Never Wrestle with a Pig and Ninety Other Ideas to Build Your Business and Career (Paperback)

~ Mark H. McCormack (Author) "I used to think that the best person to solve a problem in our organization was the person who first recognized the problem and presented..." (more)
Key Phrases: mental yardstick, crossover skill, marketing chief, New York, Parkinson's Law, Candidate Number One (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Drawing upon forty years of experience from his own sports and celebrity management practice, Mark H. McCormack is back with common-sense advice aimed at business owners and would-be CEOs. McCormack's tips include:

* End your day on time
* People who say they can keep a secret usually can't
* It pays to overestimate your competition
* The best ideas cannot be stolen
* Know when to say "It's none of your business"
* Get paid for thinking rather than doing
* Time in front of the customer is the best time of all
* Be wary of unanimous agreement
* Not every budget deserves your respect
* Learn the art of picking up the check


In ninety brief chapters that range in topic from getting ahead to staying competitive, McCormack makes clear that doing business in today's climate still involves the same basic elements of human interaction-intelligence, creativity, and efficiency-that have always meant the difference between success and failure.

About the Author

Mark H. McCormack is the founder and CEO of International Management Group (IMG), the world's dominant sports marketing organization, whose clients include Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, Venus and Serena Williams, and Arnold Palmer.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); 1st edition (January 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141002085
• ISBN-13: 978-0141002088
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #399,189 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and informative, but...(my but about it), February 13, 2002

By	S. Kalsi (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book was quite clear and informative. It had many experiences that were shared and communicated well. It did give me many interesting tid bits and pointers, but -

I started to get the feeling that the author was really full of himself, and it seemed after a while that he kept saying: "only after I stepped in did things improve most of the time because I am such a smart guy..."

That started to wear me down and it started to get a little annoying. If it wasnt for that, the book was good.

I would not recommend this book to any friend of mine because I think there are other books out there that tell the reader more with less personal glory attached to it.

Perhaps I should read biographies more?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good roundup of common sense in business relationships, October 30, 2003

By	Keith Appleyard "kapple999" (Brighton, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

(This book was previously published as 'Staying Street Smart in the Internet Age').
It's not the first book by Mark McCormack I've read. Like the others, its very readable, and gives a collection of homespun philosophies, interspersed with personal life experiences. There's a strong emphasis on Sales, but 'selling' is surely part of all of our business relationships.
Just don't believe in the gospel of everything McCormack has to say; there are contradictions, just as life is full of them, such as :
In Part 8 'When you are in Charge', there is the lesson "unlearn the bad habit of not trusting your 1st impression", whereas in Part 9 'Etiquette for the New Millenium', under 'reading people requires more than one reading', there is a "caveat about reading people too quickly" - so which is it to be?
Consider it light reading to just remind you of the good & bad things that you can do to others & they can do to you, and re-adjust & compensate accordingly.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It caught my attention, February 18, 2002

By	"katebrady" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I usually tend to find career development/strategy books simplistic and mind-numbing. After having my attention caught by the title of this book though, I decided to give it a try. I couldn't put it down and have already recommended it to many people. The format is very reader-friendly with McCormack's having done a great job of packaging his points in morsels that are easy to absorb. You'll probably find yourself nodding in agreement with his bits of common sense as you're reading. It's the kind of book that you want to share with everyone, but on the other hand keep it to yourself because what you learn from this book will make you appear like a genius. The only detraction from the material is that the author does come off as pompous at times, but looking at his accomplishments, I think this attitude is warranted.