Erkki Leppänen is a seasoned sales and marketing professional, who has trained hundreds of new talent during his career. He has also authored guidebooks for marketers. We asked Erkki Leppänen his tips on writing non-fiction books and on good reads about sales and marketing topics.

You have authored a number of popular sales and marketing books, like ’Placebo Is for Real’. How did you get interested in marketing?
I was studying at California State University, Fresno, and decided to attend a Marketing 101 course. Professor Robert Hampton happened to be the lecturer of this course. It is because of him I got interested in marketing at the very beginning. Robert Hampton really made a difference in my life at that point of time.

How did you find your own style of writing, and what is your personal working process when you write?
From the very beginning, I wanted to write about complicated marketing issues in a simple manner. I use short sentences and easily digestible language. I also use figures and sometimes even pictures with speech bubbles to make my point.

I spend plenty of time on finding an interesting topic. In addition, I take reader feedback seriously and revise the manuscript accordingly.

I also look forward to the development of ebooks that may be moving towards multimedia. If that happens, it would certainly change my personal writing process.

What else have you written?
I have written a master’s thesis in the field of marketing. While I was studying at California State University, I also wrote to the college newspaper, The Collegian. I also participate in discussions on marketing blogs and exchange ideas with other marketing people.

Name your 5 favorite non-fiction books?
1. Seth Godin: All Marketers Are Liars.
This is s a book about stories people tell themselves – stories they really want to believe. It’s not really about lying, but rather about how authenticity is the best marketing method of all. Godin argues that people have always communicated important ideas via stories, and they have always believed in those stories. I find this book quite fascinating. Seth Godin is my favorite non -fiction author.

2. Carl Richards: The Behavior Gap: Simple Ways to Stop Doing Dumb Things with Money.
Carl Richards points out the mistakes human beings make again and again with money. Then he shows how they can shape their behavior in order to invest, save, and spend money to produce happiness.

3. Dan Ariely: Predictably Irrational.
Dan Ariely describes the hidden forces that shape people’s decisions. This book is a fascinating journey to the many ways people act against their best interest. Dan Ariely refutes the common assumption that people behave in fundamentally rational ways. These misguided behaviors, however, are not random or senseless. They can be predicted, and Dan Ariely shows just how to do that.

4. Daniel H. Pink: To Sell Is Human.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one of every nine Americans is working in sales. Every day more than 15 million people earn their living by persuading someone else to purchase something. We’re all in sales now, says the author. The book offers a fresh look at the art and science of selling products and ideas by persuading other people.

5. B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore: The Experience Economy.
The experience economy is the new phase in economical development following agrarian, industrial, and service economies according to the authors of this great book. Businesses have to orchestrate memorable, pleasant experiences for their customers in the experience economy, because these experiences produce instant gratification to the customers. The book gets to the very core of marketing.

What can we expect from you in the future?
The readers can expect more pleasurable reading experiences in the field of marketing. Also, I have opened an email box that lets me be in contact with readers, and answer questions and comments they may have. The email address is: theplacebobusiness@gmail.com .