Shortform Books

How to Motivate Customers to Act: Tips From Seth Godin

What kind of pressure should you put on customers and potential customers? How can you get them to move toward your product and not away from it? In This Is Marketing, marketing expert Seth Godin contends that effective marketing is ultimately about changing people’s lives. But, to do that, you must do the basic work of convincing them to buy what you’re selling. Read more to learn how to motivate customers to take action with insights from Godin.

The Pros and Cons of Pay Transparency

What’s behind the growing trend of US states passing pay transparency legislation? Are the laws working as intended? What’s the future of pay transparency? A growing number of US states are implementing pay transparency laws, which require employers to list salary ranges on job postings. Though the laws have led to some improvements for workers and employers, they’ve also created some unintended, undesirable consequences. Below we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of pay transparency.

How to Close a Chapter in Your Life and Open a New Door

Are you ready for a new chapter in your life? What are the steps to leaving the past behind you? If you know that an ending is needed in a particular situation, you need to create structures that encourage you to act. Then, prepare carefully for that last conversation and take time to grieve afterward. Below we’ll go through the three steps of learning how to close a chapter in your life.

How to Control Impulses: 2 Techniques for Self-Discipline

Do you give in to distractions easily? What are ways to control your impulses? It can be hard to practice impulse control when there are so many distractions around you. From your phone to video games, there are so many better things you’d rather be doing than work. Here’s how to control impulses that cause you to procrastinate.

The Importance of Human Geography: How It Shapes Nations

How do Russian minorities in European nations influence geopolitics? How have the borders of African nations affected people? In Prisoners of Geography, Tim Marshall highlights the importance of human geography, showing how it shapes nations. Furthermore, he illustrates how borders that don’t take geography into account usually lead to internal conflicts. Keep reading to learn about human geography and why it matters.

Problem-Solving Marketing: Why You Must Provide Solutions

What should you do first—create a product or figure out how to sell it? Why do people buy products? Everyone has problems, needs, and desires. Entrepreneur and marketing expert Seth Godin says that effective business people know how to tap into those—creating products that solve customers’ problems and fill their wants and needs. Keep reading to learn why Godin promotes problem-solving marketing.

How to Replace Bad Relationship Habits: The W.I.S.E.R. Model

Do you have any bad relationship habits? How can the W.I.S.E.R. model help you replace these bad habits with good ones? If something doesn’t go the way it was planned in a relationship, you might default to thinking the worst. But, this is a harmful habit that could ruin a good relationship that otherwise could last a lifetime. Discover how to break bad relationship habits with some help from The Good Life by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz.

How to Get Through Boring Tasks: 2 Ways to Make Them Fun

Do you struggle to feel motivated at work? What are ways to make boring tasks fun? The Procrastination Equation by Piers Steel points out the obvious: people procrastinate because they’re bored. But procrastination could lead to repercussions, which is why you have to figure out how to turn dull work into fun work. Discover how to put value in the work you do, no matter how boring it is.

Competitive Strategy by Michael Porter: Book Overview

What is Competitive Strategy by Michael Porter about? Do you want a competitive edge in the business world? In Competitive Strategy, Michael Porter demonstrates how to get your business in the lead. Doing so requires a certain level of competitiveness that puts your business first. Read below for a brief overview of Competitive Strategy.

The 4 Basic Principles of Marketing in the Modern Age (Seth Godin)

Who makes up your smallest viable market? What do they truly want and need? Should you adjust your product story over time? In This Is Marketing, Seth Godin says that old marketing techniques no longer work. He outlines his guiding principles of marketing in the modern age: create something of value, focus on your smallest viable market, match your story to the story your audience tells themselves, and leverage word of mouth. Continue reading to learn about each of these four basic principles of marketing.