Just finishing this book, I would say it's worth the time to read the author's important "tidbits". It's a very short book (less than 250 pages with many blank ones in between) but many of the chapters are quite useful. There are plenty of wisdom filled morsels to help you build your businesses and although some of his ideas might be a bit corny, they apparently work. The book was written in the late 80's so it is a bit outdated, but is considered a business book classic worthy of your efforts to pick and choose some new ideas.

Since my company has been bought out there seems to be an increasing amount of corporate politics going on. I decided I had better get familiar with lear to play this game, and learn quickly. I ordered this book on CD to allow time to prepare during the morning commute. It was a good decision.
The service that I received was awesome. The product shipped and arrived when they said it would. It was "new" and in perfect condition. I would not hesitate to buy from them again.

My disclaimer: As with any opinion, it is only my opinion! And everyone's will vary depending on who reads the book and what the reader is looking for. I look for ways to improve businesses, sales, and my life.

On a 1 to 5 scale, 5 being the best:

Readability 5: A very easy read. I read this book over 15 years ago and it's one you can read and digest in a few hours.

Information and new ideas 5: Lots and lots of ideas for those who want to grow their customer base.

Applicable Ideas 5: Many of the customer follow up systems that I installed in retail businesses were based on Harvy McKay's 66. I used this to create my own customer base when I was selling cars. After a few short years, I was selling mostly to referrals and my customer satisfaction ratings were in the top 1% of 1% in my industry.

Value 5: I still have this faded copy sitting on my shelf and it won't be donated to Good Will any time soon.

Overall Score 5: Buy the book!

Harvey, thank you for your ideas and inspiration!

Rip Walker
Author: Rip's Book of Common Sense Selling: Improving Sales Through Process Implementation

I work with sales people and business owners who say they would like a "Secret" to keeping existing business, create referrals from this business, and get new clients/customers. Harvey MacKay has the absoutely proven answer in this book.

He has created a client bio, the "MacKay 66" that gets 66 pieces of info on any given client/customer that gives the salesperson a great deal of inside info so that he/she will have an edge on developing an "appreciation marketing" approach to their business. This can be used to remember birthdays, anniversaries, etc. with a personalized, hand-written card that reaches out to the customer without having your hand out and always wanting an order. This also gets info on wife, kids, pets, favorite charities, hobbies, etc. that can be used to know and appreciate this client or prospect better. This gives that person a decided edge in their marketing efforts because they become very informed and very able to get that client's attention.
There is a lot of other business wisdom that is well worth getting this book for. It was written in 1988, but this is wisdom that will NEVER become antiquated or obsolete.

Harvey Mackay's wonderful sales & marketing manifesto is good advice for any business person to heed, even more than 20 years after it was first written. This was a man who was able to accomplish much out of life by working hard, working smart, and engaging others to join him in getting things done. You simply follow his leadership because he's highly competent, dilligent, and refreshingly charming. There was nothing phony about this guy, and he knew how to get results.

After digesting all the information in this wonderful book, the reader will come away with that extra edge that will separate the extraordinary business person from the rest of the pack. This is great stuff and is worth reviewing regularly, just to stay sharp. The advice is timeless and the results are guaranteed to be profound.

This book is filled with fantastic hard-earned wisdom and illustrative examples on how to find success in the business world. A quick and easy read with advice that sticks with you long after you've put it down.

This book should be a staple in everyone's life. It's about working from the ground up and not feeling sorry for yourself. It's about putting yourself in someone else's shoes and thinking on your feet. This book is great, a great read with excellent advice that can be used not only in the workplace, but in everyday life. This book can help you change your life for the better and be a better business person and a person, taking into account that even the millionaries/billionaries started from the ground up and hoe to succeed with what you have.

Fast read and informative from someone who has been there. I'd recommend this book to anyone who deals with customers whether face-to-face or remote. Lot's of good examples given by the author and all told in the form or parables.

I first bought a copy of this book when it came out in the 80's. It's somewhat dated now (there's no references to email or the internet) but it really is my BUSINESS BIBLE! I buy used copies where ever I find them and any time I like an interviewee I give them a copy and explain the importance of reading this book before the 2nd interview. Some do, some don't...some get hired and some don't... they don't last 5 minutes into the 2nd meeting. I tell people, "Want to know how to deal with me? Want to know what to expect from me? It's all in this tome!" How about a re-write for the new century Harvey? Now on my 50th+ purchase.

You might think that a business book where the typical chapter is only one or two pages makes for very light reading. However when it comes to Harvey Mackay's, "Swim With The Sharks", you would be wrong.


The book is a quick read, but you may not catch all of the insights the first go round. Mackay passes the majority of his insights along in the form of stories, anectdotes and tips you can use right away.

Some readers may dislike his "folksy" style (he is from Minnesota, not the coasts), while others may think the book is unlike many other business books somewhat "light". Mackay is not an academic, consultant or theorists, but the owner of a manufacturing entity (Mackay Envelope) battling it out on the frontlines of Capitalism.

That is the true value of the book, he is a business man, running his own business. Something many business authors cannot claim.

Read it once. Re-read it. Then read it all over again.

Part business wisdom, part motivation, all good business sense.

Recommended.

Bernie

I'm amazed books like this aren't part of a college pack of books to read prior to graduation. I learned maybe 1/3 of what's in this book from my parents, and experience- and was fascinated with the rest. THis is a book I give to relatives starting out in the work world. All of MacKay's books are good. No it doesn't cover everything, but it's useful

Unlike many successful businessmen who had a new product or technological innovation create their success, Harvey Mackay had only envelopes. As the owner of an envelope manufacturer, he had to make his success by selling well, building relationships, and always coming through on his promises. His experience is invaluable to anyone in the business community. His advice on networking and sales is excellent. Overall, this is a no-nonsense, pragmatic book on how to succeed in business.

Wily ol' Harvey MacKay is a prototypical midwestern multimillionare. This means that even at his most Machiavellian, he comes across as a charming, down-to-earth folksy everyman - just the sort of person James Stewart used to play. This is Mr. MacKay's first book and it's well-worth reading for anybody who'd like to know more about why some people succeed in business while most fail. Some may dismiss many of Mr. MacKay's advice as merely 'common sense' but given that so many of us fall short of financial and personal success I doubt that the knowledge in here is all that common.

On the positive side, we have a successful business leader who stresses the importance of ethics, personal integrity, and steady hard work. I've rarely encountered a management or business-oriented author who stressed strength of character as much as Mr. MacKay does. He also tells personal anecdotes with a refreshing lack of swagger. This book may have first been written in the 1980s but Harvey MacKay does not reflect the Era of Greed at all. It's little wonder he's in demand as an inspirational public speaker, and that he still publishes a weekly advice/inspiration column.

Of course, in any book this old, there are bound to be dated sections and those are the only real negatives. Mr. MacKay's hiring practices (in which employees are visited and interviewed in their own homes so that he can learn more about their family values, yet in which no one calls to verify personal references) would raise a lot of eyebrows today. There's also an over-reliance on sports analogies. Other reviewers have noted this but I would like to add that Mr. MacKay's love of sports anecdotes reflects his age, because sports heroes and coaches of the past were not the money-driven free agents of today.

In sum, this would be a good graduation gift, or a welcome present for anyone beginning a job within the corporate world. Unlike many advice books, I left this one not only with good advice but also with a sense of who the author really was. And, I have to say, I enjoy Harvey MacKay a lot.

It is impossible for a first time writer to come up with a business bestseller that gives out no-nonsense advice. But then, this is Havrey and he does push the envelop when it comes to enthusiastic salesmanship.

This is Harvey Mackays first book, and true masterpiece. This book has so much information on how to navigate your career that it is sure to have an impact on you. Harvey has built two successful careers (the envelope business and as one of the country's highest sought public speakers) by living the advice in his book. This is not theory, it is all examples of things that he has done regularly throughout his life that have lead him to great success.

This book ranks as one of the business world's "Must Reads".

All of Harvey Mackay's books are AWESOME! I love listening to his audio books....he has a good voice and they have helped me very much in relationships in my business! Highly recommended book...and author!

All of Harvey Mackay's books are AWESOME! I love listening to his audio books....he has a good voice and they have helped me very much in relationships in my business! Highly recommended book...and author!

Mackay really knows how to write an interesting and enjoyable book. I read it within 3 days as some of the rules are very intuitive to understand! Good book!

Harvey Mackay was one of the first authors I had read on how to run a business. The book is written in an entertaining manner, and contains a great deal of fantastic advice.

To this day, friends who were around me when I read this book in college will quote parts of it back to me.

It contains tidbits of guidance, some great, some small. All good.

Harvey Mackay and is hands down the reason I started my own business. This book is simply great. A must read for anyone in business.

This is the original street smart marketing guide that has spawned numerous similar books, such as "What they Don't Teach you at Harvard Business School," as well as numerous books on selling. In my opinion the book lives up to its billing. A must-read for someone serious about business.

Some worthy information about particular business issues are raised and noted, and for the most part this is an off-the-cuff soliloquy talk about how Harvey views business, and the world. There is nothing more amusing than some wealthy person in business who thinks they have the answers and the remedies for the rest of us. Written in the late 1980s, some of the attitudes presented towards hiring potential employees will become evident. All in all, this is an easy and quick-read.

I read "Swim With The Sharks" front-to-back, however each chapter concerns a different topic, so one does not have to read this book straight through from page 1 to the end.

One thing I found a bit quirky were the consistent references to allegedly "successful" collegiate and professional sports coaches. I don't feel it's an appropriate analogy to commonly equate coaches with the situations outside of the sports world. The sports culture is often not applicable to making a business deal, dealing with corporate culture, and/or avoiding mistakes with people socially. The sports in itself is a microcosm of society, but a separate world within its own. Time and time again I would chuckle to myself as I would read a quote made by Vince Lambardi, some NBA coach, or read a personal anecdote from the now disgraced coach Lou Holtz. Having to read Yogi Berra's lobotomy-like quotes and philosophy was quite dull, and not very informative.

Some helpful and practical information is the "66 question customer profile," as well as the "12P Competitor profile." I liked his noting (book written 1988) of how people who usually don't have money go out and buy a brand new "prestigious" car that depreciates.

Mackay also reminds us (or me atleast) of the importance of writing small yet important things down on paper and/or notepads.

One of his tips on how to save time is to drive near the front of a grocery store you plan on shopping in. Then look for how many people are in line. If its too crowded don't go in. Thanks Harvey. You've changed my life with your insights.

He also tried to break an attempt by his employees to form a union, which he lost. He openly stated how he conned very employee into thinking they were "special" and "important" with his one-to-one meetings with them. It didn't work. They didn't buy it.

He does understand (see "Dig You Well Before Your Thirsty") the art of the schmooze in talking with celebrities such as O.J. and world figures such as Castro about things that they do, and interest them in their free time and NOT about what they do for work.

All in all, useful things can be gleaned from "Swim With The Sharks," and it's a very quick read.

I came across this book a few years ago during a difficult time in my life. I was in the process of failing miserably at yet another professional endeavor, and in the throes of a major personal upheaval. It was shortly after these calamities that I seriously began to read this book. Internalizing just a few of the simple but important lessons in this book has made all the difference for me, and has allowed me to pursue life very much on my own terms.

From this book, I learned that in order to satisfy a demand, you first have to create the demand, the very first lesson of the text, and one that I applied to maximum benefit repeatedly shortly after internalizing it. I also learned that while money is nice, good information is priceless; otherwise, you will not have the money for long. Too many people never learn that lesson. Finally, the most important lesson for me came in the first few pages and had to do with salesmanship. As MacKay says, anyone can get the order if they are willing to say anything and do anything to get it. The real question is whether or not they can get the reorder, as that is the mark of the true salesman. I work with people at the moment that should have learned that lesson, but did not, and let me tell you, it is excruciatingly frustrating to interact with such individuals. People who have not learned this crucial and important lesson simply can not be trusted, and lack integrity. They develop reputations that, in a word, are most un-flattering, and can bring out the worst in people. An appropriate analogy for such people are scurrilous and reproachable politicians- all talk and promises, but very much non-action and non-delivery. Most important, once entrenched in a position with a fancy title and of some limited power and authority, they can and do frustrate any and all attempts at progress and forward locomotion. You would do well to cease contact with these people at the first and most convenient opportunity.

As an aside, I liked his musings on the old cliche 'Sell Yourself'- truly a meaningless and overworked phrase if there ever was one. As MacKay remarks, we as individuals often make for lousy products. I also concur with others who found Mr. MacKay's admonishment, Don't Get Mad, and DON'T Get Even, to be wise beyond words. I can affirm that stewing over personal and professional slights and plotting revenge wastes precious time and energy which could be directed towards more constructive and fruitful pursuits. However, I must admit that I have yet to internalize this truest of truisms, as some tresspasses are difficult to forgive. Still, as for most of the other lessons the reader probably already knows them or is familiar with them, but having them placed before you by an unrelated and credible third party always makes for good, sound, positive reinforcement. While some may dismiss most of the lessons in the book as common sense, I have to commend Mr. MacKay on his key insights on the human condition and human relationships.

Which, in the end is what business, and for that matter, everything else, including my profession, science, is all about. I especially recommend this book to those from non-business or professional backgrounds (especially scientists, as many of us are, perish the thought!, unfortunately severely handicapped in the people skills department, this reviewer included) who nonetheless must interact with people. Obtaining this book solely for the lessons on good, effective salesmanship alone would justify its purchase. I have also found that reading this book, in combination with a handy and powerful little volume, Soft Selling in a Hard World: Plain Talk on the Art of Persuasion, by Jerry Vass, can turn even the most reluctant, shy non-people-person into an effective salesperson. One of these days I am going to read Mr. MacKay's follow-up, Sharkproof!, as there are quite a few of those carnivorous, maneating fish in The Business of Science.

Looking into networking for any reason at all? This is the book for you. The information is simple to apply and leaves you asking, "Why didn't I think of that?" If you are ready to not only meet people but to remember them well then read this book and have fun putting it into action today!

A bunch of feel-good stories about the author. The only real meat is his list of questions about his/your customers. The substance of the book is: find out all you can about you customers AND find out how they fit in and see the companies they represent.

The only good news is the book has so little substance it took me only an hour to read it.

...

This book, for me, was a guide in how to conduct myself in this difficult environment in an ethical manner, yet still succeed. I'll never forget reading the maxim, "Don't get mad, DON'T get even". After observing the behavior of those around me, many from the nation's top B schools, I was stunned to read this. They don't teach these types of ethics in MBA school. Anyway, I was dumbfounded when I read this simple rule, but Mackay deftly explains how this will not only help you rationalize your situation, but actually excel in this environment.

This is just one example. The book lays out Mackay's extremely wise philosophy. It is important to read this book and learn how to work with the sharks, reduce your anxiety, create win-win situations, and not be eaten.

Some good nuggets in here. But if he were a great businessman, he wouldn't have gone into a commodity business like envelopes. He himself says, "the margins are razor thin." And because it's such a commodity business, he needs to really overwhelm his customers, which includes his keeping extensive files on them, including information such as whether a customer is a member of alcoholics anonymous. A supplier keeping personal info about me like that in a file would make me want to cut him off as a supplier.

This is a great book, whether you're an MBA or just someone trying to get an advantage in everyday life. Harvey Mackay's lessons are to be treasured--he was way ahead of the curve in the mid-1980s. It may be hard to appreciate this today because some of the advice isn't fresh anymore: we all have phones in our cars and we all use answering machines to screen calls and we all take notes on the run on little portable recorders. --Well, many of us do, at any rate. Hardly revolutionary advice anymore, but that's only because we listened to Harvey in the first place.

Some of the chapters contain gold that will always be valuable, however. One of my favorites involves the phrase "Dusseldorf passes." I won't spoil it for the unread, but I will say the lesson from that chapter is one everyone should take with them through life. It will save you a lot of money and regret.

And the Mackay hiring process. So thorough it seems to border on the obsurd, but the more I work at various companies the more I wish all businesses were as picky about acquiring workers. Harvey shows you that even "lowly" positions such as the receptionist or secretary are among your company's most critical, for 99% of your customers will get their first impression of your company--and in some cases the *only* impression of your company--through this crucial individual. Yet many companies get some 18-year-old part-timer to answer the phones and file valuable company documents--*and they're proud of this cost-cutting maneuver!* They consider this smart management. Harvey explains why this is actually a very dumb move.

He also shows you how to get "impossible" tickets to the big game and how to get a reservation at virtually any hotel, even ones that are "completely booked." And no, these are not devious ways. They're just common sense, actually.

Whether you're an ambitious manager at a Fortune 500 company or an owner of a small businesses on the corner, this book has nuggets. So grab it. And then read the other books Harvey Mackay has written. While they didn't have the freshness or the impact of this first one (is that possible?) they are still well worth your time.

This is a great book, whether you're an MBA or just someone trying to get an advantage in everyday life. Harvey Mackay's lessons are to be treasured--he was way ahead of the curve in the mid-1980s. It may be hard to appreciate this today because some of the advice isn't fresh anymore: we all have phones in our cars and we all use answering machines to screen calls and we all take notes on the run on little portable recorders. --Well, many of us do, at any rate. Hardly revolutionary advice anymore, but that's only because we listened to Harvey in the first place.

Some of the chapters contain gold that will always be valuable, however. One of my favorites involves the phrase "Dusseldorf passes." I won't spoil it for the unread, but I will say the lesson from that chapter is one everyone should take with them through life. It will save you a lot of money and regret.

And the Mackay hiring process. So thorough it seems to border on the obsurd, but the more I work at various companies the more I wish all businesses were as picky about acquiring workers. Harvey shows you that even "lowly" positions such as the receptionist or secretary are among your company's most critical, for 99% of your customers will get their first impression of your company--and in some cases the *only* impression of your company--through this crucial individual. Yet many companies get some 18-year-old part-timer to answer the phones and file valuable company documents--*and they're proud of this cost-cutting maneuver!* They consider this smart management. Harvey explains why this is actually a very dumb move.

He also shows you how to get "impossible" tickets to the big game and how to get a reservation at virtually any hotel, even ones that are "completely booked." And no, these are not devious ways. They're just common sense, actually.

Whether you're an ambitious manager at a Fortune 500 company or an owner of a small businesses on the corner, this book has nuggets. So grab it. And then read the other books Harvey Mackay has written. While they didn't have the freshness or the impact of this first one (is that possible?) they are still well worth your time.

You're dead wrong if you think this isn't a book that a grandmother could benefit from. Harvey Mackay writes a book not only about business, but about life. It teaches you to appreciate people, getting them to understand you and show you understand them.

I'm now the President of the Montana Grandmothers Book Club. Granted, I'm no Bill Clinton, but I got the position by using Mr. Mackay's key improvement point to know your customers (in my case, the other members of the book club).

For instance, I know Susanby is very conservative and Georgette is very liberal. So I would with them to find suitable books to read.

And I SHOW MY APPRECIATION by telling people how much I like them and by sending thank you notes. If I know one of my members plays golf, I'll even send them a link to a golf web site (yes, grandmothers can play golf and yes, we also can use the Internet ... though I can't type as fast as I used to).

Now before you get too worried about nepotism, I am not related to Harvey Mackay (my married name, "Mackey", comes from the same derivative so Harvey might possibly be related to my husband Michael from 10 generations ago) - so my judgment is sound.

Mackay writes a great book that is easy to read and quick to benefit from.

"Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive" is Harvey Mackay's classic business book and one of my personal favorites. Each business lesson is only about one and a half pages long, so you don't need a shark's appetite to gobble it down.

Some of my favorite Mackay lessons:

-- The most important clause in a contract isn't a clause. It's dealing with honest people.

-- Mackay's Dad's advice: "It doesn't matter how many pails of milk you spill, just so you don't lose the cow." (Mackay's from Minnesota where business advice is often phrased in terms of cows. Often entrepreneurs make mistakes that cost them money, but that's not as bad as making a mistake that destroys the company. Don't be afraid to be creative and test things to find out what works best. Non-Minnesotans can think goose and golden egg. Mackay says that for the first five years after purchasing a small, struggling envelope manufacturing company with a revenue of $200,000, he "...teetered between bankruptcy and insanity." But, he didn't lose the cow. Today, Mackay Envelope has a revenue of about $85 million, if I recall correctly.)

--Know something about your customer as well as your product. Mackay does an excellent job here. He develops the Mackay 66 which is a profile of your customers. It asks such things as: What are your customer's hobbies? Interests? Political and religious orientation? Knowing the customer is important in relating to him or her.

Mackay says the same principle is crucial to establishing contacts with influential people. Learn something about the person, so you have an idea of their hobbies, interest, values, etc. Then, you'll know what hot buttons interest them. And, what topics to avoid.

For example, many, many, many years ago, when Mackay met Fidel Castro, Mackay asked Fidel how he kept in great shape. Castro, who prided himself on his physical prowess, told Mackay he was an active bowler. (Note to bowlers: Take up jogging. Give up the cigars.) When, Mackay told Castro that he was a champion bowler in college, Castro became excited to have met someone who shared a similar interest.

--Believe in yourself. Mackay, an avid sports fan, discusses runners first achieving the four-minute mile. Many people believed that running a four-minute mile was impossible (for me, it is!), but after the first runner achieved it and showed it could be done, many other runners broke the four-minute mile, until doing so was necessary to be competitive.

--Never give a speech once. Practice it in front of a test audience. That way you'll find out what jokes bomb and can cut them. Mackay is considered one of the very best public speakers in the world, and he gives some advice about public speaking in this book.

Speaking and communication are valuable business skills. Mackay writes: "Learn to use the language. Written and spoken. Anyone who's a word dink has got it made." We word dinks like that! Although I'm not so sure it's fully true for everyone. But, at something over $20,000 per pop for a speech, with a nationally-syndicated small business column, and over eight million books sold, dinking around with words certainly hasn't hurt Mackay.

Mackay writes: "Like most salespeople, I've spent a lifetime trying to build a network of customers and friends... . There are two ways to do it: retail and wholesale. Retail means the one-at-a-time kind of contacts that are built up through participation in community and social activities. Wholesale means the recognition, and acceptance, extended by people who don't know you personally but who have heard about you as a speaker, read your articles, or read about your civic activities in the paper."

This is the sort of book I like to reread every few years. I highly recommend it to entrepreneurs and people interested in business. Salespeople, negotiators, and avid sports fans will enjoy it the most.

Peter Hupalo, Author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur."