Book Review: The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy, 2004, Nelson Business Publishers.

Fun Fact: Everyone is in the business of selling.

If this is true, why does the thought of it bring on dry mouths and sweaty palms? Brian Tracy writes from the point of view of someone who’s been there, done that and has come through it all. Dealing with the concept of sales as a method of customer satisfaction, he shows that sales is so much more than slick talk and reeling off presentations. He shows that there is more to the image of sales than the ‘hit-and-run’ and slick salespeople who have cheated us so much in the past.

Writing on such topics as Key Performance Areas, Customer Decision Factors, Creativeness and much more, he shows sales to be a systematic activity and not just a matter of chance.

Truly recommended for everyone – not just those in sales.

Coming Up: Stripped for Discovery.

Book Review: Earn what you’re Worth by Nicole Williams with Cheri Hanson, 2005, Penguin Publishers

Financial and career management is something I didn’t learn a lot about in school beyond the ‘never-give-up’ and ‘save, save, invest’ speeches. Earn what you’re worth takes it a little deeper than that. It explores the psychology and perceptions people have about money and works on you from the inside out.

Written in a style that doesn’t exactly spoon-feed you but enables you to work things through – it fosters change in perceptions about work, money and careers. Aspiring entrepreneur or employee, it contains sound advice for discerning where you are, stating clearly where you want to be and mapping the journey there by covering topics such as sales, psychology, financial management, entrepreneurship. The book is a good base text for anyone who wants to find out what is needed to be financially savvy.

Sure, it’s mostly directed towards young women but guys, if you get your hands on one, don’t feel shy about thumbing through.