Love is the Killer App: How to Win Business

Knowledge, network, compassion.

That's what it takes to win in business, says Tim Sanders in Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends.

This book reads like a great inspirational speech, but I don't hold that against it; I feel inspired.

Today, I'm in the Knowledge section, and I couldn't agree more: "I say there is no option. I've looked at all the possibilites, and for the student of business, books are the answer."

Sanders is recommending books over articles (and blog posts :), because books "are the complete thought meal" containing...

- hypotheses
- data
- research
- conclusions
- meta-ideas (statements that give unique perspectives)

Of course I see the value of the above-average blog post. This is where a person can gather those first facts and ideas that make for a larger desire to know and apply. Sanders perhaps sees the value too, when he recommends a reading diet of 80% books and 20% articles.

From my writer and business-person perspective, I can say this sounds about right. I scan articles for quick tips and quotes. These often lead me to read books. And that's where my mind really gets going. That's where I take away bigger concepts like the ones in Get Rich Click that I shared with my dear friend Ann Kroeker yesterday (and I can't wait to see where she takes them).

How to find the best reads?

Sanders suggests searching for keywords in book titles. On the Internet you could do this at Goodreads. (Or ditch the keywords and peek into a friend's Goodreads recommendations. I highly value entrepreneur Claire Burge's reading list. In fact, that's where I found Love is the Killer App.)

If you want to try searching some keywords in Goodreads, here are some keyword ideas from Sanders. When I'm done stealing [borrowing] Claire Burge's book list, I'll probably try this:

for business in general: brand marketing, globalism, the new economy, partnerships, strategic alliances, the future, profit-and-loss

for sales: negotiation, closing, clients for life, making clients happy, persuasion

for entrepreneurs: economy theory, macro-economics, success stories, profit, locating capital, angel investors, raising money, business plans

Of course, you could always just come here for the low-down on the best ideas in business books. And then we could talk about where to take them.