The Force

Rating:
Summary: Vacuum the Carpet Twice Instead!
Review: I bought "The Force" expecting a great, firsthand look at high-stress corporate selling. I also expected the book to be readable! I have tried several times to finish this book, but the repetitive prose is frustrating: How many times can I be told that Frank Pacetta is caustic, or that Fred and Kathy are at odds over whether she should return to work? How many times can I be apprised of the other characters' anxieties, and in how many different ways? Dorsey duplicates his efforts by over-explaining everything that happens, instead of letting the dialogue or actions tell the story. The narrative paraphrases the characters' inner thoughts, repeating the same old harangues. The description of Kathy's reflections on a sermon about the Parsifal myth makes a simple point again and again, yet Dorsey's rambling prose is impossible to winnow down. The prose is tightest when Dorsey explains the history of Xerox. The complex whys and wherefores behind Xerox's adoption of TQM and their deal structure resemble the characters' inner thoughts in the narrative. What this book needed to give it pacing throughout was detachment, so the reader could keep track of everyone's situations throughout the story. This book needed the linearity of facts, rather than the circularity of anxiety and rationalization.

Rating:
Summary: Marketing majors - this is a must buy!!!
Review: I will admit that the book is slow at times, but it has many good points. I am a marketing major, and I think it is a must. It honestly taught me a lot.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books ever written about sales management.
Review: This book really captures the essence of being in sales and and what it takes to be in sales management. I'm in sales management myself and I can really relate to Fred Thomas' worrying about performning well, and I recognize some of the different characters in his department. Sales being glamorous to many people (those not involved in selling), but the negative impact it has on your personal life is very well described in the book. It's tough!

The book is a must for everyone in sales management!