by Paul Simister
on December 18, 2015
Reality In Advertising by Rosser Reeves
This is considered to be a classic market text as it introduced or at least popularised the concept of unique selling propositions.
Does it stand the test of time?
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the Five Stars level. This means I think it is Excellent.
Here is my book review.
A marketing classic and a delight to read
This is the famous book credited with popularising the concept of the Unique Selling Proposition. It was first published in 1961. Can a book that is fifty years old have anything to teach us about advertising and marketing?
You bet it does. It starts with perhaps the most powerful statement I’ve read in a business book.”It cost $1,000,000,000 to write this book. We spent that much of our clients’ money and made many mistakes to isolate these principles.” One billion dollars – in 1961! Who knows how much that would be in today’s money. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 16, 2015
The full title of this book by Ryan Deiss is
“Invisible Selling Machine: 5 Steps To Crafting an Automated Evergreen Email Campaign That Literally Makes Sales While You Sleep“.
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I rated this book at the Five Stars level. This means I consider it to be Excellent.
Here is my book review.
Very good book about how to structure your email marketing campaigns.
For some years, Ryan Deiss has been one of my three favourite Internet marketing experts because:
- He’s active in many different markets, not just the make money online market.
- He’s committed to testing ideas and seeing which work best, tweaking and then testing again.
- He doesn’t pad out his training with irrelevant details to waste your time.
Those three qualities can be seen in this book as well as his normal, more expensive, training programs. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 12, 2015
The full title of this classic book by Joe Sugarman is
“Triggers: How to Use the Psychological Triggers of Selling to Motivate, Persuade & Influence“.
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.
It explains the 30 psychological factors that help the customer to buy
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…]
by Paul Simister
on December 11, 2015
The full title of this book by Dan Kennedy is
“The Ultimate Sales Letter: Boost your sales with powerful sales letters, based on Madison Avenue techniques“.
In my review posted at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a Five Stars rating. This means I think it is Excellent.
Here is my book review.
My copy shows plenty of signs of use and that’s probably the strongest recommendation I can give.
When I look at my copy of this book, it shows all the signs of use – the spine cracked, various sections underlined in different colours, others asterisked and there are comments in the margin.
This is a book I go back to when I am preparing to write a sales letter because it is a) very good and b) very well organised. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 11, 2015
The full title of this classic strategy book by Michael E. Porter is
“Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors“.
In my review posted at Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book a rating of Five Stars. This means I think it is Excellent.
Here is my book review.
A classic strategy book that goes well beyond the five forces model
This is a classic business strategy text and is essential reading for anybody who has a serious interest in business strategy.
The book is written in three sections:
1 – General Analytical Techniques
2 – Generic Industry Environments
3 – Strategic Decisions
[continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 11, 2015
The full title of this book by Brian Tracy is
“Be a Sales Superstar: 21 Great Ways to Sell More, Faster, Easier in Tough Markets“.
In my review posted at Amazon.co.uk, I rate the book at the Four Stars level. This means I think it is Good.
Here is my book review.
If you’ve never read a book about selling, this is a good place to start.
The author believes that most salespeople have never been professionally trained and that 95% can increase their sales (benefiting themselves and their employees) through additional knowledge and skill.
There are several key principles.
1 – Small differences in ability can make a big difference in performance.
2 – We are often held back by our weakest skill set.
[continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 11, 2015
The full title of this book by Robert R Updegraff is
“Obvious Adams: The Story of a Successful Businessman“.
In my review posted to Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the Fours Stars level. This means I think it is Good.
Here is my book review.
How to achieve success by doing the obvious
This was written in 1916 by and told the story of Oliver B. Adams and his career in advertising.
[continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 9, 2015
The full title of this book by Michael Port is
“Book Yourself Solid:the Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even If You Hate Marketing and Selling“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Five Stars. This means I think the book is Excellent and Very Highly Recommended.
A book about marketing professional services that’s so good, I wish I’d written it myself.
Michael Port specialises in helping service professionals (accountants, business coaches and consultants, chiropractors, estate agents etc) to market themselves more effectively so that they are booked solid. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 9, 2015
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book,
Guerrilla Marketing During Tough Times,
a rating of Four Stars. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
A book you need when things are tough for your business
It makes sense to consult a man who has been advising small businesses on how to use low and no cost marketing weapons since the mid 1980s when times are tough.
The essence of Guerrilla Marketing is to use time, effort and imagination to replace money in the marketing of a business. I particularly like “imagination” since time and effort both have their downsides. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 9, 2015
The full title of this book by Susan Drake and Colleen Wells is
“The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Guerrilla Marketing: Get creative… and get the word out about your product or service“.
In my review on Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the Four Stars level. This means I think it is Good.
Here is my book review.
A book of unconventional marketing tactics but it’s not directly connected to Jay Conrad Levinson’s Guerrilla Marketing ideas
This book has no direct connection with the Guerrilla Marketing concepts created by Jay Conrad Levinson for small businesses since the mid 1980s.
It’s a bit naughty to jump on the Guerrilla Marketing brand name but guerrilla marketing is also a term that has slipped into general use to reflect unconventional marketing techniques that step outside of the normal channels and may be used by large or small businesses (Think Hoover and hoover for vacuum cleaners. [continue reading…]
