Shortform Books

New Sales Simplified by Mike Weinberg: Book Overview

What is New Sales Simplified about? What solution does the author Mike Weinberg offer to stifled sales progress? New Sales Simplified by Mike Weinberg demystifies sales prospecting for both veterans and inexperienced salespeople. At the core of his sales advice is the three-stage model he calls the “New Sales Driver.” The stages of the model are 1) targeting, 2) developing sales weapons, and 3) planning and executing. Below is a brief overview of Mike Weinberg’s New Sales Simplified: The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development.

The 80/20 Law: Why You Should Focus on the Vital Few

What is the 80/20 law? How can focusing on the vital few help you succeed? One myth standing in the way of success is that everything is important. However, all things are not equally important—figuring out and focusing on the most important things is the key to success. The 80/20 law states that a minority of effort (20%) produces the majority (80%) of the results. That means that focusing on the few, highest-impact things is the key to creating extraordinary results. Read more to learn about the 80/20 law.

Control Your Thoughts to Create the Life You Want

Do you want your life circumstances to change? Would you like to learn how to control your thoughts in order to create the life you want? In As a Man Thinketh, James Allen offers advice on how to take control of your thought patterns in order to shape your circumstances. This involves dreaming something new (and big)—and focusing your thoughts on that vision. Ultimately, that leads to serenity once you create the life you want. Read on to learn how to control your thoughts in order to shape your reality.

How to Evaluate a Book and Its Author

Do you want to know the best way to evaluate a book? How should you handle a disagreement with a book’s author? What are the different categories of disagreement? In their book How to Read a Book, authors Adler and Van Doren discuss the steps you should take to evaluating a book. They say that you must first determine whether the author has answered your questions, evaluate the author’s answers, and then try to understand the author’s point of view before arguing with them. Continue reading for more on how to evaluate a book and its author, according to Adler

What Is the Role of Government in an Economy?

What is the role of government in an economy? Would economies function better if left to their own devices? A government makes a capitalist market possible. Though people, including many politicians, sometimes speculate about how much better the market could operate if there were little or no government around, the truth is, countries without strong governments have almost non-existent markets in which it’s difficult to conduct even simple transactions. In this article, we’ll explore the different ways a government can facilitate a functioning market economy. We’ll also explore the ways it can destroy one: Government intervention in the economy isn’t

Cognitive Bias in Negotiation: Use It Strategically

What role does cognitive bias play in negotiation? What biases have the greatest impact on your and your counterpart’s decision-making? In negotiation, cognitive bias plays a crucial role in how we receive information and determine our best interests. And as a skilled negotiator, you can take advantage of universal human cognitive biases to frame your position in a way that makes it optimally attractive to your counterpart. In this article, we’ll discuss how to use two cognitive biases (the framing effect and the loss aversion bias) to steer a negotiation in your desired direction.

College Is a Business: Students Are Just Customers

How did colleges start running like businesses rather than educational institutions? What impact has this had on the students? These days, colleges are run more like big businesses than educational institutions. This is because education is so profitable that the administrators started looking at students as customers and valuable assets that need to be catered to or they’ll lose money. Keep reading to learn why college is a business and students are merely customers.

Why Do We Feel Shame & How Can We Overcome It?

Why do we feel shame? What are some healthy methods of handling shame and how can Brené Brown’s advice help? In her TED Talk The Power of Vulneraility, Brené Brown discusses what causes shame, how shame develops from childhood, and provides five methods for handling shame. Only when you overcome shame can you start to embrace wholehearted living. Continue reading for Brené Brown’s discussion about shame.

John Maxwell: The Five Levels of Leadership—Review

Is The 5 Levels of Leadership worth reading? What are the five stages/levels of leadership, according to its author John C. Maxwell? In The 5 Levels of Leadership, author John C. Maxwell gives a shape and form to something seemingly indefinable. He culls his knowledge and experience to come up with the Five Levels of Leadership, a roadmap to help you reach your full leadership potential: 1) positional leadership, 2) permissional leadership, 3) production leadership, 4) empowerement-based leadership, and 5) pinnacle leadership. This The 5 Levels of Leadership review takes a look at the book’s context, background, and discusses its

Napoleon Hill: How to Outwit the Six Ghosts of Fear

How do you learn how to outwit the six ghosts of fear? What are the 6 basic fears in Think and Grow Rich? You can learn how to outwit the six ghosts of fear by recognizing fear as a state of mind and replacing your fears with positive alternate thinking. The six basic fears are poverty, criticism, poor health, loss of a loved one, old age, and death. You will overcome fear when you conquer each of these ghosts. Read on to learn how to outwit the six ghosts of fear.