The Business of Belief: How the World's Best Marketers, Designers, Salespeople, Coaches, Fundraisers, Educators, Entrepreneurs and Other Leaders Get Us to Believe

by Tom Asacker

"This is a short book. But I hope it takes you, like me, a long time to read it. The Business of Belief earns the word 'profound'—every sentence should be savored." —Tom Peters

"Is this about marketing, life, spirituality, history, change or sales? Yes. A little book with a big idea." —Seth Godin, author of The Icarus Deception

In this thought-provoking and entertaining book, Tom Asacker, author of Sandbox Wisdom and A Clear Eye for Branding, pulls back the curtain on the workings of the mind and reveals the hidden logic to motivating behavior, both in ourselves and in others.

Whether you are launching a new brand or marketing campaign, selling products and services, coaching individuals or leading a team, this book will shatter your assumptions about leadership and the art of influence, and give you the invaluable insights required to understand and move others.

The Business of Belief is Tom Asacker’s most compelling—and important—book yet. It will fundamentally change the way you think about your work and your life. Use it as your companion and as a guide in this fast-paced world overwhelmed by complexity and choice.

The next big idea in business is BELIEF

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Psychology, Self Help, Leadership, Audiobook, Personal Growth

140 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2013

About the author

Tom Asacker is often described as a creative force, albeit a wayward one. He is an artist, writer, inventor, and philosopher. He writes, teaches, and speaks about radically new practices and ideas for success in times of uncertainty and change.

Reviews

[Jay Ehret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a mind-challenging book, and a table-setting book. While the title says "how" this is really a what-to-do book. When finished, you have to take the "what" and decide the "how."

The book is short and divided into three sections, here is what I gleaned from the book:
PART 1 BIG IDEA:
Beliefs determine desires. Desires determine actions (purchases).
What people believe is what they desire, what they desire is what they ultimately do.

PART 1 BIG TAKE-AWAY
- Speak to your customers’ desires. Not to their logic.
- To find what your customer desires, look at their beliefs

PART 1 BIG ACTION
- It is your job to make people believe they can have what they desire, because what they desire is what they will do.
- Inventory your customers’ desires, based on their beliefs. Speak to those desires, make them believe you can help them have what they desire.

PART 2 BIG IDEA
You can reverse engineer a belief. This is necessary to get people to change.
PART 2 BIG TAKE AWAY
You must lead people to a new belief, not persuade them. Lead them to actions that will change their beliefs.
PART 2 BIG ACTION
- Find people who want to believe and make them feel comfortable.
- Carefully craft a mental journey of possibility and transformation. Then orchestrate the mental journey with actions. Get them to take incremental steps that change their behavior and thus change their beliefs.

PART 3 BIG IDEA
Our potential is limited by our current beliefs. Achieving our dreams requires new beliefs.
PART 3 BIG TAKE AWAY
We can change and control our own beliefs with our decisions. To change beliefs, change decisions.
PART 3 BIG ACTION
Build a new model for your life (business) that changes your behaviors and requires you to make new decisions. Make those decisions and carry out behaviors as if you had already achieved what you dream you can be.

[Obi Lourdes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It asks a lot more questions than it gives answers to. In fact I'm not sure if there is a single answer in this book. But it got me thinking. They got my mind working and wondering. It sparked something in me. And I think that was the whole point all long.

[Jeroen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard genoten van dit vlotte boek op de grens tussen filosofie, psychologie en marketing. In drie delen vol erg korte en zeer vlot geschreven hoofdstukjes gaat Asacker dieper in op waarom mensen de dingen doen die ze doen.

Het leukste was: dit is een boek dat bijna geen woord teveel gebruikt. Een verademing tussen andere management en marketingboeken die grossieren in breed uitgesmeerde verhalen, irritant vaak herhaalde boodschappen en ellenlang gezwans en "ge-name-drop".

Zelfs zonder doel van verbetering van jezelf of je business, leest dit boek heerlijk weg. Het zet je aan tot denken over wat je voor vanzelfsprekend neemt. Met af en toe een fijne quote of breinbreker.

Inhoudelijk gezien gaat het ongeveer hierover:

Deel 1: Wat je gelooft leidt tot wat je wil. Wat je wil doet je acties ondernemen. Als marketeer moet je dus werken op die wensen van je klant, niet met logisch argumenteren (cfr. 'start with why'). Om te weten wat mensen willen, kijk je naar wat ze diep in zichzelf geloven. Laat ze geloven dat ze kunnen hebben wat ze willen en alles komt goed.

Deel 2: Het geloof van mensen kan je 'reverse eningeeren'. Je moet mensen leiden naar een nieuw geloof. Niet duwen of verplichten, maar voorgaan. Als je de acties van mensen kan veranderen, dan kan je hun geloof veranderen. Maak mensen comfortabel en laat ze kleine stappen in de richting zetten en je raakt overal.

Deel 3: Ons potentieel is beperkt door wat we geloven. Dromen bereik je door je geloof te veranderen. Je kan dat geloof veranderen door al gewenste beslissingen te nemen. Daardoor verandert ook je geloof. Maak een nieuw model voor je leven (of je werk) dat je gedrag verandert en vereist dat je nieuwe beslissingen neemt. Neem die beslissingen en gedraag je alsof je al bereikt hebt wat je in je dromen wou zijn.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I contemplated 4 stars because there is a lot of good stuff in here that is a reminder to those who work for themselves that will help motivate you along your journey of being self-propelled.

The reason for 3 is that I feel like this book could have actually been a magazine article rather than a full book. Some of the quotes he uses he does not reference the author on which was annoying. As a result there is a bit of a self publishing sort of feel to this.

Also, if you are an avid reader of self-help/sales and business sort of books you will find that these concepts have been hashed out numerous times in other reads. Still, a nice reminder book for what you already know. I feel like the best material the author offered was at the end of the book when he went over the application of the processes of what he taught.

[Kara Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Asacker does an great job of explaining the power of belief. Here are a few of the gems to give you a feel for the content:

"...forget who you were. Forget what you've done. And forget what others are doing (don't Google it!). Simply ask, What am I passionate about? Now go do that. And bingo! That's who you are."

And in discussing how difficult it is to control your thoughts, Tom notes, "Instead, influence your attitude by controlling your actions. Change your behavior and your behavior will change your mind."

I really liked this book...and now I'm going to heed his advice and go do what I'm passionate about rather than coming up with all the reasons it probably won't work!

[A.F. Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept, but weakly executed. Kind of boring, and doesn’t provide much information, but asks a lot of questions about phycology that are supposed to be thought provoking, that just mixed the mark for me. But I could see this helping some people, just not for me.

[John Seno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, reminds me why I do what I do.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

We use our senses to help us determine facts, but time and time again, it's proven that our senses can be fooled, and so can our thought process. We are feeling and meaning machines. Something happens and it makes us feel a certain way, or experience something with our senses and we immediately assign meaning... and then we create beliefs.

The saying we see things not as they are, but as we are, is an illustration of how our perceptions are formed on a piece of the truth, not necessarily the whole truth of any matter.

Belief is mind made not factual, but if you ask many people, what they believe is the ONLY truth there is. Think about magicians and prestidigitation. If you don't know how the illusion is done. It looks real. Your eyes are telling you things are disappearing and you can't figure it out, and the only reason you question it at all is because you know you're watching magic. If you weren't "in" on the trick, you would BELIEVE it. Those that know how the trick is done, see if WAY differently than a person who is ignorant to the skills it takes to perform the illusion, and they can even judge how well a person is doing the trick in different ways than the uninformed viewer. I bring this up because this is an area where we know that our eyes are deceiving us, and that's the only reason we are able to keep belief at bay. Like when you're a little kid and you believe in Santa....until things don't add up and even then some kids try to rationalize to keep that belief.

I love this book because it talks about one of the biggest dilemmas in this world. People think that what THEY believe is the TRUTH. Not so. Considering the information in this book with an open mind is the first step to awareness that perhaps can FREE them from the bondage of BELIEF thus opening up a whole new universe of considering new information and CHANGING beliefs once more information is presented. Cognitive dissonance.... not anymore. You have something to explain WHY something didn't meet the criteria of your beliefs.

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve taken a number of technical sales courses and my most recent one suggested we focus on a customer’s desires, not so much diving into facts and features. I’ve found this is often the best way to handle sales presentations. “The Business of Belief” is quite similar in tone. It focuses on desires, based on beliefs, and suggests that paying attention to desires and beliefs in customers, and meeting these kinds of expectations, is the way to go. This is one of those books that covers multiple areas, in this case it’s a sales book and it’s a self-help book. The self-help section really just reiterates the need to know yourself – to understand your beliefs and the desires that come from them – and to live your life, to act, with your beliefs in the forefront of your thought. It’s a simple suggestion that’s been repeated in many other books, but “The Business of Belief” covered it well. It was short, though I wouldn’t say concise, and the self-help style of writing, with a number of breezy examples, was fine for a relaxed business read.

[Cameron Norman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don’t Believe

This book did not live up to it’s title. I believed in it — and the author to deliver — and it failed in nearly every respect.

It wasn’t interesting. It wasn’t insightful. It required editing. It tried to be clever, yet didn’t manage to offer anything more than a polemic — and not a good one. I was disappointed because I love the premise of the book and the ideas I thought it was going to discuss. But alas, it wasn’t to be. Maybe you’ll like it, but I did not.

[Matt Watkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few stop to think about how profoundly our beliefs shape our behavior. Asacker has, and the resulting book is akin to a floating anvil - a heavy subject lifted into the realm of accessibility by helium prose. Why four stars? I wanted a higher resolution version - more detail, more examples, and more pragmatic guidance. Still highly recommended.

[Helfren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Attention is the most important currency in the new marketplace. We need to capture people attention as fast as possible in order to thrive in the 21st century lifestyle. Belief is now the leading sales factor all over the world. Get your customer to believe and they will buy anything you sell them to. So true.

[Richard Mulholland · Rating 4 out of 5]

First heard the author on The Matt Brown Show podcast recently and was intrigued to buy the book. Really enjoyed it.

Good message delivered in the perfect amount of words. You should probably read it.

[Joe Koelsch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not much by way of ideas. Tries to hide this lack of depth with anecdotes and well known quotes. Reads like a motivational speech at a community college graduation.

[Logan Streondj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah it's good has a lot of good stories but is really too short. Maybe could have hired some ghost writers to flesh it out or something. Or used some more imagery donno.

[Nell · Rating 3 out of 5]

"We don't know why we do what we do."
This is my only takeaway from this book.

[Ahmet Uzar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a short book. But what is meant to be explained in a good way. I can recommend. Enjoy.

[Brandon Hull · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could/Should have been a blog post

There was no “how” to this book at all. Just anecdote after anecdote, with some results from studies sprinkled in.

[Jin · Rating 1 out of 5]

meandering and preachy.
Do not recommend.

[Andrea James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book that reminds us how our beliefs help us to focus on what to do. The stronger our beliefs in an area, the more sharply focused (passionate) we become. This can be an advantage when it causes us to build something in the face of difficulties but it can hamper us if we continue to be blinkered in our deluded plans/perspectives despite all the prevailing evidence.

It highlighted to me why I sometimes struggle with focusing my energy on a single idea/project - I'm constantly questioning what I do and the way I think about everything. Again this is bad because I'm not steadfastly assured that any one viewpoint is correct and this slows my progress as I check and test the veracity of my ideas before "selling" anything. But my questioning nature has led to a great deal of learning and discoveries. I think oversimplification and closed mindedness are traits that sadly too common so overall I'd rather be a little slow (with a perhaps less procrastination ahem).

The book also reminded me (once again!) that I need to speak to people desires and beliefs rather than presenting things rationally. Definitely something I need to work on doing better!

[Matthew Hundley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is this a "must-read book for business leaders"? Probably not. But that doesn't mean there aren't some good insights here for "marketers, designers, salespeople, coaches..." Asacker provides more questions than answers in this short book of thoughts on belief. The first portion focuses in on how our beliefs define our experience. He speaks to the we (marketers, entrepreneurs) and the they (consumers, customers). The second portion of the book focuses in on what we do with our beliefs. What we desire? What we're passionate about? Which beliefs impact our drive (or lack of). Lastly he points to practical advice for business leaders. Do you understand the beliefs of your customers? Do you understand how your product serves those beliefs? And internally...Do you understand the desire, needs, beliefs of those working under you? How are you helping them achieve their goals? Again. Many astute observations. Much fodder for thought. How we answer the questions and concepts posed here is left to the reader...based on how they believe.

[Tirath · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a funny way to write a book - felt like a blog of poetry that I write. Each chapter was 1 or 2 pages on my kindle.
Thought provoking - very deeply - but lacks the substance; instead it tosses the ball into the reader's court.
I didnt enjoy it.

First level belief - what we want to
Second level - what we make of it and then manipulate it to our use or misuse
Marketing and selling based on that
Achievements and leadership based on that

The book reminds the reader of the locus of control and how little we can control, and how easily we can be swayed.

I guess it's a decent book by your bedside.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on the nature of belief and how it relates to business. The book is divided into 3 main parts: "What they know", "What they do", "What you can do". I would summarize as belief, behavior, and influence.

It is written in a series of 1 to 3 page stories that make the author's points. It is part of my go-to business shelf.

[Greg McKinzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A motivational book both about and based upon the psychology of influence. Concise on the upside, reductionist on the downside. If you are looking for what the author says we all need—a simplified belief process that eliminates difficulties and competing options—then consider this a four-star book. Some of the observations are very insightful and some of the advice is really helpful.

[Abhishek Bhasin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking, impactful and a library stacker .... This book is well written , short and takes a relatively fresh approach towards the art of influence and leadership - with ample examples to support each and every argument made by the author - it will take an average reader not more than 5 hours to finish it and will take an average thinker not much intellectual M to appreciate it.

[Joe Sabado · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about how our beliefs and our minds work. It's more than about business or work. The author has a nice story-telling writing style that makes it easy to read. It's one of those books I will definitely read again, especially in times of self-doubt.

[Dr Jeanne Porter King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking book! A must read for leaders, entrepreneurs or anyone seeking to break through status quo thinking and mediocre mindsets. The pithy writing style worked for me- a break from traditional business books.

[Rick Yvanovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book, a quick read but long on ideas and concepts. I like the style it's written in and it's choc full of truisms, many not knew but presented with a different perspective that gets you thinking.

[Julia Kravets · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting style of writing for this type of book. I can't decide whether I like it or not.

The book is packed with wisdom, but none of it goes into much depth; it felt like a long, written TED talk. I found myself highlighting and taking notes consistently. Overall a great read.

[Josh Liston · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Audible version (read by the author which I always prefer)**

The thing I enjoyed most about "The Business of Belief" was the seamless way Tom moved from the ideas of his philosophical and research heroes to his own.

An enjoyable and fast read.