Visit the NEW Book Club each month for best-selling business books of special interest to executive women. You’ll get great insights and great savings—and a portion of each sale will support NEW’s education and networking programs.

Main Selection

Just Ask A Woman

Cracking the Code of What Women Want and How They Buy

by Mary Lou Quinlan

Wiley Books, 260 pp. Hardcover, $27.95; Amazon E-Book, $19.0

Women do not make purchasing decisions like men. Studies show they are more perceptive, more sensitive, and often more loyal than male shoppers.

And while women comprise just over 51 percent of the U.S. population, they make or influence 85 percent of all purchases. Even in two areas once dominated by male shoppers – automobiles and business travel – women now make or influence the majority of purchases.

So what do women want? According to “brand therapist” Mary Lou Quinlan, women have a different “shopping list” than male customers – and you ignore their needs at your peril.

Women will not tolerate a dirty store. They’re turned off by aggressive salespeople. And they tune out condescending commercials. Women demand respect, crave comfort, and seek validation. Most are overworked and underappreciated. Help relieve their stress and acknowledge their individuality and you will be amply rewarded.

This book is recommended reading for marketers, brand managers and retailers who want to learn more about their women customers; it’s even more recommended for those who don’t.

Alternate Selections

Her Corner Office: A Guide to Help Women Find a Place and a Voice in Corporate America by Trudy

A Guide to Help Women Find a Place and a Voice in Corporate America

by Trudy Bourgeois

Brown Books, 228 pp., softcover, $19.95

NEW board member and leadership consultant Trudy Bourgeois knows what it takes to break through the glass ceiling. The former Brown & Williamson executive says “You’re not ready to live your life until you know what you want on your tombstone,” Trudy writes. To determine that, you need to know what you want to do, what talents you have, and what skills you need to acquire.Armed with an accurate self-appraisal and clear objectives you are ready to take on the rest of Trudy’s program. Her straight-forward guidance on how to value your values, work for balance, control your own destiny, communicate positively, build relationships, tie into community and market yourself, are powerful lessons for any executive who wants to grab the brass ring without losing themselves.

Build Your Own Life Brand!

A Powerful Strategy to Maximize Your Potential and Enhance Your Value for Ultimate Achievement

by Stedman Graham

Free Press, 244 pp., hardcover, $17*

Positive or negative, everybody has a brand identity, good or bad, according to author and consultant Stedman Graham. The challenge is creating a powerful “life brand out of the genuine values of your life.” Life branding goes beyond selling yourself, Graham writes. It’s about authentic action and communication on the job, in your family and in your community. This book empowering book shows you how to use the techniques of branding to add value to your life and career.

Editor’s Note: Stedman Graham will be the keynote speaker at the NEW Summit Wednesday, September 29, at the Embassy Suites in Chicago. For information or reservations contact Anna N. Duran of NEW member services at aduran@newonline.org, call 713-888-5305 or click here.

Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office

101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their

by Lois P. Frankel

Warner Business Books, 288 pp., hardcover, $13.97*

Therapist and consultant Frankel doesn’t deny that women suffer from discrimination. But she’s more concerned about the self-sabotaging behaviors that hold many women back. She starts readers with a 49-question self-assessment, then outlines 101 mistakes “nice girls” make at work. Each unconscious mistake – from viewing men as authority figures to taking on too much work – is accompanied by cogent coaching tips on how to correct it.

Suggest a selection for the NEW Book Club. Email NetworkNews at editor@newnewsletter.org

© Copyright 2009 by the Network of Executive Women. All rights reserved.