Book Review: Rules Of The Hunt By Michael Johnson

Ken Thoreson, president, Acumen Management Group LTD

Over the weekend I picked up the book Rules Of The Hunt from Michael Johnson, founder of SalesDog.com. It was a great weekend read.  From the book you can tell Michael has been there and done that! It is jammed full of tips, reminders, and real world stories on the topics that every entrepreneur and small business person either has faced or will face. I would label this a handbook and must read for every manager in every small business.

His topics cover leadership, relationships, sales, marketing, technology, operations, foresight, and survival, and within each category Michael shares his philosophy’s and experiences that will help any business person move forward faster in their career development.  Examples could fill this blog, but I found myself underlining section after section with “gems”; Write your dream plan for your business, Hire Traits, not Degrees.  In the relationship section: The One Question You Must Answer, In marketing, Tell Them a Story, In sales: Reflect On Your Sales.  In each section it is a like a shot gun went off with idea’s flying at you from a person who has experienced the real world.

One of the elements I seem to always stress with my clients is the leadership factor. Michael covers this section with great zest.  His comments hit to the core of what I feel are important: Communicating the team goal with passion is the key. I’m not talking about fiery speeches or contrived pep rallies. I’m talking about continually showing your passionate commitment to reaching the destination, not only with words, but with actions. A great reminder of what divides the average organizations/leaders and those that continually exceed their objectives.

If you are looking for a good business book for the summer or to share with your management team, check out Rules Of The Hunt by Michael Johnson, published by McGraw Hill.