5 Business Books You Can Really Use

This article was previosuly published at CNNMoney by Verne Harnish.

Tired of reading the same old advice? Here are a few books that can actually help you run your business.
How Companies Win
By Rick Kash and David Calhoun
Until recently, making things better, faster, and cheaper was the secret to growth. But with supply outstripping demand, companies have to identify the most profitable customers. This book will tell you how to slice up your market into the richest sub-niches -- called "profit pools." For example: One dog-food maker targets ads toward people who run and bike with their pooches. Apparently, those owners are more willing to buy pricier pet food.
Tell to Win
By Peter Guber
Yup. He's the Hollywood exec behind movies like Rain Man and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. But he's also pretty good at telling you how to capture the hearts and minds of your sales prospects -- and close the deal. Like movies, it involves telling a good story. At Border Grill in Santa Monica, bosses train waiters to tell each customer, "There is an adventure inside that taco," and then launch into the story of how the founders were inspired by a 4 a.m. visit to a tiny Yucatán seaside stand.

Ownership Thinking
By Brad Hams

Many employees spend more time thinking about personal concerns -- like how many vacation days they're getting -- than how to make their company more competitive and profitable, says Hamm. So how do you build an unbeatable company? Get your employees so invested in growth that they share your sleepless nights and make decisions just as you would. Hamm aims to teach you how to come up with incentive programs, among other things, to do just that.

Ownership Thinking

By Brad Hams

Many employees spend more time thinking about personal concerns -- like how many vacation days they're getting -- than how to make their company more competitive and profitable, says Hamm. So how do you build an unbeatable company? Get your employees so invested in growth that they share your sleepless nights and make decisions just as you would. Hamm aims to teach you how to come up with incentive programs, among other things, to do just that.

Built to sell

By John Warrillow
Don't avoid this book because you're not planning to sell your company. It's important for all entrepreneurs to ask themselves its central, kick-in-the-gut question: Would anyone pay you a lot of money for your company? If not, maybe you're wasting your own time running it. Warrilow gives you a three-point test that will help you decide. For example: Would it be possible to train a new owner to do exactly what you do? If not, maybe your business doesn't have a future.