Marketing Books

No 2 of Freese' series of sales books. This one uses an interesting style of having 100 short chapters , each on a separate point . A very useful book, that builds on the first - Question Based Selling. I believe for todays selling environment serious sales people must read his books. He gets so much right immediately that one becomes so much better as a salesman so quickly. He offers useful approaches to everyday issues in selling. These range from major corporate through to being a start-up salesperson. How to deal with pricing, aggressive competitors, inside coaches and anti-coaches. There is so much value in here I wish he had written it earlier so I would have made even more sales.

..... ..... of Tom Freese's book - "It Only Takes 1%".

As a salesman, have you ever inquired of yourself:

1) why would the president invite me into his office ? 2) once in the president's office, how does one add value causing the president to openly discuss corporate issues? 3) how does one control the sale's process through the entire cycle - cold call, first meeting, beating the competition, adding value to the sale, looking for additional opportunities to sell, closing the deal? 4) have you ever witnessed your prospect assume a blank facial expression during your elevator pitch? Could this be because your pitch sounds like blah....blah....blah (the same as every other competitor's pitch of adding value, speed, functionality, scalability, etc)? 5) well then, how do you differentiate yourself?

Tom's book challenges all traditional sales methodology that I have been taught throughout my 15 year sales career. I have used several of Tom's techniques in my technical sales job. The customer response is phenomenal.

There is a lot to learn from this book!!!!

In this book Mr. Freese drives home the point that sales are most often won and lost by very small margins of victory. He teaches his lessons through a series of fun and inspiring stories that illustrate how little things often make a big difference. This is the kind of book I like - short chapters, fun stories, and excellent writing. This is a perfect book for sales managers who want to augment their sales meetings and newsletters with quick and powerful lessons on sales excellence.

Jeb Blount, Author of PowerPrinciples: Do You Have The Winning Edge?

Whether you're new to sales or a seasoned veteran this book provides simple and effective ways to improve your sales efforts. By applying these common sense (but many times forgotten) lessons you too will have a competitive edge in sales. This is a great book that is a quick and easy read. I highly recommend it. Good selling...

I heard about this book through a friend of mine and bought it. The Slashdot review appeared as I was half-way through the book and it didn't connect. May be it's me, but what I was reading in this book was quite interesting. First of all, this book takes quite an interesting approach to describe the problems in high tech community. It is very readable. The author covers *a lot* of stuff in 230 pages. I do agree with Slashdot reviewer that the author has only described his personal experiences. I've been in the field of IT for over 20 years and I think this is the first time a book talks so much about the people and their mindsets, without trying to offer a new buzzword. Refreshing. Of late I've been dealing with a lot of Indian offshore executives and I highly recommend that high tech companies (may be all companies) in India read this book so that they know how a mature professional ought to think. Part Three of the book is a classic introduction to the real product marketing, just the way it ought to be done in high tech companies. The context framework the author uses repeatedly is quite intriguing, although it just might come across as a little too-rigorous for a professional book like this.

Among many other things, I think this is a perfect book to bridge the marketing gap for engineers (and the engineering aspects for product managers). Product specifications invariably evolve as the product is being whetted - and new features may require re-engineering which could delay the product. This stuff happens every day in engineering organizations. Companies have to trade-off between product features and market timing and an inherent tension develops between development and marketing groups.

As with any problem the solution lies in acquiring knowledge - in this case knowledge of the workings of the various groups responsible for the finished product. The book does an excellent job of guiding the user through this process. Like all good solutions maybe the answer is conceptually simple!

I heard about this book through a friend of mine and bought it. The Slashdot review appeared as I was half-way through the book and it didn't connect. May be it's me, but what I was reading in this book was quite interesting. First of all, this book takes quite an interesting approach to describe the problems in high tech community. It is very readable. The author covers *a lot* of stuff in 230 pages. I do agree with Slashdot reviewer that the author has only described his personal experiences. I've been in the field of IT for over 20 years and I think this is the first time a book talks so much about the people and their mindsets, without trying to offer a new buzzword. Refreshing. Of late I've been dealing with a lot of Indian offshore executives and I highly recommend that high tech companies (may be all companies) in India read this book so that they know how a mature professional ought to think. Part Three of the book is a classic introduction to the real product marketing, just the way it ought to be done in high tech companies. The context framework the author uses repeatedly is quite intriguing, although it just might come across as a little too-rigorous for a professional book like this.

In the Preface, Karamchedu offers a core premise that senior-level executives in high-technology companies must have a specific mindset which enables them to remain connected, not only with their employer organizations and colleagues but also with their family members and friends. "This book is an attempt to record the [in italics] makings [end italics] of such a mindset. More important, we attempt to establish [in italics] why [end italics] the thinking must be in such a way." Karamchedu also examines the reasons for the failure for so many new product designs which are launched in the high technology sector. "Either the product is not what the customer wanted, or the product did not arrive in time, or [it] did not have a compelling advantage over that of its competitor's. Karamchedu identifies three reasons, any one of which could ensure failure. I was also interested in what Karamchedu had to say about an especially formidable challenge: To coordinate, indeed integrate harmonious collaboration between engineering groups and marketing teams.

Karamchedu carefully organizes 20 chapters within four Parts: The Thinking (e.g. "The Problem"), The Forward Movement Latent in Execution (e.g. "The Context of Execution"), High Tech Contexts: A Semiconductor Company View (e.g. "The Semiconductor Value Chain"), and The Craft and the Mindset (e.g. "Manage Expectations"). If I understand Karamchedu correctly (and I may not), he asserts that more often than not, failure in the high-tech marketplace is not the result of faulty technology and/or a defective strategy; rather, because of a lack of cooperation and collaboration between/among engineers and marketers. This lack of interaction almost always results in ineffective execution. Market windows come and go unrecognized until it is too late. Karamchedu responds to one of the most important questions posed in this book: How is it that, in spite of making remarkable strides in high technology product design, development and deployment of these products in markets, we are still struggling to create a harmony between marketing and engineering professionals?"

For me, Chapter 10 ("The Context of Execution") is one of the most interesting and most valuable because it is in this chapter that Karamchedu focuses on a framework of contexts: the technological, the customer, and the economic. All three must be engaged in driving whatever individual employees create, build, and deploy in the market. Thus viewed, "a high technology company is simply a confluence of the three contexts." Karamchedu views all this as a powerful new paradigm to connect the three contexts with the circle of execution. How? Please see page 92.

Lest these brief remarks incorrectly suggest that this is an especially theoretical, hypothetical book, I hasten to observe that Karamchedu seems well aware of that peril and for that reason includes dozens of concrete examples which effectively illustrate his key points. If I have a concern, it is that the material may seem too technical to marketing executives and not technical enough to engineers. I agree with Karamchedu that "the strength of any high technology product is differentiation and a focused approach to selected markets." Hence the importance of having a vision which provides a clear, unquestionable, solid identity as to [in italics] what we are as a company." Karamchedu views his approach in this book as an "experiment" and it probably is. Be that as it may, executives in high technology companies are indeed provided with "something useful to think about" as they continue to explore and refine the craft of thinking on which the success of their organizations so heavily depends.

Well-done, Raj Karamchedu!

Used this book for a class...it was a great read. Learn a lot about the minds of the consumer. Authors put themselves within the peoeple they are studying which increases their fast knowledge of consumer types.

Basically a fun read. It's not market research, exactly - Rentel doesn't back up his thinking with hard numbers - but it did a good job of explaining and dimensionalizing some of the key consumer demographics out there today. I have a feeling that lots of the anecdotes and examples in this book are going to rattle around in my head for months to come: Did you know that nearly a third of all adults only have sex a few times a year? Orthat there are websites that count every cigarette smoked onscreen during a movie for hyper parents who want to keep their kids from seeing someone smoks? Or that 20% or new homes are sold to single women buying alone? This isn't a book you need to read cover to cover right away, or even in chronological order, to get something out of it. But if you want something light that's also smart, this is the book for you.

If you want to get inside the minds of your consumers, this book will help
you. I saw the book sitting on my boss's desk, and the title made me think
it might be a little goofy. But once I started to read it, I realized the
author really knows what he's talking about. (He runs a market research
company in New York, basically talks to consumers for a living.) Karma
Queens, Ms. Independents, Parentocrats etc. and all the other consumer types
described in the book seem like real people -- usually someone in my own life
immediately came to mind -- and after reading the chapter on them I thought
that I really did have a handle on how to sell to them. I'd highly recommend
it to anyone in in brand management or marketing.

I have to read a lot of marketing books in my job, and it's usually a slog-- one good idea to start and then a lot of filler. "Karma Queens etc." held my interest to the end, and gave me a lot to think about. You could really almost classify it as human interest rather than marketing, though I think it will be really useful for anybody whose job it is to market to consumers.

The Drucker Foundation has done it again. Gathered a remarkable collection of thought leaders (see the list below) and asked them to write on a critical issue -- leading innovation.

Each chapter is short and easy to absorb, but the collection provides a powerful set of ideas about how leaders can make innovation happen in their organization, whether it's a business, a nonprofit, or a government.

Get a copy for yourself, and one for your boss!

International Thought leaders
James Burke, Jim Collins, Arie de Geus, Max De Pree, Charles Handy, Margaret J. Wheatley

Academics
Clayton M. Christensen (Harvard Business School), Howard Gardner & Kim Barberich (Harvard School of Education), Rosabeth Moss Kanter (Harvard Business School), Dorothy Leonard (Harvard Business School), Henry Mintzberg (McGill University), Jeffrey Pfeffer (Stanford Business School), Walter Swap (Tufts University) Dave Ulrich (University of Michigan)

Corporate leaders
John Kao (Idea Factory), Robert E. Knowling, Jr. (Internet Access Technologies), Ann Livermore (Hewlett-Packard), Bill Pollard (ServiceMaster), David S. Pottruck (Charles Schwab), Daniel Vasella (Novartis)

Consultants
M. Kathryn Clubb, Marshall Goldsmith

Government
William J. Bratton (former Chief of NYPD), Stephen Goldsmith (former mayor of Indianapolis)

Excellent compilation on Leadership attributes for innovation and is a collection of well written articles which made me think and connect to a real world phenomenon. I enjoy reading Peter Drucker's books and the content of the book has Peter Drucker's flavor to it. The Clarity and style of this book is truly outstanding.

Some 23 experts on management from academia and the private sector share their ideas on how you can take that bloated bureaucracy and turn it into a nimble and innovative machine. The book offers no quick fixes, as illustrated by the authors' observation that innovation is a culture, and not an event. Of special interest is the included list of practices that squelch innovation. We [...] recommend this book, which was inspired by management science pioneer Peter F. Drucker, for executives and all devoted students of the management arts.

Most collected volumes have a few good essays and then you can take or leave the rest. But all of the essays in this book are more than worth the price of the whole book. I was blown away by the depth of wisdom and insight in this collection. You get Charles Handy, Margaret Wheatley, Clayton Christensen, Jim Collins, and Rosabeth Moss Kanter.

I'm always pressed for time and I loved how each one of these essays offered me something I could use in my daily work. There are so many things that can get in the way of being an effective leader and this book helped me think in new ways and look at my organization-an myself-in a new way.

I get the Drucker Foundation's journal, Leader to Leader, and always get great stuff out of it. This collection met all of the expectations I had of a book from the Drucker Foundation.

The editors of Business Bestsellers, a popular German/Austrian publication, has just declared Let Your Fingers Do the Talking as "one of the best 36 business books published in 2000!" Business Bestsellers is a subscription publication that is sent to hundreds of thousands of European business executives.

The editors of Business Bestsellers, a popular German/Austrian publication, has just declared Let Your Fingers Do the Talking as "one of the best 36 business books published in 2000!" Business Bestsellers is a subscription publication that is sent to hundreds of thousands of European business executives.

In Let Your Fingers Do The Talking: Using Word Of Mouth Advertising On The Internet, author, public policy consultant, and marketing analyst Godfrey Harris presents a comprehensive discussion, along with detailed program ideas, on stimulating word of mouth comments on the Internet about products, services, places, and events to expand e- commerce sales. An invaluable, highly recommended primer for on-line entrepreneurs and corporate marketing directors, Let Your Fingers Do The Talking also includes analyses of how to convert any traditional advertising approach to a word of mouth program and how to determine what works in terms of word of mouth, what doesn't, and why.

The Word-of-Mouth-Advertising champion and chronicler applies his proven techniques to the Internet. Godfrey Harris combines the least expensive form of advertising with the most efficient method of spreading the message: Drafting email messages that recipients want to forward to friends. Harris shares secrets, provides figures and cites case studies to show you how to get more bang for your promotion buck. Glossary and index. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com

Those foreign-owned companies thinking of setting up shop in Japan must read Leveraging Japan first. After arriving in Japan, you'll find yourself referencing this book often.

In particular, manufacturers of consumer goods will benefit from the insights offered by these 3 authors. Manufacturers of industrial goods may get less out of this book.

Although written back in 2000, Leveraging Japan is still a tried and true analysis of the Japanese consumer market. You'll learn why Western-based manufacturers of consumer goods prefer to enter Asia via Japan, not China.

If you are not a manufacturer, then I would instead recommend a book such as Saying Yes to Japan: How Outsiders are Reviving a Trillion Dollar Services Market.

This book details the atmosphere in Japan since the Asian Crash. It contains the most current information (released 1/04/00) on Japanese market conditions. This information has assisted me both in understanding my multinational clients' needs as well as directed me toward the legal advice I need to advocate in entering this market.

For 15 years now I have consulted for US companies planning to enter the Japanese market. It has been some time since I read a book this up to date, this exciting, this accessible on the subject of entering the Japanese market in the English language. The main shortcomig of the book is its misleading title: the book is really about the changes in the Japanese market due to the changing consumer demographics and attitudes, regulatory restructuring, and the ongoing revolution in distribution systems; about the recent experiences of US entrants (1994-98) into the market; and the reasons why some succeeded while others failed. The books makes three exellent points: that the Japanese market place is changing dramatically; that foreign companies with the commitment and the resources to enter the market directly can and do make lots of money in Japan almost immediately; and that Japan offers much better profit and growh prospects to American companies than the ephemeral but fashionable emerging markets of SE Asia. The book presents issues of doing business in Japan from the point of view of large, determined, well capitalized companies entering the market through their own directly owned subsidiaries and makes the point that this may be the only fool-proof method to do well in that market. It isnt cheap, but worth its price as a guide and a reference book.

As both a Japanese and an experienced marketer who got the master degree of marketing in the U.S. recently, I do recommend this book for your "must-read." There may have been a lot of books titled such as "Marketing in Japan," and they might have taught you "Bow each other and give your name card when you see Japanese business person at the first time." It's really awkward for Japanese. And I had been very curious why foreign marketers have repeated to fail in Japan's market and why they have misunderstood or overlooked Japan's culture, infrastructure, and fundamentals as a lucrative consumer market. The book will show you the change of Japan as the most important market and the portal to Asia into new era, but will tell you the principle of multicultural marketing that has not changed, as well. The reliable statistics and tips/topics in the book are absolutely terrific to depict the real Japan. It must be helpful for you to know and success in the market.

Don't even pick up this book unless you have a few hours to spare. It's fascinating, and it covers much more than radio. When you look up one of your favorite personalities, you're likely to find out things you never knew, then on the same page, you'll spot someone you didn't even know was ever on the radio...and it keeps going from there. Love the pictures and the "gossipy" inside stuff too. I've never seen a book like this before. Now I wonder why every city doesn't have one.

Don Barrett has proven again why he is the choice for LA RADIO PEOPLE....A must read whether you are in the loop or for all you ever wanted to know and thought you did, but there's never a dull moment. What a tribute to all LA RADIO PEOPLE.

As a broadcaster, LA Radio People is the best book I've seen covering the air talent of Los Angeles. Great job by Don Barrett

If you've ever spent time trapped amongst LA's freeways, waiting for the latest traffic report....lounged alongside the Pacific beachs of LA county beaches grooving the scenery and top 40 radio...or dialed around late at night from wherever you live and caught some of those long distance LA Radio waves...this book is for you,

Don has done the radio buffs of the world a tremendous service in compiling this, a first of its' kind volume of the who's who of LA Radio.

The book is filled with pictures, detailed biographical information and its own Top 10 LA Radio Personalty ranking.

If you love radio like I do, you'll want to snap up a copy of LA Radio People. It's fun, informative and filled with scintillating details about the men and women who make up the wall of sound that is LA Radio.

Magical Marketing is absolutely fabulous! The expert information and analysis displayed on it's pages show how a small business can win at marketing it's products efficiently and effectively in a competitive market. I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish, in fact I am applying some of it's principles immediately within my corporation and for my new book The Road To The NBA, Vol.2. Great job! I highly recommend it.

This book is long overdue. I read it from cover to cover and it is definitely one of the best books on marketing for the small business. I particularly enjoyed seeing how the author related each principle to real lfe examples, as well as discussing how any business can adapt the same techniques. Highly recommended.

The thing I really liked about this book is that it does not focus exclusively with marketing physical products. Yes, plenty of space is devoted to that aspect of marketing but in every chapter there are also some great ideas and specific guidance on marketing Services, including insurance sales, travel agents, photographers and hairdressing salons to name but a few. The book held my interest throughout and I found it very helpful in my line of work, which is an independent mortgage broker.

I recently set up my own business and the concept behind this book intrigued me - that is applying the marketing techniques of large businesses to small businesses. Most of the other books I looked at seemed to over complicate the subject of marketing. Mr Lock does a great job in making a complex subject easy to follow, with some great advice on how any small business can make more sales. I particularly liked the layout of the book, with its short, manageable sections. A few of the ideas that were presented were familiar to me, but most of the suggestions were ones I had not come across before. I definitely give the book a thumbs up!

I was looking for a book that was full of information that I could use - not someone's memoirs. This book saved me hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars in research and hard knock lessons. I was on the wrong path - and thanks to the incredible information in this book, I'm now on the right path. For anyone who has an idea for a product, or has a product and is looking for how to market it - this is the book for you. Whether you are looking for the QVC market, the mass market, or a niche market - this is the book for you. You will find the information you need to get on the right path.

You know this book was ok. I guess it depends on what you are looking for. The author gives a good effort to get you to understand how to find a good "QVC Product". But really that is up to you.

You will get a glimpse at the steps it takes to get on QVC and what happens once you get there. But be realistic. This or any book will not be the magic bullet that will make you rich.

This book is a step-by-step roadmap to successfully understanding the path you need to follow to get your product on QVC. Because the book is not long, it provides succinct information on virtually all aspects of what you need to do and - most importantly - what you must avoid doing to successfully launch your product on QVC.

I recommend the book to all who believe in their product but don't mind spending a little time with someone who walks the walk.

Who among us has not dreamed of seeing our product making thousands of dollars in a few short minutes on a shopping channel? This book and a good product are all you need. The secrets of how to do exactly that are shared by someone who has "walked the walk". Nick Romer's entire book is a goldmine, but I found two chapters in particular to be worth the cost of the book: the chapter on how to find or create hot products and the chapter on common mistakes and how to avoid them. Nick explains how marketing works in this country and he drives his points home with examples from his own experience or from that of others he knows. This book is the real deal! ~Mary Russell Sarao, co-author of, The Everything Inventions & Patents Book and Inventing on a Shoestring Budget as well as co-columnist for 2 for the Money column in Inventors Digest Magazine.

I bought this book pretty shortly after first discovering competiitve intelligence (CI). Fortunately, it wasn't among the first book I had read. Actually, West's and Linville's texts have that honor. This book is definitely higher level material than the other two I mentioned and actually was more beneficial to me because I had read over the more entry-level books first. This book is probably a little less how to than some other CI books, but makes up for it by being a "thinking man's" book. You can tell that all the chapter writers know their stuff and have spent much time considering their topics. It shows through in the more academic approach they take. Surprisingly, despite this academic approach, nearly all the chapters are relevant and useful. I don't find many books that find this balance and this one manages to do it very well. This book is a good one for more experienced practitioners. I wouldn't recommend it to those who have less than a couple years of CI experience.

This book was a good one for me. I recently completed my MBA at one of Florida's top schools (which shall remain nameless) where I took several courses in business strategy. For some unknown reason, I never heard of competitive intelligence during any of my studies. I picked up this book as a way to learn about a range of strategy applications. It was defintiely enlightening to me. What kills me is that this stuff isn't taught in more grad business programs, but I sort of understand why now after having read through the book. My favorite chapters were those in part 4, particularly on how you can use CI in biotech and service industries, and how it can work for small businesses.

I also liked the last few chapters dealing with ethics (another topic mysteriously absent from my MBA)and the future of CI which was written by the two authors. I honestly think this book would have made the basis for a terrific MBA level course in applied strategy and I have written my institution's professors to suggest that they do just that!

Although I'm now employed in the CI field with a large insurance company down here, I would have felt much better had I read this book a year or two ago before I had completed my graduate studies and pursued careers in this exciting and challenging field. I hope there will be more broad ranging CI books like this one in the future and maybe, just maybe, we'll see some discussed in our MBA programs! Hats off to the editors and keep up the solid work!

I am an Australian CI professional with over a decade's experience in the field working with a variety of resource-based companies as a CI and Marketing freelancer. I found out about this book from a Sydney-based colleague who knows one of the editors who has spent some time working with companies down under. I was looking for a book that had both academic rigour and legitimacy along with some pragmatic advice about conducting CI in both SMEs (similar to ones I work in) and larger companies. This book struck a nice balance.

I particularly found several chapters of high value. The first chapter by Craig S. Fleisher gave a broad and insightful overview of the field and explained why it really hadn't "caught on" with corporate chieftains or those in training (MBAs)in North America. The 6th chapter by Richard McClurg was also among the best I've ever read describing the "push and pull" aspects of CI and the Net. Fleisher's chapter on analysis is also among the most valuable I've found on this difficult topic. I hope that this line of thought would be further extended in future efforts as it could warrant a book-length treatment by itself.

But my favourite chapter was likely the 10th by Fleisher and Blenkhorn on CI assessment. Everyone knows this is the CI "holy grail" and that the field will not progress until it solves the eternal issues of trying to find methods for assessing it better. The authors provided a multi-method approach that carves valuable ground into achieving the breakthrough the field needs. I have already applied several of their methods in my work and agree that there is much merit in the tools they suggest. I wish they had more room in the book to go into even greater depth but I recognize that their treatment likely had more to do with the space limitations that edited volumes like this one entail.

The entire 3rd section on applying CI to business functions and processes was enlightening to me as I've often been challenged within my employing companies to connect CI to others in the business. Knip's chapter on CI and the management accountant, and Rongdahl's on the BI-CI interface are particularly insightful. I must admit that the chapter (14) by Noori and others on NPD and CI appeared even more academic than I'd prefer and I wish they could have better stipulated what this interface might mean to practicing managers.

All in all, I really liked this book as it provided a wide variety of new and fresh thinking around the edges of the CI field in which many practitioners find themselves working. I have been sharing some of the chapters with my work colleagues and have found them valuable entres to further discussions about how CI can be of help to them.

I recommend this book to practitioners who are looking for a meatier than average treatment of CI. The book does appear to assume some knowledge of the field or at least a Uni-based understanding of business or competitive analysis practices and would likely be of best help to the mid-level CI manager or manager assigned CI as part of their broader responsibilities. Newcomers to the field might want to read a basic "how to" treatment (examples coming to mind would be the Kahaner or Fuld books) before tackling and benefitting as much from this one.

This book was a good one for me. I recently completed my MBA at one of Florida's top schools (which shall remain nameless) where I took several courses in business strategy. For some unknown reason, I never heard of competitive intelligence during any of my studies. I picked up this book as a way to learn about a range of strategy applications. It was defintiely enlightening to me. What kills me is that this stuff isn't taught in more grad business programs, but I sort of understand why now after having read through the book. My favorite chapters were those in part 4, particularly on how you can use CI in biotech and service industries, and how it can work for small businesses.

I also liked the last few chapters dealing with ethics (another topic mysteriously absent from my MBA)and the future of CI which was written by the two authors. I honestly think this book would have made the basis for a terrific MBA level course in applied strategy and I have written my institution's professors to suggest that they do just that!

Although I'm now employed in the CI field with a large insurance company down here, I would have felt much better had I read this book a year or two ago before I had completed my graduate studies and pursued careers in this exciting and challenging field. I hope there will be more broad ranging CI books like this one in the future and maybe, just maybe, we'll see some discussed in our MBA programs! Hats off to the editors and keep up the solid work!