ChangeThis: Issue 68

It's a momentous week here at 800-CEO-READ. We've redesigned and rebuilt ChangeThis, and just posted our first issue on the new site. Head on over and let us know what you think. You can also now let the authors know what you think in the comment sections of each manifesto. Excerpts and links, as always, are below.

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Rework: A Better, Easier Way To Succeed In Business by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

"In the real world, you cant have over a dozen employees spread out across eight different cities over two continents. In the real world, you cant attract millions of customers without any salespeople or advertising. In the real world, you cant reveal your formula for success to the rest of the world. But weve done all those things and prospered. The real world isn't a place, its an excuse. Its a justification for not trying. It has nothing to do with you."

5 Secrets of Sales Superstars by Lisa Earle McLeod

"What's differentiates the great ones? What makes some people superstars, while most of their peers hover near the mediocre middle?

It's not too hard to pinpoint the difference between average performers and poor ones. Easy to spot skills like work habits, product knowledge, communication style and use of sales tools, are all indicators of general competence.

The challenge for most organizations is not determining the difference between good and bad; it's discerning the difference between good and great.

Why are some sales people superstars, while other people in the same situation, selling the same stuff to the same customers experience a much lower rate of success?"

Stop the Busywork!: Seven Ways You Can Do More Great Work by Michael Bungay Stanier

"Imagine everything you do could fall into one of three buckets:

Bad Work.
Good Work.
Great Work.

I'm not talking about the quality of the work you deliver - I've no doubt that's fine. I'm talking about the meaning the work has for you and the impact it makes."

Wrecked for the Ordinary: A Manifesto for Misfits by Jeff Goins

"Something is missing. Something important. Something necessary to making a difference in the world. And most are afraid to find out what it is.

This is a manifesto about the discovery process of finding what's missing. It's not as glamorous as a get-rich-quick scheme or as mystical as New Age spirituality. It doesn't shine with the veneer of a car salesmen's suit or catch your eye like a pretty girl. No, it more likely grabs your attention like a week-old bag of garbage sitting in the corner or piques your interest like nails on a chalkboard. Yes, it's hard, but it can't be denied."

Is Your Product Launch Doomed?: 10 Ways to Identify an Impending Launch Disaster by Dave Daniels

"Products don't sell themselves.

The process of introducing a product to market is a serious undertaking. Unfortunately for many companies it's merely an afterthought; a set of deliverables created from a checklist at the end of product development. When the level of effort and resources applied to the creation of the product dwarfs that of the launch, it's no wonder product launches fail to achieve the sales velocity anticipated.

What follows are ten easily identifiable signs that help forecast if a product launch may be in trouble. Signs you can address and fix before the launch becomes a disaster."

The Customer Service Manifesto by Joseph Jaffe

"Never before in the history of business and marketing has customer service been as front and center. So much so that it is being transformed and reborn in front of our very eyes as arguably one of the most mission critical components that can make or break a business today.

The Customer Service Manifesto documents this sea change, introduces the 10 new rules of customer service and introduces a key hypothesis, namely that customer service needs to be elevated to the front office; to that of a strategic imperative which becomes a if not the key differentiator in the board room and beyond."