“Tell me what you
read and I'll tell you who you are.”
-- ancient proverb
Below you will find four of my favorite
reads – out of a library that is way too large to be sensible…
Selling the Invisible
is pure analog in a digital world. It
remains my favorite book of all time and I have given away hundreds of copies
over the years. Originally published in
1977, it is a marketing classic. When I
taught a marketing class for new franchisees at Tuffy Auto Service Centers, it
was required reading. I gave everyone
who attended a copy. I still read this
book each year and continue to discover new ideas that can be applied to
business today. I believe the longest chapter
is 4 pages. Among his gems, “Too often,
service sucks.” Before you launch a
marketing campaign, fix your service.
“Bad news, you are competing with Walt Disney.” (Page 8) Be sure to read, “A Butterfly Named Roger” (page
11). “Life is Like High School” (page 51). “Brands and the Baby-Sitter” page 163. Better yet, it is only 250 small pages. Read it all.
What makes things popular? Jonah Berger looks at why people talk about
some ideas and products but not others.
He looks beyond advertising and focuses on what gets consumers
talking. Look at Social Currency (page
29) – we share things that make us look good.
Learn why a cheesesteak costs $100 and is a best seller (page 2). How Kit Kat used coffee as a trigger to boost
sales (page 81). Social proof (page 128)
and why the line at a restaurant reaches around the block…
You see this book advertised a lot on
Linked In. I was exposed to it by ChrisTiutan at Optimizely. Dan and Pete
are the co-founders of Optimizely and wrote the book. A/B Testing gives you a lot of ideas and case
studies on how the smallest changes on your web site can yield amazing
results. Test and measure. I find that the concept really embodies a way
of thinking that applies outside of web sites, and is really a commentary on
how marketers should not take anything for granted. Test and measure other marketing
decisions. You never know when a change
of a single term from “Submit” to “Support” means millions of dollars (page
61).
Actually anything by Gladwell is a great
read. I also like David & Goliath, The
Tipping Point (Troy and I were talking about The Tipping Point earlier this
week.), What the Dog Saw and Outliers. “Blink
is a book about those first two seconds.”
The first two seconds is when many of us make our decision. Gladwell shares stories that quantify this
intellectual/emotional reaction and explains how most of the time we are…. You will have to read it to find the
answer.
Enjoy the weekend.
Go Broncos.
“Vision is the art of
seeing things invisible.” ~ Jonathan Swift
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