In the competitive world of entrepreneurs and startups jockeying for position with an established business, it is more crucial now than ever to get a leg up on those vying for your would-be customers.
One crucial aspect of accomplishing this is to understand the psychology behind running a motivated crew of employees, as well as knowing how to approach negotiations with a psychological edge.
There is not a single aspect related to tightening your business that does not employ psychology. For this reason, being aware of the conscious and unconscious mechanisms that govern your thinking can only serve as an advantage.
Read on for a definitive list of the top five books on business psychology.
The Talent Code: Unlocking the Power of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Anything
New York Times Bestselling author Daniel Coyle asks about the secret of talent. This book is designed to inspire and motivate, as the title suggests, just about anybody aspiring to do just about anything by taking a close look at how skills are learned. This is opposed to the thinking that talents are things that we inherit.
Coyle brings accessibility to the fore whilst being steeped heavily in scientific research on the latest neuroscientific studies. The three concepts Coyle hammers home to develop gifts are practice, ignition (motivation), and master coaching.
The Inner Winner
With this catchy title, Simon Hazeldine has crafted a tome about the pitfalls of business owners holding themselves back with self-limiting beliefs. The book urges business people to turn their focus inwards in order to understand themselves. Everything else in business becomes secondary to that, including increasing the performance of others around you.
Like the aforementioned book, this is approachable whilst remaining grounded in scientific theory about molding your mind for business success. It is useful in providing practical strategies in the business place to take advantage of. Look no further than this book to transform your mentality for the workplace.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
This book by Professor Robert Cialdini is a classic guide through persuasive techniques. Whether in negotiations, presentations or marketing, we engage in rhetorical technique in the workplace; Cialdini takes us through six fundamental cores of influence and teaches us how to use them as weapons in the workplace.
Memory Power-Up
Memory is a key component to business success. Yet, most of us think of it as something static, as opposed to plastic – something we can improve upon as a skill. Michael Tipper teaches us otherwise as a former ‘memory champion,’ with practical knowledge to improve memory recall. Use this book as a memory workout and watch your business thrive!
Consumer.ology: The Truth about Consumers and the Psychology of Shopping
This book analyses the mentality of the buyer, upon which all business ultimately rests. Every successful vendor, no matter the sector, has to interact with a market and a seller, and this book – mostly aimed at retail businesses – addresses all manner of the psychology behind this relationship.
Philip Graves draws on historical case studies and studies to illustrate why it is critical to understand the mind games at play in the buyer-seller interaction.
