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I purchased this book to try revitalize my cold calling strategy. It was informative and gave me a couple of new view points to see where I might be able to tweak my cold calling and prospecting skills.

I would recommend this book to novice & experienced sales people who have to make prospecting calls on a daily basis.

You read, you learn and then you earn. Step by step plan for becoming a great phone sales person....very good book

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Keith Rosen's book on Cold Calling, even though I consider myself as "Cold Call reluctant". This book gives sufficient evidence that cold calling is a necessary tool in new business development what ever your industry, and the knowledge on how to cold call effectively. In addition to cold calling, Keith provides important information on several other sales and marketing strategies for business development such as networking, obtaining referrals, and managing the entire sales process. Having read dozens of books on marketing, sales, sales management and strategies I've got to say this one is on the top of my recommend list to friends and clients looking to boost sales skills for new as well as experienced sales professionals. The format makes it easy to read, understand and most importantly to deploy to your advantage.

I am one of those rare folks who enjoys cold calling but I picked up this book as a companion to Closing the Sale. This is an excellent read that can better you best results or turn around your cold calling (lack of) success. In short, this is the real deal.

Despite what some talking heads may say, cold calling works. I've read both the "anti-cold calling" books as well as Mr. Rosen's books, and I can say that the arguments clearly lean in Mr. Rosen's favor. The "never cold call again" groups really address similar stuff that Mr. Rosen does, which leads me to believe that their position is more a matter of savvy marketing, driven to sell books, rather than anything revolutionary.

With that said, cold calling doesn't work...that is, unless you have a method that provides you with measurable results. And that's precisely what Mr. Rosen's book gives you. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling, is one of those essential books that never has a chance to rest on a shelf and collect dust.

In my experience, I was stuck. I had been cold calling for a couple of years and found myself in a telemarketing quandary. Mr. Rosen's book couldn't have come at a better time. He combines a precise, no-nonsense message with words that are easy on the eyes. His book is equal parts practical guide and motivational tool. I particularly appreciated the time he commits to the psychology of selling. The emphasis on process goals (a book he should write next) is a new look at the outcome-driven goals that many of us were taught to follow.

I read Mr. Rosen's book and committed time to completing his exercises and following his techniques. Two weeks later, I scheduled five qualified appointments. Why do I say "qualified"? Before I read his book, I focused on setting up the appointment. I'd meet with prospects, but after all the driving and time spent in an office, often, the only thing I had to show for my effort was a wrinkled shirt that required dry cleaning. Using Mr. Rosen's book as a guide, matters quickly turned around for me. I met with people that were ready to close because I qualified them over the phone. I wish I had his book three years ago. (To think of all the gas I would have saved!)

If you've doubted your skills, needed some fresh ideas, or are new to the cold calling process, buy The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling. Once you do, you'll soon have a book that has a worn down spine, pages loaded with Post-its, and a cover that refuses to stay shut--just like mine.

Although I found the book to be visually interesting...I was disappointed to find that the majority of the photos are in black & white, which greatly reduced the "impact" of the actual rooms being shown. I truly believe that if the original vivid colors were "inserted" (via digital / computer imagery) into the black & white pictures, this would have truly represented the decorator's original vision and consequently made for a much more visually powerful book.

This is a wonderful book, full of excellent photographs and graphics, detailing the history and the flamboyant and highly sophisticated design of Dorothy Draper. The book includes treatment of her furniture, fabric designs, and public relations projects, as well as examples of her most important residential and commercial commissions. A book about great style, and a book with great style.

Like other reviewers, I was disappointed in all of the black and white photos. The content is very good but it just needed more color to really show what Draper's style was all about.

This is an interesting book but the items reproduced therein are no so great. The photos of the ballrooms/hotels are great and that's where Draper was at her best - in grand spaces. It's difficult to imagine men living in these highly styled white baroque plaster rooms in more common-sized apartments with dizzy graphic prints and maneating flower motives. Still, if you like that kinda thing, find it on sale.

Stylemaven

A sensational look at the life and stratospheric career of the extraordinary Dorothy Draper. Written by her assistant who inherited the company, Carleton Varney has written about Draper's life and career like no-one else could have. Draper had such a unique style that has inspired the likes of Kelly Wearstler to this day. Unfortunately one of her most important design signatures, colour - and lots of it, is not done justice or captured accurately in the mostly black and white photos in this book. This is a great book if you are interested in the life and career of one of America's most important and charismatic decorator's, but if you are hoping for reference for her design and trademark colours then you may be disappointed.

So many excellent and easy-to-make recipes! The author guides you through the best ways to make each pie, and even gives you hints for making it special. Read each recipe all the way through because sometimes they may take longer than anticipated... but they ALL have come out great so far. (My friends want pie every time they see me now!)

Not exactly what I was looking for. If you like classic pies, nothing really out of the ordinary, then you'll love it.

i like pie.

this cookbook is an excellent resource vis-a-vis the aforementioned predilection.

For the first time in my life I am now making completely awesome pies FROM SCRATCH. I totally won my family's thanksgiving bake-off this past holiday season.

Mmmmm, pie.

Finding a great pie anywhere is extremely difficult. In fact, it is rare that I would even ask for pie as a dessert choice because they are usually not very good. However, my hankering for pie reached a frenzy after watching the movie "Waitress".

For those unfamiliar with that movie, its main character explains her feelings through coming up with creative pies. When the movie's credits began, my longing for pie took hold of me. I was convinced, after many attempts, that there was no really great pie out there, so I decided to make my own.

After a great deal of research, I found this book. It is really outstanding. The writing is fun and easy to read. It is well organized and takes the stress out of baking a pie for a first timer like me. Ken makes it seem so simple that during the past month I have made over 20 pies, ranging from fruit to nut to cream pies. I took a class about baking pies, but it did not hold a candle to Ken's book.

Those twenty pies have mostly been baked for other people. The joy a fresh baked pie gives to someone makes me feel like I am making a difference. People love getting homemade pies, so much so it almost brings them to tears. My husband's co-workers, people at the gym, employees at stores that I frequent, and neighbors have been the beneficiaries of most of them. The reviews have been outstanding! People have said that they are they best pies they've ever eaten. At first I thought they were just being nice, but those platitudes have come from non-pie lovers and even the most finicky eaters. People are so excited about getting pies that I just can't stop making them!

I would like to say that the best place to get a great pie is my house. However, that sounds a little conceited and is not one hundred percent true. The truth is, if you want to have a great pie make one of your own using "Pie: 300 Tried and True Recipes for Delicious Home Made Pie". You will not be disappointed. The only problem is that you might not be able to eat pie at a restaurant again. On the bright side, you will always have something great to bring to a potluck, cook out or give as a gift. Pie really is the best desert out there. It combines all the best of creativity, complexity, and bakery goodness.

Is it time to pity the pie? I think not. It is time to make pie! So "pie it forward"

The homeschool movement is all about indoctrination. It allows fanatical, over controlling, potentially abusive parents 24/7 absolute control over their children. They are not independant thinkers, or independent anything, they are the property of the parents and should be treated as such.
I am a teacher and have been for 20 years. At first, homeschooling was the choice of intellectual parents looking to enhance their children's education. Now, what I see, are fundamentalist culture warriors seeking to demonize science and free literature in favor of religous dogma. In the last few years, the vast majority of home school parents are fanatics who have never graduated from HS or anywhere. They have no idea what a bacteria is, now they're teachers?
Education is the age old enemy of the church, the fight between faith and reason, superstition vs research. If we slip up and allow vouchers for religous schools, we allow the church complete control of our children's minds. Talk about a new Dark Ages, just look at the Muslims.
I have an idea; if you home-school, how about you also home-hospitalize, home-medicate, and home-operate.

I'm fairly new to homeschooling and this book is full of ideas to make learning fun and interactive with kids. I am looking forward to using several of the ideas in here this coming school year with my 2 kids ages 12 and 7.

I borrowed this book from the library and it was so full of ideas that I decided I needed it for my reference shelf. Lots of great ideas broken down by subject which is why it makes for such a terrific reference book. Many of the ideas are simply, and require little if any tools or props which makes them easy to initiate and build upon if they are a success for you. I also like that many times web sites were provided in conjunction with many of the ideas so I could do further research or find downloads that were applicable. My child is 6 years hold, and many of the ideas in this book work to introduce a new concept such as subtraction --- I appreciate that so many people were willing to share their ideas that work!

I just got this book a week ago and am already a good portion through it. It's filled with lots of great ideas for games to play by subject. It's jumpstarted my imagination of even MORE ideas. I've bought many homeschooling books over the past couple of years and I'd say this is a must-have!

I am not a homeschooling parent, yet have purchased a number of homeschooling books and resources to augment the development of my children and to build an agenda of activities that is more sophisticated (intellectually) than the commercial tools provide.

I really enjoyed a great number of suggestions in this book, and think that they would be valuable to *any* parent concerned about their child's development. It's full of fresh ideas for exhausted parents.

I briefly previewed Hunt Country Style in a store before ordering it. When the book arrived, I was naturally able to get into it more thoroughly. Frankly, I am going to give my copy away rather than keep it on a book shelf. Although I recognize the goal of the authors, many of the rooms were simply mediocre, the settings not so well done. I have been around the Blue Grass and many parts of Virginia, and much of the decorating I saw in this book didn't strike me as being so good or in keeping with the best in those areas -- which, in fact, have some of the prettiest work anywhere in the country. Sorry to be so harsh, but the more time I spent with this book (again last evening), the more these feelings surfaced. I will say that many of the exteriors were far more fascinating than the rooms inside, and the text was insightful.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is filled with beautiful photographs of this unique part of our country. I bought the book because my home is decorated in "hunt style," but found that what I loved most about it was that it was replete with history about the area. Anyone who has or has had a love affair with a horse will love the book for that reason alone.

Beautifull book. This book explores some of the "beautifull" homes in the Middleburg area. The pictures are very well done and the written article on each house is superb. The preservation of these homes is a delight to see, especially "Welbourne" and "Oakland Green". This author has captured the "essence" of old homes in the "Northern Virginia" area.

The book is informative and the pictures are splendid. However, I came across a substantial printing error on page 48 that detracts. The last sentence is not continued on page 49 or 50, so the narrative is incomplete. This error should have been caught in editing. The publisher refused to acknowledge the error or do anything about it.

This book does not disappoint in photography and text as it samples some beautiful Virginia Hunt Country homes and farms. A brief historical and chronological chapter heading of each featured home is included at the top of the page. The text is interesting without being tedious and there are enough beautiful photographs of each property's interiors and exteriors to leave one completely satisfied. The only fault is that on page 48 the text ends in an incomplete sentence, which appears to be a printing error.

This is an okay cookbook. I bought this based on the rave reviews it received from Amazon customers as well as journals. Unfortunately it was a disappointment. None of the foods tasted as good as promised and were ultimately very bland. In fact several of the recipes, including the one for the babka, turned out a disaster. You could find a much better cookbook then this . . .

My husband and I love this cookbook. It brings back a lot of memorys for my husband and we have tried many of the recipes. They are all good.

The stories are so similar to our own lives. It really is a joy to read.

I am sending this book as a gift to my friends. Most of the recipes I know from my heritage, but it wasn't the recipes that made me enjoy this book it was his introductions to each. A must buy for the generation whose parents were born here!

Excellent book. I made the brisket in the book and it was wonderful. I also made the Apple Cake and it was the best. I would consider giving this book to brides.
FS

Arthur takes us on a trip down memory lane-- the food of our bubbies, brought with them from the "Old
Country," some adapted to, or created for Jewish life of the new country. Arthur has updated the recipes, so that they can be enjoyed without guilt. Potato pancakes, noodle kugel, Roumanian carnzelach (meat "sausages")
--and more.

His delightful commentary--he is a very knowledgeable guy--makes the book a great read, and his careful testing of every recipe makes him one of the most trustworthy food writers around. There are plenty of cookbooks about the food of the Ashkenazic Jews--but this book is unique. A wonderful companion to Arthur's superb "New York Food."

The order was processed and shipped very quickly. The product is just as it was described. Excellent purchase experience!

Very nice book if you are interested in sustainbility and green architecture.

The book focuses on very modern designs, which are frequently stark or very heavy on the glass and steel. There are some ideas for creating a "greener" house, but most of the examples ignore the most basic green principle of minimizing the square footage of the house. Also, with a few exceptions, most of the examples appear to be very pricey.

Well designed and easy to use Layout on this Book for People interested in modern & green architecture. I recommend this book without any doubt. A very good source of inspiration!

I liked this book and I think the other reviews have summed this book up well.

After reading some of Morgenstern's books on organization for myself, I bought this book for my daughter. She was delighted with it and took it upon herself to redo her room. I think that she did a pretty good job. Her room has greatly improved and this book has given my daughter the confidence that she can keep her area and belongings neat.

Teenagers need to be taught practically how to manage all of their homework. Julie's book does just that. It makes sense, the methods are easy to apply, and it is great when parents and their kids can read the book together. I recently gave a talk to teenagers using the principles of the book and the kids were very receptive. Definitely recommended for any parents with kids of "homework" age!

Lately, many teenagers feel like they under the same crunch as their parents to get everything done (school, homework, friends, chores, jobs, etc.), and yet still want free time- and this book can really help you get your work done and still have a life, at the same time. The way that Julie Morgenstern writes this book is different than your typical organizing book- because it helps you to create an organizational system that caters to your personal needs, not someone else's. Julie states that since every teen as different hobbies, interests, activities, etc., their usage of time and the way their bedroom is organized will also be different.

Instead of giving you the same organizing system to use as everybody else, this book gives you a basic five-plan organizational system that you can apply to organizing your bedroom and managing your time better. It also features tons of helpful hints, real-life stories and anecdotes, and more to help you to get organized. Asides from being helpful, these stories and tips are also motivational and inspirational.

So, for all of those teens who have tried countless times to get organized but still find themselves in a mess, this book will definitely help you to get organized and start living your life better and more well-managed.

i bought this book on a whim becusae i knew i needed serious help. I used to have an insanely messy room, but this book was incredible! it is really easy to read and actually explains how to get organized in a way that suits you. its so inspiring and has great stories that make you feel that your not the only disorganized teen in the world. after reading this i completly oprganized my room and everyone was shocked that they could see my floor again! I also have an insanley busy shecudle and this book really hjelped me figure out how to organize my time! it was really a fabulous book and the only thing that ever helped me prganize my life-much more effective then my mother nagging me!

I bought this for my teenage daughter and could see a big improvement after she read it. This book contains information that will help provide the foundation for skills needed throughout her adult life. I only wish that I had found this for my oldest daughter who has since gone off to college. If it didn't have the word "teenager" in it I'd send her a copy.

I've been a "Taste of Home" devotee for awhile now, because I love their down-home, user submitted, easy and practical recipes and cooking tips. I got this book on a whim from Wal*Mart, even though the "30 Minute Meals" cookbook isn't really my "thing." I don't need a cookbook filled with 242 different ways to prepare "Cream of" soup. But I put my faith in the ToH folks and gave it a shot.

This book contains a wide variety of interesting, easy to prepare, inexpensive meals, while still maintaining that home-cooked feel that, I think ToH is famous for. I'm glad there is finally a book out there that shows one can be an at-home chef using mostly scratch ingredients, without investing hours to get food on the table. While there are recipes that do call for insta-items (a few with canned soups, processed cheese, or pie crusts), by and large this is a collection of how to assemble a variety of ingredients (most of which you probably have in the house already) into a great meal, with a modicum of effort and without huge expense. In the short time I've had it, this book has become something of a Bible, allowing me to prepare meals for my household despite working an evening shift (and thus trying to pack a whole day in the daylight hours before going to work).

The recipe offerings are diverse, and the sections are simple and straightforward, making assembling a menu a breeze. The first section is an "entrée a day" style layout, with an entrée recipe designed for 5 days worth of dinners over a 12-week period. The idea is you either choose an entrée from that section, or follow the menu as given, then jump to the extensive "Soups and Sandwiches" or "Salads and Sides" section to pick your sides, and viola. However, this book also contains the obligatory "Desserts" section, as well as a surprisingly large "Breakfast" section. You can really plan your menu from breakfast to dinner using this book. Most of these recipes (except for the "Desserts" section, only because many require freezing) are marked that they can be prepared in 10, 20, or 30 minutes, and for the first time in a cookbook of this nature, I really think the time estimations are really representative of what the average cook could do in a reasonable amount of time. And while this is by no means a "healthy eating" cookbook, the recipes included are I think very reasonable for the average diet, not being excessively salty, fatty, or otherwise including nutritionally disastrous suggestions.

Some of these recipes, I'm sure, people have seen before in ToH's magazines or calendars. Just a random sampling of recipes while flipping through the book... Creamed turkey over potatoes, chicken Wellington, crispy crouton salad, lemon strawberry tarts, cookie pizza a la mode, Tex Mex turkey burgers, snap peas and ham alfredo, French toast supreme, roast beef BLT, chicken stuffed tomatoes, turkey wild rice salad, cheesy wild rice soup, Swiss turkey tenderloin strips... How yummy!!!

For the price, this book is a great investment, ideal for working families, or people who want to cook something good without investing hours at the endeavor. Give it a shot... I know you'll love it!

The only reason I give this book 4 instead of 5 stars is because I've never been a fan of the cookbooks that are bound as this one is. With conventional paperback binding, I find that books like this flop closed easily, or when creased, lead the pages to fall out. I also wish there were more entrees in the book. While there are quite a number, there seems like dispurportionally few compared to the number of breakfasts, salads, and desserts there are.

I found this book to be very interesting and one which told me more about people with whom I am acquainted and, importantly, people important to me about whom I knew little. The photography is stunning.

The photographs were great and the short info pertaining to the individuals and their properties were interesting and informative. Well written, well photographed and a pleasure to have in our living room for others to see.

This book has not only stunning photos and info about the houses, but also tons of history. It's like "If Walls Could Talk" for all of our founding fathers' homes. Family life, politics, business, & more went on in these homes, and this book delves into all of it. However, it does ignore the slavery issue, since it isn't PC to be reminded that most wealthy landowners, North & South, had slaves; including the founders.

This book is a gem of photos and text about all sorts of Americans and how they lived. Most impressed that it did not just cover the usual presidents

Houses of the Founding Fathers

This book is long overdue, and well worth the wait. The photographs and text, along with the history tidbits interwoven throughout give a real sense of the life and times of those men and women who created our country. The authors have gone beyond presenting the basic architecture styles to bring us into the everyday aspects of life of our Founding Fathers and their families. The perspectives and lighting of the photographs make us believe that 'we are there'. The authors have obviously done their research and made this book easy to follow with timelines, facts, features, and explanations of how the houses came into being in the first place - and how they have fared over the past two centuries. For anyone interested in American History - this book is for you!