What is most important to your success as a sales or business professional? Is it education, experience, product knowledge, job title, territory, or business dress? Is it your company's reputation, product, price, marketing collateral, delivery lead times, in stock ratios, service guarantees, management strength, or warehouse location? Is it testimonials, the latest Forbes write up, or brand awareness? Is it the investment in the latest CRM software, business 2.0 tools, or social media strategy?You could hire a fancy consulting firm, make the list longer, add some bullet points, put it into a PowerPoint presentation, and go through the whole dog and pony show. But at the end of the day there will be only one conclusion... None of the above! You see, the most important competitive edge for today's business professionals cannot be found on this list, your resume, or in any of your company's marketing brochures.If you want to know the real secret to what matters most in business, just look in the mirror. That's right, it's YOU. Do these other things matter? Of course they do, but when all things are equal (and in the competitive world we live in today, things almost always are) People Buy You.Your ability to build lasting business relationships that allow you to close more deals, retain clients, increase your income, and advance your career to rise the top of your company or industry, depends on your skills for getting other people to like you, trust you, and BUY YOU.This break-through book pushes past the typical focus on mechanics and stale processes found in so many of today's sales and business books, and goes right to the heart of what matters most in 21st century business. Offering a straight forward, actionable formula for creating instant connections with prospects and customers, People Buy You will enable you to achieve a whole new level of success in your sales and business career. You'll discover:Three relationship myths that are holding you back Five levers that open the door to stronger relationships that quickly increase sales, improve retention, increase profits and advance your career The real secret to making instant emotional connections that eliminate objections and move buyers to reveal their real problems and needs How to anchor your business relationships and create loyal customers who will never leave you for a competitor How to build your personal brand to improve your professional presence and stand-out in the market place People Buy You is the new standard in the art of influence and persuasion. Few books have tackled the subject of interpersonal relationships in the business world in such a practical and down-to-earth manner, breaking what many perceive as a complex and frustrating process into easy, actionable steps that anyone can follow.

    Did you know that Hewlett?Packard, Disney, Hyatt, MTV, CNN, Microsoft, Burger King, and GE all started during periods of economic recession? Periods of uncertainty fuel tremendous opportunity, but the deck gets reshuffled and the rules of the game get changed. EXPLOITING CHAOS is the ultimate business survival guide for all those looking to change the world. Topics include: SPARKING A REVOLUTION, TREND: HUNTING, ADAPTIVE INNOVATION and INFECTIOUS MESSAGING.

    Listen and speak more effectively, engage people through empathy (the most powerful word in the English language), avoid the most common conversational disasters, and use proven strategies that allow you to successfully communicate your point of view and take the upper hand in most disputes.

    How many times do you come away from a situation and think you could have handled it better? The realization that you should have used different words or said things in a different tone which might have produced a more positive result or avoided friction. How often have you felt frustrated at your inability to state your case and to explain your thoughts well enough for the other person to grasp your point?Make no mistake - talk is our most precious commodity. Human interaction and face to face communication came long before social media websites, e-mail and texting. Yet more and more people have lost the art of conversing effectively and successfully as the 'screen' replaces conversation. Talkability provides tried and tested suggestions to help you get your points across and make things happen.

    In the world of Facebook, Twitter, and beyond, that recommendation can travel farther and faster than ever before."Likeable Social Media" helps you harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing to transform your business. Listen to your customers and prospects. Deliver value, excitement, and surprise. And most important, learn how to truly engage your customers and help them spread the word.Praise for "Likeable Social Media"Dave Kerpen's insights and clear, how-to instructions on building brand popularity by truly engaging with customers on Facebook, Twitter, and the many other social media platforms are nothing short of brilliant. Jim McCann, founder of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM and Celebrations.comAlas, common sense is not so common. Dave takes you on a (sadly, much needed) guided tour of how to be human in a digital world. Seth Godin, author of "Poke the Box""Likeable Social Media" cuts through the marketing jargon and technical detail to give you what you really need to make sense of this rapidly changing world of digital marketing and communications. Being human -- being likeable -- will get you far. Scott Monty, Global Digital Communications, Ford Motor CompanyDave gives you what you need: Practical, specific how-to advice to get people talking about you. Andy Sernovitz, author of "Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking"

    New terms like "mass-luxury," "new luxury" and "hyper luxury" attempt to qualify luxury. But if everything is luxury then surely the term itself has no meaning! There is confusion today about what really makes a luxury product, a luxury brand or a luxury company. The Luxury Strategy analyzes in depth the essence of luxury, highlights its managerial implications and rationalizes the highly original methods – often very far from the usual marketing strategies – used to transform small family businesses such as Ferrari, BMW, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Chanel, Armani or Ralph Lauren into worldwide successes. The Luxury Strategy clarifies the difference between "premium," "fashion," and "luxury," and sets out the counter-intuitive rules for successfully marketing luxury goods and services. Luxury experts Jean-Noel Kapferer and Vincent Bastien provide the first rigorous blueprint for effectively managing luxury brands and companies at the highest level, including human resources and financial management. Finally, The Luxury Strategy unveils how in any market, including B to B, a company can learn from luxury strategies to differentiate itself profitably.

     (NOTE: Dozens of renowned marketing, SEO and social media experts have endorsed this SEO book. You can read these expert testimonials and claim the free bonus offers that come with this book at SEOforGrowth.com) SEO is a key growth channel for your business, but the rules of SEO have changed dramatically in recent years. To grow your business in today’s economy, you need a strong online presence. But what does that entail exactly? Marketing is no longer about mass-market advertising and outbound sales; it’s about capturing demand — grabbing the attention of people already looking to make a purchase or acquire specific knowledge. To do that, your website needs to be at the top of Internet search results. Many businesses and marketers toss up a brochure-style website, do a little social media and blog posting (if any), and think they’re "doing SEO" — but that’s not what it takes to get those coveted first page Google rankings. No longer just another tactic, search engine optimization has become a full-blown channel on par with PR and advertising — one you can’t afford to ignore. From website designers to business owners, marketers to entrepreneurs, everyone can benefit from understanding and applying SEO best practices. John Jantsch, author of the best-selling Duct Tape Marketing and creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System™, and Phil Singleton, an experienced SEO consultant with years of experience at the local, regional, and national levels, have teamed up to provide you with the only Internet marketing guide you need. In SEO for Growth, they teach you how to leverage the new rules of search engine optimization to make sure your website gets found online. Jantsch and Singleton harness the knowledge they’ve acquired through years of experience and extensive research, explaining SEO in a direct and accessible manner, to help you navigate this complex technical terrain with purpose and ease. SEO for Growth is Your One-Stop Digital Marketing Guide The first part of the book provides an overview of search engines, ranking algorithms, and website design changes, so you can understand the way that Google “thinks.” The book then takes you through the mindset and strategy you need to get SEO right and provides specific techniques that you can use at each stage of a new business: from finding the perfect match between the ideal customer and the market message (traction), to retaining customers and building relationships for growth (expansion); and leveraging the assets you build for payoff (conversion). From this book, you’ll learn how to: • create and re-purpose content and plan an editorial calendar • use different social media channels to generate engagement with your content • build and manage your online reputation, plus handle negative reviews • do quality link building without resorting to the shady practices Google now penalizes • conduct keyword research to optimize your website and all of your content • use pay-per-click advertising in the most cost-efficient way to get the biggest bang for your buck • build a revenue generating website that will help power your company’s growth for years to come Whether you want to adapt your small business to the digital age or you’re a marketer figuring out how to help your clients online, this indispensable guide has everything you need to plan and implement the right SEO strategy for your business.

    A comprehensive guide to service marketing furnishes tips and advice on how one can apply one's business knowledge to any area of sales and marketing, from a home-based consultancy to a multinational brokerage firm.

    CEOs should heed this transformation and learn from Weber's insights how to navigate this new landscape to fully maximize their business opportunities." -Mark Fuller, Chairman, Monitor Group "Consumers are using technology to grab power from companies, the media, and the government. Marketing to the Social Web succinctly outlines how institutions can survive and win in this chaotic new world, and lays out the revised rules of engagement-ignore them at your peril." -George F. Colony, CEO, Forrester Research, Inc. "Larry has brought pragmatic and useful recommendations to help brand builders manage the complexity of social interaction in a digital age. I was pleased to read a book that actually suggests how to do something with social networks, instead of just ponder them." -David Kenny, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Digitas Inc. "Where's the allure of social 2.0? Brands can talk . . . customers talk louder! Digital influence has arrived." -Jeff Taylor, CEO, Eons and Founder of Monster.com "Larry Weber provides a simple and effective roadmap of the new customer information highway. Marketing to the Social Web is a valuable tool that will give everyone the confidence and know-how to compete in this fast-growing marketplace of ideas." -Steve Harris, Vice President, Global Communications, General Motors Corporation "As all lines and boundaries are washed away by the Web, Weber describes how to become part of the sea versus the sand." -Nicholas Negroponte, Chairman, One Laptop per Child

    Unlike other PR texts that steer clear of the cases, the ethical challenges, the how to counsel, and the public relations conundrums that force students to think, this book prepares students to deal with a full range of situations and arrive at effective, ethical solutions that distinguish the practice.

    And his advice starts with one simple concept: focus! Instead of trying to master four thousand strategies to improve your business, zero in on the few essential skill areas that make the big difference. Too many managers jump at every new trend, but don’t stick with any of them. Instead, says Holmes, focus on twelve critical areas of improvement—one at a time—and practice them over and over with pigheaded discipline. The Ultimate Sales Machine shows you how to tune up and soup up virtually every part of your business by spending just an hour per week on each impact area you want to improve. Like a tennis player who hits nothing but backhands for a few hours a week to perfect his game, you can systematically improve each key area. Holmes offers proven strategies for: • Management: Teach your people how to work smarter, not harder • Marketing: Get more bang from your Web site, advertising, trade shows, and public relations • Sales: Perfect every sales interaction by working on sales, not just in sales The Ultimate Sales Machine will put you and your company on a path to success and help you stay there!

    It is hard to think of a more valuable skill." --Peter Kaufman, CEO, Glenair Inc. Former MGM Director of Creative Affairs Stephanie Palmer reveals the techniques used by Hollywood's top writers, directors and producers to get financing for their projects and explains how you can apply these techniques to be more successful in your own high-stakes meetings. Because, as Palmer as found, the strategies used to sell yourself and your ideas in Hollywood Hollywood not only work in other businesses, they often work "better." After taking over three thousand pitch meetings, Stephanie Palmer has seen what works, what doesn't, and has developed a system for helping people with good ideas get the attention and financing they deserve. This is important because of how technology and globalization have created exponential growth in the marketplace for ideas. If you can communicate your ideas concisely and effectively, you will have the edge no matter what industry you are in. Whether you intend to ask for a raise, sign a potential client, promote a new business, secure financing for a creative project, get sponsors for your charity walk or even ask someone on a date, GOOD IN A ROOM shows you how to: -Master the five stages of the face-to-face meeting-Avoid the secret dealbreakers of the first ninety seconds-Be confident in high-pressure situations-Present yourself better and more effectively than you ever have before GOOD IN A ROOM is a step-by-step guide to improving your performance in high-stakes meetings as well as in other areas of your professional life. You'll learn insider secrets, cutting-edge techniques, and how to construct winning presentations that persuade decision-makers. That's what being good in a room is all about.

    Millions will fail. Millions more will be received with yawns. A rare few will establish the most profound connection, in which presenter and audience understand each other perfectly, discover common ground and, together, decide to act.

    At the same time, emerging media have created an unprecedented opportunity for businesses to redefine how they communicate with customers by leveraging the power of increasingly interconnected media channels.Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg don't simply explain this shift in paradigm; Waiting for Your Cat to Bark? introduces Persuasion Architecture™ as the synthetic model that provides business with a proven context for rethinking customers and retooling marketers in a rewired market.Readers will learn:Why many marketers are unprepared for today's increasingly fragmented, in-control, always-on audience that makes pin-point relevance mandatoryHow interactivity has changed the nature of marketing by extending its reach into the world of sales, design, merchandizing, and customer relationsHow Persuasion Architecture™ allows businesses to create powerful, multi-channel persuasive systems that anticipate customer needsHow Persuasion Architecture™ allows businesses to measure and optimize the return on investment for every discreet piece of that persuasive system"There's some big thinking going on here-thinking you will need if you want to take your work to the next level. 'Typical, not average' is just one of the ideas inside that will change the way you think about marketing." ?Seth Godin, Author, All Marketers Are Liars"Are your clients coming to you armed with more product information than you or your sales team know? You need to read Waiting for Your Cat to Bark? to learn how people are buying in the post-Internet age so you can learn how to sell to them." ?Tom Hopkins, Master Sales Trainer and Author, How to Master the Art of Selling"These guys really 'get it.' In a world of know-it-all marketing hypesters, these guys realize that it takes work to persuade people who aren't listening. They've connected a lot of the pieces that we all already know-plus a lot that we don't. It's a rare approach that recognizes that the customer is in charge and must be encouraged and engaged on his/her own terms, not the sellers. Waiting for Your Cat to Bark? takes apart the persuasion process, breaks down the steps and gives practical ways to tailor your approaches to your varying real customers in the real world. This book is at a high level that marketers better hope their competitors will be too lazy to implement." ?George Silverman, Author, The Secrets of Word of Mouth Marketing: How to Trigger Exponential Sales Through Runaway Word of Mouth"We often hear that the current marketing model is broken-meaning the changes in customers, media, distribution, and even the flatness of the world make current practices no longer relevant. Yet few have offered a solution. This book recognizes the new reality in which we operate and provides a path for moving forward. The authors do an outstanding job of using metaphors to help make Persuasion Architecture clear and real-life examples to make it come alive. Finally, someone has offered direction for how to market in this new era where the customer is in control." ?David J. Reibstein, William Stewart Woodside Professor, Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania and former Executive Director, Marketing Science Institute"If you want to learn persistence, get a cat. If you want to learn marketing, get this book. It's purrfect." ?Jeffrey Gitomer, Author, The Little Red Book of Selling

    Publishing is one of the most complex and lucrative parts of the music business. Industry expert Randall Wixen covers everything from mechanical, performing and synch rights to sub-publishing, foreign rights, copyright basics, types of publishing deals, advice on representation and more. Get a view from the top, in plain English. This updated and revised edition has been prepared in light of the ever-changing landscape of music publishing, taking into account factors like illegal downloading and recent announcements from the Copyright Royalty Board. With an added "DIY" chapter, the author demonstrates why the playing field has changed for the traditional copyright adminstrators, and how musicians just starting out can protect their own work until they hit the big time.