How to Close a Deal Like Warren Buffett by Tom Searcy & Henry DeVries - Book review

How to Close a Deal Like Warren Buffett

Lessons from the World's Greatest Dealmaker

By: Tom Searcy, Henry DeVries

Published: October 9, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 192 pages
ISBN-10: 0071801650
ISBN-13: 978-0071801652
Publisher: McGraw Hill












"No matter what size company you have, you can land your Warren Buffett kind of deal", write consultant and founder of Big Hunt Sales, Tom Searcy; and Assistant Dean of Continuing Education at the University of California, San Diego, Henry DeVries, in their strategy filled and very practical book How to Close a Deal Like Warren Buffett: Lessons from the World's Greatest Dealmaker. The authors describe the highly successful deal making concepts, techniques, and wisdom employed by legendary investor and negotiator Warren Buffett.

Tom Searcy (photo left) and Henry DeVries recognize that most business people won't negotiate transactions on the scale conducted by Warren Buffett, but offer the insight that the same principles apply to all deal making events. The authors provide the timeless and readily applicable strategies, as utilized by Warren Buffett, in a an understandable format The authors point out how the methods used by Warren Buffet differ from traditional and even conventional negotiation strategies.

The authors emphasize the real and very tangible differences between Warren Buffett negotiated transactions, and those of hostile takeovers, and of standard mergers or turnarounds. For Warren Buffett, the numbers are very important, but the people involved in the deal are even more important. This Warren Buffett idea of working with the people creates an entirely different dynamic from traditional negotiation and deal making.

Henry DeVries (photo left) and Tom Searcy understand that every negotiation will follow a path of its own, but that there are important similarities as well. The authors demonstrate how Warren Buffett established a set of negotiation rules and principles that transform the entire process from one of chance to one of predictable and mutually beneficial outcome.

The authors share 101 of Warren Buffett's maxims and wisdom for successful negotiation. The principles are shared with the reader in eighteen lessons to establish both thinking and acting like Warren Buffett in any negotiation, regardless of size. The eighteen lessons are as follows:

* The quest to make deals like Warren Buffet
* Go big
* Consider many, like some, love few
* Bad deals at good prices are still bad deals
* Deal only with dealmakers
* Clear the deal path
* Getting to dealmakers
* When you are going to eat an elephant, don't nibble
* A little help goes a long way
* Victory favors the ready
* The why matters
* Expect the unexpected
* Don't fight, but when you do...
* If you want to marry, don't tarry
* The final hour
* The last step is always slippery
* After you make your first Warren Buffett deal

For me, the power of the book is how Tom Searcy and Henry DeVries combine a comprehensive framework of Warren Buffett's negotiation strategies, with a complete course in putting those principles into practice. Throughout the book as well, the authors include special vignettes of Warren Buffett's investment advice and wisdom. The authors also include a number of their own negotiations and deal making case studies to illustrate the principles in action in the real world.

Tom Searcy and Henry DeVries enhance the main text of the book with a very complete and useful appendix. The appendixes include what the authors call 101 Warren Ways, that encapsulate Warren Bufffett's deal making rules; Chronology of Warren Buffett's highlights, which provides a historical overview or his major transactions; the making of a dealmaker, where a brief biography of Warren Buffet is provided: and a section on further reading on the life, strategies, and ideas of Warren Buffett as recounted by other authors.

I highly recommend the engaging and results oriented book How to Close a Deal Like Warren Buffett: Lessons from the World's Greatest Dealmaker by Tom Searcy and Henry DeVries, to any business leaders, executives, sales managers and representatives, and entrepreneurs seeking to improve their own negotiation strategies and skills through a deeper understanding of the principles and wisdom employed by Warren Buffett. This book will transform any business person from an ordinary negotiator to one who understands the fundamental principles of making a deal.

David Goldsmith: Paid To Think: A Leader's Toolkit - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Consultant, speaker, President of Goldsmith Organization LLC, and author of the comprehensive and transformational book Paid to Think: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future, David Goldsmith, describes a new way of rethinking the role and value of leadership within an organization. David Goldsmith presents an alternative to the idea of getting people to do more, but rather teaches people to be more. David Goldsmith challenges leaders to think more in terms of strategy than tactics, more in terms of creativity as a collaborative innovator, and more as an entrepreneurial based transformational leader. David shares his higher set of leadership laws that challenge and overturn much of traditional management theory. He also provides examples of top performing companies who have done precisely that. David Goldsmith offers a fresh total rethinking process that reinvents and challenges the usual ways of leadership and management. David also presents the concept of knowledge as a multiplier of performance. He also points out that leaders must continually sell their ideas, their company's greatness, and their teams on the organization's higher purpose. Learn the practical tools that will build better leaders, stronger teams, and higher performing organizations.

David Goldsmith is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Thursday, January 3, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Consultant, speaker, President of Goldsmith Organization LLC, and author of the comprehensive and transformational book Paid to Think: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future, David Goldsmith, describes a new way of rethinking the role and value of leadership within an organization. You will learn:

* Why it's necessary to rethink leadership and its role

* Why leaders should embrace the holistic Enterprise Thinking concept

* How to implement Enterprise Thinking in your organization

* How to improve your own leadership skills with the right tools

Leadership and management expert David Goldsmith (photo left) is a consultant, advisor, speaker, telecast host, author of more than 500 published articles on topics such as strategy, technology, new product development, marketing, customer service, innovation, and forecasting to name a few, as well had been a part of the NYU SPCS Faculty for 12 years. He is co-founder and President of Goldsmith Organization LLC based in Syracuse, NY.

Named by Successful Meetings Magazine as one of the speaking industry’s Top 26 Hottest Speakers, David is known for delivering industry-customized and content-rich presentations using a proprietary approach he calls Consulting from the Stage. Each presentation is built by combining

pre-program research with David’s experience so that audiences receive practical and transferrable solutions through inspiring and engaging presentations.

While on NYU's SPCS faculty as an adjunct, David was awarded the schools Teaching Excellence award for the development and teaching of two core courses: Winning at New Product and Service Development and a management strategy course called Enterprise Thinking. The latter is based on David’s holistic approach to leadership and management, Enterprise Thinking, which is the basis for his book, Paid to Think, due out in 2012.

David hosts two telecast series—the Institute of Management Consultants’ Consultapalooza and the NY National Speakers’ Association telecast series—where he has had the privilege of interviewing some of today’s most innovative thinkers and leaders to educate both consultants and speakers on a global scale.

David holds an MBA from Syracuse University. His business history includes co-founding and operating nine companies in a wide range of industries. In 1999 he sold a 14-year-old textile decorating facility to a national promotional products corporation with over 400 franchise locations. David has received a number of prestigious awards for his professional and community achievements such as The Citizens Foundation Central New York Entrepreneur of the Year and the Central New York 40 under 40 Leadership Award. David's accomplishments have appeared in media around the world, including Bloomberg Media, the Japanese version of Entrepreneur Magazine, The New York Times, and the Financial Times of London.

His expertise has been sought by clients such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield, , Harley Davidson, Johnson and Johnson, the Wharton School of Business, Lufthansa, Infosys Technologies, and the US government.

David’s professional and civic contributions have earned him a place on the board of directors of a number of organizations. He is a co-founder of the New York Chapter of NSA and currently serves on the national board of directors of the Institute of Management Consultants.

He resides in Manlius, NY with his wife and two sons.

My book review of Paid to Think: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future by David Goldsmith with Lorrie Goldsmith.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with consultant, speaker, President of Goldsmith Organization LLC, and author of the comprehensive and transformational book Paid to Think: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future, David Goldsmith, as he describes a new way of rethinking the role and value of leadership within an organization. David Goldsmith presents an alternative to the idea of getting people to do more, but rather teaches people to be more. David Goldsmith challenges leaders to think more in terms of strategy than tactics, more in terms of creativity as a collaborative innovator, and more as an entrepreneurial based transformational leader. David shares his higher set of leadership laws that challenge and overturn much of traditional management theory. He also provides examples of top performing companies who have done precisely that. David Goldsmith offers a fresh total rethinking process that reinvents and challenges the usual ways of leadership and management. David also presents the concept of knowledge as a multiplier of performance. He also points out that leaders must continually sell their ideas, their company's greatness, and their teams on the organization's higher purpose. Learn the practical tools that will build better leaders, stronger teams, and higher performing organizations on Blog Business Success Radio.

Paid to Think by David Goldsmith with Lorrie Goldsmith - Book review

Paid to Think

A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future

By: David Goldsmith

Published: October 23, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 544 pages
ISBN-10: 1936661705
ISBN-13: 978-1936661701
Publisher: BenBella Books












"You can never underestimate the value of thinking before taking action, especially when you're about to invest labor, capital, time, and your reputation on an initiative", writes speaker, consultant, and President of Goldsmith Organization LLC, David Goldsmith, in his comprehensive and transformational book Paid to Think: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future. The author describes how leaders are often given ideas about leadership, but are rarely offered the practical tools to put those leadership concepts into action.

David Goldsmith recognizes the necessity of leaders creating a fresh approach to the role and importance of leadership within organizations. The author demonstrates how leaders, in order to meet the many and varied challenges facing their organizations, must rethink the the very concept of leadership. David Goldsmith presents a completely integrated approach to leadership through his concept of Enterprise Thinking. At its core, this revolutionary idea transforms a leader's entire focus on what leadership really means, entails, and works on a daily basis. David Goldsmith offers a complete new way of considering leadership, and its fundamental concepts, and challenges leaders to rethink their own beliefs and practices to achieve superior personal and organizational performance.

David Goldsmith (photo left) understands the value of thinking for a leader to achieve success. With the concepts proposed in the book, the author shares the tools and practices for a leader to incorporate thinking, rethinking, and challenging of the traditional thinking into their regular management technique. David Goldsmith also guides leaders toward changing their way of thinking about themselves as leaders and their teams as followers. Instead of the conventional wisdom of doing more, the author challenges leaders and their teams to be more.

David Goldsmith shares the overall framework of Enterprise Thinking in four underlying foundations. The four pillars are as follows:

* Strategizing
* Learning
* Performing
* Forecasting

For me, the power of the book is how David Goldsmith combines a strong theoretical structure, in the form of Enterprise Thinking, with the practical tools and techniques for putting the concept into practice. The author takes a completely holistic approach to leadership, where all of the facets of leadership are fully integrated into a complete reexamination of the leadership role and importance. David Goldsmith integrates strategy, learning, performance, and forecasting into a comprehensive whole.

While many leaders consider these concepts to be separate functions, the author considers them all pieces of the overall management and leadership puzzle. David Goldsmith also bolsters his ideas through the inclusion of case studies, where real world leaders applied the principles of Enterprise Thinking to their own organizations. The results achieved through this fresh approach and challenge to conventional thinking were remarkable in their high rates of success and achievement.

I highly recommend the revolutionary and game changing book Paid to Think: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future by David Goldsmith, to any leaders at any level of their organizations, who are seeking a proven and highly effective methodology for transforming an ordinary company into an extraordinary one. This book will transform your leadership skills, and of those across your entire organization, into Enterprise Thinkers who are truly paid to think.