What’s your favorite business and marketing book?

Do you have a favorite marketing or business book that you love? The one that changes your thinking about your business, the one that had a bunch of A-Ha moments or the one that you keep referring to over and over? We’d like to know! Post your top 3 favorite books here and we’ll compile a list of the most recommended books and post it on our site.

Come on folks, let’s share the love!

Comments

[Laura Roeder]

For me the e-myth is #1

Other favorites are book yourself solid (have not read beyond booked solid yet) and never eat alone.

[Jennifer Manlowe]

My favorite books are the following:

(1) "The Art of War: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles" by Steven Pressfield
reviewed on my blog: http://helpfulbooks.wordpress.com

(2) "Nichecraft: Using Your Specialness to Focus Your Business, Corner Your Market, and Make Customers Seek You Out" by Lynda Falkenstein

(3) "The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life" by Rosamund Stone Zander

All of these books speak to people who want to bring who they are to what they do...my speciality. The deal is, when we know who we are we know what we have to offer. When we know what we have to offer, we don't have to be all things to all people. When we relax into who we are, our just right clients will come to us. When we create space for them to share what they need and who (and how) they want to be, when our talents match their needs, we can be of service in a natural way. This is what I've learned by reading these books.

I've also enjoyed all of the authors' pointed questions that force me to reframe my mission in a way that is practical as well as personally congruent. Each book invites the reader to take concrete action steps and to build in accountability rituals or partners-in-progress that help you "go forward" not just in their new thinking but in their day-to-day life. All of these books instigate risk taking in practice.

Each author has had some form of personal transformation in their life (a loss of some kind, a hard road or rough turn, lots and lots of mistakes, etc). Each one came to the realization that they needed to face their fears of being a failure, to be bold in trying to share something that felt right to them, or to return to a life that is too small. Each one had an experience, (or more than one), that brought them back to the basics of their mission in life. Now that they are older and wiser, they want to help the "newcomer" to skillfully negotiate with integrity and joy in the business world of the 21st century.

Not that impressive educations make the person, but Zander and Falkenstein have been contributors to Harvard and/or Stanford University School of Business.

I can't wait to hear what other people like in terms of business book reading.

[Kendra]

My favorite book is one that I haven't even finished. It's called 'Self Promotion for the Creative Person' by Lee Silber. It's full of ideas that I can really use, so I've been reading through it slowly so I can absorb and really use each suggestion.

[Mary Ann Sircely]

Two favorites come to mind: "How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients" by Jeffrey J. Fox and "The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness" by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval.

In short, pithy chapters, Fox offers a wealth of practical ideas to turn any businessperson into a rainmaker, winning over customers and closing deals. It's a book to refer to often for reinforcement and just plain good ideas.

Kaplan Thaler and Koval's book dispels the adage "Nice Guys Finish Last" -- their collection of stories and concepts shows that in the business world (and in life) it definitely pays to be nice.

[telarsen]

Purple Cow by Seth Godin
E-myth by Michael Gerber
No BS Marketing by Dan Kennedy

[Dani Nordin]

I tend to like books that are a bit more conversational and written in short, sweet chapters that get right to the point. Also, books that either walk me through a process step-by-step or give me good food for thought in quick suggestions or questions.

I'll be honest, one of my favorite books is The Designer's Guide to Marketing and Pricing (and I'm not kissing ass, I swear). Short, sweet, to the point, and nice to flip through if I have a specific question.

Aside from that, there's also Designing with Web Standards by Jeffrey Zeldman (changed the way I do websites), A Girl's Guide to Starting Your Own Business (got me started on the road to entrepreneurship) and my most recent discovery, Gut and Ballsy by karen Salmansohn.

[Debbie Talley]

My all-time fav is The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.

Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham is a top one.

I'm reading Made to Stick now and it's turning out to be a great read!

[Hernán]

Interesting link to The 77 Best Business Books In Print:
http://personalmba.com/best-business-books/

[Bob H.]

Although I don’t have a top 3 just yet, I recently discovered a new book from Ronn Torossian, CEO of New York’s 5W Public Relations I would like to try out soon. He recommends on his blog the PR and Advertising book called Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy. According to Ronn there is a ton to be learned from this book, and he lists them here.

[Paul (from Idea Sandbox)]

1. Free Prize Inside, Seth Godin
2. The War of Art, Steven Pressfield
3. Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, Kevin Carroll

• Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath is a really great one as well.

My two favorite creative problem-solving books are:

• 101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques by James Higgins and
• Sticky Wisdom by ?WhatIf!

[Jon P.]

Hey Whipple, Squeeze This — Luke Sullivan
The Do-It-Yourself Lobotomy — Tom Monahan
Re-Imagine — Tom Peters

Lagniappe:

Emotionomics — Dan Hill
The Art of the Start — Guy Kawasaki
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success — Depak Chopra

Best of all time:

Is There Any Hope For Advertising? — Howard Luck Gossage

[Ronni Buffington]

So glad somebody asked this question. I'm excited about seeking out some of your readers' recommendations.

My first two favorite A-ha books (especially for creatives) are by the same person. Probably everyone knows these. They set me off on the right path again, if I've gone astray:

Selling the Invisible - Harry Beckwith

What Clients Love - Harry Beckwith

The third will be a surprise, I'm sure to many, but it never fails to give me new ideas when I translate them for my own business:

1001 Ways to Market Your Services (Even if you Hate to Sell) - by Rick Crandall

[Mark Shippe]

Here is a list of books that I have recently read that you might like or find useful too!
Meatball Sundae -Seth Godin
Never Eat Alone -Keith Ferrazzi
Blink -Malcolm Gladwell
Selling The Invisible -Harry Beckwith
You, Inc. -Harry Beckwith