Marketing has always been a key variable to take into account within any company, understood as the techniques to make a product known to the customer and make the customer want it.
However, due to the globalization process in which we are immersed and the large number of different products that we have within our reach, traditional marketing techniques seem to have stopped working.
Companies need to develop new and increasingly sophisticated techniques to differentiate their product from the competition. Hence, every year new bibliography on the subject emerges with innovative ideas to put into practice.
This article contains a selection of the 7 best books on marketing and sales recently published
1. Persuasion: A revolutionary method to influence and persuade, by R. Cialdini
Sequel to his previous book, Influence, in which he expands his work and deepens the functioning of the human mind when buying.
Currently, we know that:
There are a lot of factors that, consciously or unconsciously, we take into account when making any type of purchase.
Our way of buying may vary depending on these factors.
Hence, one of the main fields of study of Marketing has been oriented to the discovery and understanding of all these factors.
With this book, the author intends to make a novel contribution. In his own words, the thesis of the book is based mainly on that “the process of persuasion is governed by psychological laws, so similar procedures will generate similar results in a wide range of situations.”
2. Be Obsessed or be Average, by G. Cardone
This can be classified as a sales book, but also as a self-motivation book. In any case, it can be a great help for the reader.
Being obsessed with a particular issue does not have to be bad. If a job obsesses us, it is very likely that it is because we really like it and enjoy doing it.
If we become obsessed (always in a good way) with our work, our ability to concentrate and our creativity will reach very high levels or, as the author suggests in the title of the book, above average levels.
In addition, a truly motivated person can not only extract their full potential, but also that of their peers.
3. The Conversion Code: Capture Internet Leads, Create
Quality Appointments, Close More Sales, by C. Smith
The enormous amount of information that we all have can be a great advantage when making any decision. However, if we are not able to treat it correctly, it can also be an inconvenience.
When buying, any consumer wants to be given the most complete information possible, but at the same time, he wants it so that he can easily understand it and not hinder the purchase process.
With this book, the author defends that any company that wants to attract (or maintain) customers, must clean, fix and simplify its website just as “we would clean our house before inviting a friend to eat.”
4. The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget,
and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage, by D.
John and D. Paisner
This book deepens the author’s personal experience to show how you can succeed even when you have faced very complicated situations and many projects have ended up being impossible.
Suffering one setback after another can be very frustrating for anyone, especially when these setbacks have prevented all your ideas or projects from finally seeing the light.
In this sense, the author of this book defends that, when the ideas have been exhausted or when it seems that there is no other option, it is time to make every effort, since, in his words, “there is no other option except the success. “
If in situations where it seems that we have lost everything, instead of throwing in the towel, we redouble our effort, we may still be able to reach our goal.
Not surprisingly, it is said that there is nothing more fearsome than someone who has nothing to lose.
5. Small Data: The small clues that warn us of the great
trends, by M. Lindstrom
As already mentioned, too much information can be a problem for consumers, but it can also take companies away from what consumers really want.
According to the author of the book, Big Data is nothing more than a huge set of contextless data that does not reveal anything useful. In his opinion, consumers are not in complex statistical models.
What really matters to a company is to study how their customers are in real life, beyond the simulated reality that the Internet can become. It is there and not in the titanic databases, where the keys to success are found.
The small details of our daily life, such as the gestures we use when speaking, our tastes and our habits, among many other different factors, are what the author calls Small Data and what companies should focus on.
6. The Art of People: 11 Simple People Skills That Will Get
You Everything You Want by D. Kerpen
This book is based on the Enneagram of Personality to offer a useful philosophy for most aspects of our lives, including business.
On the other hand, we must not forget that it is a pseudoscience, since everything that is explained in the book is not possible to certify by any scientific method. Believing in it or not is the reader’s decision.
According to the author of the book, a fundamental piece for the life of any person is the knowledge of himself and his personality, as well as the way in which his environment has influenced his behavior.
7. Hug your Haters: How to Embrace Complaints and Keep Your
Customers, by J. Baer
One of the most important things that the Internet gives us when making any purchase is the possibility to see the opinions and comments of other people who have already purchased the product or service for which we are interested.
The main problem that this option may entail for a company is that it comments on the page a person who is not happy with the product or service, or that a negative comment has simply been invented.
These comments can harm the image of the product or service or even the company and can cause many potential customers to decide not to buy the product when faced with the doubt planted by this opinion.
In this book, the author explains various techniques for interacting with clients in a close and personalized way, with the aim that they feel comfortable and trust the company.
On the other hand, it also explains how to deal with these negative comments, trying to transform what can be a harmful situation for the company into an opportunity to improve its image, by addressing the complaints of any of its customers.
The author also makes special mention of the fact that, given a negative comment by a user, silence on the part of the company may be the most damaging option possible, so you always have to respond.