reviews

A number to remember.  Andy Dufresne’s prison number.  And for those familiar with Shawshank Redemption, you’ll know that’s not pronounced as it looks. It’s not really necessary to ‘review’ this outstanding flick as such – so much exists elsewhere as it’s always in the top 3

Watched this Sean Connery flick last night for a bit of a wind-down.  It’s a fantastic film to watch if you’re doing business in East Asia.  I bet the original book (by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton) is gripping.  The film lacks something somewhere in translation to screen

Well, a ridiculous 36° in London today, and tomorrow could top the 100° day we had 3 summers ago.  With a terrific breeze this evening, I thought it’d be the best time to listen to Chris Howard’s second disc.  And I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised,

Just seen programme two in Steve Coogan’s 1995 series Coogan’s Run.  It’s the one written by the awesome Father Ted creators about Gareth Cheeseman.  It was premonitorily called Dearth of a Salesman.  He’s a truly awful, egotistical self-centred salesman selling the “Lancelot 2000 soundcard”.  It’s

I’ve a pal who’s a demon cold caller.  His name is Chris Howard.  He works out of an office in a lovely part of England slap bang in the middle of the Cotswolds.  He’s really into listening to self-help tapes focusing on selling skills.  I often think

Quite a few courtroom based movies have lessons for sales people.  The way lawyers ask questions is always fertile ground for learning.  In this case, the movie sees Jack Nicholson’s old school military leader duped by Tom Cruise’s young gun lawyer into admitting wrong-doing.  Based on a stage

Heard about the “freakonomics” phenomenon?  It’s all about the book written by a self-styled rogue economist, Steven Levitt, who feels that the discipline should be used to explain how the world really works, but lamentably seldom is.  And pretty impressive a read it is too. He poses 5 random

There is a paucity of reading matter for the dedicated sales enthusiast.  Rags aimed at reps tend to veer towards one of two extremes; either they’re peddling the American self-help religions, or dumb-down to talk about gadgets and motors. So it is a pleasure to find that the best

Tom Hopkins, not so much a Sales Guru – more a Sales God! ‘How To Master The Art Of Selling’ is an unashamed Airport Book, being very anecdotal and conversational in its approach. Yet this book was originally out in 1982. Any book that stands the test of time must surely

For those of you reading from England, I watched this movie the other night on BBC3. Normally this channel’s a bit too ‘yoof’ for me, although the second series of Swiss Toni, and The Smoking Room were both awesome. Really the flick’s a whodunnit, where you get to