**NOW: The 24-hour Customer

The 24-hour customer

by Adrian Ott pub. 2010, 179 pps.

Sneak Peek: For book info, click FB link

What I learned from this book

I learned that all that we, as e-commerce entrepreneurs, have even less time than we originally feared to capture enough attention to get from “browser to customer.” I also learned that very few online marketplaces even have a chance to compete with the “big boys.” We are fighting for the brief attention a very small pool of potential customers who have an endless ability to dump us and head to a close competitor should we not live up to their expectations.

What I liked about this book

I liked the way the author recapped each chapter to provide a brief overview of what we should have gotten out of the previous lesson. This enables the reader to go back and revisit any areas that he/ she might not have fully comprehended and/ or areas requiring a deeper dive for customization purposes.

What I disliked about this book

The only thing I disliked about the book was the tiny graph size and font. Even with my reading glasses, I couldn’t make some of the print out – so I ended up skipping ahead because my magnifying glass was nowhere to be found. In other words, I missed out on some of the areas I wanted to digest further. I just couldn’t see it!

Whom would I recommend to read this book

This book is a great read for anyone of any age who is (or wants) to obtain a customer base. The real lesson is in e-commerce, but I believe it would be equally helpful to those who have face-to-face customer relationships they are trying to build on.

Any thoughts?

-A.N.

The 24-hour Customer by Adrian Ott

For addtional info, visit our FB page http://facebook.com/writeplus1

pub. 2010, ~180 pgs.

Snapshot: A successful Silicon Valley CEO shares strategies to business executives in how to attract and build relationships in this modern age of time-starved and very fickle customers.

American Kingpin – Ross Ulbricht and the Silk Road

American Kingpin – by Nick Bilton, ~325 pages (2016)

https://www.facebook.com/writeplus1/books?lst=100006341289857%3A100006341289857%3A1497133033

What I liked about this book

This story is based on the life of a young man, Ross Ulbricht, who makes use of the “Dark Web” to launch the biggest online provider of illicit drugs to the world. He sets it up as a discreet, “untraceable” site that is accessed through a special browser access – purported to be out of the FBI’s line of sight.

The plot is very descriptive and the author has a unique writing style: he pens short chapters (3-5 pages) in succinct nuggets to keep the story moving along at a fierce pace throughout. This is a smart strategy because it prevents any downtime or boredom in the on the reader’s end.

What I disliked about this book

I couldn’t get over the selfishness of the main character. It’s amazing to think that someone could be so careless with his life – while also being so dismissive of the powers of U.S. federal law enforcement. That said, his chutzpah is amazing in how he puts his blinders on and sticks to his mission. He does this despite risking the stiffest consequences possible – the remainder of his very young life spent rotting in a prison cell. Unbelievable.

To whom would I recommend this book

Limit to adults over the age of 18. This book is filled with drug references (since that is the point of the book), and contains other adult content that makes it unsuitable for minors. Otherwise, it is a very interesting, pertinent and unique story. It’s easy to feel like the reader wants to “pinch oneself” with respect to believing someone actually thought they could live this story and actually emerge on the other end a free person. I guess we really do learn something new every day.

Any thoughts?

-A.N.