You Can't Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike At A Seminar 

David Sandler

If you don't have $4,500 to take Sandler's general selling course, you can get the new book that reveals all. 

Not that it's a substitute for our newspaper-specific course, but it gives some great tips on how  to turn the tables on any sale and get the customer to ask you for the sale. Find out more about this book and buy it here.

Ogilvy on Advertising      

David Ogilvy

Make your accounts think you've been in the advertising business longer than you have, and you might convince an account or two to get rid of that ugly reverse or to increase their ad size big enough to make the type legible. 

"Ogilvy on Advertising" will give you instant advertising experience. Though it deals with more branding- based advertising than local advertising, it's full of ways to increase response of your ads.   Find out more about this book and buy it here.

How to Master the Art of Selling         

Tom Hopkins

I brought my Newsday staff to his live seminar which was a lot of hype and a little disappointing, but his book is incredible.  As far as providing general sales techniques, the information in this book rivals the best general sales courses I've taken (and I've been through the best).  Covers just about every aspect of sales.  I used to use it in staff meetings and required every new salesperson to buy one.  A great book!  Find out more about this book and order it here.

To be honest, we haven't read this one, but with so many ads you'd think that a few of them would be worthy of incorporating into a spec ad presentation to a current or potential real estate advertiser.  And with Amazon.com's return policy, you can always send it back if it's not helpful.  Find out more about this book and order it here.

Blur: The Speed of Change in the Connected Economy

Impress your friends with stories about how the Internet has and will continue to change the way people do business.  It's not the changes that are the problem, it's the how fast the changes keep changing.  Who knows, it might give you good ideas about what to do after your newspaper stops publishing on paper. Some great case studies. Find out more about this book and order it here.