April 2017 Reads: The Icarus Deception, Sell or be Sold, and More!

reads May 02, 2017

Four months down (8 to go) and I have already gone through 30 awesome reads! April had some very interesting reads, mostly in the areas of Marketing and Sales... And a few extra good reads too! As I am going through my reading this year, I have really harnessed a simple practice that makes a world of difference... Note taking. Do it!!! Many people read books and take notes, but I have now expanded this into recording my ideas when reading blogs and listening to podcasts. I highly recommend using a traditional notepad or an app like Evernote to read or listen to your book while also taking notes. It's a simple concept but very effective. I am able to retain much more information while note-taking and referring back to later. Here are my books for April 2017!

The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin

This is a must read book for all marketers and entrepreneurs! Seth Godin has a very artistic way of expressing his idea of entrepreneurship as an art... And the way he depicts it is simply breath-taking. As I was listening to this book (via audiobook), I caught myself mesmerized and motivated by entrepreneurship like I never have before. The truth is that entrepreneurship is an art-form, one that must be practiced and perfected. If your business is truly a passion, there will never be a shortage of ideas or action. Treating your life and career as if you are creating art simply would change the way you approach anything. The beauty about this book is how elegantly Seth depicts business. It surely was fun to listen to and may be even better to physically red. Rating: I rate this 4.5 out of 5 stars for being motivational and creative, but lacking actionable content. ( iTunes: E-Book, Audiobook | Amazon: Book )

Ask. by Ryan Levesque

If Seth Godin's book above was a must read, this one is a must HAVE for digital marketers. Although the first half of the book is basically an autobiography on himself, I must say the second half was pure gold! In the beginning of this book Ryan warns us that if we don't want to read about his life, we can skip to the second half of the book... I hate skipping anything so I decided to suck it up and go through it all. Ask any experienced digital marketer about this book and they will all say the same thing... Everyone should have this knowledge in their arsenal! I had always heard about "The Ask Method" of digital marketing... It sounded interesting, but I never actually looked into it. After hearing many other marketers talk about this method at a conference I was at, I decided to give it a shot. It was well worth the read! The actionable part of this book will give the basic outlines on how a marketer should gather information about their prospects before the opt-in stage. Some of my favorite concepts were how to utilize "micro-commitments" and "surveys" to refine your audience into segments, and then giving each segment exactly what they asked for. It's pretty genius if you ask me. Rating: I rate this 4.5 out of 5 stars for being very actionable, but the first half of the book being an autobiography. ( iTunes: Audiobook | Amazon: Book )

Sell or Be Sold by Grant Cardone

The ultimate sales book! To this day, I still can't tell if I like Grant Cardone or if I despise him. His personality and demeanor sometimes get to me, but his sales knowledge is out of this world. I guess he's a typical sales guru who know how to get his way. Honestly, this now is a book that I will try to read at least once per year... It's that good. This may be because I'm also in sales, but I also think that this is a book for life in general. The truth is that many of us hate the idea of sales, but the approach to this book looks at pretty much everything as a sale. For example, when you are in middle school and you ask your parents for a special gift that may be a bit pricey, you might "sell" them the fact on why you need it. When you are single and looking for a date you must "sell" yourself to that person on why they should date you. When you are at work and you are being interviewed for a promotion, you must "sell" yourself as to why you are the best candidate. Life is full of selling, we just don't always see them that way. Learning how to influence the person making the decision is the key to good selling and this book will help you close the deal. Rating: I rate this a 5 out of 5 stars for actionable content that will take your sales to a whole new level! ( iTunes: E-Book, Audiobook | Amazon: Book )

Super Immunity by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Although I could listen to 100% business books, I try to listen to health boos as well... Because I can't achieve my goals if I can't stay in good health! Many of the health books I have chosen have been on topics of superfoods and nutrition and how they impact the overall health and wellness of people. This book was deep! I learned so much about superfoods and their effects on our bodies. This book talked about how nutrient dense superfoods are processed by the body to prevent many harmful diseases, and even how they have cured diseases in many people. It goes into detail on how our immune systems work and how the foods we eat contribute so much to our attitude, energy, and even productivity. I feel like I am a pretty smart person when it comes to health, but this book has given me a whole new level of understanding. It has even led me to try some of the tips and tricks for eating healthy as the book discusses. (As I am typing this I am snacking on a bowl of Kale.) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars for blowing my mind on all-natural health. ( iTunes: E-Book, Audiobook | Amazon: Book )

The Power of the Other by Dr. Henry Cloud

This is such a powerful book. The motivation and drive of many high-achieving individuals can take them to high places, but nothing is more important that "The Power of the Other." One of my favorite parts of the book were when Dr. Cloud discusses BUD/s Navy Seal training. He tells how is brother-in-law was being pushed to the limit and his body began to fail him in the midst of a long swim. As his body began to shut down and he began to sink into the water, he glanced up to find one of his Seal buddies cheering him on to finish strong. Seeing his friend standing there and believing in him gave him a sudden boost of energy and determination to finish, something that he alone didn't have within himself. He described the moment as indescribable, magical, and life-changing. The Power of the Other is all about how we need others in our lives to be accelerated to our greatest potential. I learned about the Four Corners of Connection, and how these four corners are essential to our success as individuals. When you finally come to the realization that you can't do it all alone, you will realize that other When we are externally motivated by someone else cheering us on, we tend to rise to the challenge. Rating: I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars for a great all-around read that can be applied to almost anything in life! ( iTunes: E-Book, Audiobook | Amazon: Book )

Start by Jon Acuff

I must say that I love Jon Acuff's writing style. Being that I mostly read informational based books, this one was a real pleasure to read. Jon tells many stories and correlates them to real life, business, leadership and more. I felt like I zoomed through the book and still wanted more. If I can sum up this book for you, it would be that it will give you the clarity and direction that most people need to finally find out what they want to do. It will give you a fearlessness to adventure off into your dreams and also a reality check so that you make sure that your dreams align with your current reality. I enjoyed reading about Jon's journey through his career as he pointed out many relatable stories that almost mirrored my own life, I appreciated that and really connected. This is not an informational book, but is a book that will teach you things through story. Rating: I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars for a great read! ( iTunes: Audiobook | Amazon: Book ) In a recent post "Life Hack: The 90 Minutes Difference That Can Make All The Difference", I outlined exactly what you can accomplish if you take on my strategy.

"If I only include weekdays, I spend approximately 23,400 minutes in my car per year. That’s a lot of learning time, in fact, that’s almost as much as you would spend in two semesters worth of college. With this amount of time, I should complete 78 Audiobooks this year. … And so can you! IN YOUR CAR!!! It’s crazy to think that the average American reads one book per year."

Over the course of this year, I will be publishing updates on my reading. Keep up to date by following us on social media and subscribing to our email newsletter.

Oh, and by the way...

Here's a sneak peak at my May 2017 list:

Organize Tomorrow, Today by Jason Selk
The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy
Mindset by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
Simplify by Bill Hybels
Whale Hunting by Tom Searcy