More than 11,000 business books are published every year—an overwhelming choice for busy professionals. Therefore, in partnership with getAbstract, Training brings you October’s top three business books recommended to our readers.
“Sales EQ. How Ultra-High Performers Leverage Sales-Specific Emotional Intelligence to Close the Complex Deal” by Jeb Blount (Wiley, 2017, 305 pages, ISBN: 9781119312574; $16.80).
Sales trainers teach salespeople to give their buyers insights, educate them, challenge them, and add value to their lives. None of this promotes sales. Emotional intelligence (EQ) does. To make sales, you need to develop strong interpersonal skills, learn to control your feelings, leverage your buyers’ emotions, and manage your relationships with them. Master salesman Jeb Blount teaches salespeople how to use the psychology of “sales EQ” to close deals. Despite some rough language, getAbstract finds that salespeople everywhere can learn from his insightful manual.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 7
Style: 8
“Earning It. Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World” by Joann S. Lublin (HarperBusiness, 2016, 304 pages, ISBN: 9780062407474; $27.99).
Lifelong journalist Joann S. Lublin shares an important trait with the 52 female executives she interviewed: They all pushed through multiple barriers to succeed as women in their respective fields. Their stories provide first-person guidance, especially those from the 65 percent of interviewees who are past or current public company CEOs. In this well-structured if sometimes repetitive collection, Lublin ties the narrative together with relevant statistics and “Leadership Lessons.” getAbstract recommends her compilation to women who are focusing on moving ahead in their careers, and to men seeking to understand the challenges women face in the workplace.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 8
Innovation: 7
Style: 8
“Up Is Not the Only Way. Rethinking Career Mobility” by Beverly Kaye, Lindy Williams, and Lynn Cowart (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2017, 136 pages, ISBN: 9781523083480; $17.95).
Today’s employees want meaningful work and a better work-life balance. Beverly Kaye, Lindy Williams, and Lynn Cowart—three consultants who’ve experienced the six possible career paths covered here—offer a manual about the different ways your career can grow. They explore “enrichment, exploratory, lateral, realignment” and “relocation” strategies, as well as “vertical” upward growth. Their advice is a solid conversation starter for managers who want to retain top talent and for employees who are eager for professional development. Its blue color scheme and large, boldface font sizes are whimsical though distracting. getAbstract recommends this insightful guidebook to managers, employees, and HR professionals.
Rating (out of 10): 9
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 8
Style: 8
