No commitment, no forms to fill.  If you want to get a feeling for the content, style and layout of The B2B Leaders Guidebook, please just help yourself to the sample PDF document below.  It contains the contents page, some reviews and two full chapters.  I have, of course, used two of the shorter chapters here...

My Son, Tom, is a Degree Qualified Human Performance, Strength and Conditioning coach.  He used to work face-to-face, but he moved online so he could work with and help more people world-wide.  He enjoys a great reputation.  Tired of all the 'miracle cures', 'incredible new supplements' and gym courses that all promise to change your life (at a cost), he decided to create a simple, real-world, free, factual guide to weight loss and better health and fitness.  Please click above for a copy of this short but very important document...  If you like it, then please contact him directly on either - facebook.com/tomirvingatmospherefitness or on Linkedin (just 'Tom Irving').   

Right at the death of 2020(thank goodness!) I received a message from my friend and fellow author Patrick Tinney.  He asked me if I had seen an announcement?  I hadn't and he shared it with me.  In short, BookAuthority - the independent body who review and rank books - based on their detailed research and input from worldwide domain experts - had just announced their 'Best New Sales Books to Read in 2021 list'.  Somehow, and with no idea how it had happened, I was on the 2021 list.  The best sales books in the world!?!?  😳😀🤷‍♂️  Needless to say I am honoured, pleased, excited, happy, proud etc.  It's a total shock but I am more than happy to accept the award.  I can now use their award winner logo on everything I do going forward.  I guess that's not a bad start to 2021!?!?  Here is their home page - bookauthority.org/  and here is their 2021 best sales books in the world list - bookauthority.org/books/new-sales-books  (I am #20)      

So yesterday I received an email from Discovery.  The B2B Leaders Guidebook was named their "Business & Economics" book of the week, for the last week of 2020.

That means that both my books have now received 4* reviews AND both have been their business "Book of the Week"!  In case you were wondering what their review said, you can look at the link in the previous post or just read on for my own cut and paste of their professional review...

"I had the pleasure of reviewing the author's first book in the series, The B2B Selling Guidebook, so I was quite excited to be able to read this one as well.
 
The B2B Leaders Guidebook has the same standout features that made the first one so attractive and readable, namely:
 
1) clean, clutter-free layout
2) short and punchy chapters
3) an emphasis on practical applicability rather than theoretical knowledge
4) plenty of anecdotes
5) a friendly tone
 
The author draws heavily from his 40+ years of work experience to share processes and techniques that worked for him. He also passes on valuable advice that he has received over the years from his mentors and colleagues. I found this approach highly effective because it requires one to think about the questions the author is asking and evaluate where one stands currently in one's professional life.
 
Just like sales and marketing are considered interchangeable terms, so are leadership and management. The author makes a clear distinction between the two and teaches you how to develop characteristics of both.
 
He takes a three-step approach to discussing the vast field of leadership: Starting, Building, and Improving. So, whether you're an executive who has just begun a career, a start-up founder, or a person with a certain amount of experience, you can pick up tips from whichever part of the book applies to you.
 
Each chapter ends with a brief section called "The Lesson," which distills the concepts discussed into a short paragraph. I used it as a quick reminder of what I've read so far.
 
I want to make special mention of Appendix 4 that talks about managing and leading in the COVID-19 pandemic. It's quite insightful and dispenses good advice.
 
Overall, The B2B Leaders Guidebook seeks to make sense of a complex topic by breaking it down to the basics. It appeals to all people at all stages of professional life as well as entrepreneurs. It's like a handy guide that you can browse through to refresh your knowledge or pick up some new tips and tricks.
 
Like the author says in his final chapter, "Keep learning! Always..."
 
REVIEWED BY"
Satabdi Mukherjee

It's happened again!  Those who follow my adventures will know (see below if you don't) that early in 2020 the 'Discovery' website gave my first book a professional review - rated at 4*.  It was great to read and made me feel very happy.  Well, as you can see above, they have reviewed The B2B Leaders Guidebook' and have also given it 4*!!  Because I am now better known, I feel that things are already moving faster with this book.  Lots of strong feedback and great comments.  Here's the link to the review in Discovery for you - https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/the-b2b-leaders-guidebook-jim-irving?utm_medium=email&utm_source=transactional&utm_campaign=mandrill#review 

So, the first review is in - and it's a corker!  Thanks so much to 'Reedsy' for adding me to their book review website with this professional review of the book.  I am delighted to receive a 4* score - for the second time now!
Visit the website directly here - https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/the-b2b-leaders-guidebook-jim-irving#review

Here is the text from the review - 

I had the pleasure of reviewing the author's first book in the series, The B2B Selling Guidebook, so I was quite excited to be able to read this one as well.
 
The B2B Leaders Guidebook has the same standout features that made the first one so attractive and readable, namely:
 
1) clean, clutter-free layout
2) short and punchy chapters
3) an emphasis on practical applicability rather than theoretical knowledge
4) plenty of anecdotes
5) a friendly tone
 
The author draws heavily from his 40+ years of work experience to share processes and techniques that worked for him. He also passes on valuable advice that he has received over the years from his mentors and colleagues. I found this approach highly effective because it requires one to think about the questions the author is asking and evaluate where one stands currently in one's professional life.
 
Just like sales and marketing are considered interchangeable terms, so are leadership and management. The author makes a clear distinction between the two and teaches you how to develop characteristics of both.
 
He takes a three-step approach to discussing the vast field of leadership: Starting, Building, and Improving. So, whether you're an executive who has just begun a career, a start-up founder, or a person with a certain amount of experience, you can pick up tips from whichever part of the book applies to you.
 
Each chapter ends with a brief section called "The Lesson," which distills the concepts discussed into a short paragraph. I used it as a quick reminder of what I've read so far.
 
I want to make special mention of Appendix 4 that talks about managing and leading in the COVID-19 pandemic. It's quite insightful and dispenses good advice.
 
Overall, The B2B Leaders Guidebook seeks to make sense of a complex topic by breaking it down to the basics. It appeals to all people at all stages of professional life as well as entrepreneurs. It's like a handy guide that you can browse through to refresh your knowledge or pick up some new tips and tricks.
 
Like the author says in his final chapter, "Keep learning! Always..."
 
REVIEWED BY
Satabdi Mukherjee

​

What's the story behind the book?

I had written The B2B Selling Guidebook, it had gone better than I could have imagined.  I thought to myself "well, that's it then".  But I had a feeling that I just wasn't done yet. 

I realised that my 43 years experience (44 years now!) was actually split into two distinct roles.  First 20+ years selling as an individual.  Carrying a quota/target.  Quarter after quarter, year after year - in some of the hardest and most competitive sectors imaginable.  I was successful most of that time, but not always - I learned a lot.  The other 20+ years were spent leading teams - sales, marketing, sales and marketing, business units, country operations and overseeing business across up to 24 countries simultaneously.  I realised I had learned a lot in those roles too!  So, in a lightbulb moment, I decided that those 20+ years also held experience, knowledge and wisdom that could be useful for others.  Enter The B2B Leaders Guidebook.   

Now, the only question left for me (whisper it!) is this, "is there a third book in there?"... 

​#experience #business experience #salesleadership #salesmanagement #businessleadership #businessmanagement 

I thought it might help my readers to see the full 'descriptive text' I created for the new book - 

"The B2B Leaders Guidebook is Jim Irving’s eagerly awaited follow up to the critically acclaimed B2B Selling Guidebook.
 
It’s for those who already are, or who are about to, become leaders of business teams, startup businesses, corporate business units, all types of sales teams and small to medium businesses (SME’s). It’s for managers, leaders and entrepreneurs – and those who engage with them.
 
 "I worked with Jim whilst heading up pre-sales in a regional branch of a major US multinational. The branch had underperformed for several years and Jim was promoted to lead it. The change in style that Jim brought was questioned by some to start, but over 2 years the region went from bottom in the UK to top and #2 in Europe. Jim’s ’serving to lead’ approach turned a group of individuals into a high performing team. It was incredibly effective."
Mike Robb, founder of independent IT consultancy, Avendris
 
“If you are a new leader or a leader with a bunch of management problems please read Jim Irving’s B2B Leaders Guidebook. Jim’s personal, in the trenches, management style and perspective is just what businesses of all sizes need - a strong, field tested management philosophy and proven business cases that stand the test of time. Buy this book today and lead by example!”
Patrick Tinney, Author of Unlocking Yes, Perpetual Hunger & The Bonus Round.
 
“Mentorship is something I’ve embraced this year with the brilliant Jim Irving. Having spent decades working in business and published multiple books on the topic, Jim’s wealth of knowledge and expertise was the sort of influence I didn’t realise was missing from my life. He has become an invaluable friend to me as I seek to follow in his career footsteps, and with his guidance, I’m slowly but surely beginning to trust that I actually do know what I’m doing, even if it doesn’t feel like it. His mentorship at this stage of my career has been indispensable.”
Adam Cree, Chief Revenue Officer, 3EN Cloud
 
The book is packed with the learning highlights from a successful 40+ year career in high pressure business environments with over 20 years of that time dedicated to leading and managing small, medium and then very large teams in major multinational corporates and high performing start-ups.  Jim has also successfully led a number of company turnarounds in multiple markets.       
 
Over the last 14 years, since leaving the corporate world and starting his own consultancy, he has improved the sales processes and results and also mentored the business leaders in a large number of start-ups, early stage and SME (Small to Medium Enterprise) organisations.
 
 His first book, The B2B Selling Guidebook, has been highly successful. Positive comments from leading sales authors, positive reviews from The Institute of Sales Management and The Chartered Institute of Marketing, plus the specialist book reviews site ‘Discovery’ and consistent 5* Amazon reviews quickly cemented his reputation as a writer.
 
Read The B2B Leaders Guidebook and follow the reality of the business leadership journey.  Begin with ‘Starting’ – from those first impressions, to the difference between management and leadership, to creating team identity.  Move on to ‘Building’ and learn about the best approach, asking questions, how to coach, recruitment, performance measurement and customer service in all its forms.  Finally, ‘Improving’.  Learn about improving team performance, priorities, gaining ‘unfair mindshare’ for your team or business and simplifying your working life and leading from the front.
 
The book is peppered with real life stories and experiences which serve to clarify and support the messages.  The book is written with the same conversational style, combined with short, single subject chapters that gained such positive feedback in Jim’s first book.
 
Use The B2B Leaders Guidebook to learn quickly, gain new skills and also avoid the common mistakes that Jim describes from his own career!" 

#business leadership #smallbusinessmanagement #entrepreneurs #salesleadership #salesmanagement   

I am so happy, that after a troublesome gestation my second book is now launched, worldwide.  Writing it was no more difficult than the first, but getting it launched - properly - on Amazon, Audible and Apple?  Well, now I know just how many people thought while sitting at home during lockdown "I must write that book I have always wanted to"!  On the Audible version, what was a 5-day process for The B2B Selling Guidebook is currently sitting at "a 60 day minimum backlog" for the follow up... 😳😟  However it is here now and in this post you can see both the front and back print covers.  I hope you enjoy reading it, I loved creating it for you!

#businessleadership #businessmanagement #salesleadership #salesmanagement​ #entrepreneurs #smallbusinessleadership