Readers’ Comments 

What my readers are saying about Compass and a Map: 

“Fantastic book! Filled with great advice and quirky tips you may not have ever thought of-seriously life changing though! Mark has been thorough and his guidance is really spot on whether you are new to business development or well seasoned. It’s a must have for sure!!”

” I found your book professionally written, and the information presented is useful for a wide range of career positions beyond business development. Congratulations on your work.”


“Hi Mark, it was a pleasure reading your experiences telling these genuinely! I certainly can recommend it for anyone joining a professional carrier travelling, in business development or just to keep a proper overview of tasks. I hope many youngsters will be able to make use of your book.”

“Could not put it down-almost all the way through and found myself living the book’s contents !! 41 years of travelling internationally —should of had all this knowledge before my first three week trip to Singapore in 1967”

“Thanks for sharing your knowledge and your experiences!”

“Good to see that some competent people never stop producing, and contributing with society. Will definitely share with colleagues and with my daughter, who is starting a career”

A very worthwhile read! I recommend the book to anyone working in business development & sales fields.”

“Thank you for sharing your experience with this book!! So exciting to start reading it.”

“A necessary guide for those who study maritime business post graduate…”

“This is really a handbook or a guide for international sales, it can save you time, money and potential embarrassment.”

“This book is really about how a company, large or small, can most effectively manage international business relationships, or as the author says, “The end goal… is the award of profitable contracts and the establishment of long term relationships.”

The title of this book may be a little confusing, but coming from someone with the author’s extensive experience in international sales, it makes sense. International business development can be like a forest or jungle where yet is easy to get lost; the author provides a map and a compass to make sure you can get where you are going without getting lost.”

“The book is well laid out with an overview to each chapter provided at the beginning of the book so the reader can focus on everything in the book or just those areas where help is needed.”

“The organization of the book is well-thought out. It can be read from cover to cover, as I did, or opened randomly and read profitably”

“The title is appropriate as the book would be a godsend to a novice lost in the confusion of international marketing or an experienced hand who is looking for a more efficient and effective way to do the job. It would also benefit those new to domestic marketing.”

“Even the biggest companies don’t have training materials this useful (or fun and easy to read). There is no wasted ink in this book-it’s all meat that can be and will be used.”

“Compact, easy to pack and read on a plane. Paper, font and binding are quality. Remarkably free from typos and missed edits.”

“Finished reading your book, thanks for writing it! It was a real pleasure reading it and although I am by no means a BD Manager, I recognise a ton of things which I also do operationally. Some of the preparations and things I carry with me I do so from experience, but I never really gave it much thought.”

“It reads like it really is your story. Although we have not worked much, but it is easily recognisable that you have not penned down Best Practices, but that you have established your own set of ‘rules’ and share those. Again, thanks for writing your book!”

“With so much business and opportunities ongoing globally, thoughtful support, guidance and knowledge based on experience can be very welcome”

“Congratulations Mark!! Awesome to be able to share your wealth of experience in the field with next generations of BD leaders!”

“This is great!!!! Congratulations on this achievement!!”

“Indeed a useful tool for the young professionals new in such rewarding and exciting field I used to enjoy great”

“It is extremely useful for those starting an international business career. I wish I had a guide like that in my beginnings!”

“Good tool for entrepreneurs!”

“Forward Thinking Publishing is pleased to have worked with you on this project. Well done on being a published author, it is such a great achievement to see it all the way through!”

“This is great, well-written”

“I think that you have a wonderful opportunity to get into training with the information in this book”

“Working with Mark Lamb on his book, Compass and a Map has been an interesting and rewarding journey. Mark presented a brief with a clear goal and was open to interpretations. His suggestions for content revisions were well researched and thought out, making the entire process straightforward as well as creatively inspiring. His communication style is professional and prompt, it has been a pleasure to work with him.”