Take No Prisoners: A No-Holds-Barred Approach to Corporate Excellence (Hardcover)

by Marvin A. Davis (Author)
Key Phrases: niche pricing, turnaround people, United States, Postal Service

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Now more than ever, American companies are experiencing a nagging feeling that they could be doing much better. Globalization, digitization, and the development of cellular technology have increased competition by leaps and bounds. As a consequence, skating by on marginal performance isn’t enough. It’s time for businesses to find the tools that will help them excel. A turnaround expert, Marvin Davis has made a career out of transforming underperforming companies. He assesses their mistakes, issues a diagnosis, and has helped allay the fears of many CEOs across the country -- leaving businesses more efficient and ultimately more competitive.

In Take No Prisoners, he gives hard-line, tough-love solutions to the real and difficult problems that hinder profitability. By addressing issues that may at first seem too messy or dangerous, companies can learn how to truly improve performance, increase profits, and boost cash flow. Companies shouldn’t wait until they are in dire straits to make changes; they can alleviate many problems if they act now and meet them head-on. Through real-life examples of corporations who have made these solutions work successfully, Take No Prisoners tells American companies the truth about the state of their business, and how to make it even better.

Book Description

Now more than ever, American companies are experiencing a nagging feeling that they could be doing much better. Globalization, digitization, and the development of cellular technology have increased competition by leaps and bounds. As a consequence, skating by on marginal performance isn’t enough. It’s time for businesses to find the tools that will help them excel. A turnaround expert, Marvin Davis has made a career out of transforming underperforming companies. He assesses their mistakes, issues a diagnosis, and has helped allay the fears of many CEOs across the country—leaving businesses more efficient and ultimately more competitive.

In Take No Prisoners, he gives hard-line, tough-love solutions to the real and difficult problems that hinder profitability. By addressing issues that may at first seem too messy or dangerous, companies can learn how to truly improve performance, increase profits, and boost cash flow. Companies shouldn’t wait until they are in dire straits to make changes; they can alleviate many problems if they act now and meet them head-on. Through real-life examples of corporations who have made these solutions work successfully, Take No Prisoners tells American companies the truth about the state of their business, and how to make it even better.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (December 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814480608
• ISBN-13: 978-0814480601
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #713,058 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for all small to mid-size business owners, February 20, 2008

By	Paul Diamond (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Take No Prisoners by Marvin Davis is a step-by-step guide for turning around a business. This book is unique among business books in that every chapter is filled with actionable advice.

As the editor of a publication geared exclusively for CEO's, I see 5 or 6 new business books land on my desk each week. 95% of these books are either pep-talk books, theoretical discussions, biographies of business leaders, or the "this is how I made a fortune" book that promises but never delivers similar results for the reader. Davis's book rises above the average business title simply because it presents concrete solutions for what a business owner can do right now to turn their company around.

The basic premise of the book is that companies shouldn't wait until they are in dire straits to make changes; they can avoid many problems if they act now and contingency plan or meet certain issues head-on. Davis details what problems businesses might face, and how business owners can take steps to avoid those problems. If the business is already suffering from the financial problems, Davis lays out plans for what they can do now to contain and resolve the problem.

Davis writes clearly and economically. In terms of content and delivery, I give this book my highest recommendation.

Here is a sample passage from the book (most of the book contains this kind of "how-to" and actionable advice). This passage comes from the chapter 17: Banking.

THE BANKING RELATIONSHIP AND HOW TO MANAGE IT
There are several keys to taking control of your banking relationship and optimizing the conditions under which you borrow money. They are:

* Get to know your banker and let him or her know the key personnel in the company (e.g., the chief financial officer).
* Regularly review the operations of your company and your business plan with your banker.
* Never lie to your banker.
* Keep your banker informed of both favorable and unfavorable events in the business--no surprises.
* Always have an alternative banking source available.

The last of these items is especially important. I stated at the beginning of this chapter that you should realize that your banker is a vendor like others. It would be foolish to have only one source for a key component of your product. Likewise it would be foolish to have a single potential lender. This means that the development of a relationship with a second bank does several things:

* It keeps your current lender honest and competitive with regard to rates and conditions of your loan.
* It gives you a place to go quickly if your current lending arrangement is compromised in any way.
* It gives you negotiating power.

The second bank relationship may involve occasional meetings with officers of the second institution or the presence of a minor account at the second bank.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must needed addition to any SME business library., March 11, 2008

By	Ganesh Ranganathan "outsourcing expert" (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book covers all the way from the front office to the back office and what can and should be done in the various operational areas of a company. It portrays practical and easy to understand examples that can be utilized for various difficult and most common business scenarios.

Solid advice to how to proactively seek out and fix issues before they become fully grown problems that takes up a lot of energy and resources to tackle. It also covers points about the revenue side as well as the cost cutting side.

This book will instigate various ideas among the business leaders which they can apply for quick results. Great job Marvin, for the wonderful book, very well written, well thought out and great examples.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take No Prisoners is a Must Read!, March 10, 2008

By	Timothy J. Boylan - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I would submit the following advice to all C-Level executives:

(1) Read Marvin Davis's book, Take No Prisoners!

(2) Make such required reading for all of your division and department heads.

(3) Implement the book's blueprint for excellence across your enterprise.

In this age where businesses are feeling the pinch of uncertain economic times and cut-throat global competition, companies of all sizes must continually re-examine and improve all facets of their operations to (a) survive, (b) garner optimal sales and profit growth, and then (c) ensure long term sustainability.

To not embrace this wholesale re-examination process is to accept mediocrity and ultimately, defeat in the global economy.

Davis makes this case very well and he does it with very matter of fact language and scores of business examples--companies that he's helped turnaround in his impressive career. His very practical and action oriented counsel steers business leaders through all of the vital aspects of company operations from marketing strategy and customer profitability analysis, pricing strategy, human reource/staff motivation programs, all facets of finance and cash controls including best practices for managing your outside banking relationship, to name just a few. There is a even great chapter covering how to best take advantage of the global labor supply system--critical knowledge for any business operator in the "flat world".

I only wish that I absorbed the wisdom of Take No Prisoners sooner! But I'm grateful that I have this book as a resource now as I'm leveraging the author's advice in my firm on a daily basis. Thanks and great job to Marvin Davis.