Asheville Business Book Club

The Invisible Touch: The Four Keys to Modern Marketing

2009-09-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

The Invisible Touch: The Four Keys to Modern Marketing

By: Harry Beckwith

In The Invisible Touch, Harry Beckwith tells us the obvious--what was right in front of our faces. But because of the blinders we wear, because of the way we've been educated, socialized, or just plain bamboozled, we can't see it as clearly as he can. Thus, in each of his "four keys to modern marketing"--price, branding, packaging, relationships--he offers counterintuitive information that could make or break a business plan. For example, he explains in great detail why a higher price is better than a lower one; why every business, from Apple Computer to the U.S. Army, is a brand-name to be cherished and nurtured; why the orangest orange sells better than the least orange orange, even if both pieces of fruit taste exactly the same; and why the best service providers always remember your name and what you like to drink. This is a business book, but one that everyone who works for a living should read. Pick any page, and you'll find insights that could make you a better teacher, a better salesperson, a better employee in any trade. Beckwith drives home the idea that we're all in the business of marketing ourselves, and we're in that business every waking hour. --Lou Schuler --

The E-Myth Revisited

2009-07-12T09:24:00.001-07:00

The E-Myth Revisited

By: Michael E. Gerber

In this first new and totally revised edition of the over two million copy bestseller, The E-Myth, Michael Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business. Next, he walks you through the steps in the life of a business -- from entrepreneurial infancy through adolescent growing pains to the mature entrepreneurial perspective: the guiding light of all businesses that succeed -- and shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business, whether it is a franchise or not. Finally, Gerber draws the vital, often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in your business. After you have read The E-Myth Revisited, you will truly be able to grow your business in a predictable and productive way.

How the Red Wolf Found its Howl

2009-07-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

How the Red Wolf Found its Howl

The Internal Journey to Leadership

By: Jonathon Flaum

Red Wolf is a simple yet powerful story about a wolf in search of self. Mumon aspires to become leader of his pack to bring them out of captivity so that they can experience life as real wolves should. In order to do this, Mumon must journey to find the metaphorical howl, which was lost during their years of confinement. Along the way he grapples with fear, shame, doubt, and death, which he must conquer to become what his pack needs him to be. This is the same journey that any person aspiring to become an effective leader must undergo, and through Mumon, we come to understand that the challenge of serving others in authentic leadership lies in the overcoming of our fears to find our real selves.