrictions; overview of the SEC and SEC rules and regulations; simplified registration under the small business disclosure system; and glossary.

Strengths include: the concise factual (dry) writing style; good use of exhibits and checklists; and useful easily-accessible content addressing legal, accounting, reporting, board issues (amongst others).

Weaknesses include: need for more sidebar success story anecdotes (which integrate the steps); mostly US focus; and relatively superficial analysis evidence supporting the success factors and `journey' metaphor.

Overall, a very useful working book, to be read with something like `Confessions of a Venture Capitalist' (ISBN 0446526800) or `E-boys' (ISBN 0812930959), for a fuller life-cycle, energetic view of the IPO journey.

IPO handbook for CEOs.......1999-12-03

I found this book had just the right amount of detail for the CEO without becoming tiresome. It gives a very good overview of the IPO process and provides plenty of recommendations to guide you along the way.

Average customer rating:

Better than college textbooks
small non-profit organization treasurer
Soporific and Overly Wordy.
Accounting Made Difficult
Very good, but not quite "easy"

Not-for-Profit Accounting Made Easy
Warren Ruppel
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Bookkeeping for Nonprofits: A Step-by-Step Guide to Nonprofit Accounting
Governmental Accounting Made Easy
The Budget-Building Book for Nonprofits: A Step-by-Step Guide for Managers and Boards (Jossey-Bass Nonprofit & Public Management Series)
Wiley Not-for-Profit GAAP 2007: Interpretation and Application of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for Not-for-Profit Organizations (Wiley Not for Profit Gaap)
Running QuickBooks in Nonprofits: The Only Comprehensive Guide for Nonprofits Using QuickBooks

ASIN: 0471206792

Book Description

A practical, introductory guide to the fundamentals of not-for-profit accounting

Not-for-Profit Accounting Made Easy focuses on accounting fundamentals for those who run financial and accounting operations in not-for-profit organizations but do not have a professional understanding of accounting principles and financial reporting. It explains complex accounting rules in terms nonaccountants can easily understand in order to help them better fulfill their managerial and fiduciary duties. Always practical and never overtechnical, this helpful guide conforms to FASB and AICPA standards and:

Shows how to read and understand a not-for-profit financial statement
Explains financial accounting and reporting standards
Helps managers and other nonaccountants become conversant in the rules and principles of accounting
Updates board members, executive directors, and other senior managers on the accounting basics they should know for day-to-day operations
Features tables, exhibits, and charts that illustrate the content in a simple and easy-to-understand manner

Suitable for fundraising managers and executives-as well as anyone who needs to read and understand a not-for-profit financial statement-this is the ultimate not-an-accountant's guide to not-for-profit accounting.

Customer Reviews:

Better than college textbooks.......2006-03-21

The author wrote this book assuming that non-financial people need to understand accounting, making this easy to read and understandable. Having gone through a college course on accounting, and being forced to use three other books (which were also worthless), I only wished I read this book first. Although it's designed for not-for-profit organizations, it explains the differences with for-profit organizations, and explains why certain things can be done, or can't be done. For anyone who is starting fresh, starting a new company, or planning on taking accounting in college, I would strongly recommend you invest $30 (my accounting textbook was over $100) and the first chapter alone, summarizes the the first 10 chapters of several college textbooks.

small non-profit organization treasurer.......2006-02-27

This book is not for bookkeepers. It is more for accountants who want to understand non-profit accounting. If a bookkeeper needs to know the proper day to day and month to month entries for this kind of organization, than this book is not for you.
However, if you are an accountant, you may be able to glean good information about the basic philosophy of non-profit organizations, such as account set-up and reporting.

Soporific and Overly Wordy........2004-09-17

Reads like a law textbook. Author often uses three sentences where one would do. Much ink is wasted telling the reader "we won't go into that here, but Chapter "X" deals exclusively with that." Concepts are understandable for those with an accounting background, but definitely would not recommend to someone without a solid grasp of accounting fundamentals. Author should have hired a writer to help him smooth out his writing style. Not recommended.

Accounting Made Difficult.......2003-09-27

If you are looking for a straightforward, easy-to-read explanation of not-for-profit accounting, keep looking. I ordered this book recently and while the first chapter provides some useful defintions, the rest of the book is mind-numbing. In fact, I gave up after chapter 3. If you have to re-read paragraphs two and three times to understand what the author is trying to say, then it's not "accounting made easy."

In addition, the examples of financial statements only offer "XXX" rather than actual numbers. Samples with actual numbers would have been much more useful.

Charity Channel (www.charitychannel.com) also gave this book a negative review.

There are better guides out there.

Very good, but not quite "easy".......2002-09-22

This book is exactly what I (as a newly-minted board member) needed to help me figure out some of the oddities and kinks in nonprofit financial reports. Information is presented clearly and logically.

Only two little problems kept me from awarding five stars.

1. If you have no accounting background at all, you may find it difficult to make sense of some parts of the book. At several points, a general familiarity with accounting concepts and terms is assumed. I had taken an introductory accounting class a few years ago at a community college, and with that background, had no trouble at all with the book. I suspect that if I'd read this book before taking that class, I would have given up in hopeless confusion after the first chapter. Be warned.

2. The book contains examples of financial reports. That's good. Unfortunately, it shows all the dollar amounts as "$XXXX.XX" or similar. That's bad. It would have been much better to construct an example with actual numbers, so the reader could see which numbers flowed where.

Book Description

As Irene Rubin has shown convincingly in past editions, public budgeting is inherently political. Short-term partisan goals overrun long-term public interest and democratic processes, eroding institutional and public capacity to address collective problems. By presenting federal, state, and local budgeting within a comparative framework, Rubin's classic text gives explicit attention to issues of federalism, always sensitive to the power struggles between the different branches and levels of government. How much control is exerted from above and what degree of autonomy can be found at each level of government? What kind of influence do elected officials wield over government priorities? How do we resolve the tension between patronage, pork, and tax breaks necessary for reelection and the requirements of balance, technical efficiency, and prioritization?

Analyzing each strand of the decision-making process, Rubin shows the extraordinary coordination involved in passing a budget and achieving some level of accountability. By moving beyond the simplistic and rigid "executive proposal and legislative disposal" cycle other books follow, Rubin explores shifts in power over time and explains decisions that do not always flow in a linear fashion.

A thorough revision at every turn, updates include:

the return to massive deficits at the federal level, requiring more attention on the relationship between budget process and outcomes
the resurgence of secrecy in recent years, looking at how and why the level of transparency decreases at some times and increases at others the implications of 9/11, exploring the impact of funding wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
the difficulty of getting Inspectors General sufficient independence and cooperation to implement their work, showing how these officials are "straddling a barbed wire fence"
over twenty new minicase studies

Customer Reviews:

Real-time Budgeting View.......2002-12-20

Those of you who read Aaron Wildavsky's (1979) "Politics of the Budgetary Process" know the big debate over public budgeting between those who believe public budgeting process is politically incremental and, therefore, who focus mainly on the individual actors and their strategies, and those who propose a more comprehensive and global outlook that focus on dynamics in the larger environment, which subsequently affect and shape how individual actors behave and respond to episodes.

Rather than approaching public budgeting from the narrow perspective of incremental view of public budgeting, which sees budgeting as negotiations among a group of routine actors, bureaucrats, budget officials, chief executives, and legislators, who meet each year and bargain to resolution, in "The Politics of Public Budgeting" Rubin (2000) develops what she calls "real-time budgeting" perspective, which refers to the continual adjustment of decisions in each stream to decisions and information coming from other streams and from the environment. Streams include:

The Revenue Cluster: Revenue decisions include technical estimates of how much income will be available for the following year, assuming no change in the tax structures, and policy decisions about changes in the level or type of taxation. Will taxes be raised or lowered? Will tax breaks be granted, and if so, to whom, for what purpose. Which tax sources will be emphasized, which de-emphasized, with what effect on regions and economic classes, or on age groups?

The Budget Process Cluster: The process cluster concerns how to make budget decisions. Who should participate in the budget deliberations? How influential should interest groups be? How much power should the legislature have? How should the work be divided, and when should particular decisions be made?

The Expenditure Cluster: The expenditure cluster involves some technical estimates of likely expenditures such as for grants that are dependent on formulas and benefit programs whose costs depend on the level of unemployment. Policy relevant expenditure questions involve which programs will be funded at what level, who will benefit from public programs and who will not, and similar questions.

The Balance Cluster: The Balance cluster concerns the basic budgetary question of whether the budget has to be balanced each year with each year's revenues, or whether borrowing is allowed to balance the budget, and if so, how much, for how long, and for what purposes.

Budget Implementation Cluster: Budget implementation cluster concerns the basic budgetary questions of how close actual expenditures should be to the ones planned in the budget, how one can justify variation from the budget plan, and the budget can be remade after it is approved during the budget year.

According to Rubin (2000), "budget outcomes are not solely the result of budget actors negotiating with one another in a free-for-all; outcomes depend on the environment, and on the budget process as well as individual strategies". "Individual strategies have to be framed in a broader context than simply perceived self-interest" (p. 33). What happens in the clusters consequentially is affected by the global environment of public budgeting and the perceptions and strategies of individual budget actors are adjusted accordingly. The clusters model of Rubin (2000) reminisces the "policy environments framework" (developed by Nakamura and Smallwood [1980]) that views public policy process as a simultaneously interaction among individual actors, elements of importance and arenas of power in three policy environments (policy formation, policy implementation and policy evaluation environments) with each environment having influence on the other ones with the help of communication linkages that let each actor in one environment the opportunity to send message to the others in the other environments. In Rubin's real-time budgeting view, each cluster is imbued with different questions and each cluster attracts a different characteristic set of actors and generates its typical pattern of politics (p. 27) and what happens in each cluster is influenced by the episodes in the larger policy environment.

Based on the real-time view of public budgeting, Rubin (2000) organizes her book into nine major chapters, with each chapter explaining the clusters in detail and supporting arguments with didactic short case studies. In general, the book provides the reader with a dynamic and rich description of budgeting process in public sector.

Having reviewed public budgeting process, Rubin (2000) recommends that a balance of power should be established and maintained between the executive and the legislature, so one can catch the other at bad practice-a recommendation running contrary to the argument that to solve federal budget deficit problem either the executive or the legislature has to be empowered.

Overall, Rubin's book is a well-written, clear, and descriptive account of public budgeting process, and, so entertaining and engaging that create a sense in the reader that s/he should read more about the subject to better comprehend the complexity and dynamism of public budgeting. I recommend "The Politics of Public Budgeting" as a powerful text to those who are interested in the subject. Also recommended are "Politics of the Budgetary Process" by Aaron Wildavsky (1979), "Public Budgeting Systems" by Robert D. Lee and Ronald W. Johnson (1998), "Public Budgeting in America" by Thomas D. Lynch (1995), and "The Federal Budget: Politics, Policy, Process" by Allen Schick (2000).

Networking with the Affluent
Average customer rating:

Very Illuminating

Especially good for people in financial services

Excellent book to penetrate the affluent market

A very under-rated book! Where are the readers?

Some good advice on how to be useful to the affluent

Networking with the Affluent
Thomas J. Stanley
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Art of Selling to the Affluent: How to Attract, Service, and Retain Wealthy Customers & Clients for Life

The Millionaire Mind

Attract and Retain the Affluent Investor: Winning Tactics for Today's Financial Advisor

ASIN: 0070610487

Book Description

"As usual, Tom Stanley hits the nail squarely on the head. No one better illuminates the 'who, where, and how' of the affluent market in America."-J. Arthur Urcioli, Chairman and Chief Executive, Merrill Lynch, Business and Financial Services, Inc. "This book is the best guide to success that I've seen."-Mary B. Lehman, Managing Director, Banker's Trust Company, The Private Bank.

Customer Reviews:

Very Illuminating.......2004-01-16

I never realized how easy it is to network with the high profile people. Like anythingelse, it can be learned.

Networking With The Affluent is a must read for all entrepeneurs, sales and business people. This is the book that your most successful competitors are reading, using and applying.

Especially good for people in financial services.......2004-01-16

I work for one of the big 3 insurance companies and getting to know the affluent and working their nests is critical to my success.

In Networking with the Affluent, Dr. Stanley shows how to get into this market and offer quality financial products and services. To serve the affluent and others in their network.

You won't find any tricky techniques. But you will find some powerful ideas on how to substantially increase your production.

I have recommended this book to dozens of people over the years. And I can tell by their productivity if they have actually read it.

Get this book. It's great.

Excellent book to penetrate the affluent market.......2004-01-16

Dr Stanley goes over and above the call of duty with this great work. Networking With The Affluent will show you how to penetrate the affluent market...network with it's members and key players within their group.

This book will create relationships that many have heretofore, been unable to penetrate.

Great book by Dr. Stanley.

A very under-rated book! Where are the readers?.......2004-01-16

I cannot believe that there is not at least three pages of reviews for this great book.Being able to link up with "Mr/Mrs High Credibility" is so essential to successand this is the only book that shows the why, who, where and how.Severall years ago I joined toastmasters and as a result was invited to join other organizations as well. I have to admit that I was [initially] very uncomfortable sitting with some of the top CEO's, Board Members and social elite of my city. This book was recommended to me then and I have never looked back.As a result, I have been able to increase my client base, penetrate the affluent market and network with their associates.As I said in the heading, I cannot believe that there are not more reviews here. Perhaps readers are hoping to keep this their secret. I know that when I first heard about this book, I was hoping that none of my competitors would find out about it.I also recommend Dr. Stanley's excellent "Selling To The Affluent" and "The Winners Circle" by Robert Shook.

Some good advice on how to be useful to the affluent.......2002-07-19

If you need to rub elbows with the affluent, who better to learn from than the man who made a career of studying the wealthy? Thomas Stanley, bestselling author of "The Millionaire Next Door," teaches us the networking methods of individuals who cater to the rich in "Networking With The Affluent And Their Advisors."

Stanley writes: "...always remember that you will succeed in marketing if you focus on the needs of your targets." What are the needs of the affluent? Stanley focuses upon eight valuable services that individuals can provide to the affluent.

According to Stanley, the "Eight Faces of Networking" are:

* Being A Talent Scout
* Being A Revenue Enhancer
* Being An Advocate (to your clients' industries)
* Being A Mentor
* Being A Publicist
* Being A Family Advisor
* Being A Purchasing Agent
* Being A Loan Broker

Noticeably missing from Stanley's list is walking poodles. What sort of pets do the rich have anyway? Are they largely cat people or dog people? Or do they tend to avoid pets altogether due to the cost of caring for the furry little fellows? Stanley is silent on the issue.

But, I guess offering to walk a potential client's poodle wouldn't enhance the image of a serious business professional anyway. So, we'll let Stanley off the hook on this point of omission. Each of his other networking suggestions would tend to enhance a businessperson's reputation as a savvy businessperson with the client.

Being a talent scout means providing your network with information about reliable suppliers and people who might be able to provide valuable services. For example, Stanley notes that the majority of the wealthy are business owners, so they are constantly looking for sources of supply for their businesses.

Suppose the fat cat you want to do business with owns a bakery chain. If you've focused your attention upon the food industry, you might just know a good supplier of doilies. That information will come in handy when fat cat laments the lack of reliable doily suppliers. By asking fat cat about his most important goals and concerns, you learn how you can be of service to him.

Of course, if the doily supplier delivers deformed doilies, you might lose the goodwill of the fat cat. Stanley tells us to only endorse people who provide quality services and products, otherwise we compromise the value of our personal network.

Stanley says that it's often wisest to focus upon networking within a few industries because positive word-of-mouth flows more rapidly through inter-industry communication than through intra-industry communication. We learn that one of the best places to learn about an industry are the industry's trade publications and associations.

So, while you're browsing through "Gingersnap Today," in addition to learning about the industry, you'll learn about the movers and shakers of the baking industry. More people to add to your potential food network.

What do most bakers really care about? In fact, what do most wealthy people care about? Dough, of course! Business owners, especially, are always looking to grow their revenue. So, if you enhance a business owner's revenue, you will become a valuable member of his or her network.

Would doily supplier dare drop doing business with you in favor of your competition if you are providing many referrals and enhancing his doily revenue? Especially, if other people providing the same core service don't enhance his revenue at all?

Stanley gives us the example of a financial advisor who was talking with the wealthy owner of a welding company. Rather than focusing upon the financial advisor's "me, me, me" interest of getting as much money under his grubby management paw as possible, the advisor focused upon his potential client's real concerns and priorities.

Upon meeting the wealthy welder, the financial advisor immediately said that he had several clients who owned oil rigs which needed welding services. He put the welder in contact with the oil riggers. The welder received much business and opened a multimillion dollar account with the financial advisor.

Of course, savvy networking is sometimes derogatorily referred to as "The Old Boy's Network," where members only tend to do business with other members. But, everyone has the opportunity to create their own network. Building networks is an equal opportunity endeavor. Unfortunately, sometimes, people have network envy.

Also, notice that financial advisors and others offering core services to the wealthy tend to benefit most from such networking. This is especially true if the basic service provided is largely undifferentiated, as it typically is with accounting services or financial advising, for example.

Stanley argues that the core service provided clients must be worthwhile to secure and retain business. But, core services being equal, the provider who excels at revenue enhancement will probably win.

While revenue enhancement is crucial, maybe, top dog's greatest concern is building his new home. He's a successful doctor who hates negotiating and doesn't have the time for it. But, it so happens that you know the building contracting business and are a strong negotiator. By acting as a purchasing agent for members of your network, you can save members money. And, as they say, a penny saved is a penny earned.

Stanley relates the story of a successful CPA who saved his wealthy client about [money] on the purchase of a new home. When the successful doctor told Mr. CPA about his new home plans along with its 15% builder's fee and extra fees and commissions here and there, Mr. CPA offered to negotiate the final purchase on behalf of his client. Knowing construction, Mr. CPA knew that a 10% builder's fee was fair. But, the commission, paid to the builder, on the sale of the lot, owned by the builder, had to go.

Saving members of your network money on expensive purchases is one more way to benefit them.

Overall, if you provide a service to wealthy individuals and you wish to increase the value of your networking skills, you might find this book useful.

Book Description

Essentials of Physician Practice Management offers a practical reference for administrators and medical directors and provides a comprehensive text for those preparing for a career in medical administration, practice management, and health plan administration. Essentials of Physician Practice Management is filled with valuable insights into every aspect of medical practice management including operations, financial management, strategic planning, regulation and risk management, human resources, and community relations.

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Customer Reviews:

Management for Health Professionals.......2007-02-22

The structure of the book is excellent, and drive to an objective and quickly understending about a complex theme. It is more directed to hospitals and group (business effort) of physicians. It has not a commitment with a "day-by-day" aproach and with dynamic changes of consumer (patient) behavior.

Not for the average reader.......2006-01-26

I purchased this book as my husband and I are about to begin the process of opening our own Plastic Surgery Practice. While I am certain that this is an excellent read for a PhD candidate or a physician with an MBA, it is not for the average or even above average physician looking for advice and information concerning the management of a practice. It is most definitely an extremely in depth and detailed examination of all aspects of medical management. It presupposes that the reader is well-versed in fiscal policy, business law, and graduate level economics. I struggled with the book for several days before making it a gift to my brother-in-law who is an MBA student. At the core it is a textbook for a graduate business student and not for a physician.

Outstanding reference.......2005-09-11

Easy to read. Concepts clear and concise. All relevant topics covered.

Handbook of Government Budgeting (Jossey Bass Nonprofit & Public Management Series)

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Handbook of Government Budgeting (Jossey Bass Nonprofit & Public Management Series)

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Performance-Based Budgeting: An ASPA Classic
Memos to the Governor: An Introduction to State Budgeting
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The Federal Budget: Politics, Policy, Process
Governmental Accounting Made Easy

ASIN: 0787942928

Book Description

In this comprehensive reference, Roy T. Meyers provides an invaluable tool for anyone who wants to learn how the government budgeting process works, where it doesn't work, and how it can be improved. Filled with insights and wisdom from thirty-six contributors, this book presents an encyclopedic account of budgeting innovations today. Seven sections and twenty-nine chapters cover everything from current basic processes to the uncertain future of budgeting. Handbook of Government Budgeting is the definitive resource for anyone interested in the ways governments acquire and spAnd money.

Nationally and internationally respected experts such as Bob Bland, Naomi Caiden, James Chan, Philip Cooper, Larry Jones, A. Premchand, Irene Rubin, and Barry White offer the reader a full spectrum of information and ideas gleaned from a broad base of practice and research. The contributors are authorities in the fields of political science, economics, accounting, and management. They include executives, managers, analysts, consultants, and academics who have studied or worked with governments. The combined wisdom of these experts ensures the most concise, complete, and thought-provoking compilation concerning government budgeting today.

Each section of the Handbook of Government Budgeting presents multiple chapters offering different perspectives on budgetary subjects. Topics include: an overview of government budgeting; credit markets, the economy, and budget balancing; taxation in budgeting; the informational foundations of budgeting; budgeting by institutions; politics, management, and analysis in budgeting; and budgeting over time for large amounts. This comprehensive volume will prove a priceless tool to government professionals as well as professors of budgeting courses. Budgeting students and practitioners will find up-to-date information on the latest budget issues and politics in governments across federal, state, and local levels.

The teaching supplement is available directly from the author.

Interested parties should e-mail him at meyers@umbc.edu.

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