The full title of this book by Susan Weinschenk is
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave it a FIVE star review rating, meaning that I consider this book to be excellent.
Here is what I posted.
The book is based around seven drives or factors that determine behaviour and, if you know how to, you can use these factors to change the behaviour of others. [continue reading…]
I have a bit of a blind-spot about social media. I was an early adopter back in around 2008 as I did a course with the now defunct StomperNet, one of the most notorious Internet marketing companies.
Then I watched it become the “new big thing” in the mainstream and I watched plenty of social media experts suddenly burst into prominence. I thought it was very time consuming.
Here is a video produced by Sandler Training Worldwide. [continue reading…]
If your business is finding it tough to win enough sales volume to give you the profit level you want, you may be trying to solve it the wrong way.
To get the best improvement in results, you need to tackle the right problem in the most effective way. Sometimes, business owners can make faulty diagnoses of the underlying issue and this happens particularly when the business owner is under too much pressure.
If you don’t focus your time and attention on the key constraint or bottleneck, you’re likely to get disappointing results. (see The Theory Of Constraints For Small Businesses)
This diagnose the problem to prescribe the right solution is a similar process to your doctor uses to make sure that his prescribed treatment is tackling the most likely cause. For example, there are many different reasons for a patient having a headache – from eye strain to general tension to too much alcohol… all the way through in severity to a brain tumour or a fractured skull.
Sales being too low is a symptom but, without looking in detail, it’s not clear what the underlying problem is and therefore it’s not clear
As marketers I think it’s vital that we understand the buying decisions of our prospective clients and customers. I’ve used the idea of the Buy / Don’t Buy Scales in my coaching to help understand what tips the balance towards or away from a purchase.
Imagine an old fashioned set of weighing scales where you weigh one item against the other, and the heavier side tips down.
That’s what I think goes on in the mind of a buyer and a recent book, Why People (Don’t) Buy: The Go and Stop Signals by A. Chakravarti and M. Thomas (available from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk) has helped to clarify and extend my own model.
Have you noticed how some buying decisions you make are so obvious that they need little thought, how other possible deals just scream out “No” and some leave you conflicted and unsure. You want but you’re nervous and the more you think about it, the less clarity you get in your mind.
This is the Buy / Don’t Buy Scales at work in your own mind as you consciously and unconsciously weigh the factors that are in favour of buying and the factors against buying.
The presence of that feeling of uncertainty sometimes shows that there’s some resistance in the scales. Buying is not a case of knowing which side is heavier but feeling that the buying side is significantly heavier. [continue reading…]
The full title of this book by Lawrence Steinmetz and William Brooks is
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of FIVE stars. This means I think it is excellent.
Here is my book review.
The content in this book is fantastic for anyone in business who comes under pricing pressure, either directly from customers or from sales people who have limited selling skills beyond offering discounts.
I tell my coaching clients that price is where your strategy hits the road and is truly tested. To increase sales, you need to offer better value than competitors but it’s so much nicer when those customers believe your product or service is worth more. [continue reading…]
The full title of this book by Lindsay Spencer-Matthews is
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Five Stars. This means I think it is Excellent.
Here is my book review.
This interesting book is written by a psychologist with 20 years practical experience who has previously worked in sales and marketing.
The author contrasts what you know and what a customer knows using set theory diagrams. I’m a visual thinker so I like the clarity of this approach but unfortunately the diagrams don’t come out well on a standard Kindle reader with its black and shades of grey contrasts. [continue reading…]
The full title of this book by Nick Kolenda is
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Five Stars. This means I think it is Excellent.
Here is my book review.
You will have noticed that there are a lot of very positive reviews about this book. However you need to know that within it, the author blatantly uses the described methods to persuade readers to think highly of the book and to then write a positive review on Amazon. [continue reading…]
The full title of this classic book by Joe Sugarman is
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book as Five Stars. This means I think it is Excellent and is Very Highly Recommended. I don’t give many Five Star Ratings.
Triggers is a terrific book by Joe Sugarman, one of the leading direct marketers in the world who has used these factors over many years to make a fortune in direct response mail order advertising.
In fact I wish that I had read it years ago. The book is beautifully written with each chapter focused on one psychological trigger with explanations of how the factor can be used in copywriting/print and in a direct, face-to-face selling environment. [continue reading…]
The full title of this book by Thomas Nagle and Reed Holden is
This book has been revised a number of times and my review refers specifically to the Third Edition. I have recently bought the Sixth Edition.
In my review posted to Amazon.co.uk, I rated this book at the Five Stars level. It is Excellent (perhaps Brilliant is a better word) and is Very Highly Recommended to anyone who has to make pricing decisions in a reasonable sized business.
Here is my book review.
Pricing is where your strategy is either tested and proven or fails. It is very much where the rubber meets the road.
The authors, Thomas Nagle and Reed Holden expertly walk a fine line that makes “The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing” work both as an academic textbook for MBA level students on a pricing module and as a guide for the serious practitioner of pricing who makes real decisions in a business. [continue reading…]
When I read
I was so impressed, I gave the book Five Stars in my review posted on Amazon.co.uk. This means it is Excellent and Very Highly Recommended.
Here is my book review.
This is a short quote from the book to give you a flavour:
“Selling is easy. It’s always easy if you think of the prospect as someone you’re trying to help. It becomes difficult when you think of your prospect as an adversary who must be out-maneuvered.” [continue reading…]
I was a consultant, small business coach and advisor based in Birmingham, with over 35 years business experience, including more than 20 years as self employed.
My main business qualifications are:
– Chartered Accountant
– MBA
– Certified Guerilla Marketing Coach
My main interests are in helping business owners who are stuck get unstuck by thinking more clearly about their issues and possible solutions.
I no longer provide professional business coaching but I will be sharing more ideas on my blog and will continue my popular business book reviews.
I can be contacted by email at Paul@BusinessDevelopmentAdvice.com
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