Posted by Elena del Valle on July 11, 2014
Missing Microbes
Photo: Henry Holt and Company, Troi Santos NYULMC
The health of our body depends in part on the balance the exists between bacterial and human cells. Experts estimate that for hundreds of thousands of years bacterial and human cells have coexisted in a peaceful symbiosis that resulted in the relative health of our bodies, and that we acquire microbes by the time we are three years old. They thrive in our gut, noses, mouth, and skin, and they play an essential role in keeping us healthy. The excessive dependence of modern medicine on antibiotics and Cesarian sections is threatening the equilibrium that allows us to combat diseases by destroying important microbes and making us sick, according to Martin Blaser, M.D., director of the Human Microbiome Project at New York University.
Martin Blaser, M.D., author, Missing Microbes
In Missing Microbes How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues (Henry Holt, $28), Blaser examines how drugs considered at one point the solution to many health problems may be playing a role in the rise of obesity, asthma, allergies, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer. He believes exposure to antibiotics in early life is among the greatest dangers to our health, pointing out that American children receive on average seventeen courses of antibiotics before the age of twenty. He is concerned that many children are growing without all the microbes they would have had but for the antibiotics they receive.
While he doesn’t propose the elimination of antibiotics or C-sections from the practice of medicine, in the 273-page hardcover book he suggests we examine their use closely. At the same time, he suggests that we search for ways to replace the missing microbes. Blaser, who
has studied the role of bacteria in human disease for over 30 years, founded the Bellevue Literary Review.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on June 27, 2014
The World’s Richest Man
Photos: Agate Publishing, Inc.
Do rich and powerful businessmen share life lessons when they speak? Publishing company Agate executives think so. They launched In Their Own Words, a series featuring quotes from Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson and most recently Carlos Slim, one of the wealthiest businessmen in the world. The World’s Richest Man: Carlos Slim in His Own Words (Agate Publishing, $10.95) edited by Tanni Haas, Ph.D. was published this year.
In addition to his wealth, Slim is also known because of he is part owner of the famous New York Times Company. The Mexico born businessman has a fortune estimated at $72 billion; lives in relatively modest home in Mexico City; and has transferred day to day management of his empire to his three sons, according to the Introduction.
A sample quote from the 148-page softcover book, from the Academy of Achievement, December 2, 2007, is: “I think that work is not only a social responsibility, but it is an emotional need. You need to work. You need to do things. You need to be active. You cannot be lazy.”
Tanni Haas, Ph.D., editor, The World’s Richest Man
The book is organized by topic to facilitate browsing, including Business and Investment, Leadership, Personal, Philanthropy and Education, and Politics and Economics. Agate B2’s In Their Own Words series titles are I, Steve: Steve Jobs In His Own Words, edited by George Beahm, a New York Times bestseller; Impatient Optimist: Bill Gates In His Own Words, edited by Lisa Rogak; The Oracle Speaks: Warren Buffett In His Own Words, edited by David Andrews, and Boy Billionaire: Mark Zuckerberg In His Own Words, edited by George Beahm. Haas, professor, City University of New York Brooklyn College, is author of Making It in the Political Blogosphere and The Pursuit of Public Journalism.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on June 13, 2014
Nice Companies Finish First
Photo: Shankman.com
The era of self centered authoritarian leaders is dead. Long live the new era of nice leaders who care about more than the bottom line. So say Peter Shankman and Karen Kelly in Nice Companies Finish First Why Cutthroat Management Is Over and Collaboration Is In (Palgrave Macmilan, $26).
In the 245-page hardcover book Shankman argues that people work together in an “atmosphere that is conducive to civility and good cheer” at many successful companies. The positive attitude comes from the top and trickles down through the ranks, according to the author. A similar situation is present when the atmosphere is negative, he says. He points to research that indicates productivity is low where the work environment is unpleasant.
As examples of nice executives he mentions Richard Brandson at Virgin, Shantaul Narayen at Adobe, Dave Needleman of Jet Blue, Tony Hsieh of Zappos, Steve Jobs of Apple, and Kenneth Chenault at American Express. After speaking with dozens of leaders he considers nice he identified nine characteristics he shares in the book and hopes future leaders will embrace.
They are: enlightened self interest, making themselves accessible, the ability to listen well, being responsible and ethical managers, having loyalty to the whole company, maintaining an optimistic attitude, being customer oriented, competing based on merit, and caring.
Shankman is a principal at Shankman|Honig, a customer support and marketing consultancy. His two other books are Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work–And Why Your Company Needs Them and Customer Service: New Rules for a Social Media World.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on June 5, 2014
Seven for the Revolution
Photos: Bohlsen Group
Hoping to share his views on Latino immigrants and their desire to find opportunity and the American Dream Rudy Ruiz, the son of immigrants himself, shares seven fictional stories in
Seven for the Revolution A Collection of Short Stories (Milagro Press, $15). The 189-page softcover book was published in 2013. The stories are titled: The Colonel and His Bridge, Fighting Words, Bending the Laws of Motion, It’s My Wall Now, Pierce the Sky, Liberty Lost, and Inverted.
Rudy Ruiz, author, Seven for the Revolution
Born and raised along the United States Mexico border Ruiz is president and chief creative officer of Interlex Communications, a cause-related social marketing agency. His previous works include ¡Adelante! and Going Hungry.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on May 29, 2014
The Son Also Rises
Photos: Princeton University Press
Is there a relationship between the social status of parents and that of their children or grandchildren and so forth? Does someone’s path to success depend on the status of their parents? Is nature stronger than nature when it comes to finding success? While no one has all the answers a recent book addresses the complex and controversial subject with academic aplomb and thoroughness.
Despite common perceptions about rapid and pervasive social mobility, close scrutiny of historic data by surnames (passed down through fathers) in various countries indicates there are much lower rates of social mobility when surname data is used to calculate social mobility rates than when conventional measures are applied, according to Gregory Clark, author, The Son Also Rises: Surnames and the History of Social Mobility (The Princeton Economic History of the Western World) (Princeton, $29.95), a book on the subject published this year. Social mobility, he goes on to say, may take place at a similar rate for several measures of status such as education, wealth, belonging to the politically elite and work or employment status. The rate of persistence, his analysis indicates, is constant across starkly varying social systems. The results, he finds, are widely varying between surname groups and individual families.
In the United States, he says in the Introduction, members of poor minority groups appear at first glance to be facing a tougher path to mobility than the mainstream. Blacks, Native Americans, Latinos and Jewish Americans experience a slower movement toward the mean than may be expected. However, because they have high visibility and many believe the majority has rapid mobility they may erroneously appear exceptional when they’re not.
Gregory Clark, author, The Son Also Rises
In the book, he examines data from England, United States, Sweden, India, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Chile and concludes that surnames are a useful tool to measure social mobility. They reveal a much slower rate of intergenerational mobility than commonly believed by some sociologists and economists. Social status, he concludes, is an inherited trait like height. Although it may take many generations, social mobility, he estimates will eventually level out, erasing advantages or disadvantages. The variation in social status, he says, may be predicted based on family background, who might be driven to succeed and have the ability to do so, between 50 and 70 percent of the time.
The 364-page hardcover book is written in language likely to appeal to academics and peppered liberally with graphs and analysis. It is divided into sixteen chapters and three main sections, Social Mobility by Time and Place, Testing the Laws of Mobility, and The Good Society.
Clark, professor, economics at the University of California, Davis, is also author of A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on May 1, 2014
Spin Sucks
Photos: Arment Dietrich, Inc.
Communicating responsibly, honestly, openly and authentically rather than by “spinning” is the best long term approach to public relations, says Gini Dietrich, chief executive officer, Arment Dietrich, a marketing and communications company. In Spin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital Age (Que, $19.99), a 154-page softcover book published this year, she explains the reasons she advocates such a communication approach. Prior to this book, she co-authored Marketing in the Round with Geoff Livingston in 2012.
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Spin Sucks is targeted toward business leaders who hire PR firms or communicators for their internal teams. Many business leaders understand they need PR, they know – instinctively – if it’s working, but they don’t really understand how it works. This book is meant to help them understand what we do, how to hold their teams accountable, and what kinds of metrics they can expect. That said, most of the readers so far are communicators,” the author said by email in reply to a question about the target audience and the reason she wrote her book. “I wrote Spin Sucks because there is a really bad perception people have about our industry. We are not liars or spin doctors. The big, big vision is to change the perception.”
Gini Dietrich, author, Spin Sucks
The book is divided into ten chapters and four sections: Tell Your Story Without Sex or Extortion; Scammers, Liars and Beggars; Your Brand; Your Customers; and Spin Sucks. A brand is controlled by customers in the outside world, she says in the book. Customers have a voice and they are not afraid to use it.
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This is a marathon, not a sprint. Lots of business leaders think they can hire a PR firm and 90 days later, they’re famous and on every cover of every media outlet and their product or service is sold out. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing media relations, social media, content, lead generation, reputation management, or advertising, it takes time. Just like you can’t go out and run 26.2 miles without training, you have to prepare for success over a long period,” she said. “The very best thing you can do is always be ethical in how you handle yourself. Don’t take shortcuts. Don’t cheat. Don’t lie.”
In the last section, the author turns her attention toward the future speculating that communications will play a bigger role in customer service. She says it is essential to understand how customers want to interact with brands.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on April 11, 2014
Changing the Sales Conversation
Photos: Sharon Wolmuth
As the market has shifted with social media and technological advances so have consumers. Selling requires a new approach and an increased awareness of client needs and likes, according to some experts. In Changing the Sales Conversation: Connect, Collaborate, and Close (McGraw Hill, $22) Linda Richardson, founder, Richardson, a sales performance company, discusses the issues she considers relevant to the changing sales environment for a target audience of salespeople and sales managers primarily in business to business sales.
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I introduced Consultative Selling several decades ago and while the tenants of Consultative Selling remain relevant, buyers’ buying habits have dramatically changed and I wrote Changing the Sales Conversation to extend the concepts of
Consultative Selling to foster a new dynamic dialogue for the new sales landscape. The internet and emerging technologies have changed the face of selling so much so that many of the tried and true sales methodologies of just a short time ago are obsolete and some can actually hurt sales,” she said by email in response to a question on why she wrote a book about sales.
The 162-page hardcover book was published this year. It is divided into: Introduction, Futuring: Meta-Preparation, Heat-Mapping: Anticipating Client Need, Value-Tracking: Shaping Solutions, Phasing: Controlling the Process, Linking: Connecting Emotionally, and Opening into the Future. The author explained she wrote it to provide insight into the changes and give models and tools to help salespeople and sales managers succeed in the new world of selling.
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The key to selling to customers today is to insure that they have a higher level of expertise and skill and having access to resources, research, and tools. Salespeople must have industry, company, and stakeholder knowledge and use tools and research to understand the individuals they are selling to including their cultures and values. I cover this in the chapter on Futuring which is a higher level of preparation. Sales organizations must support salespeople with knowledge sharing, training, and tools,” Richardson said in reply to a question about dealing with diversity in an increasingly global marketplace when trying to build trust.
Linda Richardson, author, Changing the Sales Conversation
“One of the key challenges is to get ahead of the opportunity by brin(g)ing ideas to customers. It is important for salespeople to understand what their clients already know because clients are doing research, using social media, and turning to peers and can be half way through the buying cycle before talking to a salesperson. The real challenge I see is having the knowledge and insight to bring ideas to clients rather than get involved late in the sale when the client is advanced and be in heavy competition,” she said in response to a question about the biggest challenge in getting to know a client in today’s environment.
The consultant believes clients expect sales people to be prepared and informed. In the book, she explains that clients are able to tell quickly whether a salesperson is able to create value for them, and that by being informed about a client’s industry, company and stakeholders a salesperson will be competitive. Using tools such as social media, paying attention to their client’s trusted sources and listening to clients to learn about their needs and environment can be important in increasing productivity; and preparing in advance is necessary to succeed, she says.
Richardson teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Her previous book, Perfect Selling, was a The New York Times bestseller.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on March 28, 2014
What Makes Olga Run
Photos: Jennifer Williams, Henry Holt and Company
Geriatric runners have become a common site in urban marathons but ninety year old sprinters are exceptional, says Bruce Grierson. In What Makes Olga Run The Mystery of the 90-Something Track Star and What She Can Teach Us About Living Longer, Happier Lives (Henry Holt and Company, $25), the author explores what makes Olga Kotelko, a 91 year old sprinter who held 26 world records in 2009, exceptional.
At five feet and half an inch tall and weighing 130 pounds she is, he explains, extraordinarily strong. As of the publication of the book this year she was the holder of 600 medals.
“I think two types of readers are in the sweet spot:
The first are people who’ve been lifelong exercisers who are now suddenly burning out or breaking down or both. Having to figure out how to mix things up so as to mitigate the damage and rekindle the interest.
The second group is middle-aged couch potatoes. Their takeaway message is that it’s never too late,” he said by email in response to a question about the target audience for the book. “The science is telling us that you can make massive gains even deep into life. The trick is to get started. It’s hard to start. Olga says that a lot: ‘Don’t stop, cuz it’s hard to get started again.'”
The 231-page softcover book is divided into Prologue, Coda and 12 chapters. In addition to Kotelko, Grierson interviewed dozens of masters athletes and closes the book with nine tips for readers who want to emulate the high performing older athletes.
Bruce Grierson, author, What Makes Olga Run?
When asked what the hardest part of the book project was he said: “Getting the running shorts over my pot belly. No, seriously, the difficult part was trying to run a narrative through the all the science without getting bogged down in detail but still getting the facts right. The physiology of aging is a fascinating area that’s changing almost by the day. A challenge to stay on top of.”
The most rewarding or surprising aspect? “Getting to know Olga as a person, not just as a scientific anomaly or a story ‘subject.’ We spent a lot of time together. It helped that we were simpatico. She’s taught me a lot, and most of it has nothing to do with ‘fitness,’ per se.”
Asked if there was third party funding or sponsorships for the book project he said: ”
No. The scientists involved did the testing for free. In McGill’s case, the scientists specifically got their own funding to conduct the muscle physiology tests on Olga, as part of an ongoing investigation on aging athletes. The small stuff I paid for. Olga got the guinea pig’s discount (i.e. free).”
Grierson, a freelance writer, is author of U-Turn: What If You Woke Up One Morning and Realized You Were Living the Wrong Life? He lives in North Vancouver, Canada.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on March 14, 2014
Be Bold and Win the Sale
Photos: McGraw Hill, Jeff Shore
Taking action despite fear and discomfort without being manipulative or obnoxious when others would back away is what Jeff Shore advises when it comes to sales. In Be Bold and Win the Sale Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Boost Your Performance (McGraw Hill, $20) he emphasizes that winning should reward all parties involved, and that a sale is about helping customers improve their lives.
At the end of the chapters, he features Expert Interviews in which he illustrates the point of that chapter with feedback or quotes from someone he considers an expert. For example, in the chapter on discomfort he quotes Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Pink points to a study from the University of Pennsylvania that suggests the best sales people are neither completely introverted nor extroverted but rather in the middle of the spectrum.
He also recommends finding experts who stand out when it comes to picking up and understanding the perspectives of others. Serving, by improving someone’s life, Pink believes, is lacking the most in today’s sales world.
The 261-page softcover book published this year is divided into three parts and 15 chapters. Part One, Dealing with Discomfort, features: “Well, This is Awkward,” Getting Your Inner Boldness On, That Nagging Squirminess, Story Time, and The Gut Check.
Part Two, Developing Boldness, features: Let’s Do This Thing!, The Boldness Network, Retraining Your Brain, Big Problems in Little Packages, Handling the “Gotchas,” The Advanced Course, and Go! Part Three, Putting It All to Work, features: The Customer’s Mission, The Customer’s Mission, The Customer’s Mission, and Putting It All Together.
Jeff Shore, author, Be Bold and Win the Sale
Shore, founder and president, Shore Consulting, Inc., is fellow of the National Speakers Association’s Million Dollar Roundtable.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on February 28, 2014
Basics of Branding
Photos: The Pathfinder Group
Not all brands are created equally. Some pass unnoticed and fade into oblivion while others linger in our minds for years or longer. What makes the difference? Powerful brands are different, compelling, and relevant enough to truly excite the minds and hearts — and wallets — of their customers. That is what Jay Gronlund, a business development consultant, believes. In his new book Basics of Branding: A Practical Guide for Managers (Business Expert Press, $43.95) he explains how readers can create an emotional connection with their customers that results in sustainable brand loyalty and steady revenue growth. The book is also available in digital format for $19.95.
“Yes, definitely. The principles behind branding are relevant for all types of businesses, big or small, product or service,” Gronlund said by email in response to a question about the relevance of branding regardless of size of the company. “Brand positioning starts with defining and thoroughly understanding your target customer. Most start-ups are preoccupied with their new product or service, and don’t pay enough attention to addressing what their potential customers want, especially from an emotional standpoint. Branding is basically about creating a relationship with a customer, and it has been proven by neuroscientists that emotions have the most influence on human behavior, including purchase decisions.”
The 194-page softcover book with tables and illustrations published in 2013 is divided into six chapters: What Is Branding Really About?; The Positioning Statement, Emotions and Brand Equity; Branding Applications; Building Strong Bonds; Branding in the B2B World, New Opportunities; Marketing Today: Branding for Digital Marketing and Social Media. Gronlund proposes that it is critical to begin with a “message or impression that forges a bond of trust with that customer.”
One thing to remember about branding? “Branding is all about forming a connection with your customer, ideally one based on experience and emotions that make that customer trust that brand,” he said by email.
Jay Gronlund, author, Basics of Branding
When asked about developing a brand for an intangible such as an author he said: “A service, while not as concrete as a product, still requires good branding, since both must make a promise (i.e. the benefit) to a target audience, supported by credible reasons to believe this promise. Ultimately, a customer will become interested in a service, and buy it, only if they feel emotionally (and rationally) that such a service will add some value to their lives and make them more happy and satisfied. Any author, for fiction or non-fiction, should try to brand him or herself, so that the author’s (brand) name will mean something special to prospective readers. Ideally building a bond with his/her audience is based on trust, plus the expectation that each time he/she will learn and/or be entertained. The brand impression the author provides should be distinct, relevant and tailored to the unique characteristics of his/her storytelling, content/subject matter, and flair for offering something new and creative.”
Gronlund has held senior positions at Richardson-Vicks, Church & Dwight, Seagrams, and Newsweek. In 1990, he started The Pathfinder Group, a boutique business development consulting firm specializing in cross-border marketing; re-positioning brands; facilitating ideation sessions; and con- ducting workshops overseas. In 1999, he created a course on positioning and brand development for New York University he still teaches today.
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