Topic

reviews

A collection of 170 issues

Chief Contrarian

I was reminded of the Candle Problem when blogging on Marshmallow Selling [http://salespodder.com/marshmallow-selling/] recently. As often happens, the concept appeared to me from another source soon after. In Management Today, I read an insightfulheadline [http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/features/1055772/dont-believe-it-financial-incentives-boost-performance/] ; > Don’t you believe

Making Your Presentation Stick Chip & Dan Heath

An addendum to their magical 2007 storytelling roadmap Made To Stick, this October 2008 [http://www.scribd.com/doc/11596382/making-presentations-that-stick] four page pdf offers a couple of extra pointers for anyone trying to create a prizewinner presentation. It’s well worth the read. If you’ve not read their

Who Moved My Cheese?

[http://www.redtreeleadership.com] It is perhaps a cheekiest paradox. A pamphlet that extols the merits of avoiding crippling over-analysis in the face of constraining adversity and imminent doom, is possibly the most over-analysed booklet of the pop-biz canon. Since publication in 1998, according to its wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.

So You Think You Can Sell (Video Arts)

Comedian John Cleese made plenty of videos in the Eighties with his business training company, Video Arts. One such feature came in 1985, So You Think You Can Sell. The accompanying script which I recently re-discovered is light on earth shattering insight, choosing instead to offer entry-level guidance. Here’s

30-Day MBA Ridicule

I flicked through one of the upended tropical forests of delusional surface-scraping self-help guides the other day. 321 pages, 12 chapters, with everything you need to know for business success as based on an MBA syllabus. How much prose was devoted to selling do you think? One and a half

60 Seconds And Your Hired

Pre-dating the discovery of global financial corruption, a friend of mine landed a job in New York with Goldman Sachs. He told me that this 1994 book helped him snare it. [http://www.robinryan.com/] I borrowed it wondering if it held any sales tips. I’m pleased to report

Soldlab Sold Magazine

[http://www.soldlab.com/free-magazine/] A newly launched free mag for all us busy and pressured salespeople. Excited? Upon discovery, I was. Disappointment though, soon took over. This enterprise demonstrates an awful lot about what is wrong with sales advice out there. Whilst any endeavour aiming to improve selling results

Daniel Pink TED video

Of remarkable consequence to anyone pushing the pursuit of commission is this Surprising Science Of Motivation TED video of Daniel Pink [http://www.ted.org/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html]. He rubbishes the accepted practice of incentivisation. Plenty of studies show bonuses do not lead to better performance. It’

The Emotional Transportation Business

Here’s another in a growing canon of work around the power of storytelling. Former film producer Peter Guber [www.peterguber.com] is entertainingly on the promotion trail for his tome of tips; Tell to Win – Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story. Pushing an open door

The Bootstrappers Bible (Seth Godin)

This is a book written by marketing author Seth Godin. I’ve recently read the updated November 2004 manifesto [changethis.com/8.bootstrappersbible]. He implores that having no cash is not a valid barrier to prevent a great idea you have being turned into a new business. A noble cause