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Live from Cupertino: How Apple Used Words, Music, and Performance to Build the World's Best Sales Machine
Apple isn’t just a design and innovation powerhouse. It’s also the greatest sales machine you’ve never heard of.
Recommended Read by getAbstract!
In twenty-two years with the Cupertino band, Michael Hageloh saw it all. The era of beige boxes and clueless CEOs. The company’s near death. The return of Steve Jobs. Triumphs like the iPod, iTunes, and the iPhone. But you know that story. What you don’t know is that it was a sales operation built around music, storytelling, and passion that let Apple not only survive the hard times, but eventually change the world.
Now Michael—engineer, drummer, raconteur, and closer of nearly one billion dollars in Apple sales—takes you inside the sales culture that made Apple the world’s first trillion-dollar corporation. The big secret? Music . Music has been part of Apple’s DNA since the beginning, and in Live from Cupertino , Michael takes you inside a one-of-a-kind selling culture that’s amazingly similar to the process of taking music from rehearsal to live performance. If you’re dying to know how Apple did it, Live from Cupertino is your first chance to learn company secrets from someone who was there from the beginning.
Recommended Read by getAbstract!
In twenty-two years with the Cupertino band, Michael Hageloh saw it all. The era of beige boxes and clueless CEOs. The company’s near death. The return of Steve Jobs. Triumphs like the iPod, iTunes, and the iPhone. But you know that story. What you don’t know is that it was a sales operation built around music, storytelling, and passion that let Apple not only survive the hard times, but eventually change the world.
Now Michael—engineer, drummer, raconteur, and closer of nearly one billion dollars in Apple sales—takes you inside the sales culture that made Apple the world’s first trillion-dollar corporation. The big secret? Music . Music has been part of Apple’s DNA since the beginning, and in Live from Cupertino , Michael takes you inside a one-of-a-kind selling culture that’s amazingly similar to the process of taking music from rehearsal to live performance. If you’re dying to know how Apple did it, Live from Cupertino is your first chance to learn company secrets from someone who was there from the beginning.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published October 29, 2019
57 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 31, 2021
I have read an abstract of this from getAbstract. This is not a review.
Some key elements of Steve Jobs come alive in this extract as well. Have a common vision, this is mostly possible when you have charismatic leader who knows how to keep everyone focussed in one direction.
It highlights how Steve was "a superb salesman and storyteller. He triumphed over recency bias – the tendency to believe that current conditions will persist forever – by describing his vision of the future, which engaged audiences inside and outside the company. Storytelling, the essence of music, was central to the Apple sales approach."
The author also notes how Apple is likely to evolve from a being leader in digital devices to being a service provider, this could be attributed to Tim Cook, who is capable in his own way, is not Steve Jobs.
Some key elements of Steve Jobs come alive in this extract as well. Have a common vision, this is mostly possible when you have charismatic leader who knows how to keep everyone focussed in one direction.
It highlights how Steve was "a superb salesman and storyteller. He triumphed over recency bias – the tendency to believe that current conditions will persist forever – by describing his vision of the future, which engaged audiences inside and outside the company. Storytelling, the essence of music, was central to the Apple sales approach."
The author also notes how Apple is likely to evolve from a being leader in digital devices to being a service provider, this could be attributed to Tim Cook, who is capable in his own way, is not Steve Jobs.
March 9, 2020
I recevied a complimentary ARC
I had no idea of the many things that were included in this fascinating read. The author takes you in through much styling of the way things are played out in the medium paced writing. You need to pick up a copy and get ready for a musical story that is not quite sung.
I had no idea of the many things that were included in this fascinating read. The author takes you in through much styling of the way things are played out in the medium paced writing. You need to pick up a copy and get ready for a musical story that is not quite sung.
February 14, 2021
Michael’s magic in sales did not convince me. If you are looking for advice on better selling there are better books and if you are interested in Apple read Steve Jobs biography.
June 26, 2021
The concept is intriguing. Mr. Hageloh argues that Apple under Steve Jobs was like a musical performance from first learning the instrument to writing and performing.
In one chapter, they discuss the role of improvisation in music and organizations. Mr. Hageloh talks about taking an improv class and how it helped him. I agree with him that these classes would be helpful to many other organizational careers.
At the end of the book, he offers a playlist including Imagine which seems an odd choice for a book about sales. The song talks about imaging no possessions.
I think the book falters because it is ultimately a book of Steve Jobs and also Tim Cook from the audience rather than by someone who knew knew them personally.
The Authors choose to refer to both Mr. Cook and Mr. Jobs' by their first names implying a personal relationship between Mr. Hageloh that isn't apparent in the book. I found that, for me, this use of first names distracted me from the substance of the book.
Finally, I found it odd in the discussion of Imagine that the authors call Jobs a leader and Cook a manager. I would think that Tim Cook believes himself to be a leader. This could be why Mr. Hageloh, earlier in the book, says that after writing the book he probably won't be invited back to Apple.
If you are looking for a book on Steve Jobs, this probably isn't the book for you. However, if you are looking for a book about sales and leadership this book is interesting. Thinking of the organization through the lens of music may give you insight into organizations.
In one chapter, they discuss the role of improvisation in music and organizations. Mr. Hageloh talks about taking an improv class and how it helped him. I agree with him that these classes would be helpful to many other organizational careers.
At the end of the book, he offers a playlist including Imagine which seems an odd choice for a book about sales. The song talks about imaging no possessions.
I think the book falters because it is ultimately a book of Steve Jobs and also Tim Cook from the audience rather than by someone who knew knew them personally.
The Authors choose to refer to both Mr. Cook and Mr. Jobs' by their first names implying a personal relationship between Mr. Hageloh that isn't apparent in the book. I found that, for me, this use of first names distracted me from the substance of the book.
Finally, I found it odd in the discussion of Imagine that the authors call Jobs a leader and Cook a manager. I would think that Tim Cook believes himself to be a leader. This could be why Mr. Hageloh, earlier in the book, says that after writing the book he probably won't be invited back to Apple.
If you are looking for a book on Steve Jobs, this probably isn't the book for you. However, if you are looking for a book about sales and leadership this book is interesting. Thinking of the organization through the lens of music may give you insight into organizations.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews