photo: Acumen_
Marketing guru’s recommendations
“The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field” by Mike Michalowicz
– Seth Godin’s review
Also mentioned in Guy Kawasaki On Books Every Businessmen Should Read
Ordinary businesses built by ordinary people – can grow into extraordinary enterprises. Michalowicz, also known for his other best-seller The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, approaches business with the eye of a pumpkin farmer. To to get beyond the ‘sell it – do it’ cycle of frustration, entrepreneurs can move beyond long pointless hours with a few methods: plant, weed, nurture. Focusing on the good pumpkins, and casting out the bad, allows business owners to harness the true strength of their business: the best customers. Pass over quantity for quality, and find the business sweet spot.
“A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future” by Daniel H. Pink
– Seth Godin
Per a Kim Hartman creativity post, it’s worth noting that Pink has taken much of his own advice in his writing efforts. The author’s 2013 work, To Sell is Human, won an Amazon award for Best Book of the Year. Before that, he wrote Al Gore’s speeches. Right-brain thinkers can take comfort in the idea that the future can be theirs. They already tell stories and get entranced by all the inventive possibilities of art, and the world looks for these traits. Tom Peters hailed it as a miraculous and original work, in tandem with his own efforts to promote the values of ‘soft’ skills in the marketplace. The book is worth reading, if only for the initial chapter which described a brain scan in vivid detail.
“Your Marketing Sucks” by Mark Stevens
– Seth Godin
Along with Gladwell’s Blink and Godin’s All Marketers are Liars, Patient Media promotes this work as important material for chiropractors. It’s not hard to see why, since many former marketing efforts have netted surprisingly few results when compared with the impressive financial outlay. Extreme Marketing should include eye-grabbing and effective branding, mixed with a memorable message that clearly displays the uniqueness of the offering. Using his own experience with a well-known firm, the author shows that lack of connection stems from four mistaken ideas – being budget-centered, one-day oriented, over-delegating, gullible spenders.
“Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands” by Marty Neumeier
– Seth Godin
While the Brand Gap can help companies press through the shouting in the marketplace, this work can move its readers away from tepid differentiation to showing a real difference in outlook and offerings. Customer feedback is essential, along with the power of naming. Dangers include too many case studies, which is why the author has provided distilled principles instead. Cut through the clutter, use white space the way it was intended, and be given a reason to play the meaningful marketing game of Paper, Rock, and Scissors.
“The Pursuit of Wow! Every Person’s Guide to Topsy-Turvy Times” by Tom Peters
– Seth Godin on his personal blog
Per a Wall Street Journal post, Peters’ book is number two on forecaster Faith Popcorn’s list of trend-shaping business works. This may be due to Peters’ call to action on forgotten methods of connection, such as handwritten thank-you notes and behind-the-scenes business tours. To really stand out, you have to step up and take on complete responsibility – and value employees above customers. Daily recreation and a focus on design take courage, especially since companies always battle the never-ending pileup of rules and management procedure. Embrace change, embrace the enthused acceptance of Wow.
“Too Big to Know” by David Weinberger
– Seth Godin on Squidoo
Praised by John Seeley Brown and Daniel H. Pink, this book explains some of the interconnected and labyrinthian pathways where information walks and gets transmitted to humans. Facts have their basic underpinnings in documents, discourse, and cash. Rather than seeing the world of information as a vast and globalized village where facts are invented, the author argues, facts are following the historical path of networking to arrive at their proper destinations. While experts doesn’t have near the status of yesteryear, Weinberger asserts that the connected world helps organizations to better gather and compile knowledge.
“The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future” by Chris Guillebeau
– Seth Godin’s review
Also mentioned in Tony Hsieh Recommends 7 Books That Will Blow Your Mind
The author’s lifestyle of earning his way across the globe may not be duplicatable for everyone. However, this business vagabonding book offers compelling examples of turning ideas into an income stream, beyond borders and outside of paycheck land. The examples include stories from 50 case studies of those who had ‘gone and done likewise’, beginning with a small investment and turning their concepts into cash. Nor are the errors excluded in favor of fist-pumping motivation – the entrepreneurs reveal real monetary start-up costs and real errors that preceded insight. Maybe that’s why it’s listed on Detailed Success alongside The Millionaire Fastlane.
“Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers” by Geoffrey Moore
Seth Godin says that this book is “very valuable for every entrepreneur”
While some marketing examples may be inapplicable, the concepts are still evergreen. Being disciplined in establishing a targeted customer beachhead with early adopters, before expanding to take over a larger marketing share with everyday consumers, is still relevant to high-tech launches. Momentum is still key in harnessing the early adopter’s desire to help in the product’s ongoing creation. So is guarding against ‘vapor vare’, or the marketing launch of a product with severe developmental issues. Since no age has conquered the desire to beat down visionaries’ ideas with pragmatism, this book remains a valuable tool.
“The Corporate Blogging Book: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get It Right” by Debbie Weil
– Seth Godin
The Corporate Blogging Book: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get It Right by Debbie Weil In tandem with Blogging for Dummies, this work explains the importance of blogging as a time-saving, penny-pinching and responsible way for companies to communicate with the most important people in their world: customers, media, and employees. By blogging, businesses can combine the effort represented by focus groups and viral marketing pushes, along with the value of a personalized news feed. As an easy-to-read website, a blog can offer communications and marketing in one channel. Without a blog, corporations will be hampered by their lack of presence in global conversations and citizen journalism.
