by Paul Simister
on December 7, 2015
The full title of this book by Seth Godin is
Meatball Sundae: How new marketing is transforming the business world (and how to thrive in it)
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book Two Stars.
Here is my review.
Combining good things can create something horrible – this was long-winded with little substance
I was very disappointed is this book.
There’s no doubt about it, Seth Godin is a leading thinker on marketing but I found this book long-winded and with little substance. Irritatingly this is a book I’d flicked through in a book store and bought. I think I must have read the few good bits. It rarely kept my attention and I think it’s made up of blog posts which, while connected, don’t seem to run into each other very well. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 7, 2015
The full title of this book by Malcolm Gladwell is
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars.
Here is my review.
An extremely padded version of how ideas can build slowly and suddenly take-off
I started this book several times but it seems a conundrum about why a book about viral ideas wasn’t able to hold my attention when everyone else was rushing to read it.
The main idea is that ideas, trends and social behaviours can cross a threshold. Before the threshold, growth is slow but after the threshold – or tipping point – growth becomes exponential. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 7, 2015
The full title of this book by Andrew Wood is
“Cunningly Clever Marketing: The Inside Secrets Of A Marketing Legend“.
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I rated this book as Four Stars. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
Packed with tips about direct response marketing
This is a big book – 415 pages and it’s heavy but it is written in a very easy to read style and split into bite sized chunks – 145 chapters in total. This means that even if you are not one for normal business books, you can dip in and out of this one very easily and conveniently.
If you regularly read business books, I must warn you, I found Cunningly Clever Marketing difficult to put it down. That’s partly because it agrees with my own view of marketing and partly because the chapters are only two or three pages long, I keep turning over to find out what came next. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 7, 2015
In my review of
The 22 Immutable Laws Of Branding by Al Ries and Laura Ries
posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars.
This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
Branding in terms of what the brand stands for
This is a no nonsense guide explaining how to build a brand for your business which attracts customers and increases sales and profits.
There is a big business branding issue that small companies shouldn’t copy. I hate much of the advertising done by big businesses and the way that encourage small businesses to waste their money doing stuff which doesn’t have a chance of working. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 7, 2015
The full title of this book by Anthony Hernandez & Jay Conrad Levinson is
Guerrilla Marketing Success Secrets: 52 Weeks of Marketing & Management Wisdom
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Three Stars.
Here is my review.
A series of short articles about all kinds of management topics
This is an unusual management book. It is based on a series of articles written by Anthony Hernandez and is designed to be read one article per week over a year.
Each article covers about one and a half to two and a half pages and is written as a stand-alone thought piece. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 2, 2015
The full title of this book by Jim Gehrke is
“More Clients… More Often… More Money: 70 Strategies That Will Dramatically Change The Way You Do Business“.
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk , I gave this book a rating of Four Stars. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
A useful summary, very readable
The author provides a useful summary of the ideas of direct marketing legends like Jay Abraham and Dan Kennedy with 70 different tactics to help you to:
1 get more customers
2 get them to buy more often
3 get them to spend more money
Most of the tips are based on the first issue, more customers, which is where many businesses focus most of their sales and marketing attention anyway. The two other categories can be sources of hidden profits because your customers already trust you. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 19, 2015
When I reviewed this book, on Amazon.co.uk,
“How to Create a Million Dollar Unique Selling Proposition” by Bill Bodri,
I gave it a Five Star rating.
This means that I think it is Excellent and is Very Highly Recommended.
Here is my book review.
A terrific resource to help you to define your business in a short statement
When I read this book it was called How To Write A Million Dollar Unique Selling Proposition but, given the very minor change in title, I’m sure it’s the same book.
It is the most comprehensive look at the topic of Unique Selling Propositions that I’ve seen and the author deserves a lot of credit to compile such an outstanding review. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 19, 2015
In my review of
“7 Biggest Marketing Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make, And How To Avoid Making Them” by Craig Garber,
on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a Four Star rating.
This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
Looks and feels sleazy but the content is solid
I used to be on the author’s email list but he taught me to ignore his emails and eventually I unsubscribed. I saw this come up on a search I made for USPs (a subject I’m passionate about) and I thought I’d give him a second chance.
The book cover gives you the first clue.
You need a strong stomach to take this cheesy approach with its hyperbolic phrases and words/sections highlighted in bold or italics. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 17, 2015
The full title of this book by Laura Ries is
“Visual Hammer: Nail your brand into the mind with the emotional power of a visual“.
In my review of the book on Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the Four Stars level. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
Well worth reading – makes effective marketing sound like common sense
This is one of those books that makes effective marketing sound like common sense but it’s rarely practised effectively in the real world.
The author accepts her father’s idea that the key role of a brand is to establish a unique or dominant position in the mind of its customers. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 12, 2015
The full title of this book by David J. Pannell is
How to Influence Buying Criteria and open doors to More Business, Better Margins in Less Time
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 3 Stars.
Here is my review.
Worth reading if price versus value is a consistent problem
This book looks at the issue where customers focus on price when there are clear differences in value between competing products. The challenge for the sales person (this book is sales rather than marketing focused) is to open up the conversation. [continue reading…]
