Marketing Books

Finally a book that sticks to its title. This book is an awsome start to knowing what goes into a small business and certainly brings out more information and details that will guide you to resourses that will better further your small business.

Well orgainized, not boring and inviting, Yes this very informative but simple layout helps me Understand the material and makes me feel ocnfident i'm learning what I need to know.

Thanks for the book and I will be sure to buy other books from the Series...

Brian

I am teaching a course on entrepreneurship...this book is the answer to all my prayers!!! We've worked and worked on putting our book together and we finally finished it. I went to the library, saw this book and I didn't put it down until I was done...THE BEST!!!

Good Book. You thinking about starting your own business, get this book, trust me.

If you're a bare-bones newcomer to the business world and seek a basic introduction to all the concepts, from business plans and marketing to the law, then Frances McGuckin's Business For Beginners: From Research And Business Plans To Money, Marketing And The Law is for you. McGuickin is a small business expert and consultant, and shares her strategies for developing a small business using seven basic skills and seven reasons businesses fail. Checklists and boxed information sets abound.

It seems as though everyone I talk to knows someone or has been laid off, downsized or is looking for a job because of the economic and credit crisis. Sherri Thomas shares her secrets to powerful personal branding, how to send the right messages, networking, and how to put yourself in high demand with clients, managers and potential employers.
Now is the time to work on your branding and presentation so that when an opportunity comes along, you are ready and ready to beat the competition.
Sherri provides us with strategies, best practices and lessons she has learned to help us all be successful and be a leader in our chosen field.

Did you ever feel stuck in your job with the feeling you were not fulfilling your destiny?

Did you ever feel that even though you were giving it your all at work you weren't getting noticed by those who count (boss, clients, co-workers)?

Did you ever feel like you were stuck doing tasks that you were unsuited for or that you didn't like to do?

If the answer to any of the above questions is "Yes!" then I recommend that you pick up a copy of career coach Sherri Thomas's book, Career Smart: Five Steps to a Powerful Personal Brand.

When I read Career Smart the one point that came out to me in every chapter was that your career isn't your job title; it is what you make yourself out to be. Sherri Thomas calls this "your own personal brand".

To come up with your own personal branch you have to assess yourself in a thoughtful manner, looking at your experience, skills and what you want to do and like to do. Then you basically have to define a brand for which people will know you by professionally and to a certain extent personally. In a sense you are positioning yourself as the company and industry expert on the field that you have branded yourself in. The author gives a load of examples on how go gain the knowledge you may need, target and increase your networking contacts, and to get known by writing reports, articles (for newsletters and industry media) and by power networking (creating circles of influence, mastermind groups and speaking at industry events).

Sherri Thomas gives examples from her own successful career of how this all works and assures the readers that this will work for them as well. The reader can see from her own experience that careers aren't defined by your titles but rather than by the work that you do. When you successfully brand yourself you start attracting more of the projects and jobs that give you a feeling of satisfaction rather than the work that brings you down. This also leads to high income and prestige.

Much of what Ms. Thomas has put forward in her book is common sense but the nuggets are ideas you might not have considered before or maybe put in the back of your mind and never tried. So if your career is in a rut, or you just feel that you could be doing better than you are when it comes to overall satisfaction, I recommend spending the time and money to get this book. If you are not where you want to be or your don't have a feeling of fulfillment in your job you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Really enjoyed this book. It gives great career building strategies for any professional at any level in their career!

"I give this book a 5 out of 5 rating. An excellent read! It is the best personal branding book I have ever read. The concepts, ideas and suggested actions were valuable for both experienced and inexperienced business professionals. I also thought the casual writing style, humor and the author's personal examples all made the book a quick yet very profitable read. Lastly, besides having much to say about enhancing one's business and career brand, I felt the book had a lot to say about one's branding in their personal and community life as well."

I have been in senior management positions for Fortune 500 companies over
the past 20 years and I found this book concise and very motivating. I am
not looking to change careers. However, the tips and reflections of the
author create a valuable, positive guide to feeling good about oneself and
how to improve an individual's value to their current company.

Celebrity Branding You by Nick Nanton and JW Dicks explodes with information.
The authors are lawyers by trade with over fifty years combined working experience.
I read this book in one day and was surprised how easy it was to read and more important it made sense. I understand why they started by saying "People buy People"; the concept applies to any business with products or services.
I liked how the chapters are laid out, it shows that the authors were thinking of the reader and made it easy to understand by starting at the beginning of the marketing process. Each chapter then takes you through the process step-by-step, with reliable resources they have used, and examples and case studies.
I recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with their marketing plan (or lack a plan). If you learn what Nanton & Dicks are teaching in this book, soon you will become a Branded expert and clients or customers will find you because you stand out.

Many entrepreneurs instinctively understand the value of becoming a celebrity to their target market but have no idea how they can systematically achieve that goal.

"Celebrity Branding You" provides a game plan that business owners can follow to build their expert celebrity status.

If becoming a client attraction magnet is your goal as a business owner, then do more than read the book with highlighter in hand. IMPLEMENT and see what becoming a celebrity to your niche market can do for your business!

Celebrity Branding You is a no nonsense to the point resource for finding and creating your own celebrity brand. It's full of both on-line and off-line strategies to make this process as easy as possible.

I just had the pleasure of hearing Nick Nanton speak to a group of entrepreneurs in New Jersey and I can tell you that he really gets it. All budding entrepreneurs should read this book and get a jump start on their competition.

J.W. Dicks and Nick Nanton have touched on a topic that is often overlooked by most entrepreneurs. Celebrity Branding You provides you with a well-thought game plan on how you can become the celebrity expert in your niche.

First, the book provided an important reminder about the fact that "People Buy People." Sometimes, we as business owners get wrapped up in the product or service that we're marketing and lose sight of this fact.

Another section of the book that I found valuable was the idea of putting your story behind your brand. In other words, "Why Do You Do What You Do?" If the only answers that come up are "I am doing it for the money" or "Because this is what I've always done," then you may need to rethink your whole motivation behind your particular business or find a business that has real meaning to you.

The authors then cover the ever-important topic regarding your website. They provided some excellent advice on branding your site and solidifying your celebrity status in your niche.

Finally, the authors provided the "Top 10 Ways To Grow Your Business Fast"
They provided some excellent strategies in this section.

All in all, I highly recommend that you not only get a copy of this book, but more importantly, take action on the ideas presented in it.

So what are you waiting for?

BE SOMEBODY!

I have been helping folks produce and market their books since 1985. This is one of the best tools for finding an "angle" to pitch your book. Thanks for keeping it updated. Linda F. Radke, Five Star Publications (AZ)

This is my third copy. I use this book for my business every month, sometimes more often. I use it for marketing ideas. I bought the new edition because the older books don't have all of the environmental events in them. This is a great business source. If you are planning sales or events for you business this will help you know what events take place every month.
I teach marketing at my company and urge all of my new agents to own a copy of this book.

"Chase's" is a terrific resource for me. I write a cooking column and I use it to stay abreast of even the smallest events. When writing a weekly column it can be a chore coming up with fresh story lines and subjects. "Chase's" helps me keep my subjects current and me on top of what's happening, which I know is appreciated by my readers who must wonder where I get all my ideas...now the secret is out! Pork Chops and Applesauce: A Collection of Recipes and Reflections

We sell Fresh-Wave products, a consumer line that appeals to a multitude of markets. So special events and creative marketing has to be a big part of our mix. Chase's helps us identify fun opprtunties for promoting our line. Since may TV and radio producers use this book it helps get their attention when your event is tied into something they are already talking about!

Reviewed by Sandra MacLean for Reader Views (3/06)

The minute you even think of doing business in China, Japan or Korea, do yourself a favour and run out to pick up this book. Author Mia Doucet avoids dry, jargon filled pages as she delivers practical tips you can use to approach these markets, giving your company a greater chance for success. She conveys the excitement of discovering a new culture while remaining tightly focused on what this understanding means for doing business.

Doucet makes getting to know your market a breeze with her easy to understand and easy to use advice. This book is full of intriguing gems of priceless information. Just this one example should rouse your curiosity: Why should you always wear clean socks without holes? (See page 114 for the answer.)

She does a great job of making the culture come to life so business planners can improve their chance of success just by being better informed than their competitors. How better to show your respect than to go the extra mile to gain an understanding of the new environment in which you intend to do business. Moreover, you will get to know some pitfalls you should avoid that could get in the way as you attempt to establish profitable relationships.

Doucet gives you clear advice on where you need to pay attention. Consider this common decision - Do you need an interpreter or a translator? Should you hire at home or do you think you can get by with hiring someone once you arrive? Well, that depends on if you "know whether to kiss, bow or go on a bender." You'll have to read the book to find out the answer! In the end, you'll understand not just what you need to do but why.

For such a meaty book, it is a surprisingly easy read. I'd be tempted to say, "Read this on your flight to the far east," but you will be very glad that you found this information long before you board the plane. Just be sure to take it with you in case you forget some of the details.

This is a book that could help a much broader audience. It's not only useful for those going overseas to do business but it would also give a tremendous advantage to any North American planning to travel in the Pacific Rim countries whether for business, pleasure or as part of volunteer organizations.

Staff members of companies on this continent who host guests from the Pacific Rim would also benefit from this information. Our western customs are so familiar to us that we may not always realize how foreign they are to visitors from other cultures. Imagine how much this greater sensitivity could enhance the experience you plan for future visits with business colleagues from around the world.

Doucet offers the reader a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of international business. It's a good read even if you have no plans at the moment to move into these markets. When the time does come, you will be very glad you have this resource in your toolbox.

With "China in Motion: 17 Secrets...", Ms Doucet has created a wonderfully useful book for every entrepreneur who is eyeing the Asian markets. With 1.3 billion residents in China alone, EVERY entrepreneur should be setting their sites on the Asian markets. (It is no surprise that this Far Eastern country has earned the moniker, "the new land of opportunity".)

Each and every one of Ms. Doucet's secrets is important. I especially appreciated #4: "Think in terms of a web of relationship". I have found this to be especially important in my dealing with Japanese associates - a very different approach from the typical Western "it's-all-about-me" perspective.

Every business person who wants to do business in China, Japan and/or South Korea owes it to themselves to buy this book. The next time I travel to one of these countries, this book will be my closest traveling companion.

I was just in China on business and upon returning my sister recommended this book. I was astonished as I was reading it because it described exactly what I had experienced. This is an excellent guide for anyone who would like to do business in China and there is nothing like actually being there and experiencing it. I do highly recommend that you read this book as well as learn Mandarin if you intend to do business in China. My hat is off to Mia! Thank you for providing this wonderful guide.

This book has many good quotes and bits of information that will help you understand what it takes and the thinking required to do business in Asia....there are many good hints from the differences in culture to personal habits that may offend the customer....an example "not writing on the back of the business card...and the thinking behind it..." Very well written book.

In one form or another, every one of us is selling--ideas, services, products, maybe a combination of those three. If you want to read a book that presents, in simple language, the contemporary approach to selling, then I recommend CLOSE MORE SALES. The author: Mike Stewart, an international speaker, professional sales trainer and consultant, based in Atlanta.

Far from being an armchair advisor, Mike Stewart spent many years learning salesmanship as a professional sales person. Additionally, he works with a variety of clients, training their sales professionals.

In the preface, he laments that "Almost never are effective selling skills being taught." With this book, he addresses that problem. The book has the approval of the American Management Association, his publisher. I recommend that you get a copy. . .and close more sales.

The best books are the ones that get right to the point and show you step by step what works. This book delivers. I got so many insightful new ideas that I bought copies for everyone in my sales office. At our sales meetings we discussed a different chapter each week. I like Mike Stewart's candor, too. He tells it like it really is.

This book is a must read for any sales professional that wants to close more sales and grow their business.

Mike is a seasoned sales veteran that shares his keen insights with you in this book.

You have two choices. Take years and years to learn what Mike can teach you on your own or buy the book and learn it now!

My recommendation; BUY THE BOOK!

Whether you're new in sales or a seasoned veteran, this book is a treasure. The publisher had to use smaller print just to fit it all in! It's amazing how much information is here-the traditional stuff that you find in most sales books, plus a lot more. And it's all focused on helping you make the sale; the title of Part VII is You Must Close the Sale in Order to Go to the Bank. The message can't be any more clear!

Let's start at the beginning. There are three sections at the start of the book that caught my attention right away. You know there's something special going on when you see sections titled "Why You Need This Book," "Why You Will Love This Book," and "Why an Intelligent, Sophisticated Person Like You Will Appreciate a Simple Book Like This." Simple book? In the fundamental principles that are presented, yes. In the depth and strength of the material, I wouldn't call this book simple. Sales professionals will spend extra time with each section to draw out all the value for themselves. It's just that kind of a book . . . the kind of tool that can be used for reference as well as straight-on learning.

Stewart starts his substance with Position Yourself for Success presented in six chapters. The last chapter of the section is focused on closing. Part II: Develop Rapport and Build Relationships of Trust and Confidence: four chapters ending with emphasis on closing more sales. Continue through sections on pre-call planning, prospect involvement, discovery, presentations, and handling objections. Want more? A good resource section and an index complement the powerful content.

If you want to close sales, not just make sales calls, make friends with this book. Renowned sales trainer Mike Stewart has stuffed all of his seminar material into 250 pages for you to absorb and apply for higher achievement.

A must read for all Americans either from or not from a Christian faith. A very historical account, Johnson notes carfully all resourses and begins by showing how there is a "cover up" to hide Christian beginnings in this country. This will make you think and make you question if God is trying to cry out to his blessed people... maybe for the last time.

I loved this book! This is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of our country!

This is a great read for anyone who is interested in a pre-sixties non liberal point of veiw on America and the Christian roots of our Nation! Woe to the generation that calls evil good and good evil. We are that generation. Secular humanism and athiest have rewrote our history books and their lies have become truth and the truth is now considered a lie or evil. Johnson did his homework and it is sad most of todays youth will never hear what he has to say. I found his mixing of history and Scripure to be truely inspireing and eye opening in light of what we are faceing as a nation today. May God truly call us home to the roots of our history!

Johnson's book reads like a conversation with the author. It's passionate and based on original draft history. I have heard this guy speak and he is really well-balanced. He talks about how our schools are teaching a philosophy that is completely opposed to that of the founders. Agree or disagree, but if you share his values (Christian) you have a lot of work to do. One wonders, when did values like decency and morality become a joke and how long can this nation survive on the cotton candy values of this generation?

This book about communicative strategy from a positions of PR. It is the basic book about communicative planning and an establishment of the communication strategic goals, but if you design strategy of the communications it is necessary to look papers from a position of the general management.

This book gives the best guide on how to plan strategy, operations and work for communication ventures.
I would put this in the "public relations best practices" category, unlike other texts or practices, this puts the communication professional in touch with the hardcore business players in their corporations or their clients' professional team of executives.
It is helping me a lot stating in the proper words, what my client should be doing in terms of communication, to achieve its business goals.
This has also helped me in getting more customer satisfaction for what I do.

The nature of the communicator's job has shifted dramatically in the last decade. While communicators still prepare speeches, press releases, and articles for corporate magazines, they are now being asked to perform managerial duties, including planning, consulting with stakeholders, and advising CEOs and vice presidents.

With these additional responsibilities as a focus, Communication Planning takes a comprehensive approach to examining the role of integrated planning in modern organizations. Author Sherry Ferguson divides the book into four parts: 1) establishing strategic planning cultures, 2) writing different types of communication plans, 3) theoretical foundations of communication planning, and 4) strategic approaches to planning for issues management and crisis management.

This book breaks new ground in the study of organizational communication and public relations andcontains essential information for consultants, practitioners, and students.

The nature of the communicator's job has shifted dramatically in the last decade. While communicators still prepare speeches, press releases, and articles for corporate magazines, they are now being asked to perform managerial duties, including planning, consulting with stakeholders, and advising CEOs and vice presidents.

With these additional responsibilities as a focus, Communication Planning takes a comprehensive approach to examining the role of integrated planning in modern organizations. Author Sherry Ferguson divides the book into four parts: 1) establishing strategic planning cultures, 2) writing different types of communication plans, 3) theoretical foundations of communication planning, and 4) strategic approaches to planning for issues management and crisis management.

This book breaks new ground in the study of organizational communication and public relations and contains essential information for consultants, practitioners, and students.

CONTENTS: Introduction \ PART ONE: STRATEGIC PLANNING CULTURES \ The Making of Strategic Planning Cultures \ The Role of Integrated Communication Planning \ PART TWO: INTEGRATED PLANNING PROCESSES \ Writing the Strategic Communication Plan (Multiyear or Annual) \ Writing the Multiyear or Annual Operational and Work Plans \Writing the Communication Support Plan: Planning for Special Events, Campaigns and Issues \ Writing the Contingency Plan for Crises \COMMUNICATION THEORIES: THE FOUNDATION FOR PLANNING \ Understanding the Psychology of Audiences: Beliefs, Attitudes, Values and Needs \ The Bases of Source Credibility \ Message Design: Perception, Cognition and Information Acquisition \ Message Design: Theories of Persuasion \ Choosing the Channel: Lessons Learned \ PART FOUR: STRATEGIC PROCESSES \ Strategic Approaches to Planning forIssues Management \ Planning Cooperative Strategies: Partnering,Consulting and Negotiating

When companies implement Customer Relationship Management (CRM), they often find that their number of complaints shoots up. Berndt Stauss and Wolfgang Seidel candidly explain that often, companies actively discourage complaints with processes that are so barrier-ridden that consumers switch to another company's products rather than negotiate the maze. As an alternative, Stauss and Seidel present a CRM-based complaint management system that, for enlightened corporate citizens, can become a strategic asset and even an indirect revenue source. Occasionally, they get a little carried away with their "consultantese" and terms like "process owner" and "complaint owner." Nevertheless, the seven-page complaint-management checklist at the end of the book is particularly valuable. We strongly recommend this book to CRM managers who want to know what their customers really think.

It is an unusual book because of the total approach to complaint management. The weaknesses of most CRM books is lacking in this book. The reason is that after having read the book you have a complete picure of what complaining behavior and complaint managment is. You also know how complaints are related to CRM. Moreover, and what is most rare is that you get practical advice about how to manage complaint management in your firm or how to learn how to teach complaint management. In other words, you know both the value of managing complaint management as well as the cost of not doing so. If you are itnerested in introducing complaint management or have already introduced - buy this book!
Inger Roos, Associate professor at Karlstad university, Service Research Center (CTF)

This book is not another marketing book praising how good you should treat your customers, even though it has one of the 'hot' words in its title (is CRM still hot?). Instead, it is a very thorough and rich analysis of all the elements that a service manager needs to consider if the issue of complaints falls near his/her area of responsibilities.

The authors take you through a precise and well structured account of all elements of the complaint management process. First they describe why and how customers are likely to complain; then they go into how to stimulate, receive, process, control, and analyze complaints, and then back to the likely customer reaction to our response. The last third of the book tackles the organizational and operational issues that you will need to sort out to implement these recommendations: human, organizational, and technological issues.

The first glance at the table of contents may put you off. It is probably too crowded... But be certain that you won't find another book out there with this depth of practical and no-nonsense knowledge and applied techniques.

--- If you are buying just one book on customer complaints, get this one!

In the past few decades the Services Industry has advanced long way - in a direction from product services to a customer centric business environments.
Although the quantitative and qualitative importance of services - as well as its spectrum of offerings - has grown quite considerably, the thrust of activity still seems solely to center around its operational tasks and processes. Bernd Stauss' and Wolfgang Seidel's revolutionary Complaint Managent model represents an impressive progress in our understanding of what services organisations must do to become outstanding and exemplary leaders in the roles of services providers and services innovators.
I have read the book entirely page by page, each chapter creating more desire and curiosty to read the next one.
Today the aspects of complaint management are used probably in hundreds of business facilities around the world, yet there is to my knowledge no other book or public documentation providing such a holistic introduction and a guidance to everyone in services management, to enable the creation of a powerful blue print for services organisations.

Walter Duschek, Speaker of the Supervisory Board Spirit/21 AG, VP AFSMI

This book gives plenty of resourceful information including how to find great discounts and knowing when a site is secure enough to send your credit card information over the internet. Once you've read this book you'll want to keep it close by as a quick reference whenever you shop online.

Great information and hints on how to use the Web for shopping. Specific internet addresses are included for best sites for cooking, electronics, etc. Easy to follow and locate your topic of choice.

I highly recommend that anyone who would like to become an on-line shopper use this book as their first on-line purchase,then read it from cover to cover. The information provided will answer many questions about security, privacy, warranties, etc.

Preston Gralla, no stranger to the Internet scene, has written The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Shopping to educate current and prospective online shoppers about the pros and cons of online shopping. Gralla offers plenty of sound advice people should read up on before spending their time and money shopping online.

The book features an incredible wealth of information including some of the better Websites to buy certain items from, where to find important decision-making information before making online purchases, how to avoid being taken in by online scam artists, sales tax information, using credit cards to make online purchases, user warrantees, return policies, and other important purchasing considerations!

Readers will receive a solid lesson on nearly every aspect of online buying. They can compare cars, homes, computers, cameras, and other items before parting with their money. They have access to a number of consumer organizations that can alert them about problem companies, dealers, and products. They also have access to one another!

One topic that has caught the attention of many online shoppers in recent times is the online auctioning of merchandise. Just about anyone can join in and submit online bids for just about anything imaginable under the sun. Beware though! As of this writing there has already been cases of online fraud and child involvement. This fascinating aspect of online shopping requires close scrutiny. Gralla devotes a lot of attention to this matter and so should we!

For those considering going into business for themselves, there is still plenty of time for them to join in the fun and thrill of going into business online. Web developers will gain important online marketing strategies from this book that can be used to create effective business Websites for themselves and for others!

Risks, fears, and concerns aside, online shopping has taken off and will no doubt achieve further popularity in the years to come. This book will help shape the lives of those involved with the various aspects of this fast growing industry, whether as consumers or as marketers. Prepare yourself to shop more intelligently. Make informed purchases. This outstanding book will guide you all the way. It will make a difference!