Book Description
In
Customer Experience Management, renowned consultant and marketing thinker Bernd Schmitt follows up on his groundbreaking book Experiential Marketing by introducing a new and visionary approach to marketing called customer experience management (CEM). In this book, Schmitt demonstrates how to put his CEM framework to work in any organization to spur growth, increase revenues, and transform the image of your company and its brands. From retail buying to telephone orders, from marketing communications to online shopping, every customer touch-point offers companies an opportunity to maximize the customer experience and establish a bond that will never be broken.
Customer Experience Management introduces the five-step CEM process, a comprehensive tool for connecting with customers at every touch-point. This revolutionary marketing guide provides cases of successful CEM implementations in a wide variety of consumer and B2B industries, including pharmaceuticals, electronics, beauty and cosmetics, telecommunications, beverages, financial services, and even the nonprofit sector.
A must-read for senior executives, marketing managers, and anyone who wants to drive growth, increase income, and spur organizational change,
Customer Experience Management demonstrates the power of collecting truly relevant customer information, developing and implementing winning strategies, and measuring their results.
Customer Reviews:
Not what I expected.......2007-02-07
I was hoping for a useful framework. What I got was more about the author's consulting experiences and an academic approach to the framework vs. something practical.
Was great but not extraordinary!!!.......2006-05-19
I think it`s an eye-opener for many people like me that are starting in the marketing area. But I think in some parts there were too many concepts that I lost so many of the ideas of the book.
I recommend it but I'm looking for another approach of CEM so I can apply it more proffesionally.
What a disappointing jumble of jargon!.......2005-12-17
For those individuals who have not been previously exposed to the concept of Customer Experience Management as an alternative to Customer Relations Management, this book might be an amazing eye opener. But that would be strictly because of the exposure to a new idea, as it's certainly not the convulted style of writing which can result in even the most intelligent people scratching their heads.
I purchased this book in order to get very down to earth methods to begin applying the concept to the company I work for. What I found, instead, was a list a mile long of jargon that all began to run together and sound the same. "Experiential platform", "brand experience", "experiental value promise", experiential positioning"... soon enough my mind was preoccupied with trying to remember which was which, rather than being able to absorb the essence of what the author was trying to say. And the crazy thing is that each of those phrases I just mentioned are supposedly the very concrete, measureable phases behind his take on the CEM approach! Getting tangled in the minutia of catch phrases did nothing to help me move forward into CEM.
I've come away from the book disappointed I didn't learn anything of real value, but even more disappointed that I spent the money on the book. Don't bother!
Obvious concepts with no added depth.......2005-08-05
I had a hard time putting the book down. I kept reading hoping the book would reveal some item beyond the obvious. Schmitt spends 200 pages explaining that customer experience should be at the forefront when launching a new product or designing a marketing campaign. I dare say Schmitt would be hard pressed to find a CEO that doesn't taut the value of good customer experience or the importance of retaining customers.
Where Schmitt falls drastically short is tying customer experience activities to financial decisions companies make every day. This is perhaps the largest challenge those of us in customer retention or customer marketing face every day. It is great to ascertain that companies should improve customer support to provide a better customer experience to retain more customers. However, how does a manager position a $200,000 call center upgrade vs. a $200,000 product enhancement? According to Schmitt both are valuable in the Customer Experience framework. With limited lip service to "regression modeling" and "customer surveys" there is no valuable guidance to help a customer experience focused manager position their projects against other expenditures within a company.
Schmitt could take a few pages out of Jim Collins' work to better tie customer experience initiatives to corporate financial success.
Packed With Knowledge!.......2004-06-07
The revolutionary approach that Bernd H. Schmitt is advocating here wouldn't sound so radical to anyone who has ever been in therapy: be aware, see things from other people's point of view, address their concerns. If you've been in $150 an hour territory, this isn't radical, but in the suites of marketing, the author contends, it is brand new. The book is an interesting follow up to the author's earlier seminal work on the broader theory of customer experience. Entitled Experiential Marketing, that work made the case for a customer-experience focus. This book is more of a practical how-to, professorially organized into a neat near-outline format. Here, Schmitt makes the case for dissecting, designing and then improving, the customer's experience with your product. We recommend this book of marketing therapy to anyone selling a product or service - and it is lots less expensive than putting your consumers on the couch.
Book Description
"As usual, Tom Stanley hits the nail squarely on the head. No one better illuminates the 'who, where, and how' of the affluent market in America."-J. Arthur Urcioli, Chairman and Chief Executive, Merrill Lynch, Business and Financial Services, Inc. "This book is the best guide to success that I've seen."-Mary B. Lehman, Managing Director, Banker's Trust Company, The Private Bank.
Customer Reviews:
Very Illuminating.......2004-01-16
I never realized how easy it is to network with the high profile people. Like anythingelse, it can be learned.
Networking With The Affluent is a must read for all entrepeneurs, sales and business people. This is the book that your most successful competitors are reading, using and applying.
Especially good for people in financial services.......2004-01-16
I work for one of the big 3 insurance companies and getting to know the affluent and working their nests is critical to my success.
In Networking with the Affluent, Dr. Stanley shows how to get into this market and offer quality financial products and services. To serve the affluent and others in their network.
You won't find any tricky techniques. But you will find some powerful ideas on how to substantially increase your production.
I have recommended this book to dozens of people over the years. And I can tell by their productivity if they have actually read it.
Get this book. It's great.
Excellent book to penetrate the affluent market.......2004-01-16
Dr Stanley goes over and above the call of duty with this great work. Networking With The Affluent will show you how to penetrate the affluent market...network with it's members and key players within their group.
This book will create relationships that many have heretofore, been unable to penetrate.
Great book by Dr. Stanley.
A very under-rated book! Where are the readers?.......2004-01-16
I cannot believe that there is not at least three pages of reviews for this great book.Being able to link up with "Mr/Mrs High Credibility" is so essential to successand this is the only book that shows the why, who, where and how.Severall years ago I joined toastmasters and as a result was invited to join other organizations as well. I have to admit that I was [initially] very uncomfortable sitting with some of the top CEO's, Board Members and social elite of my city. This book was recommended to me then and I have never looked back.As a result, I have been able to increase my client base, penetrate the affluent market and network with their associates.As I said in the heading, I cannot believe that there are not more reviews here. Perhaps readers are hoping to keep this their secret. I know that when I first heard about this book, I was hoping that none of my competitors would find out about it.I also recommend Dr. Stanley's excellent "Selling To The Affluent" and "The Winners Circle" by Robert Shook.
Some good advice on how to be useful to the affluent.......2002-07-19
If you need to rub elbows with the affluent, who better to learn from than the man who made a career of studying the wealthy? Thomas Stanley, bestselling author of "The Millionaire Next Door," teaches us the networking methods of individuals who cater to the rich in "Networking With The Affluent And Their Advisors."
Stanley writes: "...always remember that you will succeed in marketing if you focus on the needs of your targets." What are the needs of the affluent? Stanley focuses upon eight valuable services that individuals can provide to the affluent.
According to Stanley, the "Eight Faces of Networking" are:
* Being A Talent Scout
* Being A Revenue Enhancer
* Being An Advocate (to your clients' industries)
* Being A Mentor
* Being A Publicist
* Being A Family Advisor
* Being A Purchasing Agent
* Being A Loan Broker
Noticeably missing from Stanley's list is walking poodles. What sort of pets do the rich have anyway? Are they largely cat people or dog people? Or do they tend to avoid pets altogether due to the cost of caring for the furry little fellows? Stanley is silent on the issue.
But, I guess offering to walk a potential client's poodle wouldn't enhance the image of a serious business professional anyway. So, we'll let Stanley off the hook on this point of omission. Each of his other networking suggestions would tend to enhance a businessperson's reputation as a savvy businessperson with the client.
Being a talent scout means providing your network with information about reliable suppliers and people who might be able to provide valuable services. For example, Stanley notes that the majority of the wealthy are business owners, so they are constantly looking for sources of supply for their businesses.
Suppose the fat cat you want to do business with owns a bakery chain. If you've focused your attention upon the food industry, you might just know a good supplier of doilies. That information will come in handy when fat cat laments the lack of reliable doily suppliers. By asking fat cat about his most important goals and concerns, you learn how you can be of service to him.
Of course, if the doily supplier delivers deformed doilies, you might lose the goodwill of the fat cat. Stanley tells us to only endorse people who provide quality services and products, otherwise we compromise the value of our personal network.
Stanley says that it's often wisest to focus upon networking within a few industries because positive word-of-mouth flows more rapidly through inter-industry communication than through intra-industry communication. We learn that one of the best places to learn about an industry are the industry's trade publications and associations.
So, while you're browsing through "Gingersnap Today," in addition to learning about the industry, you'll learn about the movers and shakers of the baking industry. More people to add to your potential food network.
What do most bakers really care about? In fact, what do most wealthy people care about? Dough, of course! Business owners, especially, are always looking to grow their revenue. So, if you enhance a business owner's revenue, you will become a valuable member of his or her network.
Would doily supplier dare drop doing business with you in favor of your competition if you are providing many referrals and enhancing his doily revenue? Especially, if other people providing the same core service don't enhance his revenue at all?
Stanley gives us the example of a financial advisor who was talking with the wealthy owner of a welding company. Rather than focusing upon the financial advisor's "me, me, me" interest of getting as much money under his grubby management paw as possible, the advisor focused upon his potential client's real concerns and priorities.
Upon meeting the wealthy welder, the financial advisor immediately said that he had several clients who owned oil rigs which needed welding services. He put the welder in contact with the oil riggers. The welder received much business and opened a multimillion dollar account with the financial advisor.
Of course, savvy networking is sometimes derogatorily referred to as "The Old Boy's Network," where members only tend to do business with other members. But, everyone has the opportunity to create their own network. Building networks is an equal opportunity endeavor. Unfortunately, sometimes, people have network envy.
Also, notice that financial advisors and others offering core services to the wealthy tend to benefit most from such networking. This is especially true if the basic service provided is largely undifferentiated, as it typically is with accounting services or financial advising, for example.
Stanley argues that the core service provided clients must be worthwhile to secure and retain business. But, core services being equal, the provider who excels at revenue enhancement will probably win.
While revenue enhancement is crucial, maybe, top dog's greatest concern is building his new home. He's a successful doctor who hates negotiating and doesn't have the time for it. But, it so happens that you know the building contracting business and are a strong negotiator. By acting as a purchasing agent for members of your network, you can save members money. And, as they say, a penny saved is a penny earned.
Stanley relates the story of a successful CPA who saved his wealthy client about [money] on the purchase of a new home. When the successful doctor told Mr. CPA about his new home plans along with its 15% builder's fee and extra fees and commissions here and there, Mr. CPA offered to negotiate the final purchase on behalf of his client. Knowing construction, Mr. CPA knew that a 10% builder's fee was fair. But, the commission, paid to the builder, on the sale of the lot, owned by the builder, had to go.
Saving members of your network money on expensive purchases is one more way to benefit them.
Overall, if you provide a service to wealthy individuals and you wish to increase the value of your networking skills, you might find this book useful.
Peter Hupalo, Author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur" and "Becoming An Investor."
Amazon.com
How does a brand--a company or one of its products--stand out in an ever-louder and more chaotic marketplace? Why do customers develop intense and lasting bonds with some products they consume, but not others? What do winning brands do better than their competitors? Generations of marketers have pondered these questions, and Married to the Brand offers thought-provoking answers.
Based on 60 years of research from the Gallup Organization, the book combines a thoughtful, data-driven approach with a playful metaphor. Author and Gallup researcher William McEwen sees customers' interactions with brands as markedly similar to the in-depth, extended relationships we see in marriages. From his opening pages, McEwen draws parallels between customers' feelings about brands and romantic relationships. For example, he points to the differences between "dating" and "long-term engagement". He explains how both commercial and romantic relationships require trust to start and build, but passion to flourish and sustain. He describes situations in which people might fall in love, then later seek a "divorce".
Like other recent classics about brand marketing, like Scott Bedbury's A New Brand World and Al and Laura Ries' The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, McEwen's book makes good use of anecdotal personal examples. He uses stories about individual consumers' interactions with the Starbucks (coffee) or Morton's (salt) brands, for example, to illustrate one of his central points: that brands grow not just from products, but from an overall customer experience which may include the original advertising that first drew attention to the brand, personal memories tied to the product, interactions with sales staff, the appearance and location of the physical store in which the product was purchased, and so on. He summarizes by describing a framework of "5 P's" that drive customers' perceptions of brands: product, place, promotion, price, and people.
Taken as a whole, this book's lessons provide a provocative and interesting rethinking of brand management for marketers in a wide variety of industries. As McEwen himself writes, emotions connected to brands "aren't merely warm and fuzzy, nor should they be relegated to the world of greeting card poetry and Hollywood scripts. Emotions are both powerful and profitable, whether a company is marketing hamburgers or microprocessors." McEwen challenges his readers to build their brands patiently, over time. He attacks the conventional wisdom behind most companies' customer relationship management (CRM) or loyalty-marketing programs. Perhaps most importantly, he is realistic in stating from the book's outset that even the best brands will engage only a minority of their customers in true "marriage"-like relationships. But for the readers willing to invest the effort, in this book and then in the brand building that follows, the payoff appears worthwhile. --Peter Han
Book Description
Although American companies spend a staggering $500 billion on advertising annually, many fail to establish an emotional connection with consumers. Married to the Brand examines why some companies develop this most desirable consumer connection, and why others don't. Using Gallup's 60 years of global consumer data and tons of consumer stories, William McEwen shows that many marketers are great at wooing a "first date" with consumers, but only the best can create a lasting marriage between buyer and brand. The book explores how emotions such as confidence, integrity, pride, and passion can make consumers want to stand by a brand, and shows how skillful brand management can keep a consumer-brand marriage fresh and satisfying. Tools to rate Engagement Potential and Customer Engagement are also provided, allowing marketers to quickly and objectively rate their own brand's performance.
Customer Reviews:
Chapters survey pride levels, common brand dilemmas, and more........2007-01-07
Why do some consumers bond to brand names for life? Sixty years of Gallup research into consumer habits and their psychology lend to MARRIED TO THE BRAND: WHY CONSUMERS BOND WITH SOME BRANDS FOR LIFE. Many marketers work on first impressions without considering the reasons why consumers will stick with a brand. MARRIED TO THE BRAND tells how the most successful marketer not only creates the bond, but strengthens it over the years so that consumers come to equate the brand with quality and value. Chapters survey pride levels, common brand dilemmas, and more.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Great understanding of a Brand.......2006-03-16
This book gives you a good insight about a brand and the marriage it has with its customers. Its very easy to read and enjoyable.
Based on Sixty Years of Research.......2006-01-11
Dr. McEwen is a consultant with the Gallup polling people. For over sixty years they have researched brands and branding. In this book he analyzes and explains what he has discovered.
His comparison is that branding is a lot like marrying. It is a merger of company and customer and both have obligations to the other. The company has most of the responsibilities because they are the ones that have the power to change things that attract or drive away the customer. But like any marriage, the customer also has the obligation to buy the brand so long as it meets their needs.
And if brands are a marriage, he also talks about divorce. My family has always used Crest toothpaste. I go to the store, I want the same old Crest I used as a kid. Now there's Gel Crest, Mint Crest, Crest with special this, and special that. New is a magic word in marketing, but I don't want NEW, I want the same old stuff I had before. I honestly couldn't tell which was the same old stuff. I bought Colgate.
Sears was a great brand, then they went all goofy. But the Craftsman brand of Sears tool has held it's place. I bought some tools for Christmas presents. They were Craftsman -- but it was the only thing I bought in the Sears store.
This is the best book on understanding brands and branding I've ever seen.
About time.......2005-12-04
Disney has a brand loyalty that is the envy of Hollywood. (Ever hear anyone say, "Let's go see the lastest Columbia movie?" But ask a dad on Saturday what he's doing, and you may hear, "Taking the kids to the new Disney flic.") How did they do it? And how can they keep it?
This book delves into the mystery of brand loyalty with interesting anecdotes and examples from the marketing kings: McDonalds in America, Coca Cola in Asia, and of course, Disney. But the author doesn't pull punches. McDonalds marketing, once so effective, now reeks of 40 year olds in suits trying to sound "hip." That's where the book is well worth a read: the author's discussion of how brand loyalty is built is carefully balanced with how it can be lost.
Fascinating reading for anyone--marketing pros or consumers who enjoy the ride.
A Great Read For Anyone!.......2005-10-14
This book is a great read for market researchers and the general population alike. Dr. McEwen has put together a truly compelling "tale" of how certain brands entice followings, and how or why said followings are either maintained and groomed, or discarded. A fascinating cultural study, as well as a meticulous scientific one, this is a great present for anyone who's ever wondered how Disney or Coca Cola has come to the prominence they enjoy today. To have put together so much information in such a fun, readable way is Dr. McEwen's true gift, and he should be lauded for it. Bravo!
Book Description
What's Your BQ? It could be the most important question you can ask and answer if you are running a business in today's competitive landscape. Consider the fact that that 80% of new brands fail upon introduction and another 10% fail within five years. With the heightened competition and consumer savvy of the 21st century, it is imperative that every business owner knows how to build a competitive advantage into their brand. The book will give you a customized snapshot of your company's brand strengths and weaknesses through a 40-question test. The author will then take you through a step by step process of brand assessment, improvement and planning. The results can have a profound impact on the longevity of your business, large or small.
Customer Reviews:
Required reading for Business owners looking to grow........2007-09-19
As a small business owner and operator, I am often too busy working to think about branding my company, and hiring a branding agency can have a huge price tag associated with it. By reading What's Your BQ, I'm able to make smart decisions about branding my company. Also, the questions that are posed at the end of each of the 35 stories helps me to not only see what other companies are doing successfully, but helps me apply branding strategies to my own company. If you want a simple process to build a better brand, this book is it.
This Book Really Delivers.......2007-08-19
I love marketing books and at the same find many of them rather thin on ideas. That's not the case in this book. Sellani give you the tools to create or fix your brand and then takes you deep into the brand strategies of 35 winners. The stories are enlightening and fun and the brandstorming questions themselves are worth the price of admission.
Putting Theory into Practice.......2007-06-25
Many business books are good at giving us endless strategies. Ms. Sellani distinguishes herself by transcending strategy and drilling into tactics. Her 35 case studies make it possible to quickly see how to apply the principles she espouses. Buy this book if you want to start working smarter instead of just harder.
The book I was always waiting for..........2007-06-12
FINALLY, a book that doesn't spend 100 pages expounding on theories! Sellani sifts through the hype that surrounds branding and gives the reader the necessary tools to build a brand's long-term success. This is the book I was always waiting for that delivers a fundamentally solid nuts-and-bolts approach to branding. Although the book can also apply to large corporations, it is filled with thought-provoking case studies from small-to-medium-size companies that I can relate to. If you've got branding on your brain, this is a MUST-READ!
A Must Read!.......2007-06-04
I just finished reading What's Your BQ? and can't wait to develop my own "brand strategy". Sandra Sellani's writing captivates the reader. Her clear and concise explanation of what brand strategy and differentiation can do for anyone, anywhere, is so easy to follow. It's one thing to explain what a concept is but it's another to give you the tools to actually carry the concept out. This book is a must read and sure to be on the best-seller list!
Book Description
Faced with crowded markets, flat growth and growing consumer cynicism, brand marketers are looking for ways to deepen the emotional connection between their brands and customers. This book uses interviews and case studies to show how belief-led brands such as Google, Zara and Camper have outstripped the growth of their peers by igniting passion among employees and consumers alike. These passion brands show the way to marketing in the 21st century. Drawing on both research and academic theory, the authors provide a practical, systematic approach to the business of transforming brands into passion brands. "Creating Passion Brands" shows what really counts at the heart of branding today.
Amazon.com
For better or worse, most of us have at least one of the 720 million little plastic cards that are used each year to complete $860 billion worth of purchases at 15 million incredibly varied merchant locations throughout the world. This is a far cry from the humble beginnings of these myriad credit, debit, and charge cards, which just a few decades ago were generally a perk offered only to elite customers for the acquisition of fine meals, hotel rooms, department-store goods, and oil-company products. They are now so common and such an integral part of our economy, in fact, that few pay them much mind--a situation that makes David Evans and Richard Schmalensee's Paying with Plastic all the more interesting. Evans, senior vice president of National Economics Research Associates, and Schmalensee, dean of MIT's Sloan School of Management, meticulously trace the history of these cards from both the consumer and merchant perspectives in this surprisingly appealing volume, which will prove enlightening to anyone who ever wondered how plastic money works. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
Since Diners Club issued its first charge cards in 1950, payment cards -- credit, debit, and charge cards -- have revolutionized how and whenwe pay for goods and services. In Paying with Plastic, David Evans and Richard Schmalensee provide a nontechnical distillation of their years of research on the economic, technological, and institutional forces that have shaped the payment card industry. They show how competition works in an industry that does not neatly fit any of the standard economic models. They describe how the payment card companies such as MasterCard and Visa have developed complex systems for coordinating transactions among their thousands of bank members and millions of cardholders and accepting merchants. Evans and Schmalensee also describe recent developments in the industry and consider its likely evolution.
Customer Reviews:
Great Overview.......2006-11-05
If you work in the payments, credit card or finance industry this book is great. It has a very easy to read history about credit cards, who knew Diners Club invented the category in the 50's. But more importantly is how the industry is moving forward and progressing.
Overall, this is a book you read if you need to, but I can't imagine anyone outside the industry reading it. You would have to be the most intellecually curious person in the world if you read this cause you were interested in how credit cards work.
Great book!!.......2006-01-04
I loved this book and how the author talks about the fine points of credit cards and how American consumers got hooked into it. A terrific read and it is money well spent, although FREE shipping would have been nice!
What's old will be new again.......2005-10-24
Paying with Plastic first edition has been revamped, rewritten and repositioned here with edition number two.
Most important, Paying with Plastic "2.0" addresses new developments of online payment processing. The authors correctly begin to question the requirement of a merchant set top box for reading "antiquated magnetic stripes".
"Old is new" item #1. Frank McNamara's Diners Club platform would cost about $50,000 to set up today. What's the next mutiny of merchants?
Old is new item #2. Sears starting up Discover and getting to more merchants tha American Express -all within 2 years. Moore's law (doubling within time) would suggest the next Discover would ramp up in less time.
Old is new #3. Industries in decline, lobby best. The payment industry's recently raised interchange rates. Does technology cost more?! No, but growth is stagnant.
Old is new #4. Whoops, John Reed (ex-ceo of Citibank) pulled their Visa membership (p14) and moved the Mastercard logo to the back. Why?! Pull the entire Citi into a closed loop - Citi wanted to be like Amex and Discover. There will be more banks doing this like Chase (Octogon) or MBNA (PayPass).
Old is new #5. Wal-mart as a bank. See Sears above in #2. Wal-marts pays fees to V/MC/D/Amex but they'd rather charge fees and lend money. Why just make $2.00 on the VCR when you can make $10 on the financing. By the way, I like the payment system name, "Wallycard"... just kidding.
A remarkable accomplishment.......2005-07-11
It is a very difficult and ambitious task to write a book about an industry combining indispensable facts and history, fundamental business aspects and subtle economic insights. Yet this is precisely what the authors have done for credit cards, the digital quantum leap in the evolution of payment instruments. It is a very rewarding and fun read, providing the equivalent of a comprehensive 3D animated view of the organization of credit card companies (not-for-profit associations like Visa or for-profit firms like American Express) and of the complex ecosystem that surrounds them: banks, merchants, cardholders, regulators, ATM networks, etc.
And the "lens" of "multi-sided platforms" that Evans and Schmalensee use to conduct their analysis turns out to be so appealing and insightful that one wonders how economists, policy-makers, business people and even casual observers managed to make any sense of this industry before.
Highly Recommended!.......2005-05-09
In this history of payment cards, David S. Evans and Richard Schmalensee provide an amazingly lucid account of a couple of unusual business models: the "two-sided platform," which in the use of payment cards means walking a tightrope between the interests of merchants and consumers; and the "co-opetitive," in which the bank members of MasterCard and Visa cooperate in developing industry practices while competing for business. The authors, who are both former Visa consultants, sound like your favorite college professors - up to date and extremely sophisticated, yet friendly and anecdotal (at one point, they describe a Shell gas station near MIT to make a point about competition among cards). They typically begin chapters with easily understood notions from which they methodically build complex structures of ideas and information. Another virtue of the book is its concreteness - although that occasionally devolves into repetitiveness - starting with an explanation involving electronic signals and following the paper path of what happens when you hand your credit, debit or charge card to a cashier. The authors even consider the design and manufacture of the cards themselves. We recommend this book as essential reading for those in the banking or payment card industries; and it's not a bad idea for card users to read it - which these days means you...and just about everyone else.
Book Description
Business owners, consultants, free-lancers, and other entrepreneurs are all looking for easy-to-implement, cost-efficient ways to go up against the big guys. They can now get tips from an expert -- Debra Koontz Traverso -- an entrepreneur herself who coaches others to success. This book gives them a powerful equalizer for winning business that would traditionally go to players with bigger staffs and established reputations.
Despite the splash created by big budget ad campaigns, the fact remains -- big business can't always do the job. Its Achilles heel? One-size-fits-all service coupled with often inexpert sales help. Outsmarting Goliath helps small businesses defeat larger competitors.
This book shows how a single phone call, a cleverly crafted letter, an impressive catalog, a winning ad, or a skillfully prepared face-to-face presentation can influence customers to abandon big brand name products and services and embrace small business products and services that better address their needs. With these proven how-to strategies, small upstarts will capture more clients and challenge the Goliaths!
Customer Reviews:
A Good Read!.......2001-04-24
Debra Koontz Traverso presents a compilation of tips telling the entrepreneur or owner of a small business how to compete with established companies as well as other start-ups. Traverso includes a few personal examples, although this is mostly a how-to guidebook. Much of the advice may seem familiar to those who have read similar books or attended small business workshops, but Traverso does manage to throw in a few pointers that make you stop and think. For example: Stand up while you talk on the phone - it will increase your energy level. (Try it: It really works!) In addition, the book offers guidance on creating the right image, partnering with outsiders and family members, making the most out of mundane daily activities and marketing on a limited budget. Top executives may want to skim this to learn how start-ups and small businesses are striving to compete with them, but we [...] recommend this book primarily to entrepreneurs and small business owners who don't want to stay small forever.
Big bang for the buck.......2000-10-25
This book has gems on every page. Lots of practical tips and tools that can be put to immediate use. Plus it's a great, quick read. Light, tight, bright, and useful; full of great examples. Traverso sure knows her stuff.
A complete guide to small business image development.......2000-07-21
"Some entrepreneurs view their smallness as such a negative thing that they hardly make an effort to gain lucrative corporate clients. But even if yours is a one-employee home-based business, you can make it appear larger and give big firms confidence in your ability to do the job, according to (the author and this book). It's all a matter of image. . . (the book) is replete with instructions for self-assessment to determine your current business image and how to enlarge that image. . . . . In an easily read style, 'Outsmarting Goliath' is a complete guide to small business image development." --Carol Celeste, The Network Journal
Amazing Insight!.......2000-06-04
"The author's amazing insight into the needs of independent merchants in this time of accelerating change in the market place is remarkable. Suggestions for achieving performance and a more competitive rivalry with mammoth companies are many and valuable. This is not just a good read, but a handbook for coping." --Harold E. Hicks, The Book Shop, Inc.
Wish I had sooner.......2000-05-17
This book has many great ideas for the small business person that I wish I had before I started my business. For example, just how to pick a name for the company or how to look like a big company without spending a fortune. The book provides examples from people who have done it and adds credibility to the content. I recommend for all businesses but especially fo the smaller business and one person operations.
Average customer rating:
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Marketing Research for Managers: Published in association with the Chartered Institute of Marketing A Professional Development Series title (Marketing ... England). Professional Development.)
Sunny Crouch , and
Matthew Housden
Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann
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ASIN: 0750604883 |
Book Description
Marketing Research for Managers, now in its second edition, is an easy-to-read, practical introduction to marketing research. It covers the range of marketing research techniques and describes how each stage in the research process is carried out with an appreciation of their strengths and weaknesses.
The purpose of the book is to enable managers to become more informed research users and buyers. The more managers know about how marketing research works, the more effective they can be in using it as a management tool.
Endorsed by the CIM
The only introductory UK text
Foreword by Professor Robert Worcester, Chairman, MORI
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Los Angeles Business Journal, published by Thomson Gale on April 23, 2007. The length of the article is 671 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Business.com strategy makes it an advertising powerhouse: Web site gets high ratings with shift in emphasis, new features.(Nielsen Media Research plans to rate out of home television viewing)
Author: Joel Russell
Publication:
Los Angeles Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 23, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 29
Issue: 17
Page: 14(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Fund Raising Management, published by Hoke Communications, Inc. on July 1, 1998. The length of the article is 1534 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
From the supplier: Group effort and commitment to 'Campaign for Dignity' enabled the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation (CPRF) to realize its $25 million endowment goal and acquire a 36,000 sq ft facility. The original goal of the campaign was for a $10 million endowment, but due to necessary renovations and other capital needs, the goal was set to $25 million. Within 12 months, CPRF secured challenge grants from the Kresge Foundation for $600,000 and from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation for $1.5 million. Also, CPRF was able to buy an adjacent facility to relocate its off campus services and buildings.
Citation Details
Title: Campaign for Dignity makes history: Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation reaches $25 million goal in Campaign for Dignity.
Author: Christine Wheat
Publication:
Fund Raising Management (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 1998
Publisher: Hoke Communications, Inc.
Volume: v29
Issue: n5
Page: p23(3)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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