Business is a Contact Sport

Business is a contact sport because human contact, connection, and cooperation is the essence of business. Even in our transaction-driven, increasingly virtual world, solid, long-lasting relationships are still fundamental to success. Yet in most companies, relationships with customers and employees and even more so with suppliers, distributors, licensees, licensors, shareholders, lenders, strategic partners, board members, universities, charities, the media and the community are the most underutilized assets. The Book gives managers 12 key concepts - with implementations - to help them recognize all of a company's relationships as strategic assets and manage them as such. €¢ Thoroughly explains the concept of "Relationship Asset Management. €¢ Contains 12 principles for defining and maximizing all types of relationships. €¢ The authors are experts in their field and have planned an active promotion strategy including touring and PR events. Tom Richardson and Augusto Vidaurreta are partners in Entente, a high profile venture capital/mentor capital firm based on the principles of relationship asset management. Richardson and Vidaurreta, formerly with Arthur Andersen Management Consulting are founders of Systems Consulting Group, named twice to Inc. magazine's list of the 500 fastest growing companies in the US. Clients included M&M/Mars, NYNEX, Federal Express, Blockbuster Entertainment, GE Capital and Burger King. Cambridge Technology Partners acquired SCG in 1995. Richardson holds an MBA from the University of Miami. Vidaurreta holds an MBA from the University of Florida. Tom Gorman is a well-known business book author who has written, developed or co-authored more than 12 business books. His articles have also appeared in Business Marketing Magazine and The New York Sunday Times. Gorman holds an MBA from New York University.