Book Description

First published to media acclaim in October 2003, Trading Up revealed howtoday’s middle-class consumers are seeking higher levels of quality, taste, and aspirationthan had ever been possible before—in their choices of cars and clothing, vodka and beer,golf clubs and dolls, and much more. The book identified a major opportunity forentrepreneurs and innovators, managers and marketers, in every category of consumergoods and services. Now Michael Silverstein and Neil Fiske have thoroughly revised thisBusinessWeek bestseller with new research and new insights into the still- growing phenomenon of trading up. ... Read more

Book Description

Marketing Strategy is presented from a perspective that guides strategic marketing management in the social, economic, and technological arenas in which businesses function today. This text helps to develop a customer-oriented market strategy and market plan. ... Read more

Book Description

Strategies and tools that guarantee big-ticket sales!

Neil Rackham's national bestseller SPIN Selling revolutionized high-end selling. Now, The SPIN Selling Fieldbook shows you how to actually put into practice the proven tools and techniques outlined in that cutting-edge guide. After a review of the SPIN method of selling, Neil Rackham zeroes in on the critical SPIN® questioning behaviors. He shows you how to apply the tools and techniques to your own selling situation, using practical, skill-building exercises incorporated into each chapter. Addressing the sales of services as well as capital goods, the Fieldbook provides you with a hands-on implementation guide for applying SPIN in a wide range of businesses from localized companies to large multinationals. Real-life case studies of sales forces at leading-edge companies such as Motorola, Johnson & Johnson, and AT&T help you explore additional techniques that go beyond the basics to boost sales with even the toughest customers and clients.

Reviews (7)

A No Fluff Workbook to Improve Your Powers of Persuasion
A very clear book applying SPIN Selling techniques. No fluff, no extraneous threads leading you away from the primary focus. The techniques can be applied far beyond sales, and utilized in a broader sense to persuade as opposed to the narrower definition of selling.

Great Book
I don't sell, but I set appointments for salesmen and I've had a limited amount of success by using the techniques in this book. I admit though I'm new to the Spin Selling technique and have used it only for a month. The book shows you a way of dealing with what are commonly called "stalls" in sales terminology and how to convert those stalls into sales or moving the sale one step forward with a face to face meeting with the prospect. When I say "limited amount of succes", I mean that although I'm setting the same amount of appointments, my sales have gone up. I might have even dropped in appointments but still the sales went up. The book provides exercises through which you ask yourself questions that focus on how your product can solve your customers' needs and on questions you ask your customers to make them desire your product. You have to do all the work. There is no secret to sales and the spin selling fieldbook will give you the foundation from which you can build a career in sales.

S.P.I.N. Succeeds
It's good, but I liked Levine's Guerila PR: Wired better. Liked the jokes and stuff.

This is the best Selling Tool outside of my Palm ever.
I have been in sales for 10 years. I have sold stocks and mutual funds, sponsorships to events, booth exhibitions and now am selling enterprise internet-based software. This Fieldguide is an AMAZING resource. It tells you ideas and notions then asks you to apply them to a specific sales situation you are currently facing.

I was sceptical at first, but have read a chapter a day and have already noticed a difference in the conversations I have with prospects and customers. I leave a call or meeting with a commitment from them to take a buying action - leading me closer to a sale. I highly recommend this book.

one of the best books ever about the sales process
This book is right on the mark for all types of selling. Very professionally done and the technique is just what is needed in today's markets. All my reps are advised to read and use the work book. It is our primary training aid for all registered reps. ... Read more

Book Description

Now ranked the #1 selling Marketing Research book, this edition returns with an abundance of new and updated exercises, coverage, and features. Most notable is a special emphasis on online marketing research. Nearly every chapter includes coverage on how the Internet and new technologies are impacting research methods, for better and for worse. A book cannot succeed on new features and topics alone. With every new edition, reviewers complement these authors for an approach that is innovative yet approachable and reliable. Exercises and cases have been checked for accuracy, and the authors also recruited a Blue Ribbon Panel of marketing research professionals. The Panel explores today's increasingly digital research environment from a practitioner's point of view.Chapter topics include the marketing research process and industry, determining research objectives, research design, measurement, data collection and analysis, interpreting associations among variables, predictive analysis, and preparing and presenting the research report.For an understanding and appreciation of how marketing research works in practice. ... Read more

Book Description

"Eating the Big Fish is on fire with ideas.

Best in the marketplace." —Steve Hayden, President, Worldwide Brand Services, Ogilvy & Mather

"In 1986, the Levi's® Dockers® brand challenged the biggest fish in the men's apparel sea, Haggar.And we beat the pants off them! In his new book, Adam Morgan adroitly presents many of the same fundamental marketing principles which worked so well for us. A must read for marketing professionals." —Steve Goldstein, V.P. Marketing & Research, Levi's Brand U.S.A.

"Eating the Big Fish gives an excellent insight into how the Challenger brands can pose a true threat to the rest of us." —Michel van Eesbeeck, Advertising Manager, Global Brand, The British Petroleum Company p.l.c.

"Adam Morgan's Eating the Big Fish is a marketing bible written like a fast-paced novel.

It's filled with hardcore truths we can all learn from and others we should always be reminded of. A swift and enjoyable business read." —Phil Dusenberry, Chairman, BBDO.

"If you want to get rid of your preconceived ideas about marketing and become a true Challenger, you must read this book." —Göran Lundqvist, President, The Absolut Company.

Years ago, Avis was a little fish in the car rental industry. Fearing the company would be swallowed up if they didn't "try harder," Avis boldly announced its #2 status to the world through advertising—and the rest is history. Why has this approach become a marketing legend? Because there are more people who can relate to being #2, 3, or even 4, than can claim they know what it's like to be the Big Fish.

There are plenty of little fish out there, circling in schools around the brand leaders they so desperately wish to surpass. Squeezed by new competition, a retreating consumer, and aggressive retailing practices, marketers of second- and third-rank brands are struggling to survive in a business environment where they have fewer resources and less control than ever before. But instead of watching—and copying—every move the Big Fish makes, these "Challenger" brands need their own set of marketing rules if they have any hopes of staying afloat and competing effectively against the leader.

Eating the Big Fish is the first book that sets out to define those rules. Adam Morgan offers an innovative mental and strategic framework for those who find themselves in this new, hostile middle ground, looking for aggressive growth against the market leader. Morgan, the Joint European Planning Director of TBWA (the international advertising agency behind the campaigns for such brands as Absolut vodka, Apple computers, and Sony Playstation), has examined in detail forty of the most successful Challenger brands of the last ten years—new or relaunched brands which have achieved rapid growth (and fame) with limited marketing resources. He outlines the reasons why Challengers must think differently in order to survive, offering hands-on advice, plentiful examples, and invaluable information to help a Challenger learn how to swim out of the shadow of the Big Fish.

At the heart of the book are the Eight Credos of Challenger Brands—Morgan's analysis of the common marketing strands that these Challengers seem to share, which range in scope from the need to project who you are and what you believe in (#2, Build a Lighthouse Identity) to insights about the organizational structure and focus in such companies and brands (#8, Become Idea-Centered, Rather Than Consumer-Centered). Morgan fully analyzes each Credo, discussing in detail the marketing strategy and behavior of the specific Challenger brands that have shaped the rules. He provides case studies that include both his agency's clients and other well-known brands, such as Lexus, Oakley, Fox TV, Energizer, Virgin Atlantic, Swatch, Nissan, and more. Morgan then draws the Credos together into a "Challenger Strategic Program" that can be applied to the reader's own market and brand challenge, offering a proposed outline for a two-day Off-Site Program that will attempt to kick-start the Challenger process for a core group within any marketing or management team. In addition, Morgan looks at the great Challengers of the last ten years who have gone on to become brand leaders, and shows how even the rules of brand leadership have changed—why staying #1 now means, in fact, thinking and behaving like a #2.

Anyone can follow a leader. It takes a smart company to go up against the Big Fish, and Morgan's innovative, strategic program will show even the littlest fish how to make a meal out of the competition. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Great book, but skim the latter chapters
I am new to marketing and I wanted a good book on marketing. This one delivers, particularly for challenger brands something that is becomming more apparent in eCommerce. While the book does not talk about eCommerce many of the concepts and thoughts apply. Overall worth reading to learn about branding and marketing.

"Challenges" the conventional wisdom
I'm telling all my clients about this book. If you agree with the following, you'll like it too. "..marketing is not a science but informed judgement...the cover of the book should offer a photograph of Herb Kelleher, dressed as his occasional business alter ego, Elvis Presley, with the title 'Does This Man Look Like a Scientist?'"

Great exercises to get you thinking, no matter if your brand is a leader or an also ran. e.g."Grove" named for Andy Grove- "Fire ourselves- leave the building and come back in as an entirely new team. What's one thing you would stop doing and one thing you would do instead?" Morgan punches holes in conventional wisdom- mission statements, focus groups, etc. A favorite quote: "The key failure, then, for any company attempting to effect a gear change in its own performance is not the ability to define its intention, but the inability to translate intention into behavior."

Insightful!
Author Adam Morgan went hunting for the second most successful brands. He sought commonalities among them to develop guidelines for those who are challenging the number one brands in their fields. In other words, if you are coming into the battle in the number two slot, here's your strategy for winning the marketing wars. Morgan is very adept at breaking things down into precise action steps. Witty and engaging, he offers a detailed analysis of the current consumer attitude about brands plus strategies you can use to market your second or third rank brand. We recommend this compilation of competitive ideas to those who want to boost their "Challenger" brands.

One of the best
This is one of the best books on insight in marketing today. A lot of others tell you "what" unique marketing/advertising approaches they did...this one explains "why".

A must for daring minds dealing with brands.
With an easy and smart prose, Adam Morgan is quite loyal to one of the Eight Credos of Challenger Brands: sacrifice. He did skip all the typical marketing and advertising blah, blah, to make his point about the meaning and vision of outstanding brands that are not #1, and how they can become even more interesting and appealing to consumers through a challenging way of thinking and acting. The Challenger Program is worth trying! ... Read more

Book Description

Using real-life case studies, Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics helps readers better understand the basic concepts, strategies, and tactics practiced in public relations today. The book presents an engaging and comprehensive overview of the principles, concepts, and methods of public relations. Its systematic approach combines fundamental concepts with numerous real-life case studies, helping readers relate theory to actual practice. Special emphasis is given to ethics, international public relations, and technology's growing impact on the field. Comprehensive and up-to-date, this best-seller shows how public relations plays a vital role in today's global economy and the public discussion of contemporary issues. Designed for anyone interested in public relations, journalism, communication, and business. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

If you're a govt communicator, you should also see
Media Relations Handbook for Agencies, Associations, Nonprofits and Congress. The Handbook is written by Brad Fitch, who has more than a decade of Washington PR experience, with a Foreword by Mike McCurry.

What others have said about Fitch's book (about which you can see more at MediaRelationsHandbook.com ):

"Great advice for beginners and experienced media hands. If you are a media relations professional--either beginner or seasoned veteran--this is the book for you. Brad Fitch, who spent many years fielding reporters' tough questions on Capitol Hill, has written a timely, practical guide to handling media relations that is filled with solid professional advice. What goes into a press release? How do you develop a strategic message? You've got a digital camera and a fax machine, but what else does your office need to effectively handle the media? Before you start talking to a reporter, do you know the difference between 'on the record,' 'off the record,' and 'background'? When there's an immediate crisis in your organization, what are the eight mistakes that you absolutely must avoid? How do you handle your paranoid boss when he or she has to confront the press? You'll find the answers to these and many other everyday problems in this book. Fitch also gives valuable advice on how to set up an effective website and how to use e-mail for optimum communications. Excellent book for professionals who work in federal or state agencies, trade associations, non-profits, state legislatures or Congress. It's the only handbook you'll ever need."
Dennis W. Johnson, college professor and former Capitol Hill senior staffer

"Provides valuable advice for those who flack for a living."
Roll Call

"A superb blend of theory and practice, written by someone who uses words like Gallup uses polls."
Steve O'Keefe, author "Complete Guide to Internet Publicity" and Adjunct Faculty, Tulane University College

"Uncertain how to interest the press in your pressing issue? Having difficulty preparing your media-unfriendly boss for a tough interview? Worried about the next communications crisis and how to handle it? Brad Fitch answers those questions and many more in this crisp, clear and completely useful book."
Tucker Carlson, Co-Host CNN Crossfire, author

"A seminar from TheCapitol.Net is one of the best ways to learn from the experts about how Washington really works. Now all that insight and information has been packed into this invaluable volume. I suggest you read it, and become your own expert."
Steven V. Roberts, syndicated columnist, TV and radio analyst, college professor

"Brad Fitch has performed an admirable public service by giving public relations students and professionals alike an indispensable tool. His book provides a road map on both the practicalities and principles of PR, and he shows that honest PR is not an oxymoron. Now it's up to all of us in the media and spin industries to keep our end of the bargain."
Ed Henry, Congressional Correspondent, CNN (formerly Senior Editor of Roll Call)

"This volume is an invaluable road map to the mean streets of a city where information is power and power is everything. Brad Fitch has written a rich 'how-to' lesson for pros and for novices who must negotiate the competitive landscape of America's new media."
Ann Compton, White House Correspondent, ABC News

"Media Relations Handbook is to political campaigns what The Art of War is to military campaigns: an essential strategic reference that winners should never be without."
James Carville, Co-Host CNN Crossfire, author

Again, you can see more about Fitch's book at MediaRelationsHandbook.com or search Amazon using the ISBN: 1587330032

good book
This book is a must have for anyone interested in PR. It is up to date and illustrates all the relevant forces working in PR. It also outlines application and startegy for an effective PR campaign. Along with this book, I would also recommend Michael Levine's Guerill PR Wired, which is also a must have for anyone remotely interested in PR.

This book is great.. it's for all people.
Whether you are a student or a pr practitioner, this book clearly tells you what Public Realtions is all about. Plus, you won't waste your money on this. It is up to date with the latest trends affecting PR, like laws, cases, and technology. I highly recommend this to all people who are interested in public relations. I have read many pr books but this one tops it all. ... Read more

Book Description

Learn what makes a client trust you to be their financial advisor.

Put the power of story telling into selling financial products.The authors explain the process of making these intuitive connections, then translate their findings into understandable and practical strategies that any financial professional can use.They present actual stories, including many by Warren Buffet, one of the greatest "storysellers" of all time.These actual stories can help financial pros tap into the "gut reaction" of different types of clients. the book also includes special topics on communicating to women, the 50+ market, and the affluent. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Buy it now
This is an absolute must read for financial professionals. This book has helped me to greatly improved my practice. I now use anecdotes, stories, and analogies rather than ledgers and charts. Your clients will love your new, easy to understand approach.

Must Have, Must Read!
This book explains why some very smart people fail to achieve their potential in this fascinating and competitive industry: They do not connect with their clients at the level where decisions are made. Smart investment professionals who truly want to succeed need to integrate every idea and technique it contains so they can help their clients overcome their fears of investing and move confidently toward their financial goals. As a certified financial planner, president of a securities firm, and industry veteran of fifteen years, I immediately recognized the tremendous value of this book. I ordered Storyselling for every investment representative in our company and for each executive in our financial services group.

Great for Professional Financial Advisors
I think you will find something useful in this excellent book. Anyone involved in direct client contact must to make the investment in this book. Storyselling is an absolute must read for financial professionals. You are able to use anecdotes, stories, and analogies rather than ledgers and charts. Your clients will love your new, easy to understand approach. This book provides many ways to explain difficult concepts to the average investor. I strongly recommend this book to anyone in the financial services profession. Storyselling illustrates for us how to connect with customers on the emotional plane through stories.

Disappointed
I was really disappointed with this book. I was looking for a book that would help me structure my presentation and give me a pool of metaphors and analogies that I could use to help clients understanding. Whilst the end of the book contains maybe 25 metaphor presentations on various topics (diversification, why use an adviser, bear markets etc.) the rest of the book is pretty much filler.
Quotes take up half of nearly every page.

There are chapters that discuss presenting to the 65+ market and to women that contain very little useful information.

There's a frustrating section discussing the "science" behind storyselling.[

This book isn't worth $5, let alone the $30 it retails for.]

Something for Everyone
No matter how long you have been in the financial world, I suspect you will find something useful in this excellent book. As a financial professional, a strong analytical side is imperative... but this but book is a great reminder that you need to connect with your clients and prospects on other levels as well. For veteran sales people, much of this will probably be old hat, but there are lots of specific examples, many of which I have begun to incorporate into my own presentations. Even one good idea will more than compensate for the cost of the book and your time and I suspect that most people will get far more than one. I encourage anyone involved in direct client contact to make the investment in this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Do you want to make more money on eBay (or any other Internet auction site)?Or, are you looking for an easy second income?

Thousands of new users are joining eBay every day.You can take advantage of this trend and make a lot of money.But before you get started, there are some things you need to know.

eBay Secrets will walk you though the steps to getting your Internet auction business rolling.It is packed full of tips and secrets that will help you get more money for your auction listings.

eBay Secrets is based on the techniques that Steve White has been teaching students in his exclusive seminars on making money on eBay.Never before have all of Mr. White’s powerful money-making secrets been available in book format.

Here are just a few of the topics that are covered in the book:
• The two most important secrets to making money on eBay.
• 14 places to find cheap things to sell
• 15 techniques to increase the number of bids you get
• Three things you should NEVER do in an eBay listing
• Ten tricks that will make your listings much more effective
• The best starting bid for your items
• Why your title is critical
• A three-step process to find the perfect title
• Four words to include in your titles to get even more money for your items
• The best time to list your items
• Why you should never use a reserve
• The one thing that you should never mention in the description
• Which listing options are worth the extra cost
• How to avoid paying to have pictures in your listings
• The only eight things that you need to get started making money on eBay
• Seven ways you can get started with no money
• Why user feedback is misleading
• How to write a description that gets more bids
• Everything you need to know about writing HTML in your listings
• What to charge for shipping
• A printable checklist so you never forget any steps when creating listings
• Four email templates for common situations
• What to do if someone doesn’t pay
• Examples of the best and worst auctions
• And much, much more... ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Already made my money back with this book!
I consider myself a casual ebay user doing auction sales as a hobby instead of trying to make money. Even so, who wouldn't want to bring in more money? After I bought and read this book, I applied the tips that the author described and was amazed at the noticeable difference in how my auctions attracted attention. The auction page hits easily doubled if not tripled what I was getting compared to my experience prior to reading this book.

This book is written in a very easy to read style and although the first-time reader may be tempted to jump to the end to start using the tips, I encourage that reader to start from the beginning and read straight through to the end. Even for the more experienced ebay seller, this book does have enough tips to make it worth your while. I keep my copy close at hand to as I create new auctions so I don't miss out on any of the tips!

The author encourages readers to email with questions. I have emailed the author on occasion with questions and have received prompt and helpful responses.

Definitely a great book and a super author!

If you want hints and tips for higher profit, buy this book
I have been eBaying for a couple of years and thought I was pretty savvy. This book taught me several important things to help me get even better response from my auctions.
I second the reviewer who suggested you read it twice so you do not miss anything. This title is full of important information you do not want to miss (unless of course you want to give money away).
The author answers email and is very helpful. You will not go wrong in buying this book if you want success from eBay.

The BEST Guide to Succeeding in ebay sales!
This is a fantastic resource! No one should start selling on ebay without first reading this book and applying the techniques. Every facet of selling thru an auction is laid out, step by step, and with a checklist to ensure that you have created the perfect auction! The reader is provided with contact information....I emailed them and received a response within hours! He took the time to explain additional points to me and even provided links to relevant auctions of items that I planned to sell! The first step in creating an ebay seller account is to BUY THIS BOOK!!!! It deserves 10 stars!

Every Ebay Seller Should Have a Copy!
This is a fantastic resourceful book and guide for sellers on Ebay. Bryon & Steven share how easy and uncomplicated it can be to make $$$$ on Ebay. I immediately tried their Bid Multiplier Method and WOW it really works! Thanks for providing us with a great concept, oh yes and by the way I e-mailed to get an adendum to this book and I got a reponse immedieately!

eBay Secrets : How to create Internet auction listings that
A very good reference! Certainly worth the modest price. ... Read more

Book Description

Use a 5-Step Process to Transform Your Business--and Your Life! If you've ever yearned for a business that would energize rather than drain you, if you've ever known and admired someone who made financial services look easy and fun, then you're ready to learn a new way to market. A way that doesn't require so much of your time and energy. A way that requires less effort. Effort-Less Marketing is based on author Steve Moeller's extensive research and refinement of the best strategies to build a financial advisory practice, as well as key marketing principles that work just as well for financial advisors as they do for such customer-savvy giants as Saturn and Nike. You'll toss aside conventional, exhausting sales techniques for a newer, easier way. With these 5 steps, you'll take the guesswork out of reaching the wealthiest and most enjoyable clients, make referral-gathering a no-brainer, and completely revitalize your business. ... Read more

Reviews (36)

Essential Material for the Client-centered Financial Advisor
I have read this book several times, attended the personal coaching sessions, and have applied the principles prescribed in this book to become a "client-centered" financial advisor. Steve gathers material and ideas from some of the best minds in the financial services industry and combines them with his own original marketing concepts to deliver the premier book for financial advisors dedicated to long-term success in the business. Application of the ideas in this book will propel you to become a vision vanguard for a higher level of performance and vision. The book is a complete guide from beginning to end on how to set yourself apart from the old way of transaction-based relationships to the more client-centered fee-based relationships, which is a long-term "win, win" situation. Buy it, read it, and apply it, you won't regret it.

A "How To" book for financial advisors
Steve Moellers book provides a template for financial advisors to follow if they are serious about growing their business. Although advisors may benefit more by hiring Mr. Moeller as a consultant, this book is an excellent resource for the "do-it-yourself'er" or the advisor that simply wants to focus on specific elements of business improvement i.e. image, publicity, marketing etc.

Especially valuable for those advisors who focus on "the sale", and neglect the 4 critical steps that lead up to that event.

I will continue to use the book as a reference in my annual business planning process.

Mark Garrod The Practical Investor, LLC mgarrod@sigmarep.com

Whatever your profession, you should read this book!
Moeller makes a persuasive case for a client-centered marketing approach. Seemlessly weaving the theoretical with the practical, he provides concrete examples of how to cultivate the relationships necessary for a thriving, client-centered business. Although written for financial advisors, this book's principles apply to any profession in which success demands a strong client relationship. I am an attorney (and not a financial advisor). Nevertheless, client-centered marketing is crucial to my practice. I recommend this book to all professionals.

The Best Financial Marketing Book Ever Written.
Effort-Less Marketing for Financial Advisor by Steve Moeller is simply the most powerful material ever presented on marketing the Number One investment service that wealthy clients seek more than anything else - a relationship with a trusted advisor. Advisors that learn and practice Steve's methods for developing a vision of success, identifying ideal target markets and positioning to attract the most desirable clients in their area will be stunned at their effectiveness. Beyond that they will love the enjoyment and satisfaction that it will bring to their personal and professional life.

As a consultant, I have used the power of Steve's approach with many financial advisors and asset management firms across the country. It works incredibly well for both. The reason is simple; it is built on sound, fundamental marketing principles that have worked for major business around the world for years. The secret of Effort-Less Marketing is that Steve has, in his 15 plus years of experience in financial service marketing, refined and tailored these principles to meet some of the unique needs of financial service professionals.

I have personally worked with and observed many individual advisors that have seen their business skyrocket using Steve's concepts. I have also used this material to help nationally marketed asset management firms significantly ramp up distribution as well as the value of their firm.

Following the processes in Effort-Less Marketing is also "effortless" because Steve encourages and lays out specific methodologies for any advisor to build a business based on their own personal passions and their ideal clients. The book provides a truly holistic approach for financial advisors that want to build a highly profitable business that also supports their own values, lifestyle and personal pursuits. What could be better?

Steve's program is easy to understand and simple to individualize. He is one of the most organized people I have ever met. The book reflects this. Steve clearly understands the importance of systems for financial advisors and the power that results from successful implementation of approaches that work. This book will help any advisor bring clarity and organization into one of the most difficult but highest payoff areas of their business - marketing.

Effort-Less Marketing contains stories, forms and assignments that can assure any advisor of making substantial strides in their business. The support doesn't stop here. Steve's company, American Business Visions has other services and product that can support the growth of most advisors. They are the cutting edge of financial marketing. And, if you want to undergo a truly life changing experience, I strongly recommend that you look into the Effort-Less Marketing coaching program offered by Steve's company. It is a phenomenal experience. It will help you take all the information available in the book and launch your business to places and levels you never dreamed of. I know because I recently decided to re-enter that retail market place so I enrolled in the program myself.

My only caution is that if you like ruts, grinding out cold calls and hanging out in a stiff, stoic environment that is chaotic, causes stress, and gives you little satisfaction, you may want to skip this book. I personally know several advisors that are having more fun in their business and life than they could have ever imagined. Their clients are ecstatic with the service they receive and credit their advisors with help them enjoying their money more and pursue their dreams. The process can be addicting. We don't want too many happy advisors running around out there. It could ruin the public's image of financial advisors and undo the tradition of "sell product, sell product, sell product" that has been a hallmark of the financial industry.

This is THE marketing book for financial advisors.
Steve Moeller has one of the brighest marketing minds in the financial services industry today. If you are a financial advisor and want to improve the quality of the relationships you have with your clients, and create a wonderful life for yourself - this is the book to buy, read, and study. Better yet, enroll in his coaching course. Steve's ideas and strategies can change your life for the better! ... Read more

Book Description

Customer service is the single most pressing problem for business managers and people in any service or sales operation, especially at the retail level. In fact, many experts believe that you build a business from the customer up.In Customer Mania!, Ken Blanchard, one of America's biggest bestselling authors and inspiring business leaders, writes of the key to customer service -- creating a people-oriented, performance-driven, customer-first organization. Along with coauthors Jim Ballard and Fred Finch, Blanchard explains why the customer is the right starting place from which to build a successful business. By drawing on examples from the world's largest restaurant company, Yum! -- owner of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver's, and A&W Restaurants -- the authors explain how any company, large or small, can develop a unified, people-first, customer-oriented culture. Packed with practical insights, Customer Mania! emphasizes four critical steps:

• Set Your Sights on the Right Target. The bottom line grows from taking care of customers and creating a motivating environment for your people.

• Treat Customers the Right Way. Determine the kind of experience you want your customers to have as they interact with every part of the company.

• Treat Employees the Right Way. Use strategies ranging from smart hiring to training and development to managing performance and creating a recognition culture.

• Build the Right Kind of Leadership. You can't do it all yourself, so let your people put their own brains to work and then support them all the way.

By relying on these concepts, businesses everywhere can cultivate passionate and engaged team members who contribute to the company's overall success. From CEO to middle manager to the person facing the consumer, Customer Mania! is a vital tool for enhancing their experience -- and their customer's. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Strategy as a selling tool, powerful and well encapsulated.
Useful and self-contained. To anyone involved in selling, both tangibles and intangibles, this book provides a basic and powerful methodology based on a "non-manipulative selling philosophy" that is easy to understand and rather straight forward to apply. It is specially good for seasoned salespersons that can recognize familiar components of the traditional sales approach and that have the true experience to value "life-long" realtionships with customers. For consultants and sellers of intangibles, it provides a valid road map to identify role-players and decision-makers. For new salespersons, it helps them to think strategically. The authors seem to forget the permanent pressure salespeople have and the way sales objectives are set, so some comments do no fit the real world (like relinquishing an account, or letting a client go away), and fall in a rather romantic view of the profession. Although at first it seems geared toward large corporate and tangible accounts, with a little manipulation and some easing of documentation (desk-time) requirements, the methodology can be used in any selling environment. It is straight-forward and simple to use; reduces uncertainty about the process and provides the user (the salesperson) a sense of control over his/her environment and participants. Since change is a constant, and salespeople are inmersed today in a variety of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) strategies and techniques, this books fits nicely within it since it is the Customer and our Relationship with him/her that is at the center of it. It is a good, solid investment.

Opportunity Management Process
Many times a sales person can get confused identifying the players, the probability of change, the timing, the competition, the politics of a sales opportunity. Following the Strategic Selling process lays out an effective plan that leverages the key benefits of the sellers/buyers solution, and minimizes price as the principle buying criteria. Strategic Selling provides a process for what successful sale people do consistently-Plan. This book lays out a process that is also a two day class used by many global corporation's sales forces. The book is not a replacement for the class, but if you are selling B2B the process is well documented, and will put you on the right track. I have been teaching and using this process for 13 years and I have not found a better sales opportunity planning process. I think you can learn more from this book than from 100 sales calls.

Helpful prospecting book
This book is great and has helped me tremendously in being more confident in prospecting new business for my line of work. It gives excellent advise on deal making - everything from the initial sales call to closing the deal. It hits on points critical to strategic planning and developing a strong sales action plan. An A+++ book!!

This Teaches you how to go into a Sales call
This will Teache you how to go into a Sales call, With a plan, outline and a goal, Very good worth buying, giving to your sales managers.

A solid book
This book is not an easy read. It is logically arranged and provides excellent insight into certain apsects of strategic selling but it is very long and it is quite dry.

While it does contain very valuable and usable insight, I feel that the underlying process behind the whole concept is beginning to look slightly dated now. This process is 25 years old after all and the world has changed immeasurably during this time. There are other books available that are firstly easier to read and secondly more cutting edge in terms of the methology they suggest. ... Read more

Book Description

In this revised edition of her best-seller, noted sales consultant Linda Richardson offers salespeople the tools they need to successfully use customer-focused, dialogue selling. Featuring real-world dialogue samples, helpful dos and don’ts, self-tests, checklists, and other useful tools, this guide offers insight on every aspect of face-to-face selling, from the initial introduction through the needs identification and the negotiation of terms and price to the successful close, with prime emphasis on the six critical skills necessary to the dialogue-driven sales call: presence, rapport building, questioning, listening, product positioning, and checking. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great advice (if you can assimilate it)
The problem with any "how to sell" book like this is, until you can integrate the advice given here so that it comes naturally to you, you will sound as mechanical and forced as some of the "tellers" Richardson criticizes. I used to sell big-tiicket business-to-business, and I can say the advice here is timeless: engage your customer, identify what your customer's needs are and position your product so that the customer realizes that your product meets their needs. Of course, if the customer doesn't need your product, then maybe you need to learn some of those "hard-ball sales" techniques (or find a better product!). No amount of customer empathy, listening, or product positioning will help you overcome a customer-product mismatch. Which brings me to a point: although Richardson argues against this, I think playing hardball has a place in negotiations; remember, the party you are negotiating with doesn't always have to feel warm and cozy inside in the process. A true persuader will know when to be soft and fluffy and when to apply the pressure.

Also, the whole paradigm-replacement languuage ("we are moving into a new age of selling...") is corny. The advice Richardson is giving is not new or revolutionary, as she claims. But she has succeeded in organizing a lot of really good sales principles in a clear and coherent way which can easily be appreciated by readers.

I read this book together with Richardson's "Selling by Phone" and frankly, one is just a rehash of the other. Richardson copied entire paragraphs from one in writing the other. So save your money and buy just one of the two. But if you are an accidental salesperson, or even if by trade you are not a salesperson but you are occasionally called upon to negotiate (maybe you are a lawyer or a manager) Richardson's books will be a refreshing introduction to the discipline of negotiation and persuasion.

excellent, customer oriented common sense
After reading plenty of those "say what I say, exactly as I say it" sales books, none of which I found truly helpful out in the field, this book was like a breath of fresh air. Easy to read and easy to adapt to personal styles it is a treasure trove of good advise. If you actually care about your customers and want them to return to you on a regular basis, this is the book for you.

should be a textbook for sales classes
From my many varied experiences, I realize that I just don't like selling, but when I was trying to bone up on my sales skills, I found this book to be the most useful. It is heads and shoulders above other books on the subject and it was so intersting that I probably read it cover to cover in a day or two. The advice is extremely practical and you are learning great principles of selling. You are not learning a bunch of closing dialogues that only work for the person who invented them. Easily digested, the principles allow you to adjust your approach in mid-sale because you are asking questions whose answers will tell you what you need to do or say next (positioning.) Tons of great info here. It should really be a textbook for sales classes.

Eye-opener and Instant Results Obtained
I manage a distributor sales force throughout the U.S. and Canada. After reading this book (actually WHILE reading this book) I applied the information and witnessed immediate success, as did my sales reps. The information is direct, common sense, well presented, easy reading and entertaining. It is not full of 'theory', but actual 'meat' that can be applied each day after reading even a chapter or two the night before. I am buying books for each of my reps and feel it is one of the best gifts I could ever give them. Well done! ... Read more

Reviews (36)

Great book, great value, buy it today!
If you have even a little bit of interest in writing or editing or working in any kind of advertising, even if it is just a simple flyer for your business or nonprofit fund raiser this book will easily pay for itself.

I've read and reviewed a few books on writing, from Stephen King's nonfiction work on writing fiction to books on writing nonfiction. This work stands up there with the best of them, and I'd recommend this work to writers of all types. Joseph Sugarman explains the purpose of the headline. It's to get the second line read. The purpose of the second line, well, that's to get the third line read. If fiction writers followed this formula, they'd sell more books. I can't count how many books, both nonfiction and fiction, I put down after a short time because I just find no reason to go on.

But this book isn't about writing fiction or nonfiction, it's about writing great copy. The reason I bring up other types of writing is that they all have the same strengths or weaknesses' going for them that get them read or ignored.

A copy writer has a short time to get the reader to either send money or request more information or act in some way. The fiction writer has to grab the readers attention and I mean now. See my review for Noah Lukeman's "The First Five Pages", basically he's got the same advice for fiction writers, you better grab the readers attention, and you better be flawless, because you have about the first five pages to win or lose the game. Often less.

In copy writing you have the first five words. Often less. Same idea.

I highly recommend this work to writers of all types. If you're in advertising, even if just for your own small business, you'd be foolish to pass on this one.

An Advertising Bible for the Ages
If you are writing ads for magazine and newspaper placement, this is a superb Bible. As I travel the world I see ads written based on Sugarman's philosophy and each time I return, I see the same ads running again and again. The sign of success. I've always found Joe Sugarman's work to be remarkably effective in helping our direct marketing programs. Sugarman has truly got decades of experience to back up his marketing directives. What I found most useful in this book were the many sample full page advertisements which are replete with crisp and powerful writing. At kevinhogan.com we utilize Sugarman's approach and continue to be profitable year after year. This book is a heck of a good read and should be read in conjunction with the marketing book in the same series.
Kevin Hogan
Author of The Psychology of Persuasion
and
Talk Your Way to the Top

An Excellent Primer on Creating Effective Ad Copy!
This book can be described as WOW! As a copywriter I implemented many of Joseph Sugarman's strategies in this excellent manual. It's not just another advertising book - it's a book on persuading on paper. He gives some great examples from his own ads too. Though I have many of his ads in my swipe file - this resource explains the psychological points that went into creating those ads. He takes you by the hand and guides you to creating ads that really works - that is to get the reader to read and to take action.

This book is one of my top ten books on business - especially advertising.

WOW - Perhaps the Best Book EVER Written on Copy!
I just finished reading "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word" for the second time! ...And now I'm about to go back and begin studying it with a highlighter.

After being completely disgusted with a few other books on copy writing, I was so pleased to find this jewel. In this day and age, with so many books being simply manufactured or compiled by people with no experience or real knowledge (you know, they send a hundred letters to people in an industry and then compile the responses into a book), this book is actually written by a true master who not only knows what he's taking about, and has truly lived it - but more importantly he know how to teach it.

Honestly, if you only buy ONE book on copy... make sure it's this one!

If You Could Have Only One Book on Copywriting, This is it!
On a scale of 1 to 10, this book is a 20. Truly the ultimate course on copywriting. My library is filled with books on how to write advertising copy. My shelves brim with books by Gary Halbert, Jay Abraham, John Carlton, John Caples, Brian Keith Voiles, Michael Masterson, and many other outstanding, top-notch copywriters. Joe Sugarman's Advertising Secrets of the Written Word is my all-time favorite. The absolute best book on the subject, period. ... Read more

Book Description

A master of customer service reveals his secrets for developing long-lasting business relationships and customer loyalty. "We shower our customers with attention. There's no doubt in my mind that our philosophy can be applied to selling just about anything -- from aircraft engines to beanbags." (Jack Mitchell) The only way to stay in business is with customers, and Jack Mitchell knows how to attract them, and how to keep them.

He has a deceptively simple but winning relationship approach to customer service -- that a relationship is at the heart of every transaction. Jack's business philosophy is based on "hugs" -- personal touches that impress and satisfy the customer, such as: -- Remembering the name of your customer's dog
-- Calling a customer to make sure he's satisfied after a purchase
-- Having a "kids' corner" with TV, books, and treats
-- Knowing your customers golf handicap
-- Introducing customers to business contacts
-- Letting your customer use your office to make a personal phone call This is a proven theory -- hugging works! Mitchells/Richards achieves among the highest margins in its industry, as well as amazing customer loyalty. Complete with anecdotes that exemplify outstanding customer service, Hug Your Customers shows how any business can adapt this hugging philosophy to attract great staff, lower marketing costs, and maintain higher gross margins and long-term revenues. At a time when customer service has become the difference between success and failure, Hug Your Customers shows how Jack's one-of-a-kind philosophy brings the results you're looking for. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

One of the best business books I've read in a long time
HUG YOUR CUSTOMERS by Jack Mitchell is one of the best business books I have read in
a long time . . . it describes how he transformed a little store
started by his parents into two of the most successful clothing
establishments in the business.

I know that I was really into it by the copious notes I was
taking on just about every topic . . . in addition, I kept thinking
to myself that next time I'm anywhere near one of his
stores in Connecticut, I want to stop by and see for myself

how Mitchell has managed to succeed when so many
others fail in the industry.

As he notes, "We shower our customers with attention.
There's no doubt in my mind that our philosophy can be applied
to selling just about anything--from aircraft engines to beanbags."

He does this by showering his customers with "hugs"--personal touches
that impress and satisfy the customer . . . these include such
things as:
Remembering the name of your customer's dog;
Calling a customer to make sure he's satisfied after a purchase;
Having a kids' corner with TV, books and treats;
Knowing your customer's golf handicap; and
Letting your customer use your office to make a personal phone call.

The book was chock-full of other ideas that could be applied
to just about any situation; among them:

When I'm bored at home, rather than reading a book, I often
punch the button on my computer and put in parameters to
pull up our top one hundred or top one thousand customers,

men and women, and I study them like I was studying vocabulary
words for the SAT's. The names go into one of the attic rooms
of my brain and lodge there. As I once knew all stats on Joe
DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, I now try to know all the stats
on my top thousand customers. Because that's the game:
knowing the customer.

A hug can be a thoughtful remedy for an annoyance. When the
Postal Service raised the price of a stamp to 37 cents from 34 cents,
my first thought was, "Oh, great, now I've got to stand in line to get
3-cent stamps so I can use that mound of 34-cent stamps I bought
so I wouldn't have to wait in line for a long time." I hate waiting
in lines, especially at a government agency. But who doesn't? So
I sent out a personal note to five hundred of our good customers,
thinking they might be in the same boat, and included some 3-cent
stamps. "You know you are the focus of our business," I wrote.
"In an effort to make your life less hectic, I have enclosed a
handful of 3-cent stamps." It was a hug out of nowhere, and they
loved it.

Consistency means that if you're going to do anything for the customer,
you have to do it for everyone, including someone you've never seen
before. That means that a customer is more important than a
mannequin. One Saturday years ago, Mitchells was really mobbed,
and this couple came in who had never been there before. The wife
asked if we had a certain tie in a green coloration. I flipped

through the tie racks and couldn't find it. The woman nodded at
a mannequin and said, "There it is." So I got up and removed it and
took if downstairs to be steamed. Meanwhile, the couple browsed
around and wound up buying several suits, a couple of sport jackets,
and twenty-three custom shirts. As they were checking out, the woman
said, "We were in a store in Stamford before we came here, and there
was a tie on the mannequin that I liked and I asked the manager if he
could take it off, and he said, 'Absolutely not, the visual department
is coming out from New York today and the visuals have to be
perfect.' "

Hooray For Customer Service!
In an era of cookie cutter department stores, and speciality shops that require sales staff to complete "Attitude 101", it is incredibly refreshing to learn the story of Jack Mitchell, and his vastly successful enterprise Mitchells/Richards, which is the subject of "Hug Your Customers".
Mitchell, the second generation to run the family clothier, stresses time and time again in this history/marketing/advice tome that the key to retailing success is going the extra mile to please a customer, thereby developing loyalty (as well as increased sales).
Mitchell is not only a shrewd business, but also a great storyteller, and has mastered the art of remembering his customers - the stories he tells in this book about exceeding customer expectations through fairly simple means (creating customer profiles, involving family in business...) are lessons that anyone in business has heard ten times over, and has probably discarded for the latest marketing trend. Mitchell's simple storytelling style works great when discussing the importance of old fashioned customer service principles (selling merchandise displayed on mannequins, charting birthdays, phone calls to customers to remind them of special events...) - his buisness philosophy makes great (common) sense.
Mitchell's ideas of service translate extremely well into any sales environment, and this book is a great resource (and reminder) for anyone in sales, marketing, or public relations work. He is great at capturing the larger picture of the value of relationships in the sales enviroment - as well as valuing the sales staff.
In an era where quality customer service seems to be a forgotten skill, its great to read of someone who has had great success because he practices the very simple rules of successful sales - know your customer - greet them and treat them with respect - go tohe extra mile to satisfy their needs. Unfortunately, we have come to expect less of salespeople these days because such simple courtesies are rarely extended in today's retailing marketplace. I found a number of strategies laid out by Mitchell to be great starting points for customer interaction in my own work, and that is the best reccomendation a reader can give a book of this type.

Creating a Magical Experience for Customers
A business owner who'll do anything for his customers--even fly across the world to deliver a suit! He turns clothing shopping from commodity to magical experience--and he is very well-compensated. I read this all the way through in about two sittings.

Packed With Knowledge!
This terrific book wastes no words and no time, but delivers the goods. Jack Mitchell, CEO of two high-end clothing stores in Connecticut, offers solid (if not all new) principles of customer service and relationship management in a personal, lively, entertaining way. The book is immediately applicable to retail and small businesses, and sheds much-needed light on managing a family business. The book draws a straight line from customer service to business success. The author, whose warmth and candor is totally endearing, may be faulted for denying that location matters. After all, his stores sit in one of the most affluent regions in the U.S., so he would probably enjoy some measure of success even with mediocre customer service. And, his customer service is great, intense to the point of being instructive. If he is overenthusiastic about his formula, that's to be expected of a salesman. We find a lot of useful material here for anyone in a customer-contact business and, as a bonus, this familial saga is really fun to read. Highly recommended.

Mitchell Deserves A Hug
Everyone that deals with people should read this book. I would love to give it to the geeks that invented the computerized customer service reps.. those shameful beings. Hugs become extra important for someone who basically deals with clients through a computer.. like me :) The one thing I would change about this book is that certain sections tend to get really vague. ... Read more

Book Description

This reader-friendly marketing book conveys timely and relevant material in a dynamic presentation of how marketing concepts are implemented, and what they mean in the marketplace. It introduces marketing from the perspective of real people making real marketing decisions at leading companies every day. Learners will come to understand that marketing is about creating value–for customers, for companies, and for society as a whole-and they will see how that is accomplished in the real world. A five-part organization covers making marketing value decisions, identifying markets and understanding customers' needs for value, creating the value proposition, communicating the value proposition, and delivering the value proposition. For individuals interested in a career in marketing.

Book Description

The Product Manager's Handbook is the essential guide to successful product management in today's fast-changing business world. Product and brand managers, as well as upper-level sales, marketing, and branding executives, will find the text thorough and informative as it explains and analyzes the product manager's role in both traditional, hierarchical organizations as well as in newer horizontal, team-driven decision-making structures.

What is a product manager? The overall responsibility of a product manager is to integrate the various segments of a business into a strategically focused whole, maximizing the value of a product by coordinating the production of an offering with an understanding of market needs. A product manager must oversee all aspects of a product or service line in order to create and deliver superior customer satisfaction while simultaneously providing long-term value for the company.

The Product Manager's Handbook covers all of these topics in a convenient, easy-to-follow presentation that includes:

• Hands-on charts for managing every key step, from concept to completion
• Practical checklists for evaluating progress at every critical stage
• Brief profiles in every chapter of specific product management roles, functions, and issues
• Real-world cases illustrating the challenges of product management in action

This thoroughly revised and updated second edition fully integrates the Internet and other digital technologies into the product manager's arsenal of tools. The book includes all new information on what it takes to be a successful product manager. It explains the product manager's role in the planning process (including strategic and operational planning), how to evaluate product portfolios, how to propose and develop successful new products, and more.

The product manager is frequently the source of the entrepreneurial spirit and sense of innovation that drives a successful organization. Learn to make the most of your product management system with this indispensable reference guide.

Reviews (15)

Great Overview for Role Definition and General Planning
I wish I had bought this book a year ago when I began building our PM Department! I live in Germany and the role of the product manager is poorly understood by many people I come into contact with. So it helps to have written examples which indicate that I am moving in the right direction. Even today, I find the book to be quite useful and the scenarios described in the book certainly apply to much of what I had to learn the hard way. It is a bit general for an experienced product manager but its small form-factor makes it easy to have with you at all times. It is an invaluable resource for those who are new to product management and is full of great ideas to help you move your product forward.

Great book, highly recommended for new PM's
I read this book in 2000 when I started my first job as a PM. Since then, I have re-read it a few times. Each re-read is such a pleasure as I am able to tie in my experience to more and more facets of the book that were previously unclear. The book is an industry independent, general review of the roles and responsibilities of a product manager. It lays a nice foundation for those who are new to the position by outlining business processes, internal and external interactions and organizational roles a PM can expect to have.

The book does not delve into the mechanical details of marketing: such as conducting research, performing surveys, managing channels or evaluating effectiveness. However, it does talk about which kind of product managers would benefit from certain types of marketing initiatives.

If you are new to Product Management or would like to learn more about the processes involved in managing a product's lifecycle, this book is an excellent introduction.

Best in the lot.
I wouldnt say that this is an exceptional title but compared to other books in the market , this is the best. Be aware that this covers 'Product Management' in a very generic fashion. It doesnt talk about the role played by a PM in Software Development Process.

Good coverage but a bit light on details
This is a very good introductory text to anyone who aspires to be a Product Manager. It skims through the generics of what is required of a Product Manager in general. Coverage of topics such as planning for new products, some light financial discussions, discussions about marketing plans, etc. are useful to know.

It pays to note that this book is light on details and should be used as an introductory text. There are books that offer in-depth coverage of specific areas of product management areas such as marketing planning, business planning, marketing analysis, data mining, and so on.

Although a bit light on details, I gave it 4 stars because if it went into details it would have been a 5000 page book as Product Management sits anywhere between a simple to complex discipline depending on what industry and what firm one works in.

Lower the transition cost from pre-sale to PM
It's a must read if you are new to PM position. It defines what you shall focus to keep your life easy and simple, especially PM faces complex situations as usual.

From my experience, it will take you at least 1 year to be familiar with PM position after reading this. If it's not your original industry, then it may cost you more time.

While the skillsets required by PM and pre-sale are quite different, this book provides a general roadmap to indicate where you are. You can keep track how solid your capability is before you make the decision to change your career.

I was a I/T pre-sale three years ago. And now, I'm PM in notebook business and is finishing our company first widescreen notebook project which gained the support from nVIDIA to be their NV36 beta site. This book and the books derived from it really help me a lot.

And to play your game well, I suggest to read Michael Porter's books and game theory to complement. ... Read more

Book Description

Since the publication of Healing Back Pain, Dr. Sarno has learned important new information about the psychology of emotionally-induced physical conditions. He is now able to present a set of precise theories on when, where and how emotional factors bring on physical symptoms and, based on his experience, how this process can be reversed.

In his last book, Dr. Sarno explained how TMS, or Tension Myositis Syndrome, is a major cause of back, neck and shoulder pain. He now shows that the treatment that works to lessen or alleviate it can be used on peptic ulcer, colitis, tension