What's On Jim Du Molin's Bookshelf?

Want to learn more? Here are a few interesting books about marketing, business, motivation, and more. Good for dentists, entrepreneurs, and other humans.

American Business, 1920-2000 by Thomas K. McCraw

How It Worked (The American History Series)
This book offers an overview of American business in the 20th century that is as broad as it is deep. It includes profiles of representative companies, from the success of Ford and McDonald's to the decline of once-powerful RCA. Individual chapters also focus on topics such as finance, pharmaceuticals or technology. Want to get the book?

The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

A Process of Ongoing Improvement
Just being a "business novel" is enough to make this book unique. The story centers on a businessman named Alex whose factory is failing and marriage is suffering. Alex seeks out a management guru and learns that some of his business principles aren't as solid as he had thought. Want to get the book?

The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham

... About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Individual Success
Author Buckingham works to simplify things without over-simplifying. In this book, he presents his theory that anything (anything!) can be reduced to a single core concept, as well as presenting a host of general management and organizational tips. Want to get the book?

Beyond the Brand by John Winsor

Engaging the Right Customers is Essential to Winning in Business
It's the 21st century, and author Winsor predicts a new era of branding. While brands used to be driven from the top down, Winsor instead advocates a "bottom-up" approach that prioritizes winning the loyalty of select customer segments. Want to get the book?

The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch

The Secret to Success by Achieving More with Less
Over a hundred years ago, an Italian economist stubled upon what has become known as "the 80/20 rule." Author Koch expands upon that principle. Much as 20% of the population has 80% of the wealth, he argues, 20% of the work you do lead to 80% of the profit you make. Want to get the book?

The Marketing Playbook by John Zagula

Five Battle-Tested Plays for Keeping the Lead in Any Market
Comparing business to football, this book offers 5 marketing "plays," complete with examples and illustrations. Examples include "stealth play," where you target underdeveloped markets, or "high-low" play, where you simultaneously present high-end and low-end offerings. Want to get the book?

The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki

Author Surowieki, a business columnist for The New Yorker, argues that groups can be even smarter than their most intelligent member. Under the right circumstances, this "collective intelligence" can be more reliable than that of highly-trained experts. One example: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire's studio audience is correct 91% of the time. Want to get the book?

Mass Affluence by Paul Nunes

Seven New Rules of Marketing to Today's Consumer
This book examines the rise in popularity of "luxury" goods and services. With the average consumer wanting "premium" products, author Nunes recommends aiming for a price point that's above average but below super-premium. Want to get the book?

The Age of Engage by Denise Shiffman

Reinventing Marketing for Today's Hyperinteractive Culture
As technology changes, business and marketing need to change too. This book is a valuable resource for the tech-savvy entrepreneur - or the entrepreneur who's looking to become tech-savvy. You can market yourself via blogs, social networking sites, and other online resources, but if you don't know what you're doing, it won't work very well. Want to get the book?

The Little Book of Business Wisdom by Peter Krass

Rules of Success from More than 50 Business Legends
Find business advice from household names like Bill Gates and Lee Iacocca. The book is jam-packed with business ideas from a wide range of sources. Sometimes their advice can be contradictory, but no matter what, it's sure to get you thinking about business a little more critically. Get the book

Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim

Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant
The "red ocean" is a marketplace saturated with competitors, while the "blue ocean" is a new market free from competition. These "untapped market spaces" can offer the best opportunities for big profits. While others contemplate a crowded red ocean, innovators will find clear waters in new areas. Get the book

Lean Thinking by James Womack

Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation
Toyota revolutionized manufacturing (indeed, all of business) with its concept of lean marketing. The core principle is to maximize efficiency, thereby increasing productivity and profit. The concept of lean marketing extends far beyond the auto factory; it can improve the bottom line of almost any endeavor. Get the book

A Primer on Business Ethics by James Chesher

Providing a general overview of business ethics along with specific examples, this book shows how ethical behavior and success can go hand-in-hand. Author Chesher examines the issue from a libertarian perspective, so not all will agree with his conclusions. Get the book

Brand New by Nancy Koehn

How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumer Trust from Wedgwood to Dell
What does it take to turn a brand into a household name? Author Koehn explores famous entrepreneurs from Estee Lauder to Henry Heinz, Josiah Wedgewood to Michael Dell. Author Koehn explains how these brands all exploded during times of change, going on to become names that inspire trust in their customers. Get the book

Seeing What's Next by Clayton Christensen

Using Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change
This book tries to develop a methodology for outsiders to predict which innovations will be most successful. Change is inevitable, but learning how to predict it offers unparalleled opportunities. This book is primarily aimed at outsiders such as investors, analysts and consultants.
Get the book

How to Read a Financial Report by John Tracy

Wringing Vital Signs Out of the Numbers
Financial reports are full of valuable information, but the untrained eye will have a hard time seeing the forest for the trees. The book is designed to teach the non-accountant how to make sense of the massive amounts of data contained in financial reports. Get the book

The Substance of Style by Virginia Postrel

How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce & Culture
Author Postrel gives the example of selecting between 1,500 different drawer pulls at a single store. She speaks out against "pleasure-hating" modernists, arguing that fashion has meaning. When form is part of function, consumers will choose things they just plain old like. Get the book

The Leadership Pill by Ken Blanchard and Marc Muchnick

The Missing Ingredient in Motivating People Today
This book is written as a parable of two leaders with very different management styles. One leader takes the magic "leadership pill," and the other does not. Over time, the magic-pill leadership fades, while the leadership that developed naturally over time takes center stage. (Perfect for those of us without magic pills!) Get the book

The Brand Called You by Peter Montoya

The Ultimate Personal Branding Handbook
This book focuses on the concept of personal branding: that is, using someone's personality as the brand. When marketing a dental practice, it's essential to realize that the dentist's personality is a key ingredient, and name recognition is the holy grail. Get the book

Selling 101 by Zig Ziglar

What Every Successful Sales Professional Needs to Know
Sales expert Zig Ziglar has collected his fundamental principles of selling into a single concise book that focuses on how to persuade more people to become customers. Ziglar emphasizes the importance of constantly learning, living, and looking. Well, learning is easy when one of the field's top minds has distilled the essential information for you. Get the book

Gung Ho! by Ken Blanchard

Turn On the People in Any Organization
The author of the New York Times business bestseller Raving Fans is back with Gung Ho!, a management book that explains how to increase productivity by fostering workplace morale. Couldn't your office environment be improved by a morale boost? Turn to Blanchard's book for advice on strategies. Get the book

Executive Charisma by D. A. Benton

Six Steps to Mastering the Art of Leadership
If you do not exude an all-encompassing self-confidence, style, poise, and energy (in short, "executive presence"), you are less likely to make it to the corner office. Benton outlines a proven approach for learning how to think, act, and relate to others like an executive. Get the book

Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port

The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling
Learn about lead generation and self-promotion, and discover that selling yourself doesn't have to be as distasteful as you might think! It's all part of the game; you may as well play it well.
Get the book

Influence by Robert Cialdini

The Psychology of Persuasion
Arguably the best book ever on the science of persuasion. Whether you're a mere consumer or someone weaving the web of persuasion to urge others to buy or vote for your product, this is an essential book for understanding the psychological foundations of marketing. Make persuasion one of the tools in your arsenal! Get the book

Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play by Mahan Khalsa

Selling is the second oldest profession, often confused with the first. This book examines how sales is typically a fear-based relationship. By focusing solely on the client, you can redefine that relationship to be mutually beneficial. In so doing, both parties (buyer and seller) can come out ahead. Don't you love it when it doesn't have to be a zero-sum game? Get the book

The Marketing Gurus by Chris Murray

Lessons from the Best Marketing Books of All Time
Perhaps you don't have time right now to read the top 17 marketing books of the past 15 years. Fortunately for your busy self, there's no need to scour the library! Author Chris Murray has condensed them into easily digestible summaries that give excellent insight into the inner workings of the marketing world. Get the book

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Whether we're talking about products or people, companies or concepts, some things have the mysterious "it" factor while others don't. Gladwell's best-selling book is pop sociology at its finest, and it's being discussed in offices and cocktail parties alike. Get the book

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt

A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Now revised and expanded, it's better than ever. This book has become an instant classic because it's a fascinating look into the often unpredictable world of economic cause and effect. Learn about business as you're entertained by Levitt's intriguing anecdotes. Get the book

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
There's a good reason this book has become a classic. No matter who you are or what you do, wouldn't you like to be more effective? Yep, that's what I thought! This book has been a bible of effectiveness for many a successful business leader. Get the book

Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith

A Field Guide to Modern Marketing
A brilliant and fun little book on marketing for service businesses. Every principle is highlighted with examples, and each section is short and pithy. Worth reading, re-reading, taking notes and working at implementing these ideas into your dental practice. Get the book

The Story Factor by Annette Simmons

Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion Through Storytelling
This book argues that stories are the most useful tool available for influencing behavior. Too often, marketers try to influence via concepts rather than stories. The book is full of examples of how storytelling can be used to influence people to take action. Get the book