The Lever of Riches or Fundamentals of Selling

The Lever of Riches: Technological Creativity and Economic Progress

Author: Joel Mokyr

In a world of supercomputers, genetic engineering, and fiber optics, technological creativity is ever more the key to economic success. But why are some nations more creative than others, and why do some highly innovative societies--such as ancient China, or Britain in the industrial revolution--pass into stagnation?
Beginning with a fascinating, concise history of technological progress, Mokyr sets the background for his analysis by tracing the major inventions and innovations that have transformed society since ancient Greece and Rome. What emerges from this survey is often surprising: the classical world, for instance, was largely barren of new technology, the relatively backward society of medieval Europe bristled with inventions, and the period between the Reformation and the Industrial Revolution was one of slow and unspectacular progress in technology, despite the tumultuous developments associated with the Voyages of Discovery and the Scientific Revolution.
What were the causes of technological creativity? Mokyr distinguishes between the relationship of inventors and their physical environment--which determined their willingness to challenge nature--and the social environment, which determined the openness to new ideas. He discusses a long list of such factors, showing how they interact to help or hinder a nation's creativity, and then illustrates them by a number of detailed comparative studies, examining the differences between Europe and China, between classical antiquity and medieval Europe, and between Britain and the rest of Europe during the industrial revolution. He examines such aspects as the role of the state (the Chinese gave up a millennium-widelead in shipping to the Europeans, for example, when an Emperor banned large ocean-going vessels), the impact of science, as well as religion, politics, and even nutrition. He questions the importance of such commonly-cited factors as the spill-over benefits of war, the abundance of natural resources, life expectancy, and labor costs.
Today, an ever greater number of industrial economies are competing in the global market, locked in a struggle that revolves around technological ingenuity. The Lever of Riches, with its keen analysis derived from a sweeping survey of creativity throughout history, offers telling insights into the question of how Western economies can maintain, and developing nations can unlock, their creative potential.

Book review: Eating Korean or Tex Mex Cookbook

Fundamentals of Selling: Customers for Life Through Service

Author: Charles Futrell

Fundamentals of Selling draws on the unmatched experience of a salesman turned teacher to give your students the sales skills that lead to success. With a level of detail unique to this book, author Charles Futrell lays out a selling process step by step, taking in every phase of the sale from planning to follow-up. This detailed yet universal approach gives students the foundation they need to be successful sellers in any industry. Combined with up-to-date content and a strong ethical focus, the 10th edition of Fundamentals of Selling teaches sales the way a mentor would: with a strong, practical focus that puts the customer first.

Table of Contents:

Pt. I	Selling as a profession	1
Ch. 1	The life, times, and career of the professional salesperson	2
Ch. 2	Relationship marketing : where personal selling fits	40
Ch. 3	Ethics first ... then customer relationships	66
Pt. II	Preparation for relationship selling	101
Ch. 4	The psychology of selling : why people buy	102
Ch. 5	Communication for relationship building : it's not all talk	136
Ch. 6	Sales knowledge : customers, products, technologies	164
Pt. III	The relationship selling process	205
Ch. 7	Prospecting - the lifeblood of selling	206
Ch. 8	Planning the sales call is a must!	234
Ch. 9	Carefully select which sales presentation method to use	254
Ch. 10	Begin your presentation strategically	278
Ch. 11	Elements of a great sales presentation	308
Ch. 12	Welcome your prospect's objections	338
Ch. 13	Closing begins the relationship	372
Ch. 14	Service and follow-up for customer retention	404
Pt. IV	Managing yourself, your career, and others	431
Ch. 15	Time, territory, and self-management : keys to success	432
Ch. 16	Planning, staffing, and training successful salespeople	456
Ch. 17	Motivation, compensation, leadership, and evaluation of salespeople	486
App. A	Sales call role-plays	516
App. B	Personal selling experiential exercises	525
App. C	Sales technology directory and www.exercises	550
App. D	Comprehensive sales cases	560
	Glossary of selling terms	577
	Notes	587
	Photo credits and acknowledgments	593
	Index	595