Small Business How-to Seminars, Careers, Jobs, Small Business Seminars
Favorite Business Books Series - Part D
by Helena Escalante, Business Outreach, Thomas Yoseloff Business Center at SNFLOctober 13, 2017
PART D: FIFTH MOST POPULAR BUSINESS BOOKS
Hello again! So glad to see you here today. We had three books in the tie for 4th place yesterday (Part C) and, brace yourself, we have eight (yes, E-I-G-H-T!) books today, all in a tie for the 5th-most-popular-business-book category in our query. Want to know which books they are? Here you go (in alpha order):
“This book shaped how I felt as a woman in the workplace and also how to carve my own path without feeling apologetic or tepid. Sheryl gives such clear, human advice that allows you to still be a strong, determined woman without shaking some of your inherently feminine or nurturing qualities. She almost dares you to be bold. I read this book front to back twice, and I often just think of Sheryl and her story whenever I need to channel my badass boss lady.”
“This book offers a refreshing glimpse into the habits that help women succeed in business. Sheryl speaks about "leaning in" to discussions, learning how to "sit at the table," and navigating finding a mentor. She taught me that being vulnerable, and sharing my own weaknesses as a leader, can foster the kind of honest dialog that takes the whole company forward. She also helped me understand that it is counter-productive to worry about big future decisions. It's important to look ahead, but not jump the gun! I refer back to this book and re-read passages often to remind me why I chose to start my own boutique content marketing firm. It helps me implement improvements that create a healthy workplace for my interns and employees.”
- Janet Kozak, Founder and Content Strategist, Janet Kozak
“Behavioral economics has become really popular in the last few years. Trying to explain why people act by looking at the how brains actually function under an fMRI is a fascinating topic that makes this page-turner a must-read for anyone in marketing. I've read it twice and occasionally reference a framework they created in my own marketing efforts.”
“I've been in digital marketing for about 6 years now, and this book has been a huge asset to me. The Heath brothers are great at offering real tips and advice. Working in marketing, one of my main priorities is getting things to stick in people's minds and stay there, and this book was fantastic for that. I found myself multiple times highlighting a sentence and getting excited to try a new tactic at work. I keep a copy on hand so I can go back and reference their actionable insights. They also use examples from real life, not something they just pulled from an abstract study so you can really see how a new strategy was implemented. This book is great, but really, any book by the Heath brothers is a must read.”
“This book has been extremely helpful in our business development efforts. It is a great book on marketing and selling that helps you refine the competitive selling process by utilizing what the author calls “frames.” The goal is to control the sales process when you have a short presentation to a large group where they are millions of dollars on the line. While we are involved with amounts much smaller than 7 figures, the process remains the same and can be applied to any sales situation. I have gone back to review it before a number of recent presentations and it greatly helps to take control of the meeting and help them buy you as opposed to trying to sell them with the same-old, same-old methodology. Highly recommend it.”
“Early in my career I was exposed to this book. It taught me so many foundational ways to guide myself and my time. I love it and reference it often as I'm coaching next generation leaders: my business focuses on empowering next generation leaders, specifically women and millennials, who are rising up in unprecedented numbers.”
“Beyond the time management strategies, which are key, this book also talks about the importance of aligning your work with your core principles. When building Finder, my business partner and I took this very seriously and a created a set of five values (1-Crew, 2-Empower People, 3-Be Straight Up, 4-Go Live, and 5-Master Your Craft) which would underpin our entire business. These have been instrumental in guiding our objectives and hiring the right people to support our company’s continued success.”
“Why do I love it? First of all, because it works! The book lays out Bob's Five Laws of Stratospheric Success. Among them is The Law of Influence: Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first. In my work as a public relations consultant and marketing copywriter, I rely heavily on The Law of Influence to help my clients achieve their business goals. As a copywriter, I want to influence the reader to take action ("order now," "click here," etc.), and in the PR realm, I want to influence a writer or editor to publish my press release or interview my client. And in my experience, The Law of Influence works 100% of the time. It's so effective it's almost like cheating! This Law is so effective that I became a Certified Go-Giver Speaker so I could teach other copywriters and public relations pros how to leverage it.”
- Kathleen Hanover, Public Relations Director, FreelancePR and PR Consultant/Marketing Copywriter at KathleenHanover.com (Times read: 5+)
“I have read it 3 times, and while it's a simple book and concept, each time I come away with a new level of understanding and ideas. I consider this book required reading for entrepreneurs and everyone else. It's really a reminder about being of service and building relationships, and how that can be the most satisfying and winning formula.”
“This is my all-time favorite business book. Everything in there espouses what a startup is about: rapid-fire testing of ideas and principles to prove (or disprove) concepts, then ruthlessly moving on to the next challenge. The main way the Lean Startup and the build-measure-learn loop have helped me is by enabling me to make the decision to invest far less time in social media, and far more time in building the SEO presence of my website. I had been spending maybe 20 hours a week on social media, now I spend around 4 hours here, the rest of SEO and building links and quality content. I've have gone from receiving no organic visits to now getting 50-100 each day, which is significant given the early stage of the website! The growth has been tremendous, and I can't wait until we start getting first page rankings in Google, as things will really kick on.”
“I like this book for its focus on relationships. Being a franchisor, relationships with my franchisees is critical and, as a CEO, I need to inspire trust with all stakeholders of my business (staff, franchisees, customers, business partners). Stephen gives practical lessons on ways we can communicate and lead better to develop that trust. As we drive hard to grow a company, often times communication of our vision, plans, successes and missteps falls down. This is a book I keep re-reading to help ensure I’m staying on point as we navigate change in our business.”
So what do you think about this list? Is it similar to your list of favorite business books? Let me know if any of these books struck a chord with you and why in the comments below!
And as has been our daily ritual so far, please come back again tomorrow for Part E, where you will read more about other favorite business books. You will be blown away by how many businesspeople have benefited in a myriad ways from the ideas in the books. You will want to read them all!
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P.S. - As a quick reference for you to know what to expect and find in this series of posts, here’s a guide (the links will be live on the day the post is uploaded):
With your library card, it's easier than ever to choose from more than 300,000 e-books on SimplyE, The New York Public Library's free e-reader app. Gain access to digital resources for all ages, including e-books, audiobooks, databases, and more.
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With your library card, it's easier than ever to choose from more than 300,000 e-books on SimplyE, The New York Public Library's free e-reader app. Gain access to digital resources for all ages, including e-books, audiobooks, databases, and more.