Why You Should Read

Whether you enjoy reading or not, you must understand that reading the right books will make you infinitely more effective, and successful, at whatever you are trying to do.

If you doubt me, listen to this story.

I was sitting at a conference table with another consultant who was a competitor of mine in New York city on a particularly cold January afternoon.

We were both vying for the opportunity of assisting the law firm interviewing us how was in need of developing a rather complex Pay Per Click advertising campaign (internet advertising).

I suppose this was a good way of going about measuring us. After all, the Romans also put men in a cage and watched as they had at one another.

Now, at the time, I really needed this contract! I had just started my business, my rent was 2 months late (at my office and at my one bedroom shack), my gas tank was almost empty and my account had more negative numbers than a high school algebra exam.

Luckily, while both of our proposals were relatively similar, I came away with the contract (thank God!).

However, it wasn't my price that won them over. In fact, my fee was a few thousand dollars more than my competitor's.

It wasn't my references or qualifying experience that won them over. My competitor was a seasoned consultant with at least 15 more years in the field.

Instead, it was a stupid conversion that broke out about the prospect of Jacoby & Meyers LLP (another law firm) possibly going public.

You see, it was only a day or two earlier that I stumbled upon that article in the Wall Street Journal, and briefly read about it. Earlier that year, a friend of mine advised me to read the Wall Street Journal at least every day as it was the businessperson's playbook.

My competitor was not so fortunate. In fact, to say the client was borderline insulted at his ignorance was an understatement.

The bottom line is, because I was in the habit of reading, I got the contract.

My competitor got an education on the fact that he is a hired brain, and perhaps he should start reading too.

Can you expect to experience failure when you lack a wealth of book-driven knowledge? You're damn right.

Can you expect to experience greater success when you have a greater wealth of book-driven knowledge? You're damn right.

Now that you see why you should read, next learn how to make yourself read by clicking here. Then, sign up for my Monthly Marketing Book Club, below.

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