Management Skills

Storynomics – Story-Driven Marketing in the Post-Advertising World is a brilliant book that’s destined to send shockwaves through the worlds of marketing and branding. Drawing on the experiences gained with his Storynomics seminars, Robert McKee – author of Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting and Dialogue: The Art of Verbal Action for Page, Stage and Screen – has teamed up with Tom Gerace to produce a work that is at once imaginative, innovative and inspirational. There has been a major change in the way brands connect with consumers. In the past, brand managers and chief marketing executives would find stories people loved and then interrupt their telling with advertisements. Today’s consumers have tired of the ads and are blocking, skipping or avoiding them at unprecedented rates. The consequences are that marketing professionals are finding it harder and harder to reach their customers. Some business leaders have recognised that storytelling is the future of marketing, and to succeed in an increasingly ad-free world, they must place `story’ at the centre of their strategies. There is still some misunderstanding about story and how it can be used effectively. Robert McKee created the Storynomics seminars to show business leaders how to apply storytelling to their businesses, to drive revenue, margins and brand loyalty. In their new book, McKee and Gerace bring a whole new meaning to marketing, to displace old theories and practices with story-driven messages. Storynomics, the book, is essential reading for all serious professionals.

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The Smart Marketing Book is a handbook for modern marketing. It provides practical, evidence-based advice and inspiration on all aspects of marketing from business, brand and innovation strategy through to communications, sales promotion and customer experience. It contains no waffle nor jargon – just clear explanations and unique frameworks and visualisations that make sophisticated ideas easy to grasp, plus famous examples that bring key concepts to life. It offers the clearest summary of marketing principles and latest thinking available.

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The compelling new book by Richard Shotton, author of The Choice Factory.

Every day, people make hundreds of choices.

Many of these are commercial: What shampoo to pick? How much to spend on a bottle of wine? Whether to renew a subscription?

These choices might appear to be freely made, but psychologists have shown that subtle changes in the way products are positioned, promoted and marketed can radically alter how customers behave.

The Illusion of Choice identifies the 16½ most important psychological biases that everyone in business needs to be aware of today – and shows how any business can take advantage of these to win customers, retain customers and sell more.

Richard Shotton, author of the acclaimed The Choice Factory, draws on academic research, previous ad campaigns and his own original field studies to create a fascinating and highly practical guide that focuses on the point where marketing meets the mind of the customer.

You’ll learn to take advantage of the peak end rule, the power of precision, the wisdom of wit – and much, much more.

You simply cannot afford to miss The Illusion of Choice.

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In A Toolkit for Your Emotions, Emma takes a deep dive into how we feel and explains all the tools you need to intercept and redirect challenging emotion. From joy to anger, shame to stress and anxiety, Emma has practical and effective ways to feel instantly calmer and more content.

Each topic is illustrated with Emma’s well-loved illustration to make them accessible, meaningful and memorable. Dr Emma Hepburn is the most well-known psychologist on Instagram (@thepsychologymum, 135k followers) and has won numerous awards for her contribution to mental health awareness.

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Too many of us work through burnout and sacrifice our work-life balance to get ahead in our careers. But the real path to success and happiness begins with you.

Rather than just accepting the fatigue and burnout, renowned mental health expert Petra Velzeboer shows you how to prioritize your wellbeing and mental health at work. From recognizing the impact of internal and external influences to learning support mechanisms, Begin With You offers you key strategies that will lead to a rewarding life and career.

Petra Velzeboer draws upon her personal experiences of trauma and hardship to offer insights on how you can overcome difficult periods and develop a positive outlook. Packed with case studies and psychological research, Begin With You is the essential guide to becoming a mental health champion and transforming your career and life for the better.

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Both scientific and industry research suggest that paying close attention to psychological safety has tangible benefits, not just to personal health and well-being, but to workplace productivity and performance. In 2015 Google released the findings of some compelling research known as “The Aristotle Project”. In its quest to build the perfect team, Google assessed the factors common to their high-performing teams. They were shocked to find it was not the background, the experience, or the education of the team members that determined the team’s success, but whether psychological safety was present within the team.Most of us understand the importance of physical safety. We protect ourselves and those around us, and know what physical interactions are socially acceptable, helpful, or harmful.Psychological safety, however, is a new frontier. Only now are we beginning to understand its importance and impact, thanks to recent advancements in neuroscience.For example, research shows that a “hit” to our psychological safety can have a deeper and longer-lasting impact than a “hit” to our physical selves. In fact, social rejection has the same impact on the brain as a punch to the face. Over time, the pain associated with a physical attack is difficult or impossible to recall. The memory of social rejection, however, even many years after the fact, can elicit the same strength of emotion as it did at the time of the event.When we experience an attack to our psychological safety, our brain is triggered into a stress response. Our cognitive abilities are compromised. Our higher, logical brain, the one responsible for thinking, creativity, decision-making, and self-control, goes off-line. In this derailed stress state we can find it difficult to concentrate, make decisions, or control our emotions. In a psychologically safe climate, people are not afraid to express themselves; they feel accepted and respected. This openness creates a fertile environment for thinking, creativity, innovation, and growth, and leads to more collaborative relationships and an overall improvement in individual and team productivity.So how do you identify and manage the triggers that threaten your psychological safety and hijack your brain?Based on the latest neuroscience research, the S.A.F.E.T.Y.™ model describes some of the most important social motivators of human behavior.Learn how to implement it in your life and your workplace, to reap the benefits of increased productivity and personal well-being. This revolutionary book offers actionable solutions to key questions that may be holding you (and your team) back from fulfilling your potential:● Why am I so anxious and stressed?● Why do I continue to do things I don’t want to do?● Why do I care so much about what others think of me?● Why do I self-sabotage?And the most vital question of all:● Why can’t I change?

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Negotiation is everywhere. Yet even though we use it all the time – at work and at home – very few of us really understand how it works, and many of us find it uncomfortable.

Once Upon a Deal… is a collection of stories that reveal the principles of negotiation. When you begin to negotiate you embark upon a journey: if you know the steps involved, and understand the way its progression ebbs and flows, you will be better equipped not only to reach a successful conclusion but also to enjoy the process more.

Get ready to rethink negotiation, and discover practical tips and tricks along the way to build your skill and confidence.

Scotwork has been in the business of developing capability in commercial negotiation for nearly 50 years: these entertaining stories are drawn from the team’s extensive and rich experience across many sectors and situations.

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Proven customer engagement approaches for winning in the most important moments driving profitability and growth―customer retention and expansion

Industry analysts report that up 70- 80% of business growth comes from existing customers.

So why are you still investing mainly in attracting new customers? And, leaving renewals and upsells to chance?  Or, worse yet, using a one-size-fits all approach to acquisition as you do for expansions?

The Expansion Sale provides everything you need to seize the competitive edge in the customer-success space. Authors Erik Peterson and Tim Riesterer explain how the buying psychology of existing customers differs from that of new customers, and show how to adapt your commercial engagement strategies accordingly. They provide clear, easy-to-apply messaging frameworks for creating and delivering winning conversations in the four must-win commercial moments of customer success: ensuring renewals, communicating price increases, increasing upsells, and apologizing effectively for service failures.

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Key skills to make sales managers better developers of salespeople

Get out of the firefighting business and into the business of developing the people who develop your profits. Successful salespeople rightfully become sales managers because of superior sales records. Yet too often these sales stars get stuck doing their old sales job while also trying to juggle their manager role, and too often companies neglect to train their sales managers how to excel as managers. That’s the “sales management trap,” and it’s exactly what The Accidental Sales Manager addresses and solves.

Full of helpful steps you can apply immediately?whether you’re training a sales manager, or are one yourself?this practical guide reveals step-by-step methods sales managers can use to both learn their jobs and lead their teams.

• Get tactics to stop burning time and exhausting yourself, while taking effective actions to use time better as a leader
• Discover how to integrate learning into leading and make sales meetings an active conversation on what works and what doesn’t
• Author has a previous bestseller, The Accidental Salesperson

Don’t get caught in the “sales management trap” or, if you’re in it, get the tools you need to escape it. Get The Accidental Sales Manager and lead your team to do what you do best: make sales, drive profits, and get winning results.

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** Business Book Awards 2023 Finalist **

Need your new sales hires to get up to speed faster? Want your salespeople to stop depending on you? Like to get the very best from your sales team?

“This is the book you keep on your shelf and ‘dog-ear’ as a new or seasoned manager with tips you can action immediately. A rare find among sales books today.”

Ashton Williams – Senior Manager Revenue Enablement ADA

“A masterpiece in sales coaching. Your salespeople will become autonomous in their thinking, discovering their own answers, mastering their own objections, and you will be the guide to their success.”

Caroline McCrystal – Senior Account Manager UK&I GTM Banking Experian

“Mark does a phenomenal job demystifying sales coaching and making it actionable for frontline managers. A must-read for any sales leader unlocking the performance of their team.”

Matthew Dixon – Co-author of The Challenger Sale and Jolt

More than ever you need to coach your team so they can think for themselves, take responsibility for their performance and do what you hired them to do. If you want to turn your team into top sales performers, sales coaching must be your focus. Let this practical and easy-to-read book show you how.

Mark Garrett Hayes MBA is an accredited coach and trainer, and is passionate about helping sales leaders to dramatically boost sales performance and accountability.

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The First Time Manager Series has sold over 500,000 copies and is a go-to guide for new and aspiring sales managers on what to expect and how to succeed.

The jump from sales superstar to sales manager has made or broken many a sales career.

As a top-performing sales professional, you know how to own your calendar, focus your energy, create opportunities, navigate the sales process, negotiate, and close deals. Yet, if you are like most new sales managers, there is still so much you don’t know and that can trip you up if you aren’t careful.

Luckily, Mike Weinberg knows the pitfalls to avoid and mindset changes needed to successfully make the leap. This powerful new resource contains candid guidance on how to master your expanded responsibilities like a pro:

• Know Your Role: You have been entrusted with the most critical job in your business.
• Cultivate the Manager Mindset: Your new role is very different from your old role, and it requires an all-new mindset.
• Lead Your Team: Bad things happen when you attempt to do your people’s jobs. It’s a habit many new sales managers fall into but it’s a lose-lose proposition. Learn how to lead, coach, and hold your salespeople accountable, instead of the unsustainable and unscalable approach of trying to do their jobs for them!
• Create a Winning Culture: Learn how to build a healthy culture that maximizes performance while connecting on a heart-level with your people.

Don’t let your promotion become a trial by fire. Turn to this book to hit the ground running.

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For salespeople feeling stressed and disappointed that their customers don’t want to hear from them, this guide is the key to developing the mindset and habits required to reach a new level of sales success.

The world of sales can be tough, so it’s easy to get discouraged when the rejections start piling up and your customers stop answering the phone. This allows the wrong thought patterns to start developing, soon you aren’t making quotas and then you begin looking at job listings waiting for your next downfall.

Sales expert Mark Hunter can relate as his start to sales was discouraging. The lessons he’s learned throughout his career are revealed in A Mind for Sales. He discovered that sales can be incredibly rewarding, such as customers calling you for advice, thanking you for improving their business, and referring you to colleagues. The difference is simply developing mindset and momentum habits.

In A Mind for Sales, you’ll learn how to:

• Feel energized by renewed purpose and success in your sales role by following the success cycle approach.
• Receive practical strategies on how to change your mindset and succeed in sales.
• Learn the daily habits needed to maximize productivity and make hitting the ground running strategy #1.
• Gain real-world insights from Hunter’s vast experience as a successful sales professional and sales coach.

Let this book inspire and prepare you to form the new habits you need to succeed and to realize the incredible rewards that a successful life in sales makes possible.

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The concise edition of the 2019 WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS BOOK AWARD

From the million-copy bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power

Robert Greene is a master guide for millions of readers, distilling ancient wisdom and philosophy into essential texts for seekers of power, understanding and mastery. Now he turns to the most important subject of all – understanding people’s drives and motivations, even when they are unconscious of them themselves.

We are social animals. Our very lives depend on our relationships with people. Knowing why people do what they do is the most important tool we can possess, without which our other talents can only take us so far. Drawing from the ideas and examples of Pericles, Queen Elizabeth I, Martin Luther King Jr, and many others, Greene teaches us how to detach ourselves from our own emotions and master self-control, how to develop the empathy that leads to insight, how to look behind people’s masks, and how to resist conformity to develop your singular sense of purpose.

Whether at work, in relationships, or in shaping the world around you, The Concise Laws of Human Nature offers brilliant tactics for success, self-improvement, and self-defence.

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