How

How
Dov Seidman
John Wiley & Dons, Inc
ISBN: 978-0-471-75122-9
Non-Fiction, Business
Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady

If you read any of the hundreds of business books on the market, you’ll know the current trend of what to do in business. I’ve read and reviewed dozens of titles that all say that the key to business is doing what you say you are going to do and treating people like people (both clients and employees). These resources usually give all sorts of examples of successful companies that actually follow through on their promises. Some of the more involved ones give step by step instructions on what to do to make your business successful.
How is a bit different from these other titles. The author doesn’t write a how to manual. Instead, the author focuses firmly on the issue at hand: how the way you run your business actually reflects your business goals and what you are doing that is counterproductive to these goals. In other words, if you promise your clients excellent customer service do you then spent most of your time stonewalling consumer questions and concerns? It may sound like common sense but most businesses keep only a small percentage of their promises. Most say one thing and provide service of a completely different nature.
To me, the big difference between the methodology of How and the many other business books I’ve read is the difference between going into a mega-super-store and being given the hard sell or going into a local Mom’s and Pop’s corner store. Yes, in the first example, the company probably did get that initial sale but I won’t come back and neither will any of my friends. The later example’s integrity and ability to make me feel like they genuinely want my business will more likely make me a lifetime customer.