Confidential: Uncover Your Competitors' Top Business Secrets Legally and Quickly--and Protect Your Own

Author: John A., III Nolan
List Price: $26.00
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 006661984X
Publisher: HarperBusiness (July, 1999)
Sales Rank: 43,969
Average Customer Rating: 4.45 out of 5

Customer Reviews

Rating: 5 out of 5
The Best Book I've Ever Read on Compretitive Intelligence
John Nolan, a 22 year veteran in the intelligence community, has written what I believe is the best book on the subject of competitive intelligence. Most books on competitive intelligence, more commonly known as CI, focus on the collection and analysis of information from online databases, the Internet, company financial reports, etc. Mr. Nolan's expertise however, is in "elicitation." Elicitation is the process of conversing with another person in a non-threatening manner and have that person unintentionally reveal information about themselves or their companies.

The most valuable parts of the book are those sections that cover the elicitation techniques - there are 17 in all according to Mr. Nolan. Readers will gain valuable insight into each of the techniques and how to use them. Mr. Nolan uses clear and concise examples to make his points.

Once the reader becomes expert at using the elicitation techniques, Mr. Nolan shows how to protect information, what to protect, how to protect it and for how long.

Mr. Nolan's book is engagingly written, and above all, useful the day one starts to read it. 'Confidential' describes ethical and legal procedures and processes that, with some practice, yield greater confidence in decisions that must be made 'ahead of the curve.'

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down!

Mark Robinson, author of "Beyond Competitive Intelligence: The Practice of CounterIntelligence and Trade Secrets Protection."

Rating: 4 out of 5
Keeping what's mine and taking what's yours
I am not afraid to put my name to a review of this great work. John Nolan has captured in a single source reference book all of the tools needed to survive in a world where competitive business intelligence is becoming the master's game. My personal experience based on Mr. Nolan's ideas and lessons learned has allowed me to grow my company and protect out proprietary secrets from our competitors. I found myself reading several chapters over and over again as I incorporated his suggestions into my business and personal life. We have now trained our staff using John Nolan's suggestions and lessons. We have become intensely aware of how much "hard" information was going right out the front door to those we trusted most. We won't make those mistakes again. Anyone who discounts this work will not survive in the cutthroat business environment of today. Read the whole book and you will never again see your day-to-day operations in the same light. As has been said, "Game On, the next move is yours". We will now always be one step ahead of the competition, always watching our backs for that one weak guy who lurks in the shadows trying to take away what is ours to keep. When Mr. Nolan writes his next book we will be first in line to purchase 10 copies.

Rating: 5 out of 5
Written by (and for) an intelligence professional
John Nolan has a style that makes this niche teaching book also a great read. With just a small amount of teasing info about his background in government intelligence, he moves directly into skill recognition and honing that will allow CI professionals to expand their tool boxes. Through many case study examples he demonstrates that the techniques he has written about are those he himself has practiced and successfully used.

In addition to my appreciation for his one-liners and clever "winks" to the reader, my favorite part of the book is the full ethic/moral gray-zone discussions and examples the appendices contain.

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