Influencers of the Mind and Behavior
By Dick Martin on Jan, 2 2012
Coming soon to a Nook, Tablet or stores near you, these must-have guiding self-help business books are filled with pages of inspirations to encourage you as a businessperson, bold and beyond.
Strategy: Want to make the sale? You need to learn to speak their language.
Book: The Secret Language of Influence; Master the One Skill Every Sales Pro Needs by Dan Seidman
Great selling is invisible. Influence occurs at a level just below the buyer’s awareness. That’s important because today’s buyer is savvy and all too familiar with traditional selling techniques. However, a few simple words—the right words—can transform an awkward sales call into a comfortable conversation and a resistant prospect into a happy customer.Some people, for example, want to hear about the money they’ll save, while others respond to the pain they’ll avoid. By identifying different ways buyers are motivated, sales people can quickly customize their conversations and lead prospects to “yes.” The Secret Language of Influence reveals the best ways to approach buyers who are: Motivated by benefits vs. problems; proactive vs. reactive; big-picture vs. detail oriented; systems thinkers vs. creative minds; and influenced by external feedback (testimonials, evidence) vs. internal factors (feelings, personal experiences, beliefs).
From the use of storytelling, humor, and emotion-evoking language to words to avoid and questions that advance the sale, this entertaining and practical book demonstrates the power of words to break down resistance and change buyers’ minds.
Dan Seidman (Barrington, IL) is a globally recognized speaker, consultant, and trainer on selling and influence. He is the author of Sales Autopsy, and his regular columns reach more than 2 million readers monthly online and in print.
Strategy: Don’t overlook the most crucial element to success—your reputation.
Book: The Power of Reputation; Strengthen the Asset That Will Make or Break Your Career by Chris Komisarjevsky
We judge people in business the same way we judge those in our personal lives. We listen to what they say, watch how they behave, and take note of the results of their actions. Success is ultimately built on a foundation of character, communication, and trust. To accomplish our goals, people must believe in us.The Power of Reputation offers businesspeople an action plan for creating the kind of reputation that generates trust, inspires confidence, and paves the way for lasting success. Readers will discover how to: Identify and reinforce the values behind their reputation; earn respect by respecting others; engage people through constructive, open communication; and build strong connections by personalizing their approach to everything they do. Featuring interviews with distinguished business figures and containing instructive real-world examples, this book reveals how to leverage the remarkable power of a reputation rooted in authenticity.
Chris Komisarjevsky (Atlantic Beach, NY) is retired as worldwide chief executive officer of Burson-Marsteller, one of the world’s leading global public relations and public affairs firms, in 2005, after a 35-year career in public relations. He is the coauthor of Peanut Butter and Jelly Management.
Strategy: Because it’s time to upgrade your life.
Book: Click Millionaires; Work Less, Live More with an Internet Business You Love by Scott Fox
The rules have changed. The American Dream is no longer the “corner office.” It’s a successful business you can run from your home office, the beach, or wherever you desire. It’s work you love that still allows you the freedom and income to live the life you truly want. Sound like a tall order? Well, thanks to the Internet, anyone can launch a business with little or no start-up capital or technical expertise. And in Click Millionaires, e-commerce expert Scott Fox teaches weary corporate warriors and aspiring entrepreneurs how to trade the 9–5 job they hate for an online business they love. The book explains how to combine outsourcing, software, and automated online marketing to build recurring revenues, all while working less and making fewer of the lifestyle compromises that corporate “success” requires. Readers will learn how to: Find a lucrative niche on the Internet that matches their interests and skills; choose an online business model: from blogs, noozles, and audience communities to digital delivery, online services, affiliate marketing—even physical products; position themselves as a experts; build their audience; and design the lifestyle they want; balance passion and profits to realize their personal definition of success. Featuring stories of dozens of “regular folks” who have reinvented themselves as Click Millionaires, this inspiring and practical guide shows readers how to stop dreaming of a better life and start living it.
Scott Fox (Los Angeles, CA) is a successful online entrepreneur, an expert on social media marketing and e-business startup strategies, and the author of Internet Riches and eRiches 2.0. He hosts the popular Click Millionaires Radio podcast and is a weekly contributor to BusinessTalk Radio Net work's nationally syndicated Big Biz Show. He has been featured in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, SUCCESS, and Smart Money.
Strategy: Inexpensive exports were just the beginning—China’s companies are now going global.
Book: In the Shadow of the Dragon; The Global Expansion of Chinese Companies—and How It Will Change Business Forever by Winter Nie and William Dowell with Abraham Lu.
The “made in China” label has long dominated the lower end of the US manufacturing industry, effectively squeezing it out of existence. That’s old news. What most people don’t know is that China’s global reach now extends much further. Chinese companies have entered higher-end markets—technology, financial services, transportation, energy—and are emerging as powerhouse multi nationals.In the Shadow of the Dragon is a meticulously researched exposé of the most competitive companies in China.
Based on interviews with Chinese business leaders and original case studies, the book provides:
Profiles of key players; insights into subtle yet powerful strategies used to gain market dominance; an understanding of the Chinese approach to going global; and analysis of the Chinese way of innovation; advice on competing head-to-head or forming alliances with Chinese partners.
Part primer, part survival guide, In the Shadow of the Dragon is the first book to lay bare the challenges looming ahead.
Winter Nie is a business consultant and professor at IMD, a leading business school in
Lausanne, Switzerland. William Dowell (Geneva, Switzerland) is a freelance writer who has served as a Time correspondent around the world and as European regional editor and correspondent of Global News Enterprises.
Strategy: We’re not in Kansas any more. OtherWise helps you find common ground in a world of differences.
Book: OtherWise; The Wisdom You Need to Succeed in a Diverse World by Dick Martin
Everyone puts multiethnic faces in marketing materials, but it’s mostly a token gesture. Because even as the US grows increasingly diverse, most professionals have little real knowledge of those different from themselves. OtherWise is a deep and engaging exploration of diversity in America and how we can bridge differences—across race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, faith, and even politics. It goes far beyond census data into the realm of cognitive and social science, helping readers break through stereotypes and fears to a profound understanding of people unlike themselves.This is not touchy-feely stuff, but crucial information for businesspeople everywhere whose success depends on embracing the new realities of their workforce, their suppliers, and their customers. Readers will discover: What America’s changing demography means for business; how unconscious biases shape behaviors and beliefs; how to connect across cultures, borders, and perspectives; and how to move beyond tolerating differences to capitalizing on them.
OtherWise strips away the barriers of “us” and “them,” and lays bare profound truths for relating to others around us.
Dick Martin (Summit, NJ) is a writer whose articles have appeared in the Harvard Business
Review and other publications. The author of Tough Calls, he was executive vice president of public relations, employee communications, and brand management for AT&T.
Most Popular
Recommended Links
