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By Michelle Pujadas, Founder & co-CEO

Have you ever had a book impact your business life in a meaningful and long-lasting way? For me, that book is Crossing the Chasm. I first read it in the mid-1990’s and it stuck. Like good glue. When we started Zer0 to 5ive in 1999, the positioning model in Crossing the Chasm became the heart of Step 2 of our Zer0 to 5ive Roadmap – positioning and messaging – the core of all sales and marketing. I reread the book a number of times, and it became required reading for all Zer0 to 5ivers.

I’m not the only one who loves Crossing the Chasm. Over the past 20 years, I can attribute at least 10 client wins to a shared love and dedication to the tenets of Crossing the Chasm: “People change their behavior due to pain! Mainstream buyers want a complete solution!” It seems so obvious now, but back then it was a light bulb moment that has been shared by millions over the years.

A few years ago, we had a number of interns for the summer and my first assignment to them was to read Crossing the Chasm and do a presentation on it. They made their way through it, some understanding the concepts better than others, but all recognizing that technology marketing is different. Two years later, I heard from two of the interns that they had to read Crossing the Chasm for their class and felt fully prepared. How great it was to hear that! And better yet, it’s rewarding to hear that this book that has been part of my life for more than 20 years is alive and well!

We have a whole list of favorite books, but others that I have read and actively used include: Selling the Invisible, Play Harder, Blue Ocean Strategy, and Contagious: Why Things Catch On.

Send me some of your favorites at michelle@0to5.com!