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Top Ten Business Books For 2017

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Just in time for the holidays, here is a list of 10 books, published this year, that you may want to consider putting under the corporate tree for your boss or colleague. While much of what I read is focused on customer service and customer experience, you’ll also find books listed here about marketing and innovation. The method of choosing these books is simple. The book is suggested by a friend, the publishing company sends it to me, it is suggested in my Amazon feed, or I just happen to find it by chance. While tens of thousands of books are published, probably about 100 or so cross my desk throughout the year.

Listed below are the standouts. Some are by New York Times bestselling authors, while others are experts who self-publish their books. I define a good business book as one that does more than just hold my interest but gives me at least one (often more) ideas that I can implement in my business. So, without further ado, here’s this year’s list:

  1. The Nordstrom Way to Customer Experience by Robert Spector and Breanne O. Reeves: We start the list off with a book I first read in the 1990’s. This most recently updated edition is quite different and brings us up-to-date with the modern and innovative version of Nordstrom, an iconic retailer that has stayed relevant and has maintained its reputation for stellar customer service for decades.
  2. Be Like Amazon: Even a Lemonade Stand Can Do It by Jeffrey Eisenberg and Bryan Eisenberg: As long as we’re talking about iconic retailers, here is a short, but powerful, book about Amazon, or more specifically, how you can take some of the successful Amazon strategies and apply them to your own business.
  3. The Anticipatory Organization by Daniel Burrus: There are some things that you just know are going to happen. These are what Burrus refers to as “Hard Trends,” versus “Soft Trends,” which are things that might happen. Companies and people can learn how to identify these two types of trends, and take advantage of the trends they know to be true. This is what anticipatory organizations do, and why they thrive during times of chaos and disruption.
  4. Entrepreneurial You by Dorie Clark: If you are an entrepreneur, this book is a must-have. Clark shares a model for taking advantage and monetizing your expertise. She covers coaching, consulting, podcasting, speaking, building a community of followers, creating digital products, and more. Throughout the book, Clark has sections titled Try This that helps the reader take the ideas from conceptual to reality.
  5. The Potential Principal by Mark Sanborn: The subtitle says it all… A Proven System for Closing the Gap Between How Good You Are and How Good You Can Be. What’s your potential? Are you living up to it? How do the best get better? As examples of living proof from his proven system, Sanborn will teach you how.
  6. Hacking Innovation by Josh Linkner: The word hacking probably brings negative thoughts to mind. “Someone hacked into my computer and now has my credit card numbers.” The reality is, hacking isn’t always bad. The author’s favorite definition of hacking is: “The act of solving complex problems in unorthodox ways. Discovering fresh unconventional approaches that replace prevailing wisdom.” Linkner teaches you how to hack innovation, to think differently, and to reap the benefits.
  7. Winning at Social Customer Care by Dan Gingiss: Social customer care (customer service via social media channels like Twitter and Facebook) has become an area of customer service that companies can no longer ignore. Gingiss honed his expertise in this field as a marketing and customer care executive and shares how some of the top brands are using social media to create engaging customer experiences.
  8. Top of Mind by John Hall: Content marketing is a powerful business strategy, and John Hall is one of the top experts in the field. He shares all of the secrets behind what his company has done for its clients, holding nothing back, showing you how you can take advantage of this powerful, and often free (other than the sweat equity that goes into creating content) way to broadcast your message to the world and become the first name people think of when they need what you sell.
  9. The Service Culture Handbook by Jeff Toister: This short book is a step-by-step guide that focuses on the importance of making customer service part of a company’s culture. For many years I’ve preached that what is happening inside of an organization, is felt on the outside by the customer. Toister teaches us how to create a culture that gets your employees obsessed with customer service.
  10. The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath: Years ago, Jan Carlzon of Scandinavian Airlines defined the “Moment of Truth” in business as when the customer interacts with your company and forms an impression. Those moments can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, and that’s what this book by the Heath brothers is all about. And, it goes beyond just business, crossing into making the best of moments that happen in all areas of our lives.

A book is a wonderful gift. Not a holiday gift that you give or receive, but a gift from the author, who is taking the time to impart words of wisdom and passion to anyone willing to invest their time (and dollars) into reading the work. The books on this list are all focused on business, and each one of them has the potential to give you the idea(s) that can take your business to the next level. In my mind, that’s quite a gift!

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