“You will be the same person in five years as you are today
except for the people you meet and the books you read.”
~Charlie “Tremendous” Jones
The above is one of my favorite quotes of all time. I believe it is imperative that we continue reading, pushing ourselves to new limits, and exploring ideas with different people if we want to grow. I am often asked which books have lead to my success in marketing. The truth is, there are a lot of books that have made me who I am today, but I do have two favorites.
The first is a book entitled Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Al Reis and Jack Trout. It was a required reading for a college course I took at Sam Houston State University several years ago. I pull it out every year and reread it. While some of the theories in it have come into debate over the years, the overall mantra of the book still stands strong. If you are looking for ways to improve the way you think about marketing, I encourage you to pick up this book and add it to your business library.
The second book that I reread every year is called The Accidental Sales Manager by Chris Lytle. I actually read it for the first time two years ago and wrote a short summary of my takeaways on it that I also review several times a year. When you find yourself suddenly in a leadership role for a sales or marketing team, it is a book I highly recommend you take a few hours to read.
So if you’re looking for a few last minute Christmas gifts to surprise your favorite marketer with, stop by your local bookstore today or tomorrow and pick up a copy of either of these books. They both played a big role in my development as a marketer.
Wishing you and very Merry Christmas this week!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tina Bell is the founder of Mended Marketing. She developed her marketing experience serving a variety of industries, mostly in smaller sized companies, where she was hired to build their marketing programs. These experiences provided her the opportunity to wear many hats and learn multiple facets of marketing. She spent over six years in medical marketing, helping build an urgent care business from two urgent care clinics to over 13 clinics in four states. In addition to being well versed in copywriting, grassroots and community marketing initiatives, Tina is a sought after speaker and regularly presents educational webinars. She was ranked the top speaker at the Urgent Care Association of America Conference and spearheaded the development of an online medical training newsletter before she left that industry to start her own marketing firm.