by Paul Simister
on January 5, 2017
The full title of this book by Mary Naylor is
“Customer Chemistry: How to Keep the Customers You Want and Say Goodbye to the Ones You Don’t“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave it a rating of FOUR stars. This means it’s in the range of good to very good.
Here is my review.
You can manage your customer base
This is an interesting book that takes a different approach to thinking about customers.
Most managers and business owners focus on getting more customers this month and then more customers again next month. Yes it’s recognised that some customers are better than others but the general assumption is that any customer is better to have than not have. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on January 4, 2017
The full title of this book by Dan Kennedy is
“The Ultimate Marketing Plan: Find Your Hook. Communicate Your Message. Make Your Mark“.
In my review on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a Four stars rating. This puts it in the good to very good category.
Here is my review.
A good introduction to Dan Kennedy but not so good if you want to prepare a marketing plan
This is a book that has given me mixed feelings so let me explain why.
*** What I don’t like about The Ultimate Marketing Plan ***
Rant 1 – the use of the word “ultimate” makes me mad. Regular edition updates prove it wasn’t the ultimate.
Rant 2 – Dan Kennedy takes you through many different topics – and it makes great reading – but I didn’t feel that I was reading a book about preparing a marketing plan. There is a form at the back which tries to pull the topics together to create a marketing plan with a worked example – but it didn’t work. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on January 1, 2017
The full title of this book by Jay Conrad Levinson is
“Guerrilla Marketing Attack: New Strategies, Tactics and Weapons for Winning Big Profits from Your Small Business“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a Four Stars rating. This means I consider it to be in the range of good to very good.
Here is my review.
Old but interesting in a good way
This is an old book. It is copyrighted 1989 and should not be read before the most recent version of Guerrilla Marketing: Cutting-edge strategies for the 21st century.
Some of the author’s ideas have advanced considerably between the two books. As a certified guerrilla marketing coach, I found it interesting to step back in time. As guerrilla marketing has developed, the author has had to balance taking things out when adding more new ideas in. Reading this book brings some still relevant issues to my attention. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 23, 2016
The full title of this book by Robert Bly is
“The Perfect Sales Pitch: A Complete Do-it-Yourself Guide to Creating Brochures, Catalogs, Fliers and Pamphlets“.
In my review on Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the Four Stars level. This means I consider it to be good to very good.
Here is my book review.
Quaint but still helpful and relevant
This book was published in 1994. A great deal has changed in the twenty odd years since then in terms of the Internet, PCs, digital photographs and developments in the printing industry.
Some of it is quaint but there is plenty in here that is still relevant and useful. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 19, 2016
The full title of this book by Seth Czerepak is
“The 24 Hour Marketing Miracle: The FIRST Marketing Book EVER to Be Backed Up By a 500% Money Back Guarantee“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a FIVE STARS rating. I don;t give the five stars away easily and this means that I think it is EXCELLENT.
Here is my review.
A direct response marketing book so good you don’t want your competitors to read it
This book isn’t for everybody. The writing style is quite abrasive at the start and the author doesn’t pull any punches over what he thinks is right or wrong.
The book looks at direct response marketing and copywriting. While you may not want to do it yourself, I believe business owners need to know and understand the process. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 12, 2016
The full title of this book by Joe Sugarman is
“The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Copy from One of America’s Top Copywriters“.
I my review 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 true marketing classic and packed with charm
Some copywriters work for clients and charge a fixed fee. Others charge a fee and ask for a percentage of the revenue generated on top so they gain financially if the item sells well. Neither of these groups of writers lose out if the copy flops all together. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 12, 2016
The full title of this book by James Stephenson is
“Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide: 1500 Great Marketing Tricks That Will Drive Your Business Through The Roof“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a Four Stars rating. This means I think it is in the good to very good range.
Here is my book review.
A great reference book on marketing, even if it is dull
I’ve had this book for many years and I haven’t used it as often as I should.
It’s not the sort of book you start reading on page 1 and go through to the end. It’s too dull but it’s not meant to be used in that way. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 12, 2016
The full title of this book is
“Money-Making Secrets of Marketing Genius Jay Abraham and Other Marketing Wizards A No-Nonsense Guide to Great Wealth and Personal Fortune“
although it is much better known as the Mr X Book.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a FIVE STARS rating. This means that I consider it to be excellent.
Here is my book review.
A legendary book about marketing. It’s old but much of it is still extremely relevant.
Generally this book is better known as the Mr X book.
The origins are controversial. The story told is that one of Abraham’s best clients and most diligent students spotted an opportunity of sharing the Abraham money-making secrets with small businesses who couldn’t afford the $5,000 to $25,000 courses. He poured over his extensive course notes and eventually produced the book, started to offer it to the public and inevitably there was a big dispute with Abraham who recovered his intellectual property. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 10, 2016
In my review of this classic advertising book
Ogilvy on Advertising
by the legendary David Ogilvy, posted on Amazon.co.uk I rated the book at the Four Stars level. This means I consider it to be in the range of good to very good.
Here is my book review.
Fascinating look at advertising history which still offers practitioners plenty of lessons
This book tells the history of advertising from the perspective of one of the recognised greats. This was powerful information back in the 1960s and ‘ 70s.
But that’s also the problem with the book. The world has moved on. The way marketing messages reach consumers and business customers has changed. Fortunately, the underlying motivations that drive purchases hasn’t, so there’s still plenty to gain from reading this book. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 8, 2016
The full title of this book by Charlie Hutton is ”
The Business Owners Guide To Making Out Like A Bandit: How To Get Even The Most Greedy… Penny Pinching… Money Hoarding Customers Spending Money Like They Used To!“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book a rating of FIVE STARS. This means I consider it to be excellent.
Here is my book review.
Excellent summary of Jay Abraham style profit improvement techniques
I encourage all small business owners and entrepreneurs to read Jay Abraham ‘s book Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition. and this makes a lovely, practical follow-up. In a review of another of the author’s books, I felt he was channelling Dan Kennedy.
This will teach you the importance of back-end marketing. That’s selling more to existing customers through upsells and cross-sells as well as reaching out to new customers through different means. [continue reading…]
