These 12 books were game-changers for me in 2015. I invite you to pick up one or two (or all) and add them to your nightstand to read in 2016. The topics are varied so you are sure to find something that will help you to move the needle in the coming year.
Game Changing Business Books to Read in 2016
The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly
By David Meerman Scott
“This is the fifth edition of the pioneering guide to the future of marketing. The New Rules of Marketing & PR is an international bestseller with more than 350,000 copies sold in over twenty-five languages…. This practical guide is written for marketing professionals, PR professionals, and entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses and create success. Learn how companies, nonprofits, and organizations of all sizes can leverage web-based content to get timely, relevant information to eager, responsive buyers for a fraction of the cost of big-budget campaigns.”
Powerful Panels: A Step-By-Step Guide to Moderating Lively and Informative Panel Discussions at Meetings, Conferences and Conventions
by Kristin Jane Arnold
“Drawn from her extensive experience as a nationally recognized speaker, master facilitator and panel moderator, Kristin Arnold provides a step-by-step approach to help you moderate a lively and informative panel discussion. With this user-friendly guide, you will learn five steps to successfully moderate a panel discussion like a pro.”
UnSelling: The New Customer Experience
by Scott Stratten
“UnSelling is about everything but the sell. We put all of our focus on the individual purchase transaction, while putting the rest of our business actions second. We’ve become blind to customer service, support, branding, experiences and even product quality. Sixty percent of a purchasing decision is made before a customer even contacts you. We have funnel vision, and it needs to stop.
Unselling is about the big picture: creating repeat customers, not one-time buyers. Create loyal clients that refer others, not faceless numbers. Becoming the go-to company for something, before they even need you.”
The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)
by Hal Elrod
“Hal Elrod is a genius and his book The Miracle Morning has been magical in my life. What Hal has done is taken the ‘best practices’—developed over centuries of human consciousness development—and condensed the ‘best of the best; into a daily morning ritual. A ritual that is now part of my day.” — ROBERT KIYOSAKI, #1 bestselling author of Rich Dad Poor Dad.
“What if you could wake up tomorrow and any—or EVERY—area of your life was beginning to transform? What would you change? The Miracle Morning is already transforming the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world by showing them how to wake up each day with more ENERGY, MOTIVATION, and FOCUS to take your life to the next level. It’s been right here in front of us all along, but this book has finally brought it to life.”
Trust Funnel: Leverage Today’s Online Currency to Grab Attention, Drive and Convert Traffic, and Live a Fabulous Wealthy Life
by Brian G. Johnson
“How does a dyslexic college dropout become an Internet marketing guru, living a life of wealth and freedom many people only dream of? Answer: by seeing a need and filling it.
Trust Funnel is one-part memoir, three parts “how-to” manual for anyone seeking the freedom to work when and where they want as they build an Internet marketing business on a shoestring budget.
Trust Funnel tells the story of his mind-boggling success and can be the springboard to yours.”
PR for Anyone: 100+ Affordable Ways to Easily Create Buzz for Your Business
by Christina Daves
“Small business owners have limited resources and often forego publicity, which is vital for establishing credibility in their industry. Appearing in the media gives the business owner a third party endorsement and can be influential in gaining new clients and customers.”
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
by Simon Sinek
“Why do you do what you do?
Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?
In studying the leaders who’ve had the greatest influence in the world, Simon Sinek discovered that they all think, act, and communicate in the exact same way — and it’s the complete opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be lead, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.
Drawing on a wide range of real-life stories, Sinek weaves together a clear vision of what it truly takes to lead and inspire. This book is for anyone who wants to inspire others or who wants to find someone to inspire them.”
Mastermind Dinners: Build Lifelong Relationships by Connecting Experts, Influencers, and Linchpins
by Jayson Gaignard
“This is a playbook designed for those who want to create and cultivate meaningful relationships.
The catalyst that has brought me the majority of my success over the past two years comes from hosting something I like to call ‘Mastermind Dinners.’ These dinners have taken me from being bankrupt on virtually every level of my life to personal and professional heights which include launching a #1 rated business podcast, spending a week with three-time best-selling author Tim Ferriss in Argentina, meeting up with skate legend Tony Hawk at his offices in California to sit in on his radio show, and now running one of the world’s most exclusive events for entrepreneurs.
The speed by which I’ve turned my life around can easily be replicated and I’ve created this book to show you how. The key is the way in which you create and cultivate your relationships, and the concept of Mastermind Dinners is your vehicle.”
Profit First: A Simple System To Transform Any Business From A Cash-Eating Monster To A Money-Making Machine
by Mike Michalowicz
“You are about to discover the profoundly simple yet shockingly effective accounting plug-in that will transform your business from a cash eating monster into a money making machine. In Profit First, Mike Michalowicz, author of The Pumpkin Plan & The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, explains why the GAAP accounting method is contrary to human nature, trapping entrepreneurs in the panic-driven cycle of operating check-to-check and reveals why this new method is the easiest and smartest way to ensure your business becomes wildly (and permanently) profitable from your very next deposit forward.”
The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur: The tell-it-like-it-is guide to cleaning up in business, even if you are at the end of your roll
also by Mike Michalowicz
“The founder of three multimillion-dollar companies, including Obsidian Launch, a company that partners with first-time entrepreneurs to grow their concepts into industry leaders, Mike Michalowicz knows what it really takes to spin your great idea into pure gold.
Whether you’re just starting out or have been at this for years, Mike’s “get real” approach to business is a much-needed swift kick in the pants. In this book, you’ll discover:
- Why a business plan is a total waste of your time.
- Why fulfilling your own needs is the first and last order of business.
- Which three sheets of paper you need to successfully launch, manage and grow your business.
- How to get started in business with little or no money.
- How to find and exploit resources that no one else knows about.
- How to stop procrastinating and take action NOW!
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World
by Gary Vaynerchuk
“New York Times bestselling author and social media expert Gary Vaynerchuk shares hard-won advice on how to connect with customers and beat the competition. A mash-up of the best elements of Crush It! and The Thank You Economy with a fresh spin, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is a blueprint to social media marketing strategies that really works.
When managers and marketers outline their social media strategies, they plan for the “right hook”—their next sale or campaign that’s going to knock out the competition. Even companies committed to jabbing—patiently engaging with customers to build the relationships crucial to successful social media campaigns—want to land the punch that will take down their opponent or their customer’s resistance in one blow. Right hooks convert traffic to sales and easily show results. Except when they don’t.
Thanks to massive change and proliferation in social media platforms, the winning combination of jabs and right hooks is different now. Vaynerchuk shows that while communication is still key, context matters more than ever. It’s not just about developing high-quality content, but developing high-quality content perfectly adapted to specific social media platforms and mobile devices—content tailor-made for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Tumblr.”
Speak Up For Your Business: Presentation Secrets for Entrepreneurs Ready to Tell, Sell, and Compel
by Michelle Mazur
“Do you love your business but don’t know how to talk about it with others?
Is the fear of public speaking keeping you from taking your business to the next level?
You know public speaking is a great way to establish your credibility, create buzz about your business, and attract your perfect client, but you have no idea what to talk about or why anyone should listen to you.
Or are there a million ideas swirling in your head but you don’t know the presentation secrets of crafting a message that resonates?
Do you fear that people won’t like you or want to do business with you because of something you said—or didn’t say?
Fear public speaking no more. Professional public speaking expert Michelle Mazur is here to help. With a Ph.D. in Communication and hundreds of speeches under her belt, Michelle knows exactly the presentations skills you need to engage your audience, persuade people to believe in your message, and ultimately, get the sale or business relationship you desire.”
Note: Unless otherwise noted, descriptions are taken from Amazon.com
What are some of your favorite books you have read and can recommend that were game-changers in your business? Share in the comments below and I will share what is on my nightstand for 2016.
[Tweet “12 Game Changing #Business Books for the New Year by @PattyFarmer #Marketing #NewYears”]