Grand Pursuit. The story of economic genius. Sylvia Nasar. (A Beautiful Mind) 2011. ISBN 9780684872988. A  book on a  large scale it takes us from the time of Dickens through to present day. I am fearfully ignorant of economics having found it hard to find a logical thread in which books to read and which theories to follow. Nasar builds the story being true to context and the lives that shaped these brilliant men and women, while maintaining a middle ground of opinion. ( I am sure radical liberals and socialists alike will disagree with me)  She is able to clearly position the growth of modern economics as these scholars built upon each others work (sometimes) while dealing with vast changes and upsets. I was most intrigued with how the Soviets were able to seduce many of these academics during and after WW II.  Worth anyone’s time to read this well written and clear book.

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How to Open an Presentation. Best ways to fascinate the audience right from the beginning. Avi Salmon. 2013. Amazon ebook. A quick but useful read. I have to agree with all that Avi is saying. IN our years of presenting he is talking about those things that work. A good addition to every salesman’s tool kit.

Brains On Fire. Igniting powerful, sustainable, word of mouth movements. Robbin Phillips, Greg Cordell, Geno Church, Spike Jones. 2010. ISBN 9780470614181.    A useful book as it details the difference between a marketing campaign and a word of mouth movement.  It could be a reset for marketing teams who may too easily be drawn in by the “shiny object ” of the social media tools while losing track of where they are most effective in use.  I understood the role of leaders and diversity in WofM projects.   I learned about  the positive impact of imposing  a barrier to entry has on take up and commitment.  Better 5000 rabid fans than 10% of 50 000 tepid ones.  You will enjoy the requisite company examples such as Fiskers and non profits like Love 146.  Its an easy breezy read, professionally done and worth it, if you are in marketing.

• the BRAINS ON FIRE book (brandautopsy.typepad.com)
• Dumbing Down Smart Research Findings on Word of Mouth Marketing (brandautopsy.com)
• “Brains on Fire” Igniting Powerful Sustainable Word of Mouth Movements – Courageous CEO Robbin Phillips (business2community.com)
• Dig for the stars… (timetorebel.com)
• “Brains on Fire” Igniting Powerful Sustainable Word of Mouth Movements – Courageous CEO Robbin Phillips (digitalethos.org)

Proactive Selling. Control the Process – Win the Sale: second edition. William “Skip” Miller.2012   ISBN 9780814431924.   The first edition was put out 10 years ago and it was very good.  This is now a very up to date and more valuable book for salespeople and sales managers. I know this stuff works and will work for many more years. I took my time reading it as each page contained such nuggets that fit into a very coherent whole.   One metaphor sticks out. There are three languages spoken in any business.   The user speaks Spanish,  their managers/VPs speak Russian and the C level speaks Greek. A sales person must be fluent in all the business languages if they are going to sell beyond price.  If you want to be a top producer, buy the book, read it many times and do not let it out of your sight.

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Winning Body Language for Sales Professionals. Control the conversation and connect with your customer – without saying a word. Mark Bowden & Andrew Ford. 2013. ISBN 9780071793001.  I had read Mark Bowden’s Winning Body Language sometime back and found it valuable.  This book has really taken the topic  up a notch.  It is current (encompassing the Challenger Sale as well as new media )  and immediately useful.   From every situation – face to face, online, video conference, group presentations  Bowden gives you the tools to improve. I appreciated his effective way of explaining why this works so well. This book is every sales person and sales manager who wants to improve and sell more.

How to Close a Deal Like Warren Buffett.  Tom Searcy and Henry Devries.2013. ISBN 9780071801652. Tom Searcy is the author of Whale Hunting and RFPs Suck! He is no stranger to hunting the big deals. The book is well written, clear and holds your attention.  You will learn more about Buffett and also about some of the toughest selling tasks ever. The book is useful at two levels. Every salesman , sales manager would benefit from how Searcy lays out “the Hunt”.  A CEO who was not a past hunter would learn the shear amount of work involved and all the ways that the deal can go away that are out of your control.   I liked it.

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