Don’t Make Me Think Revisited (Voices That Matter)

This is a phenomenal book. Written at a basic level, it is valuable for the techie or the layperson looking for best practices in website design. The user experience is the focus, with elements of testing, accessibility, usability, and layout. Krug is often light, funny, poignant, and informative as he shows the reader key elements of design. A must-read if you design or have an influence on the design of websites.

DotCom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online

Let’s start with the fact that this book serves as an extremely effective infomercial for Click Funnels, the author’s business. However, that doesn’t matter. The information in the book is invaluable and will give you all the info you need to script and plan marketing funnels – online and off—a good resource for learning the basics.

FRICTION

Well written and well researched, Roger Dooley wrote a masterpiece of insights into consumer behavior in “Friction.” One of the better business books I’ve read in the last few years, Dooley provides a window into the sources of intentional and unintentional friction in transactions, relationships, and consumer behavior that drive our behaviors. His insights provide a collage of elements that paint a picture of friction as a liability and as an asset in designing interactions—a great read and one that anybody will benefit from.

Gems from Warren Buffett – Wit and Wisdom from 34 Years of Letters to Shareholders

Warren Buffett is a sage in our time. This compendium of his wit and sayings culled from annual reports and other public sources are funny, wise, and a must-read for everyone. You get a true appreciation for a brilliant mind and a wise yet humble soul.

How I Lost 170 Million Dollars: My Time as #30 at Facebook

A great read on the challenges and experiences of a start-up from someone who lived it. The classic issues, including the entrepreneurial focus, personality challenges, age tension, and growth vs. culture, are covered. I found myself laughing out loud and nodding throughout. Great read.

How to be a Chief Operating Officer: 16 Disciplines for Success

As a multi-time COO, I always look for opportunities to get better. This is one of the few books on the topic, and I wish I found it earlier. Written with the UK bent, it translates well to US businesses. The list of questions and a 100-day plan are handy—a good resource.

How to Create Irresistible Offers: The Easiest Way on Earth to Make Your Marketing Generate More Leads, Orders, and Sales

Focusing largely on direct mail, though fully extensible to other media such as online. This is a valuable and referenceable book that will stay in my electronic library: a good read and useful info.

How to Get More Law Firm Clients: Without Losing Time & Money or Getting Screwed By a Marketing Company

Great for the attorney, accountant, or other professional looking for a marketing edge. Andy gets it and provides a good roadmap to follow. There’s a lot of work, but the process is straightforward and provides more leads and more clients. A great read – and not just for lawyers.

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

Full of riveting stories, examples, and useful tips and rules for negotiation, this former hostage negotiator shows why splitting the difference doesn’t work, what to listen for, and how to get to a successful outcome in negotiations: a great read and an incredible resource for anyone in a negotiating environment.

Overdeliver: Build a Business for a Lifetime Playing the Long Game in Direct Response Marketing

The book covers the key elements of direct response marketing written by a superb marketing mind – the list, the creative, and the offer. The information is useful and extensible to online, offline, or multichannel marketing approaches. Woven between the marketing elements are useful business and life tidbits that make the book deeper and more enjoyable than the typical marketing book. Good read.

Persuasion: Psychology of Selling – Secret Techniques To Close The Deal Every Time

Sales are truly the applied psychology of business, and this book provides phenomenal insights into the sales process. A short and quick read that’s chock full of great tips and useful steps to improve your sales techniques. Read it!

Purposeful Productivity: A Guide to Goal Planning, Stopping Procrastination and Building Online Businesses

No fluff. No froof. It is brass tacks. Full of great advice, tools, approaches, and tactics to build productivity and personal accountability. In my best reads collection. I will refer to it again and again.

Revising Business Prose (4th Edition)

A witty, readable, often eye-opening treatise on clear writing. I fear the author’s critique of this review. Modern writing is officious and convoluted. Lanham shows how to write clearly. A great resource.

Rework

Let me start with the obvious – this is a great book. It has actionable advice, great business insights, and is a quick and easy read for anyone. Targeted to the entrepreneur, the focus is on remembering that small and focused is better, and following the herd is likely to lead you to the slaughter. The authors live the advice as founders of 37signals – a scrappy tech company that provides many of us with the basic, straightforward tools we need to manage our business. The book mirrors their culture and their products—a great read.

Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics

I’ve now completed some 21 credit hours of stats between grad and undergrad – and this is the best, most approachable textbook I have ever used. Will you be a statistician after reading and using this book? Nope. But, you will have enough working knowledge of statistics to conduct basic research, interpret statistical information and methods at a basic level, and get three chapters of useful resources and tools as a bonus. It is written in a very non-textbook way, and it is what the undergrad or high school student required to take stats should get in their intro course—a great intro text.

Teach Online: Make Money Doing What You Love: Learn exactly how I make $10,000 of passive income each month, selling online courses.

The author is a well-known successful online educator. You will get the best practices in an easy-to-read ebook, direct from the horse’s mouth. Highly recommend the book as well as his other online resources.

The Art and Science of Running a Car Dealership (Perfect Dealership Book 3)

I work with dealers regularly, and the business is tough! There are low margins, little room for error, distrust, and process failures that can kill a business. Max Zanan does a great job of introducing these concepts and making sure that you have a good picture of the landscape and challenges you’ll face if you’re moving into management or ownership. A must-read

The Car Salesman’s Bible: How to truly make six figures selling cars

Moving into auto sales? This is a crucial read for anyone contemplating the move. You’ll learn the process, approaches, the hard work necessary, and the rewards available to someone who will do things the Ron Vest way. A great book.

The Client Acquisition Blueprint: A SIMPLE, Step-By-Step Blueprint For Creating an EPIC Marketing Strategy & Online Presence

I’ve talked to Hugo and appreciate his candor, approach, and hustle. There’s a lot of valuable information in this book. Well written, easily read, and full of useful information, Hugo mixes stories, technical and business elements to show how to build your business online and off. A good read.

The Invisible Brand: Marketing in the Age of Automation, Big Data, and Machine Learning

Everything you do online, and increasingly everywhere, is being tracked, recorded, and utilized with AI algorithms to direct, persuade and otherwise influence your behaviors. That’s the premise of this exceptional view of marketing and influence in the digital age. These influences are subtle and often hidden in plain sight – driving our behaviors in ways that we are often unaware of until they are pointed out. Elements of the book as predictions of the future have already come to pass within a year or so of them being put to paper. This book is a must-read if you are interested in marketing in the 21st Century, in persuasion, or in privacy.

Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords: How to Access 100 Million People in 10 Minutes (Ultimate Series)

I run a multi-million dollar digital marketing firm specializing in auto dealers. This book is a go-to resource and a must-read for anyone interested in the craft. Digital marketing is hard work, and Perry makes it understandable and gives you all the tricks to succeed. The critical piece that comes through in spades, however, is that this is real work. There’s a lot to do SEM right, and if you follow the process in this book, you’ll be in the top tier of SEM professionals. A must-read.

World Wide Rave: Creating Triggers that Get Millions of People to Spread Your Ideas and Share Your Stories

The principles of viral marketing hold up and are spelled out exceptionally well in this well-written, easy-to-read book. Engaging and still relevant, the book is on my best list. A comprehensive look at viral marketing is a must-read.