Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind

This is a classic book for marketers, and it explains the concept of Positioning very well. Since Positioning is at the heart of marketing, the book has become required reading at virtually every business school and many marketing-oriented companies. Authors Al Ries and Jack Trout first wrote this book more than 25 years ago, and it's still going strong.

Kotler on Marketing

Dr. Philip Kotler is probably the most widely recognized master of marketing, and this book covers just about every issue facing marketers today -- at least at the strategic level. It's become a popular textbook and reference for marketing professionals -- largely because it discusses every area of the marketing mix and includes real-world examples to illustrate key points.

The Tipping Point

This book isn't really about marketing, but it has important insights about how news spreads that every marketing professional needs to know. It is a primer on word-of-mouth advertising -- and an interesting read for those interested in social sciences and behavioral psychology.

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

People form impressions in an instant -- before their minds have a chance to consciously analyze a situation or develop a logical basis for an opinion. Understanding the phenomenon is critically important for all marketers and entrepreneurs. Author Malcolm Gladwell illustrates his points with vivid and memorable examples.

Outliers

This third book by Malcolm Gladwell is mostly about challenging many of our assumptions about why things are the way they are. It's a healthy kind of skepticism and a useful perspective for marketers who are tempted to make assumptions about how consumers think and why they make the decisions they do. It's also a fascinating read -- every bit as interesting as the first two Gladwell books.

Permission Marketing

This may be Seth Godin's best book of all, because it addresses a fundamental shift in the way marketers relate to their customers. He contrasts the old "interruption" marketing approach (advertising in mass media, for example) to a permission-based exchange with willing -- even eager -- customers who get something of value in exchange for inviting advertising from an enlightened marketer.

How We Decide

This book delves into a small sampling of brain science to explain how we make decisions. Some decisions are best made with the rational brain, and some are better suited to trusting our intuition. And some can be made using both. Since good marketing involves understanding of how customers and consumers make purchase decisions, this book needs to be on the short list for every marketer.

Predictably Irrational

Consumers and customers don't always behave rationally, but that doesn't mean they are not predictable. Dan Ariely explores some very interesting -- and very useful -- "predictably irrational" behaviors in this book, and every marketer would be well advised to become familiar with the concepts he explores.

Rasputin For Hire : An inside look at management consulting between jobs or as a second career

Anyone considering consulting as part of a job search strategy or potentially rewarding second career can now take a peek behind the curtain of consultng before making the fateful decision. Author (and Dialogue founder) Michael Goodman shares numerous marketing case studies and examples throughout the book. Worth reading for those alone.

The Potato Chip Difference : How to apply leading edge marketing strategies to landing the job you want

This book applies the same strategic approach to job-seeking and career planning that top management consulting firms use with major clients. And the author's personal experience adds practical real-world examples that make this book a "must read" for everyone in the workforce today -- especially those in marketing. (This book is written by Dialogue founder Michael Goodman.)