The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman

Gallo, a communications instructor at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, follows up Five Stars with this incisive look at the communication strategies used by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Deemed “the world’s best business communicator” by Gallo, Bezos shocked people when, in 2004, he banned PowerPoint presentations in favor of “memos and narratives.” “He’s the world’s greatest salesman because he sells dreams, not products,” Gallo writes, and to do so, Bezos focuses on “the way Amazonians write, collaborate, innovate, pitch, and present.” To communicate well, Gallo writes, readers should strive to write at an eighth grade level or lower; use regular language to “talk about hard things”; avoid “weasel words” (such as “sort of” and “kind of”); and steer clear of the passive voice. Examinations of Amazon press releases show the tactics in action, and a deep dive into the company’s “working backwards” strategy—starting “from the customer’s perspective” when creating a new product—will be helpful for entrepreneurs and those working in professional communications alike. The result is a rewarding and informative take on how to craft a convincing message. (Nov.)