Shortform Books

4 Sales Persuasion Techniques for Conversational Selling

Looking for some sales persuasion techniques? What are the best techniques for convincing a customer to buy something? Author Phil M. Jones has written seven best-selling business books and emphasizes the quality of conversations as the key to persuading customers. In Exactly What to Say, he shares his best sales persuasion techniques and key phrases that appeal to the customer’s subconscious mind. Read on for Jones’s best sales persuasion techniques, according to the advice in Exactly What to Say.

Design Phase in Project Management: Tips for Success

What is the design phase in project management? How should the project manager handle this stage of the project? In Scott Berkun’s book Making Things Happen, he explains what a manager can do during each phase of a project to ensure its success. During the design phase in project management, he says it’s important for the manager to foster the design team’s creativity. Read on to learn Berkun’s tips for handling the design phase in project management.

Prince Harry and Diana: How Her Death Affected Her Son

What was Prince Harry and his mother Diana’s relationship like? How did Harry cope with her unexpected death in 1997? In Spare, Harry describes his relationship with his mother as loving, but her unfortunate death in a car crash left him in pain. It wasn’t until years later in therapy that he finally confronted the trauma he endured after her death. Read below to learn more about Prince Harry and Diana’s relationship.

Wanting by Luke Burgis: Book Overview

Looking for an overview of Wanting by Luke Burgis? What are the key takeaways from the book? In Wanting by Luke Burgis, he explains how to apply René Girard’s theory of “mimetic desire” to your own life. By doing this, you’ll learn how to push both yourself and others to chase meaningful desires instead of misleading ones, says Burgis. Read on for an overview of the theories and advice in Wanting by Luke Burgis.

How to Be More Interesting: Talk Less and Listen More

What makes a person interesting? What are some things you can do to gain the interest of those around you? When people try to seem interesting, they tend to talk a lot. They assume that by talking about all the interesting things they do, they’ll inspire curiosity in others. But psychiatrist Mark Goulston says that to win someone’s interest, you should focus on learning about them instead of talking about yourself. Continue reading to learn how to be more interesting, according to Goulston.

Why Does He Do That?: Book Overview & Takeaways

What is the book Why Does He Do That? about? What are the main takeaways of the book? In Why Does He Do That?, Lundy Bancroft breaks down the motivations and logic behind abusive behavior so victims know how to defend themselves. Ultimately, Bancroft hopes that readers will use his book to better assert their own humanity and independence. Read below for a brief overview of the Why Does He Do That? book.

The Art of Seduction: The 6 Rules of the Game

What are Robert Greene’s rules of seduction? What are some principles you should keep in mind when attempting to seduce someone? In his book The Art of Seduction, Robert Greene lays out his ground rules of seduction. Before embarking on your game, you must first internalize these rules because they are the foundation of successful seduction. Here’s an overview of The Art of Seduction rules you should keep in mind.

Bottom-up Processing and Top-Down Processing Explained

What’s the difference between bottom-up processing and top-down processing? How do we use these processes? In Focus, Daniel Goleman explores how you can understand, harness, and improve your attention to have a more productive life and become a more engaged member of society. In his discussion of how to understand attention, he explains bottom-up and top-down processing. Continue reading to learn about these two processes.

How to Stop Getting Distracted by Thoughts: Use Notecards

Do thoughts pop into your head and distract you? Did you just remember that you need to buy bananas? Neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explains how to stop getting distracted by thoughts by using a practical notecard system. This works because it sorts and stores information outside of your brain. Keep reading to learn how to use this system to deal with distracting thoughts and stay focused on the task at hand.

The Missing Mass Problem: Where’s All That Stuff?

Is a lot of mass unaccounted for in the universe? If so, why? Where is it? When author Bill Bryson set out to understand the great scientific discoveries about our universe, he ran into some unsolved mysteries. One of them is the missing mass problem, and he discusses it in his book A Short History of Nearly Everything. Keep reading to learn about missing mass, including the question of whether the mass is actually missing or whether the current theory is off.