by Paul Simister
on May 22, 2013
The Brain Audit : Why Customers Buy
(And Why They Don’t) by Sean D’Souza
Book Review rating – 5 Stars
The Brain Audit by Sean D’Souza is an excellent book about creating a compelling sales message that appeals to your buyers brains without resorting to sleazy tactics.
The Red Bags Metaphor
At the beginning of the book, Sean sets up his copywriting system with a powerful metaphor.
Imagine going to the airport with seven bags and checking them in. You get on the flight and land. After passport control you make your way to the luggage carousel or conveyor belt.
Sean’s question is…
“When do you walk away?” [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 21, 2013
Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples
Book Review Review – 5 Stars
Tested Advertising Methods : Fifth Edition by John Caples and revised by Fred E. Hahn is considered to be a direct response marketing classic.
John Caples was a naval engineer turned advertising man, and like all engineers, he thrived on feedback and analysis.
The only thing that interested him was advertising that sold and he systematically tested small changes to see if he could find things that worked even better.
The great thing about testing when it’s done properly is that, whatever the results, there are lessons to be learnt. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 18, 2013
Financial Foreplay: Whip Your Business
Into Shape – Take Home More Cash
by Rhondalynn Korolak
Book Review Rating – 5 Stars
Can you make finance and accounting sexy?
Author Rhondalynn Korolak does an excellent job in her book.
This is not your average, very dry and boring finance for non-financial managers book.
As the title suggests, there is a frisson to the way she educates you on the need for more effective financial control in your business.
The Approach Used In The Book
The training is delivered in a charming and easy to read way. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 11, 2013
The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox
Book Review Rating – 5 Stars
“The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement” is a fantastic book about performance improvement in a manufacturing business wrapped up in a novel that is hard to put down.
First published in 1984 this book introduced the world to the Theory of Constraints.
The big idea is that many of the ideas for improving a business are misguided at best and expensive mistakes at worst.
That’s because an improvement in an area outside of the constraint that is holding back performance is more an illusion than substance. Real improvements come from removing the constraint.
The Story Of The Goal
I think this was the first popular management book to be written as a story but it is an extremely effective teaching method for putting across the big ideas. The weakness is that it’s hard to pick up the details to put the ideas into action. Eli Goldratt wrote The Race as the follow-up hands-on guide. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 11, 2013
The Chic Entrepreneur by Elizabeth Gordon and Leanna Adams
Book Review Rating – 5 Stars
I don’t realise how much we live in a male dominated our society until someone (usually a woman) hits me over the head and makes me challenge my views of the accepted norm.
Elizabeth Gordon and Leanna Adams have done that with their excellent book “The Chic Entrepreneur“.
Who Are Elizabeth Gordon and Leanna Adams?
Elizabeth is American, a bit of a flirt, writes a lovely email and has the good sense to be engaged to an Englishman.
Elizabeth also has a passion for helping others to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. She is the founder of Flourishing Business, a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Wake Forest University in North Carolina and has a Masters in Marketing from Georgia State University. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 10, 2013
You Can’t Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike
At A Seminar by David Sandler
Book Review Rating – 5 Stars
In 1995 when I started my self employed adventure, a former boss of mine who had ploughed the same path told me to read a book about sales training every year.
Since then, I’ve read plenty of sales books and listened to sales training CDs and watched sales DVDs.
You Can’t Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike At A Seminar by David Sandler with John Hayes PhD is the most different and the most memorable but it might not be the best.
As far as I am concerned, this is a must read book for you to establish how far you are prepared to go to manipulate a customer to get the money. There’s something here that makes me feel very queasy because it’s asking me to be someone I’m not.
At the same time, this is a “no manipulation” manipulative selling system. It’s dressed up in a way to appear as if you’re not really that interested in selling to the potential customer and he or she must convince you that the deal is right. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 8, 2013
The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes
Book Review Rating – 5 Stars
This is the long-awaited book from Chet Holmes. The full title is “The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business With Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies.”
The Big Idea in The Ultimate Sales Machine
People over-complicate what is needed for business success.
Chet Holmes believes you just have to:
Focus on 12 key strategies rather than trying to master hundreds of different ideas and techniques.
You implement these 12 strategies with pigheaded discipline and determination.
I fully commend the last point. Too often people try something that looks a great idea in a half-hearted way. They are then disappointed with the results, decide that the idea wasn’t so good after all and move on to the next big thing. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 7, 2013
Competitive and Corporate Strategy by Cliff Bowman and David Faulkner
Book Review Rating – Five Stars
This is a terrific book.
I believe it may be the best book ever written about business strategy.
It is even better than Michael Porter’s exceptional books “Competitive Strategy” and “Competitive Advantage” which are very comprehensive but I don’t think anyone would describe them as “easy-reads”.
Is Competitive and Corporate Strategy Really That Good?
In my opinion, Yes.
I can’t imagine being without it and the ideas on the customer matrix and producer matrix have gone into my coaching with some variations. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 5, 2013
Duct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch
Book Review – 5 Stars
The full title of the book is Duct Tape Marketing: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide
John Jantsch is the author of the Duct Tape Marketing blog. This is widely regarded as one of the best small business blogs on the Internet.”
I think it is a terrific marketing book for small business owners although I don’t get the Duct Tape analogy.
The message John Jantsch is intending to put across is that, just like duct tape, the Duct Tape Marketing system is easy to use, simple, convenient and immensely practical.
What Is Marketing?
There is an excellent definition of marketing in the Duct Tape book. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 3, 2013
Competing On Value by Mack Hanan and Peter Karp
Book Review – 5 Stars
“Competing on Value” by Mack Hanan and Peter Karp is a terrific book that was published in 1991.
Please don’t let its age put you off because the advice it gives is timeless. Some of the examples are dated but the message comes through very clearly.
Competing On Value is a sales book, pricing book and marketing book all rolled into one.
The concept of economic customer value is well established in the more specialised sectors of marketing and pricing. When “Competing On Value” was published, I believe that the concept of fixing your price on the value (or gain) your customer made from buying was very new. [continue reading…]
