Pop! Stand Out in Any Crowd

Mike Buzalka

By Sam Horn
$22.95 (hard cover)
Perigee Trade September, 2006

Words Matter. First impressions count. And powerful pitches can convince people you're worth their time and money.

In today's information-saturated age, people are often too preoccupied to notice what you're offering unless it's packaged and presented appealingly enough to break through all the noise.

With much to say about branding, marketing and selling, Sam Horn's POP!: Stand Out in Any Crowd is filled with practical methods for making your message outstanding and unforgettable. As she emphasizes over and over: it's all about the packaging.

Need more funding for a renovation? Need help finding local sources? Want a promotion? Need more front line employees? Horn's advice might help you get the things you need to do your job most effectively as well as boost your career. How? Horn promotes what she's dubbed the 'POP process' saying you must make your message Purposeful, Original, and Pithy—to generate instant intrigue and word-of-mouth buzz.

POP!, the books, offers interesting ways to brainstorm, communicate ideas and connect with colleagues. Among the methods she includes a W9 form which explores nine key questions to clarify your purpose; The Eureka Moment: why people love to discover the next new things; ContraBand: the power of saying something that flies in the face of current wisdom; The Jerry Maguire Test: five secrets to crafting a message that get people at hello; Muse It or Lose It: when you think it, in it; and Half-and-Half: coin original phrases so you are the expert and sole go-to resource.

A wordsmith at heart, Ms. Horn uncovers and illuminates patterns of "words that work." This engaging how-to book is useful for anyone seeking to stand out.