Business Market Management: Understanding, Creating and Delivering Value (2nd Edition)

Business Market Management: Understanding, Creating and Delivering Value (2nd Edition)
Average customer rating:

Too much Poetry

Building Value-Based Sales Tools

An Outstanding approach to marketing based on value...

Outstanding -- Packed with insight on understanding value

A complete cohesive view of b-to-b marketing management

Business Market Management: Understanding, Creating and Delivering Value (2nd Edition)
James C. Anderson , and James A. Narus
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Advertising | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Managing Customer Value: Creating Quality and Service That Customers Can See

ASIN: 0130451878

Book Description

Business Market Management explores the process of understanding, creating and delivering value to targeted business markets and customers. Relying upon empirical assessment of value in the marketplace, it provides a means of gaining an equitable return on value delivered and enhancing a supplier firm's present and future profitability. This book reflects the principles and practices of the discipline, and—by presenting and conducting management practice research—strives to advance the field. It brings together venerable past thinking and leading-edge thinking to provide a progressive approach to managing business markets.

Customer Reviews:

Too much Poetry.......2001-07-13

It is amazing how the authors can write so many paragraphs which mean so little. This book could have half of the pages it contains. Not worth the price.

Building Value-Based Sales Tools.......2000-05-21

One of the most important take-a-ways from this book is the idea of coupling consultative selling techniques with a value model...to re-position your firm and its product offering. Its a must read for manufacturers who are perceived to be producing commodity products.

An Outstanding approach to marketing based on value..........1999-04-20

You know a book is having an extradinary effect when you see managers walking the halls with it -- postits coming out of every corner -- saying things like "This is my Bible..." Based on a significant amount of field research, this book has got real insighnts you can use in getting down to what customers really, really value -- and will pay for. A new "must read" for everyone in Business-to-Business Marketing

Outstanding -- Packed with insight on understanding value.......1999-02-16

In the business of business-to-business marketing, getting to the real value of your offerings, and designing offerings of real value, can be the key to siginifcant profitability vs. going along for a "commodity price" ride. Anderson and Narus have obviously done lots of field work in the real world of the business-to-business marketplace to pull actionable ideas together for those in the practice. A "must-read" for anyone in business-to -business -- outstanding.

A complete cohesive view of b-to-b marketing management.......1999-01-20

Business marketing is not my strong suit, but this book really brought some things together for me. It's readable, focused, and definitely gives you a hook to hang things on--one way to view the world of busines-to-business marketing that makes sense. I teach electronic marketing, and have more familiarity with the consumer side. After reading this book, I felt a much better grounding of essential b-to-b concepts like the value chain. I strongly recommend this book.

Marketing As Strategy: Understanding the CEO's Agenda for Driving Growth and Innovation

Average customer rating:

marketing under a new light
Marketing as Strategy: Not Necessarily
Obtuse
Marketing & Value
Three Vs for Victory

Marketing As Strategy: Understanding the CEO's Agenda for Driving Growth and Innovation
Nirmalya Kumar
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Marketing ROI : The Path to Campaign, Customer, and Corporate Profitability
Marketing Metrics: 50+ Metrics Every Executive Should Master
Marketing Champions: Practical Strategies for Improving Marketing's Power, Influence, and Business Impact
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Simply Better: Winning and Keeping Customers by Delivering What Matters Most

ASIN: 1591392101

Book Description

In economic downturns, the marketing budget is often the first to get slashed. Why? Because many CEOs believe that marketing is unable to deliver results where it counts: the bottom line.

Nirmalya Kumar argues that marketing’s future depends on altering its function and mindset to address the burning questions CEOs care about most. Kumar, who counsels top executives at multinational corporations, challenges marketers to change their role from tactical implementers of traditional marketing functions—like advertising and promotion—to strategic coordinators of organization-wide, transformational initiatives aimed at profitably delivering value to customers.

Kumar outlines seven strategy-focused, cross-functional, and bottom-line oriented initiatives that can put marketing back on the CEO’s agenda—and elevate its role in shaping the destiny of the firm.

Customer Reviews:

marketing under a new light.......2007-06-27

This is a very good marketing book. It's very well written and sees marketing as a function which has effects on all the company so that it may hopefully acquire a 'marketing mindset'. Some parts take inspiration from Chan Kim's Blue Ocean strategy but the graphs are confusing and unclear. I will use it as a main textbook for my BA marketing course in college. Efficient, effective and enjoyable.
Sergio Ianni
[...]

Marketing as Strategy: Not Necessarily .......2006-08-11

Marketing as Strategy follows the assumption that marketers have lost their seat at the big table because they no longer address the heavy strategic lifting in their respective companies. This may or may not be true. A good bit of the financial bent in most publicly held companies may have to do with the extreme pressures provided by SOX and related corporate governance issues in the post-Enron business landscape. As a result, most CEO's aren't marketers outside of marketing-driven industries.

However, the book is a good refresher for newly minted MBA's working for consumer packaged goods manufacturers. If this isn't you, just read chapter 7 on `market drivers', which is good reinforcement for anyone in early stage companies.

The premise is a good one - marketers can retake their place in the boardroom and executive suite and live more fulfilled professional lives. However, the suggestions given are positioned as inviolate rules. This assumption is incorrect. The idea that one should grow channels of distribution, not shrink them, is interesting but entirely dependent on factors specific to your industry and company. This clearly isn't an absolute. However, there are some good reminders to be studied here and the case studies are relatively fresh.

The seven big ideas are presented in chapters 2 through 8.

Chapter 2: From Market Segments to Strategic Segments: good thinking on ensuring your brand or company is focused on real differentiation from the ground up, not from the ad copy outwards. This is one of the better chapters.

Chapter 3: From Selling Products to Selling Solutions: it's a bit specious to say that `people don't buy power drills, they buy holes.' Actually, people buy power drills. They want holes. There are many ways to make a hole, one of which is by using a power drill, and one of those drills could be yours. Or not. Maybe they will buy your competitors' product instead. Ball bearing manufacturers might want to focus on being the best ball bearing manufacturers possible and not try to make motors. There is a kernel of truth here - know your customer, provide solutions to their problems, and differentiate yourself on these parameters - but the risk is that by taking too broad an interpretation, focus can be lost.

Chapter 4: From Declining to Growing Distribution Channels: not necessarily so. There are plenty of over-distributed products out there. There is also a huge amount of hype over `new' distribution options that fade over time. This is an over-statement. The chapter does provide a very good framework for analyzing channels, however.

Chapter 5: From Branded Bulldozers to Global Distribution Partners: a good read if you're working for a multinational corporation faced with global account issues. However, the `before' picture in branded bulldozers still has a lot of merit. This is not an adequate `before/after' comparison, as a result. You can be a good global distribution partner and still drive your agenda a la branded bulldozer.

Chapter 6: From Brand Acquisitions to Brand Rationalization: a good read if you're working for P&G, GM (you have my sympathies), or other brand-driven consumer company. Focus your brand strength. Mom and Apple Pie chapter.

Chapter 7: From Market-Driven to Market-Driving: this is great, as long as you're right. Don't focus on what your customers want, tell them what they want. "If we'd listened to our customers, we would have given them a faster horse", says Ford. And I think it was Andy Grove who said something along the lines of, "who cares what customers think - we haven't told them what to think." If you're right, you're in great shape. If you ignore your market, you might still be right. If you're wrong, you look very foolish. So good luck with this one.

Chapter 8: From Strategic Business Unit Marketing to Corporate Marketing: not necessarily so, again. There are as many reasons to decentralize as there are to centralize. Most F500 companies spend an inordinate amount of time switching back and forth between these two every few years because of corporate boredom and lack of imagination. This is not a magic bullet.

This book is a good read for those in the bulls-eye of its intended audience. It is not a general business read for marketers of all stripes in all industries. A good refresher, some good tools, but take everything you see here with a large grain of salt because these rules just don't apply to all situations as the book seems to promote.

Obtuse.......2006-03-10

This is so buzzword laden, I really couldn't make out what the guy was driving at. I abandoned it midway through the first chapter.

Marketing & Value .......2005-02-24

We live in a service economy but pump our own gas. Customer Service keeps us on hold, is rude, clueless.

After 20 years, ATMs still ask the same 8 questions and repeatedly quiz longstanding customers Dinunzio, Johnson, Goldberg, Yoon and Krzykowky if we want to speak Spanish! CRM must stand for Can't Remember Me...

Zero-defect products are now expected. Loyalty is nil. From a features/function standpoint, product differentiation is less than .0001% - IBM, Dell, HP, Sun all have fast boxes. BMW, SAAB, Lexus, Mercedes, Audi all make great cars.

So how do companies capture customers? Create Value? Win?

Kumar addreses how marketing can help CEOs solve these and other problems with customer focus integrated into all functions, sound strategy and crisp tactics. Plus he has a plan to get to that transformational golden chalice - culture change that moves companies from what they sell to what they solve.

Kumar taught for years at IMD in Lausanne, the delux advanced management institute on the lake. Though the setting was sublime, he tackled gritty and immediate issues working with active Fortune 500 execs whose challenges were hardly "academic". Kumar shows his chops here by getting to the point, being crisp and focusing on linking marketing to value. Just what CEOs needs to hear... Well done!

Three Vs for Victory.......2004-10-08

Because there are already so many excellent books on marketing (e.g. Levitt's The Marketing Imagination) and strategy (e.g. Kaplan and Norton's The Strategy-Focused Organization) now in print, why another? In fact, Kumar provides a unique and compelling analysis of the interdependence of marketing and strategy. As Philip Kotler notes In the Foreword, Kumar "introduces a framework for analyzing and planning marketing strategy in terms of the three Vs': valued customer, value proposition, and value network...[he also] proposes ways to deal with growing commoditization, price pressure, and the increasing market power of global mega-retailers...[as he strives] to show how the marketing discipline `could become more strategic, cross-functional, and bottom-line oriented' than ever before." This book will be of substantial value to all organizations (regardless of their size and nature) which are in urgent need of driving their growth and innovation.

Kumar carefully organizes his material within eight chapters whose titles indicate what each covers such as From Market Segments to Strategic Segments (for me, the most valuable chapter in this book) and From Branded Bulldozers to Global Distribution Partners (a chapter which will probably be of greatest interest to small-to-midsize companies with strategic alliances with global corporations). I agree with Peter Drucker's assertion that "the business enterprise has two and only two basic functions: marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs." I also agree with Warren Buffett who suggested that price is what is charged for whatever is sold; value is what the buyer thinks it's worth. As Kumar observes in the final chapter, "Marketing must prove that it is willing and ready for its leadership role in transforming the company. It must convince others of its unique capabilities, resources and skills, and its mind-set to lead -- and that it has matured as a discipline to become [as noted by Kotler] more strategic, cross-functional, and bottom-line oriented."

This book helps its reader to understand "the strategic marketplace challenges that all CEOs face today," an obhective which is especially important now when CEOs seek strategic leadership from marketers inorder to exploit new business opportunities, build strong brand and customer franchises, increase the organization's overall customer responsiveness, redefine industry distribution channels, enhance global effectiveness, and reduce such risks as industry price pressures. As Kumar suggests, "It is about marketers doing better things rather than simply doing things better." For whatever reasons (Kumar suggests several), those responsible for marketing seldom aspire to lead major transformational projects that involve cross-functional, multi-national teams sponsored by the CEO. In this volume, Kumar offers what he calls "The CEO's Marketing Manifesto" (please see Figure 1.1 on page 9) which can guide and inform transformational marketing initiatives. Indeed, his entire book coiuld well serve as an operations manual for such initiatives.

Well-done!

Why People Buy Things They Don't Need: Understanding and Predicting Consumer Behavior

Average customer rating:

Not the kind of book I was looking for
Kind of goes on and on
Understand how marketers manipulate you!
An interesting study of the modern consumer
i wish I read this when it first came out!

Why People Buy Things They Don't Need: Understanding and Predicting Consumer Behavior
Pamela Danziger
Manufacturer: Kaplan Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Macroeconomics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Let Them Eat Cake: Marketing Luxury to the Masses - As well as the Classes
Shopping: Why We Love It and How Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Customer Experience
Why We Buy: The Science Of Shopping
Mass Affluence: Seven New Rules of Marketing to Today's Consumer
Why People Don't Buy Things: Five Proven Steps to Connect with Your Customers and Dramatically Increase Your Sales

ASIN: 0793186021
Release Date: 2004-07-01

Book Description

Consumers shop to satisfy emotional needs and desires-if a company is selling to emotion, then it's in the business of luxury.

What motivates consumers to buy? Is it pleasure? Education? Entertainment? Status? Or just an impulse? Knowing why consumers buy what they do is the secret to predicting how they will behave in the ever-changing marketplace. In most cases, much of what people buy are items they really don't need.

Focusing on the ""whys"" of spending, Danziger has meticulously profiled customers in more than 30 categories of discretionary spending through research based on surveys, interviews, and focus groups from a variety of people who make discretionary purchases. She provides readers with a vision of the future, giving them the foresight to anticipate the needs and desires of their customers.

This groundbreaking guide will help marketers of all products understand the underlying motivators consumers use to both make their purchases and become satisfied, loyal customers. In Why People Buy Things They Don't Need, Danziger examines:

* The 14 justifiers that give consumers ""permission"" to buy.

* Trends impacting why people purchase what they do.

* How to sell even more to these customers.

* The future of discretionary spending.

Customer Reviews:

Not the kind of book I was looking for.......2006-10-10

I thought this was a book to help consumers realize why they buy things they don't need, and thereby stop doing it. But it's the opposite -- it's aimed at helping businesses tap into our buying impulses and sell us MORE stuff! If you're a business looking to raise your sales, you might like this, but it was not at all what I wanted.

Kind of goes on and on.......2006-09-07

The comments by others about how the book at time rehashes statistics are true. At times I found myself glossing over pages just because it was number after number. I lost interest.

I also got to the point with the author's repeated fixation on 9/11 that I had to put the book down. Enough is enough. That fixation only revealed to me the fact that the author's insight and point of view is very limited to the current and is United States centric. The author doesn't address a broader global view of wants and have a historical perspective of why people want to help other spot future trends.

Understand how marketers manipulate you!.......2006-01-24

This book is written for marketers.

If you're a consumer, don't fail to read it - especially if you shop too much and save too little!

Delves into the reasons consumers want things and can be manipulated into believing they need them.

- Eric Tyson
Author of Personal Finance for Dummies and Mind Over Money: Your Path to Wealth and Happiness

An interesting study of the modern consumer.......2005-10-04

Its an interesting study.

I found that much of the people is a rehash of statistical studies in words. You may as well just look at the mathematical figures rather then read the words.

The other issue is the book was written not long after 911 and its long terms effects were over estimated by the writer.

i wish I read this when it first came out!.......2005-08-06

Because I sell luxury home and gift items, I was drawn to the title of this book. Sometimes that is not always a good indicator of what is inside, but in this case it was dead-on. The book helped me understand what I've seen over the last few years, as well as gave me some insight into where things are heading (and why). I keep talking about the book, and the list of friends and associates who want to borrow the book keeps growing, although I may not want to give it up. Only a few more pages to go....

Think Like Your Customer: A Winning Strategy to Maximize Sales by Understanding and Influencing How and Why Your Customers Buy

Average customer rating:

An Invaluable Resource
How to understand the high-probability customer's purchase process
Valuable tools to use right away
Pack the sales punches
"Think Like Your Customer" by Bill Stinnett

Think Like Your Customer: A Winning Strategy to Maximize Sales by Understanding and Influencing How and Why Your Customers Buy
Bill Stinnett
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0071441883

Book Description

How to capture customers by learning to think the way they do

The most common complaint Bill Stinnett hears from his corporate clients is that would-be vendors and suppliers "just don't understand our business." In Think Like Your Customer, Stinnett explains why the key to landing corporate customers is to learn to think about the things executives and business owners think about and understand how they make complex buying decisions.

Drawing upon his years of experience as a Fortune 500 consultant, he offers sales and marketing professionals a powerful framework for understanding the inner workings of a business; knowing what motivates its executives and influences their buying decisions; identifying a company's organizational structure and decision-making psychology; and using that information to develop a winning strategy for influencing how and why the customer buys.

In addition, you receive:

Solid marketing insights delivered in a fun, breezy style by a top corporate consultant and seminar leader
Expert tips on how to maximize the value and profitability of relationships with corporate clients and customers

Customer Reviews:

An Invaluable Resource.......2007-03-11

If you want to improve your sales and connect better with your customers, buy this book! Each chapter is full of "aha!" insights that will enhance your understanding of your customer's needs.

Stinnett is an apostle of the "diagnostic approach" to selling, in which the seller undertakes a process of discovery to identify what results the customer is trying to achieve. The focus is always on the customer--his motive, the urgency of reaching the objective, the consequences of doing nothing and remaining where he is, the expected payback from attaining the objective, the resources the customer has available to devote to the effort, and the risks he will face in moving in a new direction. These "Action Drivers," Stinnett explains, govern and control just about every buying decision. If a sale falls through, chances are that one of these "Action Drivers" was missing.

In the first half of the "Think Like Your Customer," Stinnett analyzes how buyers evaluate their options and assess risk. Weeks after reading the book, I still open it up and turn to the chart on page 49, where Stinnett lists the eight major types of value your customer may be attempting to derive from a relationship with you and your company. They are:

Economic Value (increasing revenue, reducing costs, better utilization of assets)
Emotional Value (need for recognition and security)
Simplicity Value (making the easy choice and reducing headaches)
Relational Value (repaying loyalty and commitment; avoiding potential conflict)
Political and Image Value (looking good to others)
Guidance or Advice Value (access to expert advice)
Quality Value (reducing product defects; better service)
Time Value (shorten time to market; free up time for other things)

Stinnett points out for each of these denominations of value, there is a corresponding denomination of risk. Since value and risk are two sides of the same coin, a seller can increase the perceived value of his offering--and overcome prospects' perennial objections about price, by focusing carefully on the customer's concerns and reducing risk in the areas of value that are important to that particular customer.

In the second half of the book, Stinnett dissects the anatomy of the customer's buying process. Instead of focusing our attention on how we sell, Stinnett says we should concentrate on how the customer buys and--more importantly--what affirmative steps we can take to help the buyer move through each stage of the buying process that the buyer needs to traverse in order to buy from us.

Nothing in "Think Like Your Customer" is startlingly new; rather, Stinnett teaches how we can turn our thinking inside out and look at a transaction from the perspective of the buyer.

This book is well organized and highly readable; the reasoning is persuasive, and the advice is immensely practical. Immediately after reading "Think Like Your Customer," I began to conduct conversations with my clients using the tools and skills Stinnett provides. The difference in the quality of the communication was nothing short of amazing. Buy this book and profit from its wisdom!

How to understand the high-probability customer's purchase process .......2007-01-31

Bill Stinnett concludes the Introduction to this book with a remarkable statement: "Now let me be clear: I don't take credit for any of these truths [culled from a variety of other sources]. I didn't make them up. They have been there all along, waiting to be observed. My life's work has been to recognize them and organize them in an effort to advance my own career and yours." Stinnett refers to popular sales methodologies which include Strategic Selling®, Solution Selling®, and SPIN Selling®. Whatever the given methodology, its ultimate outcome is an increase in revenue which, Stinnett duly acknowledges, can be accomplished in three ways: maximizing sales velocity, increasing average "deal size" or the "wallet" share, and increasing customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Throughout Stinnett's narrative, his emphasis is on presenting and then explaining "a winning strategy" (actually an aggregate of several strategies) to increase his reader's understanding of how and why customers buy. The chapter titles for Part 1, "Why Customers Buy," correctly indicate how practical his approach is: What Customers Think About, What Customers Really Want, How Customers Perceive Value and Risk, The Cause and Effect of Business Value, and The Value of Customer Relationships. It should be noted that, along the way, Stinnett also offers excellent advice with regard to all manner of "how not to's" and "why nots" when formulating and then implementing what should be a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective game plan to increase revenue.

To me, some of the most valuable material in the book is presented in Chapter 8 as Stinnett explains how to reverse-engineer the buying process. That is, in Stephen Covey's words, "begin with the end in mind." This is a process by which to identify what must happen before a given customer is ready to buy. Previously in Chapter 2, Stinnett introduced what he calls his "Customer Results Model" which involves a process that begins with fully understanding the prospective buyer's current situation. I agree with Stinnett that there is no inherent value (as perceived by customers) in the solution offered by a given product or service unless it will achieve the prospective buyer's desired outcomes or results. As the former CEO of Home Depot once observed, people don't buy a quarter-inch drill; they buy quarter-inch holes. In this context, the quarter-inch drill fills a gap between a current, often an urgent need and filling it.

One of this book's several reader-friendly devices is the isolation of key points presented in bold face. This facilitates and accelerates frequent review of those points later. For example:

"It's a lot easier to sell somebody something if it's positioned as a way to help them achieve a goal or an objective that they already want to achieve." (Page 15)

" Far more critical than what is valuable and important to your customer is why it is valuable and important to them." (Page 65)

"A deep, meaningful, high-trust relationship with a client who has no business disparity [i.e. compelling need], no motive to take action, or no means to take action even if they did have a motive, equals no sale. It's just a relationship." (Page 105)

"It's not what we do in our sales process, but what the customer does in their buying process, that really matters." (Page 135)

"We should spend 80 percent of our time and effort on the 20 percent of our opportunities that carry a strong urgency, motive, and consequence, because these are the deals that can close." (Page 179)

None of Stinnett's key points is a head-snappy revelation, nor does he make that claim. However, all of them - preferably reviewed in the sequence in which they are presented - offer valuable reminders of where the proper focus and emphasis should be during a high-probability customer's purchase process.

There are dozens of excellent books on the art and science of sales, and this is one of the best.

Well-done!

Valuable tools to use right away.......2006-04-02

When I read books on persuasion, I'm looking for effective tools. One of the reasons I like this book is that it has valuable information I don't remember seeing elsewhere.

The chapter on what customers really want is worth far more than the price of the book. It identifies the factors that must exist for a customer to buy from us. And it teaches how to weave key questions about these factors into our informal conversation with the customer.

Another example: The book teaches how to learn what specific results a customer really wants and how to tie that to our product or service. The specific "result" a customer wants may differ greatly from the generic benefits we assume our product or service's features provide.

I've found that using Stinnett's tools to focus even more on how the customer thinks increases sales and the number of satisfied customers.

Pack the sales punches.......2005-12-19

This is one of the best books on selling I'd read in years. In the software world, hard-sell is dead. Try consultative selling the Bill Stinnet way. I used some of the ideas in the book eg., mapping out the buying process and offering it as as part of an important visual information to the gatekeeper to reach the decision maker - and it works! I have used the concept of getting the buyer to think about destination "C" with us rather than trying to be too focused on the offer in "B". There is also a section on how to qualify a prospect with ideas that are worth committing to memory. A combination of Bill's ideas and my experience has turned many of my well qualified prospects into paying customers today.

If you are a career saleperson then this one is definitely for you.

"Think Like Your Customer" by Bill Stinnett.......2005-03-08

Mr. Stinnett offers a revolutionary new approach to sales. This book offers many practical ideas and concepts that breathe new life into the sales process and help you better understand the issues that ultimately drive the customers decision making process. A must read for any serious sales professional.

Direct Marketing Rules of Thumb: 1,000 Practical and Profitable Ideas to Help You Improve Response, Save Money, and Increase Efficiency in Your Direct Program

Average customer rating:

Excellent Reference Book
An awesome resource for publishers and booksellers

Direct Marketing Rules of Thumb: 1,000 Practical and Profitable Ideas to Help You Improve Response, Save Money, and Increase Efficiency in Your Direct Program
Nat G. Bodian
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Tested Advertising Methods (Prentice Hall Business Classics)

ASIN: 0070063400

Book Description

A goldmine of tested DM tips and techniques. DM guru Nat Bodian's latest direct marketing tool crams 40 years of experience into a treasure drove of response-driven strategies for racking up sales by mail, phone, and space advertising. Exhaustively indexed to make fast access easy, Direct Marketing Rules of Thumb packs 1,000 priceless time and money saving ideas you need to: prepare, use, and evaluate every DM component--from headlines to offers to credit and collections; locate, select, time, and test top-selling mailing lists for business, professions, medicine, consumers, charities, and more--plus work with list brokers, managers, and compilers; land your share of the $300 billion telemarketing business--including getting started, finding help, preparing scripts, targeting top prospects, selecting lists, and more; sell successuflly through card decks; snag the best prices on paper, printing, production, and mail shop services; create and place low-cost DM space ads; much, much more.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Reference Book.......2007-07-09

Excellent Reference Manual. This will stay on my bookshelf for easy referencing at all times.

An awesome resource for publishers and booksellers.......2005-04-14

This is an amazing resource for ideas. It should be on every bookseller's bookshelf. I keep it handy for when I am hungry for creative ideas.

Like all of Nat Bodian's books, it's top quality and full of great information, packed with 59 chapters in 400 pages. While it is pre-Internet, you will be hard-pressed to find a more thorough treatment of the direct marketing topic.

This book is in the same league with John Kremer's "Book Marketing Made Easier" (bookmarket.com) and E Haldeman-Julius's "First Hundred Million" (100millionbooks.net). Both are PACKED with ideas, the latter also packed with proven sales numbers for what titles did and did not sell. Both are also out of print unfortunately. Kremer's book can be picked up used and is well worth the money. The other is available in digital format but is largely unavailable except for hundreds of dollars, if you can find it.

If you have a chance to pick up any of Bodian's books, do it! I love them.

Effective Advertising: Understanding When, How, and Why Advertising Works (Marketing for a New Century)

Average customer rating:

5 for content, 2 for style
Fascinating for lay people seeking to learn more

Effective Advertising: Understanding When, How, and Why Advertising Works (Marketing for a New Century)
Gerard J. Tellis
Manufacturer: Sage Publications, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0761922539

Book Description

Recently nominated one of five finalists selected for the 2005 Berry-AMA Book Prize for best book in marketing!

"Tellis has done a remarkable job. He has brought together an amazingly diverse literature. Unlike some other sources that claim to be able to measure the effects of advertising, Tellis's thoroughness and ability to understand and convey results of various experiments and statistical analyses helps the reader to separate the wheat from the chaff. Any student of advertising, whether new to the field or a seasoned veteran executive or researcher, should read this book."
--Alan G. Sawyer, University of Florida

Effective Advertising: How, When, and Why Advertising Works reviews and summarizes an extensive body of research on advertising effectiveness. In particular, it summarizes what we know today on when, how, and why advertising works. The primary focus of the book is on the instantaneous and carryover effects of advertising on consumer choice, sales, and market share. In addition, the book reviews research on the rich variety of ad appeals, and suggests which appeals work, and when, how, and why they work.

The first comprehensive book on advertising effectiveness, Understanding Effective Advertising reviews over 50 years of research in the fields of advertising, marketing, consumer behavior, and psychology. It covers all aspects of advertising and its effect on sales, including sales elasticity, carryover effects, content effects, and effects of frequency. Author Gerard J. Tellis distills three decades of academic and professional experience into one volume that successfully dismisses many popular myths about advertising, such as:

* Advertising has a powerful influence on consumers and often generates consumer need

* The effects of advertising persist for decades

* If an ad fails initially, repetition will ensure its ultimate success

* Ads need only one to three exposures to succeed

* Advertising by argument is the most effective method

* The best ads are unique and original

* Advertising is very profitable

Tellis then provides alternatives and establishes the following truths about advertising:

* Advertising is vitally important for free markets, but its action is subtle and its discovery is fragile

* The effects of advertising are short-lived

* If ads are not initially effective, repetition will not make them more effective

* Scientific principles can show which ads work, though firms often ignore advertising research and persist with ineffective ads

* Advertising by emotion may have the most effective appeal

* Templates can yield very effective ads

* Advertising is often unprofitable

Effective Advertising will be an important addition to courses at the graduate or undergraduate level in advertising, marketing, communication, and journalism. It will also be an invaluable reference for professionals and researchers working in these fields.

Customer Reviews:

5 for content, 2 for style.......2004-09-17

This book is full of extremely valuable information, but it's written in a very dense academic style. I wish the author had gotten a ghostwriter to help make it easy and enjoyable to read. It has far more meat than just about any advertising book I've read (and I've read a lot). What it lacks, ironically for a book about the business of communication, is the skill at communicating that. i.e. It's steak without the sizzle. What I would love the publishers to do for a second edition is: get a much better title, a much better cover (this one is appalling and boring), ask a good marketing/popular writer to make it palatable for the every day reader, and you might potentially have a hit on your hands. The content itself is first class.

Fascinating for lay people seeking to learn more.......2004-06-04

Effective Advertising: Understanding When, How And Why Advertising Works is an absolute must-read for professional and aspiring advertisers and marketers. It very candidly and straightforwardly presents the theories, principles, and techniquest of advertising, including findings from marketing studies in the late twentieth century concerning advertising intensity, elasticity, frequency, content, and more. As fascinating for lay people seeking to learn more about the commercials that bombard daily life as it is for students and professionals making a living spreading word of their products, Effective Advertising is a thorough, no-nonsense explanation of the nuts and bolts of how messages can be spread and leave a mark on human psychology.

An American's Guide to Doing Business in China: Negotiating Contracts And Agreements; Understanding Culture And Customs; Marketing Products And Services

Average customer rating:

Too much Hearsay
Very Informative.
A necessary read for anyone planning on doing business in China
Americans' Guide to Doing Business in China
"Starbucks Read" Only.

An American's Guide to Doing Business in China: Negotiating Contracts And Agreements; Understanding Culture And Customs; Marketing Products And Services
Mike Saxon
Manufacturer: Adams Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Chinese Business Etiquette: A Guide to Protocol, Manners, and Culture in the People's Republic of China (A Revised and Updated Edition of "Dealing with the Chinese")
Harvard Business Review on Doing Business in China (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)
China Streetsmart: What You MUST Know to be Effective and Profitable in China
China Now: Doing Business in the World's Most Dynamic Market
One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China

ASIN: 1593377304

Book Description

Did you know?

Americans have bought $185 billion worth of Chinese goods

China's economy is growing at an astounding rate of 9 percent a year

The trade gap between the U.S. and China has been growing by more than 25 percent per year.

Whether you work for a company doing business in China, or are an entrepreneur looking to export your goods and services An American's Guide to Doing Business in China teaches you the practicalities and the pitfalls of dealing with this complex market. While there are undeniable opportunities in the Chinese market there is also a great deal of hype-and very real political and cultural differences that make doing business in China extremely challenging.

Written by an industry expert with more than two decades of experience, An American's Guide to Doing Business in China is an authoritative and accessible guide on all aspects of doing business in China. An American's Guide to Doing Business in China gives you the information most relevant to doing business in China on a day-to-day basis including:

Finding manufacturing partners

Negotiating contracts and agreements

Choosing a location and hiring employees

This guide also teaches you how to navigate Chinese culture and customs, market and advertise to Chinese consumers, and find the hottest opportunities. An American's Guide to Doing Business in China is what you need to succeed in the world's biggest market.

Customer Reviews:

Too much Hearsay.......2007-06-12

Chance favors the prepared mind, that holds true also for a visit to China, whether it be for business or pleasure.

Reading Mr. Saxon's book beats trying to ride the dragon without a safety net. However, the book seems to be more for entertainment purposes than any real "how-to" business guidance.

Apart from the excessive value judgments, some of the numbers seem to be rather out of proportion. Budgeting USD 500.000 as annual expense for a Representative Office is simply ridiculous. I personally am spending less than USD 40.000 for a very successful Rep Office in Beijing - great office location, commission based sales staff. Like Saxon, I am an M.B.A., but with a background in Sinology and 10 years of China experience.

Most of the advice on manufacturing is simply based on due diligence - which should be applied everywhere, not only in China.

Again, it's a good "Starbucks Read", but don't make it your "Business in China Bible".

Very Informative........2007-05-25

This is a very informative book. Realy a must read for anybody contemplating doing business in China.

A necessary read for anyone planning on doing business in China.......2007-03-28

I have done business in China and have logged quite a few trips there. I bought "An American's Guide to Doing Business in China" at an airport book store because I forgot to take reading material, so my expectations were not high.

Every chapter is a different theme, so each can be read independent of the chapter before or after it and lends itself to reading in any order you want. I started with the chapter on culture. Then I read the one on customs. Just those two chapters alone made the purchase worthwhile. Each topic is straight to the point, and clearly and simply explained. It put many events that I had experienced into sharper focus for me.

Then I went into some other short topics that proved to be amazingly useful. Read the section on how to avoid getting sick there.

One of the most relevant topics for me was the method of negotiating and related topics. The recommendations are very different than the methods I was taught, but they seem to work far better than standard methods.

There were also topics I had learned already and some that were not relevant to me. Several chapters I started and did not finish. However, this is one of the most informative books I have bought in a long time.

Americans' Guide to Doing Business in China.......2007-03-23

"I had been to China only once and was impressed enough with the potential there that I bought three books that seem to be the hottest on the market right now. I read the first one and it was interesting. I now know something about where the China of today came from - some history.

"An American's Guide" was the second book I read. Because of the way it was laid out, it was easy to pick the chapters that most interested me and read those first. I found the book easy to understand and straight to the point. I liked the style and the way it was presented. I went from one chapter to another. I ended up reading the whole thing. I got a lot out of it, it was enjoyable, and I really think I got the knowledge I was looking for out of it. I want to compliment the author for keeping the reader in mind.

I still have the third book I bought unopened, if anyone is interested."

"Starbucks Read" Only........2007-02-13

How can you guys rate this book "5 stars"???!!!
This is a good book for reading on your coffee breaks. I don't believe when the author wrote the book, he consulted with any of his Chinese business partners or friends. There are lots of things that are not true or out dated in the book. Don't get me wrong, this is still a good read for people who want to do business in China and don't know where to start.
However, instead of a "Business Guide", it should be renamed as "Introduction to Chinese Culture." From page 1 - 80 (out of a total 223 pages) it talks about Chinese Culture & Customs which we all can find it over the Internet or tons of other tour/daytrip books or from business partners or even the "Travel Channel!" From page 81 - 223, it DOES talk about things that you should watch out when you do business in China. Much to my disappointment, those things are only briefly explained with NO detail information, NO depth. For example: Chapter 8 (out of 15) of the book - Import/Export and Shipping Issues. This is something that all American company concerns/worries/pays attention about. A total of less than 8 pages with 1 table of Chinese Customs' contact information and that's it. You get the idea.
Since the author claimed that he has been doing business in China for "more than 20 years," a Stanford & Cornell graduate, then maybe he can tell us things that he encountered, problems that he had, solutions that he came up with, cases that he helped his clients. You think?! NOPE, none of that.
Buy this book from Amazon, pay $11 max. Used would even be better. I am being nice to give 3 stars.

Global Marketing and Advertising: Understanding Cultural Paradoxes

Average customer rating:

A unique perspective on consumer behaviour
no book is as useful for students and practitioners of adv.
For students and practitioners in cross-cultural communicati

Global Marketing and Advertising: Understanding Cultural Paradoxes
Marieke K. de Mooij
Manufacturer: Sage Publications, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Advertising | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Consumer Behavior and Culture: Consequences for Global Marketing and Advertising
Global Brand Strategy: Unlocking Brand Potential Across Countries, Cultures & Markets
Dynamics of International Advertising: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives
Branding Across Borders: A Guide to Global Brand Marketing
Another One Bites the Grass: Making Sense of International Advertising

ASIN: 0803959702

Book Description

For additional materials, please contact the author directly: www.mariekedemooij.com

Cultural diversity influences marketing and advertising at all levels: consumer behaviour, research methodology, philosophies of how advertising works, advertising strategy, concept and execution. What the field has been lacking is a knowledge base of cultural differences and similarities, that can be used for developing global strategies. This book presents such a knowledge base, a structure to understand the consequences of culture for marketing and advertising.

Customer Reviews:

A unique perspective on consumer behaviour.......2001-05-30

The book is unique in that Marieke K Mooij uses theories from cultural anthroplogy and interpersonal communication to present a framework for consumer behaviour. It is particularly useful for practioners who are working in underresearched markets and are looking for ways to explain why consumers behave the way they do. The book makes extensive use of Hofstede's 5-D model to locate members of different cultures along the dimensions of culture and then uses this to explain differences in buying behaviour, communication styles and advertising appeals. The conclusion of the book is that individual behaviour is shaped more by the culture they belong to than it is by income or other differentiators. The one limitation of the book is that most of the examples are European, but I would recommend it even for those interested in Asian markets

no book is as useful for students and practitioners of adv........1999-02-15

This book review is on a 'titre personnel" basis.

I enjoyed the international advertising course which Marieke gave at Universidad de Navarra in 1997. As a teacher she is very capable of communicating the importance and urgency of this diverse and complex subject: managing marketing communications and brands within the outer/ and inner spheres of market cultures. Marieke applies the 5 dimensional model of G.Hofstede to illustrate and diferentiate a clear and full colour image of cultures and values. Being dutch myself, I recognise both the theory of Hofstede, but also the paradoxes Marieke has found. Intrigueing phenomena such as Japanese business success and collectivism, such as status and success in feminine cultures etc etc are often raising eyebrows, and not seldomly at highbrow corporate levels.

Cultural understanding, I have learnt, is possible only after understanding one's own culture, and a commitment to learn about the other culture, not matching it with your own. Marieke does this very well, she places anecdotes and case-studies is an objective setting, viewing it with an uncoloured microscope. She has added theory, academic research and good practice to make this book complete.

This book, for me, is one of the few great books on international (intercultural) marketing communications (and brand management).

For students and practitioners in cross-cultural communicati.......1998-09-01

From the author: With this book I have tried to develop a knowledge base of cultural differences and similarities that can be used for developing global marketing and advertising strategies and meaningful local adaptations. The structure for understanding the consequences of culture for marketing and advertising is based on Geert Hofstede's model for comparing national cultures. I have applied it to consumer values and motivations and found that it can explain culture's influence on marketing and advertising. To make the book useful for both students and practitioners, it includes a mix of basic theory and the practical applications with many examples.

Excerpts from a review by David A. Victor in The Journal of Business Communication of July 1998:

`Marieke de Mooij has added a worthwhile contribution to the on-going discourse in cross-cultural business communication in Global marketing and Advertising: Understanding Cultural Paradoxes. The title might dissuade those in fields outside marketing from reading further, which would be unfortunate. Any of us with an interest in cross-cultural business ought to find something worthwhile in de Mooij's book. De Mooij focuses on the various paradoxes of cross-cultural marketing. She amply illustrates how "certain opposing values of one culture also exist in other cultures, but in reverse" (p. 2). De Mooij calls these "Value paradoxes" and it is here that she makes her greatest contributions. [....] Throughout her discussion of Value Paradoxes, she breaks new ground. [.....] De Mooij has laid out an extremely well-balanced approach to understanding the competing needs of marketing globally while accommodating local advertising preferences.'

Movie Money: Understanding Hollywood's (Creative) Accounting Practices, 2nd ed.
Average customer rating:

Serious stuff if you are serious about distribution

Follow the Money!

Movie Money: Understanding Hollywood's (Creative) Accounting Practices, 2nd ed.
Bill Daniels , David Leedy , and Steven D. Sills
Manufacturer: Silman-James Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Financial | Accounting | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Industry | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Biz: The Basic Business, Legal and Financial Aspects of the Film Industry

Producing, Financing, and Distributing Film: A Comprehensive Legal and Business Guide

Entertainment Industry Economics: A Guide for Financial Analysis

Dealmaking in the Film and Television Industry From Negotiations Through Final Contracts: 2nd Edition Expanded and Updated

The Movie Business Book, Third Edition (Movie Business Book)

ASIN: 187950586X

Customer Reviews:

Serious stuff if you are serious about distribution.......2007-07-31

This is serious stuff! Written by three of the top "Profit Participation Auditor-Accountants" in Hollywood, this is a very informative, very scary inside look at how the legendary "Hollywood Accounting" really works. They also go into why it is the way it is...and that does give you some sympathy for the devil. It's not an easy read since we're talking about legalese and accounting strategies here, so it's not for the casual hobbist. I found it absolutely fascinating and extremely useful since I consider myself a serious filmmaker who wants to know what a good deal and a bad deal may look like...and want to make some money with my movies, not just hit a few festivals and it end up a trophy on the shelf. If you're serious, this is a must read...but bottom line: Don't try to do this yourself. Even the everyday lawyer or CPA will get bamboozeled if they don't have a movie biz experience.

Follow the Money!.......2001-07-03

This book will help anyone who desires to learn how their box office ticket dollars are spent. The authors take you step by step through a standard profit participation agreement. I feel the authors are not as aggressive as they should be hollywood's unethical "creative accounting". The distributors and the audit firms would like artists to believe that the lack of knowledge is why many artist are "cheated" out of their net profits or as Eddie Murphy stated "monkey profits". All net profit participants should read this before they listen to their lawyers and auditors. Many auditors and attorneys are willing participants in the "net profit scam"!

Being the Shopper: Understanding the Buyer's Choice

Average customer rating:

Grocer's Opinion
Its about time!
Anyone who markets needs this book!

Being the Shopper: Understanding the Buyer's Choice
Phil Lempert
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Retailing | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Advertising | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Consumer Behavior | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Grocery Revolution: The New Focus on the Consumer
Consumer-Centric Category Management : How to Increase Profits by Managing Categories based on Consumer Needs
Store Wars: The Battle for Mindspace and Shelfspace
Category Management: Positioning Your Organization to Win
Supermarket Wars: The Future of Global Food Retailing

ASIN: 0471151351

Book Description

Take a Tour Through the Mind of a Shopper

"What's my test of a book I've been asked to review? Pure selfishness. How intense are the underlinings? How many quotes can I add to my presentations? How often are the things I believe `for sure' effectively challenged? Phil Lempert's Being the Shopper is off the charts on all three counts. And not-so-incidentally, though Phil is a `supermarket guru,' this book will inform anyone who markets anything."
-- Tom Peters, coauthor, In Search of Excellence

"Being the Shopper is gourmet reading . . . a delicious and healthy resource for the smart shopper and forward-thinking marketer. Set your taste buds for Lempert's cutting-edge insights and pragmatic advice on the one experience we all share!"
-- Chip Bell, author, Customer Love and Customers as Partners

"Phil Lempert convinces me I'm something called a consumer. It seems I'm obtuse, savvy, sensual, and picky-- and that my dynamics and demographics are constantly changing. So if you want me to buy something, you ought to try and understand me. reading Being the Shopper seems (to me) a real good place to start."
-- Barry Gibbons, former Chairman/CEO of Burger King
author and entrepreneur

"Rarely do you come across a book that's as meaningful to students and 25-year marketers alike. Being the Shopper delivers to both audiences by enlightening the reader on how to approach critical issues if you want to succeed in today's incredibly demanding environment. It's easy to talk about listening to the voice of your customer, but Mr. Lempert provides a refreshing guide as to how you really can do it."
-- Brian Perkins, Worldwide Chairman, Consumer Pharmaceuticals and Nutritionals Group, Johnson & Johnson

"Is there anything more American than choice? We expect it, we demand it, we revel in it. Phil Lempert understands what your customers really want, and how you can help them find it."
-- Steve Rivkin, President, Rivkin & Associates
coauthor, IdeaWise and Differentiate or Die

Customer Reviews:

Grocer's Opinion.......2007-06-16

I ordered this book for two reasons, it is one of the few on the industry I work in and the reviews were very positive. The reviewers obviously knew what theywere talking about. There are specific, usable ideas in this book that are very relevant. The un -express lane for shoppers with big orders is just one of them. Mr. Lempert helps the reader to understand the necessity of REALLY talking and listening to the customer. Wal-Mart is the Empire to the regular grocers. If we hope to stop the Empire we must have the support of the customer. Buy it, read it, and may the Force be with you.

Its about time!.......2002-07-15

Finally a book that is easy and fun to read that marketers and consumers can learn from. I tried to read Why We buy - lots of great info - but couldn't get through it. Lempert's book is timely, chock full of facts and has already made me a better marketer [and shopper]. I've heard him interviewed before on radio and this is one smart guy who should be listened to.

Anyone who markets needs this book!.......2002-06-24

I have seen Lempert's reports on the Today Show for years and always enjoyed them - but WOW! I had no idea just how intuitive he is. This is a marketer's dream book. I for one [working as a brand manager for a major CPG] will use this as my bible and it has forced me into the stores and given me the tools on how to listen to a consumer instead of listening to my own predisposed [and antiquated] ideas.

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