5 Business Books to Round Out Your Summer Reading List

Improving the customer experience through the employee experience, the art of storytelling and a $20 marketing plan are among our latest recommendations.

Brecken Branstrator brecken.branstrator@nationaljeweler.com

National Jeweler’s list of book recommendations for the remainder of the summer include improving the customer experience through the employee experience and how to master the art of storytelling.

New York--From the “secret sauce” of creating a strong message to the importance of the employee experience in creating a good customer experience, National Jeweler’s latest reading recommendations were made for business owners.

Our editors browsed a few lists of new releases to find five books to round out the summer reading lists of bosses, managers and employees.

Read a good book lately that you want to share with others? Please let us know in the comments section.

1. “Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys: Why the Path to Transformational Customer Experience Runs Through Employee Experience”
Lance Gibbs

There’s been plenty of conversation about the importance of the in-store customer experience today, but in this newly released book, Gibbs argues first the focus has to be on the employee experience or the customer experience will suffer. It takes a look at the issues that can negatively affect a company’s efficiency and profits, and offers solutions to help give employees what they need to do their best work. It’s 135 pages long.

2. “Let the Story Do the Work: The Art of Storytelling for Business Success”
Esther K. Choy

People might forget facts, but they never forget a story. In this July release, the author helps the reader mine their experiences for narratives that can convey who they are, what they want to achieve and why others should care. The book also helps readers develop the skills to share anecdotes in a way that will link them to professional goals and capture attention, engage the audience and inspire action or a change of mind. It is 256 pages long.

3. “A Reason to Chant: Jewelry Trade Edition”
Rod Worley

Worley is the president of Four Grainer, a business consulting firm that works exclusively with the jewelry industry. In his new book, he lays out the company’s “Actively Involved Marketing” program, one that is designed to drive traffic to brick-and-mortar stores, compel former and current clients to revisit and more, all for less than $20 to set up and minimal cost to maintain. It’s 158 pages.

4. “Secret Sauce: How to Pack Your Messages with Persuasive Punch”
Harry Mills

For a message to grab consumers in today’s loud, digital world, it has to pass the “SAUCE” test, Mills says: simple, appealing, unexpected, credible and emotional.

This book will show exactly how to transform a message into something compelling using a 15-question SAUCE test to measure impact. It’s 192 pages.

Banner will be right here …

“Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact”
Phil M. Jones

A customer’s decision of choosing you over a competitor often comes down to the ability to know exactly what to say, when to say it and how to make it count.

In this new book, Jones, who has trained millions of people on the art of spoken communication, gives readers the exact tactics they need to get more customers to choose them. It is 148 pages long.

Brecken Branstratoris the senior editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments in the colored stone sector.