Customer Rating: 
Summary: Literary IT Purchasing Primer
Comment: Completed the book in a weekend due to major contract negotiations at work. Found the chapters very "real-world" with appropriate anecdotes & examples to illustrate concepts. The chapter divisions were especially helpful; they allowed the reader to skip around & read the info needed. (I used the guidelines in the software contracts & contract administration chapters heavily. The contract clause samples are very good.)The use of language was particularly interesting. There were many literary references & the occasional witty turn of phrase. (Was somebody an English major???) The book was an easy read & also quite entertaining. However, the authors' major goal is to help the professional who's actually involved in such efforts--not necessarily to amuse.
At times, the parody poems were a bit much, but almost all of the book was useful in some way or another. Would recommend the book to a procurement analyst or contract administrator that's new to the field and wants a good primer on all things IT.
Customer Rating:
Summary: For the beginner
Comment: Pretty basic and definitely geared toward the novice IT professional or procurement area.
Having spent over 20 years selling various IT products and services, most of her examples are over-exaggerated or just plain silly.
Customer Rating:
Summary: One of the best books on the subject.
Comment: I have been negotiating IT & telecom deals on behalf of large companies for the past 3 years. I am continuously seeking material to expand my knowledge in this arena in order to be on equal footing with vendors. This book is without doubt the best I've come across in my long search. It's clear that the authors have "been there, done that." The review that gave this book a poor rating due to the authors'supposed unethical advice is bogus--I didn't find anything of the sort.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This book levels the sales cycle playing field
Comment: If you are acquiring products or services from a reseller/integrator then this book give you the knowledge you need to ensure that you're getting what you're paying for. Earlier in my career I was an MIS manager who dealt with resellers and made the switch to working for a number of reseller/integrators as a pre-sales consultant and network engineer. I came away with two fundamental truths: there is a definite ritual that underlies the IT sales cycle, and the difference between a computer sales rep and a used car salesman is the used car salesman knows he's lying. Apparently the authors of this book also see these truths because they arm you, the buyer, with a strategy and an array of tactics with which to cut through the FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) and the other ploys that the sales side of this ritual will use.To be fair to the sales side of the acquisition cycle, they have face a tough set of challenges, among them the fact that many buyers do not understand the dangerous margins that are a reality of the seller's world. Also, IT technology has become a commodity and the resellers who truly do add value are often competing on price alone.
That said, everything in this book rings true for both sides. Resellers are going to employ every weapon at their disposal, and this book lists them all: relationship development, knowing your hot buttons and pushing them in many subtle ways, and always nudging you to the close. Some of these tactics are well-intentioned and may actually take into account your real requirements. However, the book also points out other external forces at play, such as quotas imposed by your sales rep's own company as well as pressures from their vendors. Combined, these too often result in your being skillfully talked into technology that is proposed for reasons other than its fit to your needs or overall value as an investment. In this respect the advice that the authors provide might seem on the surface to be adversarial or worse; however, it is designed to ensure that your acquisition strategy is aligned to your real requirements and not the result of skillful manipulation.
Among the most insightful parts of this book, in my opinion, are chapter 4, which covers negotiations and how to control the negotiations; chapters 8 and 9, which provide sound advice for monitoring and auditing vendor performance; and chapter 10 on contracting. Each of these areas are key in the sales and delivery cycle, and are especially important for services. When I was in that business I thought that it was absolutely amazing how many customers overlooked the vast difference between what our sales reps promised and what was actually delivered from a services perspective. The real value lies in service, and that seems to be the one place where the buyer consistently loses. If you follow the advice provided in these chapters you will learn how to get with you pay for and how to hold your reseller accountable for delivering what was promised.
I think this is one of the best written books on how to buy IT technology and services. Learn from it and you will have the assurance that you will get best value and solutions that meet your real requirements. The book is weak on the financial side of solution selection and measuring benefits, but it is incredibly strong on how to manage vendors and beat them at their own game. I strongly recommend it if you are involved in managing vendors or acquiring product and services from resellers.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Unethical (and Inffective) Advice
Comment: Although the book contains some useful information, the authors advocated several unethical business practices, including lying, stalling, and micromanagement. Their advice was "cheat them before they cheat you." In 20 years of dealing with IT vendors, I have found that working WITH vendors, in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect, is a much more effective strategy.
