Customer Reviews

The Force

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It has been about two years since I first read David Dorsey's book. I was working for a large multi-national computer company and, as I read about Fred Thomas, I felt that I was reading my auto-biography.

No other book has better captured the inner torment of corporate sales. The quotas, the endless tracking of results, the hounding of sales staff to squeeze blood from stone. Parts of the book helped maintain my perspective as I went through similar Kafka-like events since then.

I would make this a must-read for anyone who has to sell to the fortune 500

I used this book in a class I teach on economic anthropology - the idea was to use it as a kind of 'workplace ethnography' to show students what the real life of sales is like. I also wanted to emphasize the point that the daily business of economics is more about social relationships than simply about money and exchange. The students liked the book and found parts of it very engaging, but I am not sure it helped get the message across. This is partially because the author is not very self-reflective - does not put his experience in perspective or make sense out of it, but it content to show how out-of-control a particular corporate culture became, how destructive it was to daily life. A useful lesson - and I will use the book again.

This was a good book overall, however, two pages were missing! They werent ripped out, they just werent printed in the book. Nonetheless, the book got to me on time and in great condition. Overall, good book!

I read this book about a year ago, and was pleased to find it to provide a real sense of what its like to work in a high pressure sales environment. The characters in the book reminded me of many people I have met and worked with professionally, and I enjoyed the stories greatly, finding both familiarity and insight.
I think that for anyone working on a sales team, or considering working on a sales team, this book is a pleasure and a must-read.
Let the buyer beware!

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.

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!

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.