Best Business/Mindset Books You've Read?

[Dkillo]

What are some of the best books you've read for business, goals, mindset etc?  

I've read many but I'm always on the lookout for more as I feel you can't get enough food for thought so to speak.

It would also be helpful if you could say a few words about why you like the book you recommend.  I'm not talking a full review or anything.  Something like what you liked the most about the book.

I'll just name a few to start with as I don't want to steal anyone's "thunder".  I'll add more as other replies come in.

My all-time favorite is "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.  I'm sure most have probably heard of this book but on the off-chance that you haven't read it yet, I consider this a must-read.  Napoleon Hill teaches core concepts that individuals must have to be successful.  Not only in business but in life.  He studied the most successful business people of his era for 20 years and writes about what they taught him.  Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Woolworth, etc.

Another book that I recently read "The E Myth Revisited" by Michael E Gerber.  This book talks about systemizing your business.  He uses the McDonald's franchise as an example to follow as he teaches the character "Sarah" how to change her entire business.  It's really a fascinating read.

[Kurt]

I didn't post this at first because it isn't a perfect match for your OP. There a book called the Power to Get In. It isn't a sales book. It focuses on one thing: how to create and use leverage to get a meeting with a CEO or top decision maker.

I've found his strategy of internal and external leverage can be applied in a number of ways. An example of external leverage is to mention competitors in mail when contacting a business. "I'm also sending this to ___".

There's more to leverage, but that's the general idea. I think it's really helpful for anyone doing B2B even if you aren't looking for a head to head meeting.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Get-Leverage-Anyones-Effectively/dp/0312195222/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+power+to+get+in&qid=1582332559&sr=8-1

[Dkillo]

Maybe I should've thought about the title of this thread a bit more thoroughly and called it something other than "business" books to include strategic or just anything that can help someone by showing them different ideas that they could use.

I'll definitely check out your suggestion.

One book that has really little to do about "business building" like the typical books that one thinks about when this topic is brought up, but I found really interesting is "Trust Me, I'm Lying Confessions of a Media Manipulator" by Ryan Holiday.

It's a behind the scenes look at how easily the media is manipulated. Obviously this can be done for good or evil, it just depends on the type of person doing the manipulating. Ryan was a master of it and used his skill to make a lot of money for himself and the companies that hired him.

[BobKa]

I haven't read many marketing books recently but two classics stand out to me and those are The Art of War and How to Win Friends. Both give timeless info that can be used in many ways of life and not just for sales.

[Claude Whitacre]

I didn't post this at first because it isn't a perfect match for your OP. There a book called the Power to Get In. It isn't a sales book. It focuses on one thing: how to create and use leverage to get a meeting with a CEO or top decision maker.

I've found his strategy of internal and external leverage can be applied in a number of ways. An example of external leverage is to mention competitors in mail when contacting a business. "I'm also sending this to ___".

There's more to leverage, but that's the general idea. I think it's really helpful for anyone doing B2B even if you aren't looking for a head to head meeting.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Get-Leverag...559&sr=8-1

Years ago, I bought the book. If you're in sales to CEOs, this is the single most important book you can study.

I used the system to attempt to see 10 CEOs in a 30 day period. I got in to see 4 within the first 30 days (of the start of the attempt), and closed 3 high end sales worth a few hundred thousand dollars over the next year. One company VP said "No" before I got very far, and the other names are still in the loop for additional effort. I'm pretty good, but I NEVER would have made at least 2 of those sales without using this "attack from all sides" method.

You also need to do every step. At first, I tried cutting a few corners with poor results. Do the whole thing. Invest the time, it works.  This is the kind of work you can farm out.

[Kurt]

I didn't post this at first because it isn't a perfect match for your OP. There a book called the Power to Get In. It isn't a sales book. It focuses on one thing: how to create and use leverage to get a meeting with a CEO or top decision maker.

I've found his strategy of internal and external leverage can be applied in a number of ways. An example of external leverage is to mention competitors in mail when contacting a business. "I'm also sending this to ___".

There's more to leverage, but that's the general idea. I think it's really helpful for anyone doing B2B even if you aren't looking for a head to head meeting.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Get-Leverage-Anyones-Effectively/dp/0312195222/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+power+to+get+in&qid=1582332559&sr=8-1

Years ago, I bought the book. If you're in sales to CEOs, this is the single most important book you can study.

I used the system to attempt to see 10 CEOs in a 30 day period. I got in to see 4 within the first 30 days (of the start of the attempt), and closed 3 high end sales worth a few hundred thousand dollars over the next year. One company VP said "No" before I got very far, and the other names are still in the loop for additional effort. I'm pretty good, but I NEVER would have made at least 2 of those sales without using this "attack from all sides" method.

You also need to do every step. At first, I tried cutting a few corners with poor results. Do the whole thing. Invest the time, it works.  This is the kind of work you can farm out.

I really like the book for a few reasons. It's unique and approaches just one thing: How to get a face to face meeting with a CEO/decision maker that's hard to get a meeting with if, especially if you're a "nobody".

Also the concepts of internal and external leverage are fascinating. I believe these ideas are valuable in ways other than getting meetings. For example if you're flipping domain names and mail postcards to 10 very targeted business owners.

Do you think it would be best to list 5-6 others on the postcard? Assuming this is a domain name they would want and the fact there's only one of them, as a business owner would you be upset at what may appear to be strong arm tactics? As a marketer would you apply external leverage on a postcard due to the limited space for a message?