There's no room for downtime, waste, or inefficiency. You have to do more with less. And employees have become high maintenance. Not only are they more likely to disagree openly and push back, but they also won't work hard for vague promises of long-term rewards. They look to you--their immediate boss--to help them get what they need and want at work. How do you tackle this huge management challenge? If you are like most managers, you take a hands-off approach. You "empower" employees by leaving them alone, unless they really need you. After all, you don't want to "micromanage" them and don't have the time to hold every employee's hand. Of course, problems always come up and often snowball into bigger problems. In fact, you probably spend too much of your time solving problems and falling behind on your work . . . which leaves even less time for managing people . . . which opens the door for even more problems! In It's Okay to Be the Boss, Bruce Tulgan puts his finger on the biggest problem in corporate America--an undermanagement epidemic affecting managers at all levels of the organization and in all industries--and offers another way. His clear, step-by-step guide to becoming the strong manager employees need challenges bosses everywhere to spell out expectations, tell employees exactly what to do and how to do it, monitor and measure performance constantly, and correct failure quickly and reward success even more quickly. Now that's how you set employees up for success and help them earn what they need. Tulgan opens our eyes to the undisciplined workplace that is overwhelming managers and frustrating workers and invites bosses everywhere to accept the sacred responsibility of managing people. His message: It's okay to be the boss. Be a great one!

    Together with the iron-willed dwarf Dorma she must overcome her darkest fears, or succumb to them. Meanwhile, Lu and Aki, stranded at the bottom of the world, stand poised to finally lift the ancient secret of the "Hall of Dreaming Treasures." But when the dreaded Houndmaster tracks them down, Lu must face a truth she long sought to run from, if they have any hope of surviving.

    When it comes to business, they declare that it's revolutionizing advertising, PR, customer relations—everything. And they all agree: it is here to stay.In this lively, insightful guide, journalist and social critic B.J. Mendelson skillfully debunks the myths of social media. He illustrates how the notion of "social media" first came to prominence, why it has become such a powerful presence in the marketing field, and who stands to benefit each time it's touted in the press. He shows you why all the Facebook friends and Twitter followers in the world mean nothing to you and your business without old-fashioned, real-world connections. He examines popular tales of social media "success," and reveals some unsettling truths behind the surface. And he tells you how to best harness the potential of the Internet—without spending a fortune in the process.Social media is bullshit. This book gives the knowledge and tools you really need to connect with customers and grow your brand.

    Beckwith provides practical tips, anecdotes and insights based on his 30 years of marketing and selling his advertising services. Beckwith learned early on in his career that no matter what product you're selling, the most important component of the product is you. In You, Inc.: A Field Guide to Selling Yourself, Beckwith relates tantalizing tidbits and real stories of how to harness your enthusiasm with an ability to impress your key accounts.Written in his traditional homespun style, Beckwith offers doses of humour and pithy knowledge to anyone who wants to seal the deal and thrive in business.

    In Ben & Jerry's Double-Dip, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield offer the ultimate insider's guide to creating a values-led business that makes money while benefiting the entire community. Using examples from their own company as well as a host of others, these renowned innovators reveal: How your commitment to worthy social causes will result in unprecedented customer and employee loyalty -- and increased profitPractical advice on everything -- from hiring employees to choosing suppliersNuts-and-bolts information on values-led finance, retailing, and human resourcesBen & Jerry's Double-Dip is essential reading for anyone who owns, works for, invests in, or shops at a socially responsible business.

    Since 2006, forward-thinking companies like Apple, JetBlue, Whole Foods, and GM have discovered the instant benefits of leveraging the social media phenomenon known as Twitter to reach consumers directly, build their brand, and increase sales. Twitter is at the leading edge of the social media movement, allowing members to connect with one another in real time via short text messages?called "tweets"?that can be received either via the Twitter site or by e-mail, instant messenger, or cell phone. Many companies have started building entire teams within their organization dedicated solely to responding to tweets from consumers about their brand. And this is just the beginning.In Twitter Power, Internet marketing and Web innovation expert Joel Comm shows businesses and marketers how to integrate Twitter into their existing marketing strategies to build a loyal following among Twitter members, expand awareness for their product or service, and even handle negative publicity due to angry or disappointed consumers. The book also presents case studies of companies on the forefront of the Twitter movement, to help you develop your own social networking strategies. Twitter Power is the result of extensive testing and participation in the social networking community and is a must-have for any business that wants to keep up with the social media movement. Twitter Power features a foreword by Tony Robbins.

    While he’s saving her from her enemies, he plans to prove that even in human form a bad-boy dragon can show a girl a good time that’s truly off the scale . . .Originally published in Everlasting Bad Boys.

    Underearners are self-saboteurs who don't live up to their earnings potential, says Barbara Stanny, a financial educator, motivational speaker, and career counselor. Whether they make $10 an hour or six figures a year, they tend to live paycheck to paycheck, are often in debt, and have a high tolerance for low pay. Ironically, many work incredibly hard. The good news is that underearning is a self-imposed condition. By focusing on overcoming it, underearners will not only earn what they deserve, but live a richer life. With techniques and exercises that have helped thousands of people, Stanny teaches five essential steps to financial independence and brings a message of empowerment to all those who chronically undervalue themselves.

    We've entered a new era, one in which shifting cultural values and the explosion of digital technology enable us to network in vastly more efficient, more focused, and more enjoyable ways. A fresh take on How to Win Friends and Influence People, Your Network Is Your Net Worth is an entertaining, straightforward guide filled with revealing case studies, hands-on advice, and innovative strategies for building your network. Written by sought-after speaker, entrepreneur, and marketing executive Porter Gale, with a foreword by Apple evangelist and bestselling author Guy Kawasaki, this book shows you how to establish, expand, and nurture your connections both online and off. New ways to network are popping up every day and Gale tells you how to make the most of them but even traditional networking opportunities are not the same animals that they once were, and we need to shift our attitudes and approaches accordingly. Networking has evolved from a transactional game to a transformational process. Whereas once it was about power plays, now it's about charting your own course, following your passions, and making meaningful connections, which in turn increase your happiness and productivity. In addition to chronicling her own rise from an ad agency intern to an in-demand consultant, Gale also shares the inspiring stories of so many others who live by this networking model: a military wife who connects with social media communities while her husband is deployed overseas, a young woman blog-ger battling leukemia, a dyslexic politician who wins elections by telling stories, and the CEO of a Major League Baseball team who once made a phone call that changed the course of his life. When you focus on your passions and reorganize your networking around your values and beliefs, you will discover the kind of lasting relationships, personal transformation, and, ultimately, tangible wealth that are the foundation for happiness and success. With a message both timely and important, Your Network Is Your Net Worth is the definitive handbook to Networking 2.0.

    People used to download music for free, then Steve Jobs convinced them to pay. How? By charging 99 cents. That price has a hypnotic effect: the profit margin of the 99 Cents Only store is twice that of Wal-Mart. Why do text messages cost money, while e-mails are free? Why do jars of peanut butter keep getting smaller in order to keep the price the “same”? The answer is simple: prices are a collective hallucination. In Priceless, the bestselling author William Poundstone reveals the hidden psychology of value. In psychological experiments, people are unable to estimate “fair” prices accurately and are strongly influenced by the unconscious, irrational, and politically incorrect. It hasn’t taken long for marketers to apply these findings. “Price consultants” advise retailers on how to convince consumers to pay more for less, and negotiation coaches offer similar advice for businesspeople cutting deals. The new psychology of price dictates the design of price tags, menus, rebates, “sale” ads, cell phone plans, supermarket aisles, real estate offers, wage packages, tort demands, and corporate buyouts. Prices are the most pervasive hidden persuaders of all. Rooted in the emerging field of behavioral decision theory, Priceless should prove indispensable to anyone who negotiates.

    Kennedy explains how businesses small and large can adapt in the coming years by tapping into the affluent consumer segment--consumers with an unprecedented willingness to buy.

    These crafty DIY artists are everywhere--they are holding alternative craft fairs, they advertise in the pages of Bust and ReadyMade and Craft, they are selling online by the thousands at Etsy.com, and are blogging at Typepad, LiveJournal, and Whipup.com. But many of them do not have the skills needed to take their business ideas to the next level.The Creative Entrepreneur takes readers on an inner journey of creative exploration to discover how to make their dreams of creative livelihood real, as they craft their own Artist’s Business Journal. The Artist’s Business Journal is a visual, project-oriented, step-by-step approach to business development for artists from all walks of life who are mystified and possibly frustrated by how to make a business out of their creative work.

    Context matters. Complex sales are different from one-call closes. B2B is different than B2C. Prospects, territories, products, industries, companies, and sales processes are all different. There is little black and white in the sales profession. Except for objections. There is democracy in objections. Every salesperson must endure many NOs in order to get to YES.  Objections don’t care or consider: Who you are What you sell How you sell If you are new to sales or a veteran If your sales cycle is long or short – complex or transactional For as long as salespeople have been asking buyers to make commitments, buyers have been throwing out objections. And, for as long as buyers have been saying no, salespeople have yearned for the secrets to getting past those NOs. Following in the footsteps of his blockbuster bestsellers Fanatical Prospecting and Sales EQ, Jeb Blount’s Objections is a comprehensive and contemporary guide that engages your heart and mind. In his signature right-to-the-point style, Jeb pulls no punches and slaps you in the face with the cold, hard truth about what’s really holding you back from closing sales and reaching your income goals. Then he pulls you in with examples, stories, and lessons that teach powerful human-influence frameworks for getting past NO - even with the most challenging objections. What you won’t find, though, is old school techniques straight out of the last century. No bait and switch schemes, no sycophantic tie-downs, no cheesy scripts, and none of the contrived closing techniques that leave you feeling like a phony, destroy relationships, and only serve to increase your buyers’ resistance. Instead, you’ll learn a new psychology for turning-around objections and proven techniques that work with today’s more informed, in control, and skeptical buyers. Inside the pages of Objections, you’ll gain deep insight into: How to get past the natural human fear of NO and become rejection proof The science of resistance and why buyers throw out objections Human influence frameworks that turn you into a master persuader The key to avoiding embarrassing red herrings that derail sales calls How to leverage the “Magical Quarter of a Second” to instantly gain control of your emotions when you get hit with difficult objections Proven objection turn-around frameworks that give you confidence and control in virtually every sales situation How to easily skip past reflex responses on cold calls and when prospecting How to move past brush-offs to get to the next step, increase pipeline velocity, and shorten the sales cycle The 5 Step Process for Turning Around Buying Commitment Objections and closing the sale Rapid Negotiation techniques that deliver better terms and higher prices As you dive into these powerful insights, and with each new chapter, you’ll gain greater and greater confidence in your ability to face and effectively handle objections in any selling situation. And, with this new-found confidence, your success and income will soar.

    We make to share. We make to connect with others. Crafters all over the world are using their hands and hearts to make a statement, change the world, and build community.Craft Activism is an inspiring celebration of this growing movement. Inside, dozens of superstars of this grassroots phenomenon share their experiences, tips, and advice on living, teaching, and promoting a more meaningful DIY lifestyle. Learn to craft for your cause, connect with other crafters, think green, organize a fair, host an online exchange, create yarn graffiti, and more. The book also includes 17 creative projects from designers who challenge you to reimagine how your craft skills can be used to make a difference. Whether you knit, sew, crochet, or collage--and even if you're not sure where to begin--this book is your guide to the incredible power of handmade.

    The answer is simple: They Simplify.Take Your Business from Startup to Game Changer. Start simplifying today.