Double Your Profits: In Six Months or Less (Packaging May Vary)

You would expect an old book written in the early 90s to be outdated and irrelevant. Instead, this text withstands the test of time and is irreverent! While I say that last part half-facetiously, the author is nonetheless cogent and ruthlessly to the point from start to finish. If you want to nitpick, you can point out some examples that are outdated, such as fax machines and physical paperwork. But this can be seen as metaphor, as it's the idea that counts and the idea can be transposed to modern applications. It's like applying the scientific method in the study of alchemy. The end goal may be a relic of the past, but the methodology is legitimate and time-tested. What's impressive is the author's consistency in tone and purpose. He is not pontificating, and you can feel the authenticity in his advice and the underlying goal of cutting cost to increase profitability. The author takes a pointed approach when it comes to reducing your workforce and cutting unnecessary staff. This is long before that became vogue, as it was around 2022/2023 when Elon Musk (at Twitter) and other technology giants took initiative to cut the labor bloat in their organizations. Another example of the author's no holds barred approach is in Chapter 10 (or “Step 10,” as it’s called), titled “Maximizing Customer Satisfaction Leads to Bankruptcy.” According to the author, there has to be a balance but using this to justify extra expenses is a cop out: if you truly want to maximize the customer's satisfaction, you should cut your price to zero or give him or her a free trip to Hawaii. This is the type of book you'd read for 'via negativa'—meaning, in this sense, addition by subtraction. That's how I came into it, put simply: you increase your profits by cutting your losses. Nonetheless, a good part of this book does impart additive measures of things you can do to increase your revenue and thus profit. Namely, this is negotiation and sales. There's plenty of interesting and good advice in these areas, which come towards the end of the book. As you can probably expect by now, there will be some pithy and interesting one-liners. I'll leave this review off with some from the text: "Once the price is named, whoever speaks next loses the negotiation." "Never call a meeting to discuss; only call a meeting to decide." "A stubborn impatience to do things now is a powerful producer of profit."

Got the indication from a Brazilian business magazine - Exame - issued January 2010. Marcel Telles, one of the greatest Brazilian entrepreneurs, recommended the book, as a must read, and as the book that influenced him the most. You might ask, who is this person...well, he is one of the guys behind AB-Inbev deal! Although the book dates from 1993 (I don't like much old business books), most principles are very interesting and totally applicable for today's market. The focus on cost reduction is clear, and can generate blunt results. I can clearly understand how inspiring this book were for some successful Brazilian companies in the past decade, specially the ones from GP group. Some of the tips such as giving away your own office (as a CEO) to bring cost down is a true example on how you can demonstrate to your crew how committed you are in order to maximize the company's result. Nice reading.

Easy and nice read. Could need some updating to account for chapters on saving money on computers etc. Other than that, mostly a timeless and essential read for entrepreneurs , business owners and managers.

Very quick read providing practical insights to driving and/or sustaining profitability. Bob describes the "old school" methodology to business management; which has been demonstrated to work time and time again. Even though some of the tactics are antiquated and may not be a good fit in today's millennial rich environment, I strongly recommend the read. A minor update will have this book on the Best Seller's list once again for many years to come! When you finish this book consider "Welcome to the Big Leagues: Nine Innings of Essential Tips for the Corporate Rookie" by Carmine Del Sordi. Also loaded with tips and writing styles are very similar.

Decent, old school way of doing business and generating profits. Enjoyed it. However, keep in mind that it was written years ago. May be a tad bit outdated

Hard to beat this book, it’s brief, yet full of 100 actionable ideas you can apply in a corporate setting.

Ótimo livro para gestores que querem ir além dos clichés

Practical actionable advice, clearly and precisely laid out. Observations made by Bob about wasteful expenses at large companies are absolutely true in my experience.

Excellent, décapant, sans langue de bois, tout ce dont les français ont besoin pour évoluer un peu. L'étude de ce manuel devrait être obligatoire dans toutes les bonnes écoles. Une épreuve au bacc devrait porter sur son contenu. A lire absolument. Achetez le, empruntez le, volez le si nécessaire. Pour ceux qui ne lisent pas l'anglais il existe une traduction sous le titre " 78 moyens pour doper vos profits "

Nice advice.