Sales Differentiation. 19 powerful strategies to win more deals at the prices you want. Lee B. Salz.  2018.  ISBN 9780814439913.  This book delivers what it says and more. The core of differentiation is talking about value as the customer sees it. There are no wasted words in this book, it is current, concise and hits the topic hard.  Any salesperson and sales manager will get much out of the time spent reading and rereading this book. Its totally enjoyable – I could not put it down.  Might just be the best sales book of the year, IMHO

Norse Mythology. Neil Gaiman. 2016.   Gaiman takes a break from writing very innovative otherworldly novels to put down his learning about Norse mythology.  He weaves the stories into a logical sequence which then becomes another story. I found this mythology very interesting and compelling. At times you will recognize part of the creation stories which are found in most religions.  And you may just get some insight into the past and future stories found in the Marvel comics universe.

Unhinged. An insider’s account of the Trump White House. Omarosa Mainigault Newman. 2018.  ISBN 9781982109721.  This book surprised me as I perhaps expected a one sided egotistical journal. On the contrary. once you get past the fairly large ego/self esteem of the author, the book runs along nicely and details the gradual mental deterioration of Trump and the self serving group that he has surrounded himself.  The author is also not the first to voice concerns about the real VP Pence and his intentions. Others have said Pence will make Trump look good if he gets in.  As a former journalism student Omarosa does a good job in writing. This book is an interesting counterpoint to Woodward’s book and will give you a different insider’s view of the players and how they interact.

The Inevitable. Understanding the 12 technological forces that will shape our future. Kevin Kelly. 2016. ISBN 9780525428084.  Kelly was an original editor of Wired and witnessed all the recent technology gains ( and losses) . He takes his experience, skepticism, and clarity of vision and puts it all here in this book. Very readable, believable and I feel that most of what he predicts will come true. Since 2016 already I see the trending along his ideas. Anyone who wonders what is coming or has seen lots of what has come to be will enjoy this book from one of the better technology writers of our time.

Ultimate Sales Pro. What the best salespeople do differently. Paul Cherry. 2018. ISBN 978081443896.  The author is a successful salesperson and sales trainer who has detailed the paths to success in sales.  His focus is on efficiency and why you do things this way. He makes a good argument that salespeople need a coach through their career, someone whom your company is unlikely to provide.  He also does a reasonable job wrto to laying out how your career is likely to progress.  I took many notes as his material rings very true. Pretty decent book and takes up about a 3 hour plane ride.