Quick Thoughts on the Books I’m Reading
For some reason I tend to try to read many books at the same time, instead of reading one all the way through before moving on to a new book. So, instead of doing a full-blown recap for each of the books I’m reading, here’s a few thoughts about each book I’m currently reading.
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
Great book so far. It discusses a lot about the merits of negotiating based on principles, not positions. If I had to summarize the best part:
4 points of principled negotiation:
- People - Separate people from the problem
- Interests - Focus on interests, not positions
- Options - Generate a variety of possibilities before deciding what to do
- Criteria - Insist that things be based on some objective standard
Joseph Jaffe, president/founder of Crayon and blogger at Jaffe Juice sent me (and other bloggers) a copy of his new book to review as part of his “Use New Marketing to Prove New Marketing” initiative. Here are a couple thoughts/things I’ve learned so far:
- Word of Mouth is people telling their friends about products, services, etc.
- Conversation is about bigger things - laughter, life, love, frustration, etc.
- In the world of social media, everyone is a critic. Deal with it.
- Microsoft is on board. It’s shifting its marketing strategy from informing/persuading/reminding to demonstrating/involving/empowering consumers.
I know this isn’t a sports business or marketing book, but Casanova’s autobiography includes some great stories, insights, and thoughts on life. If you ever forget that most guys’ lives revolve around girls (this was true in the 1700s and is still true today), read this book. Guys aren’t paying attention to your marketing efforts because they have more important things to worry about.
