Summer Reading Recommendations: For Marketing and Business Development Professionals in Professional Services and B2B

Hello LinkedIn Friends!

I’m asked frequently about what books I am reading, given that I incorporate them often in my conversations, methods, and presentations. ?And I also love giving books to my friends, teams, and students. ?

So, I have compiled the list below of my recent “reads” and "rereads" or in some cases, “listenings” with my rationale. ?I could list more, but this is a good skip across the top.

In this list, I focus on topics related to improving individuals and companies in the context of #marketing , #businessdevelopment , #clientmanagement , #clientexperience , #collaboration , #performanceimprovement , #change , #strategy , #leadership , as well as the hot topics of #accountbasedmarketing , #salesenablement , and #thoughtleadership , with an eye towards their relevance in my area of marketing and business development in professional services and B2B.?

Abbreviations: I use “MBD” as an abbreviation for marketing and business development, and “PS” for professional services.

I hope you find the list helpful and thought-provoking. ???

Have a great summer!?Here we go!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW AND FAIRLY NEW BOOKS

Change: How Organizations Achieve Hard-to-Imagine Results in Uncertain and Volatile Times

by John P. Kotter, Vanessa Akhtar, and Gaurav Gupta -- Amazon

Kotter is the guru on Change Management.?“Change” is happening faster.?And it’s happening TO us, more so than BY us.?I have had a picture of Kotter’s evolving methodology taped above my desk for 20 years, because instigating and sustaining change is a core requirement for success as MBD leaders. ?#changemanagement ??

CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest

by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra – Amazon

This book by McKinsey consultants is on many best lists already.?The structure and insights can make us all better leaders and serve our leaders better.?It’s also important because, as MBD leaders in PS, this is a view into the mindset and decision-making processes of a key group of influencers and buyers we are trying hard to understand, reach, gain preference, and add value.???????

It Takes What It Takes: How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life

by Trevor Moawad – Amazon

This book blew me away. ?If you ever wanted to know who Alabama Football Coach Nick Saban or Georgia Football coach Kirby Smart turned to for advice on creating a high-performing culture, look no further than this book. ?Trevor Moawad was a mental conditioning coach to some of the best athletes and leaders on how to manage and overcome negativity and create a mindset and culture of high performance. ?This book is timely, and his story and his methods are powerful, authentic, and inspiring. ??It is very sad that he passed away recently of cancer.

The Motivation code: Discover the Hidden Forces That Drive Your Best Work

by Todd Henry – Amazon

In this time of the Great Resignation/Reshuffle/etc., many are exploring job/career options and using personal fulfillment as their guide.?But first, we must understand what motivates us, so we align our job with our motivations, increasing our likelihood to excel and sustain to achieve fulfillment.?I am a fan of all Todd Henry's books, which are geared towards professionals that sell their creativity and expertise. This aligns with his mantra of “providing a practical guide for staying prolific, brilliant, and healthy.” ?Who wouldn’t want that?! ?Todd also has an excellent podcast called the Accidental Creative. #toddhenry

A Practitioner's Guide to Account-Based Marketing: Accelerating Growth in Strategic Accounts

by Bev Burgess and Dave Munn – Amazon

I have followed ITSMA for years. ITSMA (The Information Technology Services Marketing Association) members are the "who's who" of technology and professional services firms, which is why they have created and updated their comprehensive approach to ABM.? ABM is all the rage in MBD across B2B industries. ?It can be effective, but it’s not easy.?It requires different approaches, skills, investments, and lots of buy-in because of its need for collaboration. ITSMA also has a comprehensive certification training, which highly desirable in the market. Their parent organization, momentum, also has an excellent podcast. #abm

For bite-size ABM content, read/watch anything by DemandBase, a leading ABM tech provider.?They are pouring out outstanding content and offer an inexpensive online ABX certification. ?I'll also put in a plug for HubSpot Academy which also has great bite-size content and free online courses and certifications.

SAM-Legal: Turning Key Clients Into Strategic Accounts

by Steven Bell and Silvia L. Coulter - Amazon

For my legal marketing colleagues, we know that the legal industry has its nuances and knowing best practices in our industry helps create momentum. This book can give you that momentum. A straightforward and practical book written by gurus in the industry.

Competing on Thought Leadership: How Great B2B Companies Turn Expertise into Revenue

by Robert (Bob) Buday – Amazon

Bob Buday is a proven champion of thought leadership. ?As he indicates, everyone uses the phrase “thought leadership” but few understand what it takes to produce, deliver, and profit from true thought-provoking, reputation-building, revenue-boosting thought leadership.?All the rest is just content marketing, which IMO is most everything nowadays (quantity > quality). ?Good content has value in the customer journey, but true thought leadership can be a game-changer in PS. ?Law firms can and should make the leap. #thoughtleadership

Sales Enablement 3.0: The Blueprint to Sales Enablement Excellence

by Roderick Jefferson – Amazon

Several studies reveal that sales reps spend 1/3 of their time selling, and 2/3 of their time on administrative tasks (researching, finding/creating content, inputting data, etc.).?WOW!?These inefficiencies are why “sales enablement” is as equally popular as ABM and thought leadership.?MBDs in PS can learn a lot from this concept to better support our professionals and improve your value in other B2B industries. I discovered this book listen to the Marketing Book Podcast. #salesenablement

-----------------------------------------

OLDIES BUT GOODIES

I could do an entirely new and long list of my top favorites, and several are probably on many other top lists.?But here are a few that might be overlooked gems.

Repeatability: Build Enduring Businesses for a World of Constant Change Hardcover

by Chris Zook and James Allen – Amazon

This book by Bain consultants continues to be my go-to book in strategy development. It has a fundamental phrase: “Complexity kills.”?This is highly applicable to PS, which typically values individual level “entrepreneurialism.”?This approach creates complexity in operations and difficulty in firmwide training/development, resource allocation, mobilization, collaboration, branding, and client experiences. This book champions “a business model and management process that shapes our culture and organization, by emphasizing a few repeatable and scalable capabilities, building on what we do best, to consistently deliver differentiating value and adapt quickly.”?Refreshing.?The chapter on “non-negotiables” is where the rubber meets the road. #repeatability #bain

FUSION: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World's Greatest Companies

by Denise Lee Yohn – Amazon

“The client experience can never be greater than the employee experience.”?WOW! ?Absorb that amazing thought and its magnitude. It reframes the way leaders should look at a firm’s brand and the often-considered trivial, market-facing only process of “rebranding” in PS.?It also provides a glimpse below the waterline that is the iceberg of implementing a repeatable, high-value, firmwide “client experience” in PS. ?CMOs/CCOs and CHROs/CPOs should be best friends to create mutually supporting experiences, especially at this time when the employee experience is critical to employee retention and engagement. #brand #branding

Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers

by Tim Ferriss – Amazon

An absolutely fascinating book. The chapter that indicates common methods across many of the titans is worth the price of the book.?A little spoiler…many of them go to sleep early, wake up early, consistently exercise, meditate, and take cold showers. Yikes!?And that’s only a few. ?It reaffirms that being world class is not easy.?It’s hard, but possible. ?Find your hero and start small. ?

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear – Amazon

Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Robert Pool, Anders Ericsson – Amazon

At the core of successful MBD in PS is the ability to motivate and guide our professionals to acquire new skills, approaches, and habits and make them stick to elevate their performance and avoid the dreaded “random acts of marketing.” ?These books overlap in some areas but in tandem are powerful, especially for those doing BD coaching. #habits #expertise

Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs

by John Doerr – Amazon

OKRs stand for “Objectives and Key Results.” This goal-setting and performance management system is used by many leading organizations. It can be a beneficial framework for those who manage people but are without a firmwide process or need to foster greater alignment and accountability within their circle of influence. ?It’s important to note that surveys show that younger professionals continue to indicate that more frequent feedback on performance and an understanding of how their efforts fit into overall strategies are highly desirable but infrequently provided. ??#okr #okrs ?#performancemanagement

-----------------------------------

COMING SOON!

Smarter Collaboration: A New Approach to Breaking Down Barriers and Transforming Work

by Heidi K. Gardner and Ivan A. Matviak

Preorder.?Publishes on November 1, 2022 – Amazon

Many leaders in PS were awakened, and in some ways shaken, by Heidi Gardner’s first book “Smart Collaboration.”?Get ready.?I imagine this will be a 1-2 punch.?Law firms, in particular, have gobbled up talent and now need 1+1+1 to equal 5.?Collaboration is the force multiplier.? But, collaboration cannot be left to the hope that people will do the right thing. ?Collaboration should not be mandated, but it can be orchestrated. ?Collaboration requires intentional investment, organization, management, accountability, and stewardship so it is easy to do, inclusive of all talent, and achieves the desired client and cultural benefits. ?Good MBD can be performed. But great MBD requires great collaboration.???You can advance order this book on Amazon and other outlets.?#collaboration Gardner and Co

-----------------------------------------------------

LAGNIAPPE (look it up:)

Podcast:

Rattle and Pedal – A Podcast on Marketing and Growing Professional Services and B2B SaaS Firms

hosted by Jason Mlicki and Jeff McKay – Link

This is the one podcast that I have found that is highly relevant to the professional services industry. It is informative, highly entertaining, and always holds to 15 minutes.?It has outstanding guests with topics that focus on the strategy level (instead of the typical tactical-oriented digital marketing, social media, sales-oriented lead generation, etc.). ?Jason Mlicki is the Principal of Rattleback, a professional services marketing consulting firm, and Jeff McKay, is a former professional services CMO and the founder of strategy consultancy, Prudent Pedal.

?

That's all folks for this summer!

#legalmarketing #lmamkt #lma #accountingmarketing #professionalservices #b2bmarketing #b2b