Customer Reviews:
Good, but needs better editing.......2007-09-12
A good guide for the major marketing practices. However, the book still mentions Zaire as a country (instead of the Democratic Republic of Congo), as well as several other errors. Even though they are relatively minor errors, it makes the book lose credibility.
Outstanding Course Material.......2007-08-10
Marketing Management 12e is an excellent tool for the MBA student. It is concise and very informative, one I will keep in my library as a reference item from now on.
Marketing Management - NO CD.......2007-07-09
I gave this product a one-star rating because it did not include the necessary softward CD, and there was no indication of this fact. I returned the product without an issue, but it would have been nice for the description to indicate that the Marketing Pro 6.0 software was not included, as it would have saved me a lot of trouble.
Good Book to Learn Fundamentals on Marketing.......2007-06-12
Softcover book has cheaper pages which make the print sometimes harder to read. Otherwise book is good and it covers a good amount on Basic Marketing Concepts.
The Marketing Bible, But Ethically Challenged.......2007-06-08
When I did my undergraduate studies in the 1980's I remember my professor explaining that Kotler had been, at that point, "the" marketing text book for 20 years. I'm not sure, but Kotler may have invented the word "marketing." Decades later it remains the definitive book on marketing studies.
This version of the book is comprehensive, densely written while still being easy to read, logically structured, up to date with regard to case studies and technology, etc. I highly recommend this book as a marketing text and have tried, unsuccessfully so far, to get a few of my marketing friends who have not had the pleasure of reading this book, to put it in their bathroom or something and read a section here and a section there.
I have two knocks against this book. First, I find it to be a little lacking on the ethics side. There are many valid marketing techniques described which can be used, but which can also be abused. While the book does not ignore ethics altogether, I would have been more comfortable if along the way it highlighted that some of the practices described are not only "good ways to increase profit margins" but "are morally bankrupt" as well.
The second knock is that the authors have seemingly gone crazy and included dozens upon dozens of cutesy words various academicians, desperate for a lasting claim to fame, have invented out of whole cloth to describe things that didn't really need their own unique words. Some of my favorites:
Insourcing
Reintermediation
Unfocus Groups
Glocalization
Co-optation
Neither of these complains should detract anyone from buying this book because it is, in the end, the great marketing text of our era.
Average customer rating:
- A classic and one of the very best
- Highly effective technique in high-touch Sales
- How to Ask the Questions that Lead to Sales Success
- Ultimate Sales Model for Business to Business Selling
- Great book
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SPIN Selling
Neil Rackham
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
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Similar Items:
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The SPIN Selling Fieldbook
-
Major Account Sales Strategy
-
Solution Selling: Creating Buyers in Difficult Selling Markets
-
Secrets of Question Based Selling: How the Most Powerful Tool in Business Can Double Your Sales Results
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The New Strategic Selling: The Unique Sales System Proven Successful by the World's Best Companies
ASIN: 0070511136 |
Book Description
The international bestseller that revolutionized high-end selling!
Written by Neil Rackham, former president and founder of Huthwaite corporation, SPIN Selling is essential reading for anyone involved in selling or managing a sales force. Unquestionably the best-documented account of sales success ever collected and the result of the Huthwaite corporation's massive 12-year, $1-million dollar research into effective sales performance, this groundbreaking resource details the revolutionary SPIN (Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-payoff) strategy.
In SPIN Selling, Rackham, who has advised leading companies such as IBM and Honeywell delivers the first book to specifically examine selling high-value product and services. By following the simple, practical, and easy-to-apply techniques of SPIN, readers will be able to dramatically increase their sales volume from major accounts. Rackham answers key questions such as “What makes success in major sales” and “Why do techniques like closing work in small sales but fail in larger ones?”
You will learn why traditional sales methods which were developed for small consumer sales, just won't work for large sales and why conventional selling methods are doomed to fail in major sales. Packed with real-world examples, illuminating graphics, and informative case studies - and backed by hard research data - SPIN Selling is the million-dollar key to understanding and producing record-breaking high-end sales performance.
Customer Reviews:
A classic and one of the very best.......2007-09-02
SPIN is a classic, one of the books that revolutionized professional selling. It amazes me to read some of the negative reviews of this book posted here. Some of this I attribute to lack of knowledge of the history of our "profession," which bears few hallmarks of being a profession yet. Can you get a four year college degree in SELLING, the one thing every business must do well to survive, let alone prosper? Except for programs at a small handful of universities around the country, the answer is NO. Do we have peer-reviewed journals in our profession? NO. Do we have accepted standards and professional certification? NO.
What Neil Rackham, a behavioral researcher, did for selling was huge. He applied the techniques of research and analysis to our profession. Until then, no one could say definitively that "always be closing" was bad advice. But in business to business selling, in high-tech selling to educated professionals, the "ABC's of selling" is only one of many pieces of bad information that passed for "wisdom" before Rackham showed them up for what they were. Such sales tactics are the reason salespeople have been saddled with negative stereotypes.
Some reviewers condemn Rackham by saying that companies cited, such as Kodak, IBM, and Xerox have suffered business reversals since this book came out. Sorry folks, but good salespeople using good selling techniques will not, alone, save your company. MANY companies that were at the top of their industries in the 1970s and 1980s are either out of business or have suffered serious reversals in the years since. That is a different issue altogether, and if you are looking for explanations try STRATEGY books like "Good to Great" by Jim Collins or "Strategy" by Michael Porter. Someone on this site said that IBM's loss of computer business to other PC makers was evidence of the failure of SPIN...totally ridiculous. IBM passed on the operating system that became DOS, which in turn became the engine fueling MicroSoft's ascent to the heights. In hardware manufacturing IBM ignored lots of evidence that a paradigm shift was underway and PCs were becoming commodity items.
The negative reviewers are looking for a silver bullet in many cases: SPIN will not transform you into a president's club winner by reading it. It is how you apply and practice it that will enable your success. Becoming expert in the use of this simple framework requires work and thought. What Rackham showed us is that the WORDS we use are important, along with HOW WE USE THEM. We must understand THEIR goals and focus on being part of THEIR success if we are to be successful in a sustainable, long-term partnership. Also that we must not be manipulative or treat other people (aka "customers" or "prospects") in ways we would not want to be treated ourselves. The acronym "SPIN" was coined before Washington politicians gave the word the negatie connotation it now has.
SPIN is not the only good refenence book for salespeople, but it is a landmark book, the result of research that has not, to my knowlege, been replicated since. It should be a held in great esteem by any sales professional. Rackham's concept of an "Advance" as an objective way to measure the progress of a sales call is, alone, worth the price of this book.
By the way, I have been in sales for 30 years, as a salesperson, sales manager, and director of training for a Fortune 500 company. I still have a lot to learn. But one thing I do know: there is tremendous value in this book for any salesperson with an open mind and the desire to continue growing, learning and improving as a sales professional.
Highly effective technique in high-touch Sales.......2007-07-19
This book is a simple guide to improve your effectiveness as a sales professional in high-value direct enterprise sales situations. Regardless of culture and language, people on the other side of the table from a sales person have an instinctive judgment to mis-trust any characteristic that seems contrived or unnatural. Genuineness is a pre-requisite. Therefore, like with any sales theory, rote learning and implementation of the theory is futile. Having said that, internalizing the fundamental premise of this book in my everyday life as a sales-person has been rewarding over the years and across geographies, cultures, languages and types of product/service being sold.
SPIN selling goes well with approaches that talk about Values-Based Selling, Solution Selling and Rackham's own Major Account Sales Strategy.
Huthwaite (Rackham) has done a phenomenal job of monetizing this simple concept by way of selling sales training and books. However, you may find the book too "salesy" at times. It is common idiom with any good speech, presentation or book; first you tell them what you are going to tell them, then you tell them, then you tell them what you told them. The book does a great job of steps 1 and 3, but leaves you wanting more in step 2.
The basic concepts about stages of a sales call, focus on customer needs and benefits, situation-problem-implication-need-payoff line of questioning, objection handling/prevention, sound closing techniques and post-sales are well articulated. The promise of increasing effectiveness in "major sales" is largely fulfilled. However, the emphasis on "it's based on research" goes unsubstantiated for the most part. You find the author insisting that "it's based on research" and providing simplistic graphs "based on research" than actually providing rigorous insights into the research. It also does not help that business theory is presented as a first person narrative. Blurs that fine line between theory-based opinion and opinion-based theory.
All said, the technique is highly effective and serves as a great foundation for approaching sales calls at various stages in the cycle. I've found myself going back to this book multiple times over the years. Always a good sign for books that you want to own rather than just read once.
How to Ask the Questions that Lead to Sales Success.......2007-06-30
The sales guru Zig Ziglar once said "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." To me, that means that you've got to understand people before you can persuade them. If you're to understand someone, they have to talk to you. And the best way to get them to talk is to ask questions. But are there some questions that are more highly correlated with successful selling than others?
Published in 1988 and still one of the best researched sales books on the market, SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham has the answer: Yes, some questions do increase your chances of sales success more than others. More importantly, these client interviews- what SPIN Selling calls the Investigation stage- have the greatest effect on the outcome of the sale. The book outlines the four types of questions that salespeople ask during the Investigation stage:
Situation: What is going on here? How do things work?
Problem (Pain Points): What are the problems you are experiencing?
Implication (Implied Needs): What effect do these problems have on results (cost, quality, delivery, customer service)?
Need-Payoff (Explicit Needs): What improvement in results could you make by resolving these problems with these specific capabilities (perceived value)? Are there other benefits? How important are these benefits to you?
(From page 91) "The SPIN model taps into the psychology of the buying process: buyers' needs move from Implicit to Explicit. The questions provide a roadmap for the seller guiding the call through the steps of need development until Explicit Needs have been reached. The more Explicit Needs you can obtain from buyers, the more likely the call will succeed."
Following the model gets customers to tell you how what you're selling helps them. It makes you partners instead of opponents in the value discovery process. And by helping clients develop the benefits in their own words, you avoid objections and make it easier for clients to sell internally for you.
Ultimate Sales Model for Business to Business Selling.......2007-06-25
I speak around the world on lead generation and SPIN Selling" to give you a roadmap on how to master business to business selling.
There is no other resource I can think of where you can "easily perfect" your selling approach and strategy.
Neil gives you step-by-step plan that anyone can follow in their quest to excel at selling their products or services.
The one caveat is I would adopt the "SPIN" Model to "SPAIN" with the "A" emphasizing "Agitate" to put more focus on what the problem is costing your prospect without your specific solution.
I would also add that the SPIN Field Book is a great resource.
Joe Heller, Trust Cycle Selling
Great book.......2007-06-09
Great Book. Good buy for any sales professional who has to use the phone at work.
Book Description
Mark Twain once observed, “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” His observation rings true: Urban legends, conspiracy theories, and bogus public-health scares circulate effortlessly. Meanwhile, people with important ideas–business people, teachers, politicians, journalists, and others–struggle to make their ideas “stick.”
Why do some ideas thrive while others die? And how do we improve the chances of worthy ideas? In Made to Stick, accomplished educators and idea collectors Chip and Dan Heath tackle head-on these vexing questions. Inside, the brothers Heath reveal the anatomy of ideas that stick and explain ways to make ideas stickier, such as applying the “human scale principle,” using the “Velcro Theory of Memory,” and creating “curiosity gaps.”
In this indispensable guide, we discover that sticky messages of all kinds–from the infamous “kidney theft ring” hoax to a coach’s lessons on sportsmanship to a vision for a new product at Sony–draw their power from the same six traits.
Made to Stick is a book that will transform the way you communicate ideas. It’s a fast-paced tour of success stories (and failures)–the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who drank a glass of bacteria to prove a point about stomach ulcers; the charities who make use of “the Mother Teresa Effect”; the elementary-school teacher whose simulation actually prevented racial prejudice. Provocative, eye-opening, and often surprisingly funny, Made to Stick shows us the vital principles of winning ideas–and tells us how we can apply these rules to making our own messages stick.
Customer Reviews:
Get Your Story Straight And Revolutionize Your Marketing.......2007-10-05
Jake, a young entrepreneurial friend of mine in the IT industry , was not seeing the results he expected from numerous and inventive marketing strategies. He had tried online, print and direct marketing with marginal results. His business wasn't faltering but wasn't soaring either. So after a slew of marketing books he came across this one- and it was all I was hearing about from him until I read it myself and the light bulb clicked.
Just like you were interested in Jake's story other people like stories, they want to relate to you and your product but if they can't they will find a company that they can relate to.
Chip and Dan Heath give great examples every chapter on how to improve your "Stickiness" with simple strategies. The most important being their coined,
"SUCCES" acronym:
S simple - don't lose your core message in a lot of pomp and circumstance
U unexpected - make your idea jump out and grab people's attention
C concrete - keep it easy to grasp vs. mind boggling statistics or huge numbers
C credible - is your idea believable?
E emotional - people react to emotion and it creates an empathetic bond
S stories - story telling is an age old form of communication
I have been able to use "Made To Stick" concepts in my business with great results. I used to feel that stories in real estate investing wouldn't interest anyone but I knew from the book that stories were useful, if not crucial, in creating and growing a business. Now by using my customer's concrete feedback blended with their credible testimonials and sprinkled with a little emotion I am able transmit their core experience (what they got out of working with us an how it translated to their bottom line) to reach a greater audience.
Entertaining.......2007-10-01
This is a fun book, full of useful communication ideas. If you are in marketing or communications there is likely little here that is new. However, for the general reader this is a clear, simple summary of techniques to help you get your points across. They have the traditional way to remember their seven major ideas: SUCCESS. For example, the first "S" is to keep it Simple. This is actually better than it sounds because they drill down on the need to find your core message and they give you some ideas about how to do that. You can pick it up at the airport and it is short enough to read crossing the country.
Great Purchase.......2007-09-27
This was a terrific book at a great Amazon price!The book gives a tutorial on creating catch phrases that are impressive and memorable. I read it for use in my teaching ... we do want our students to remember things! My husbannd read it for use in his business, specifically for marketing and advertising. I saved $10 per copy at Amazon.
Fantastic! One of my favorite books of all time!.......2007-09-24
This is now one of my favorite books of all time. If you liked The Tipping Point and/or Blink, you'll love this one! Well written with lots of useful lessons and stories. I'm going to read it again as well as sign up for a training that the author is offering in Hartford on November 13th.
How make sure your ideas are heard.......2007-09-21
I wish I had this book 10 years ago. It is a great read, with lots of tips and techniques on how to get others to recognize and listen to your ideas.
Book Description
Winning by not competing: a fresh approach to strategy Since the dawn of the industrial age, companies have engaged in head-to-head competition in search of sustained, profitable growth. They have fought for competitive advantage, battled over market share, and struggled for differentiation. Yet these hallmarks of competitive strategy are not the way to create profitable growth in the future. In a book that challenges everything you thought you knew about the requirements for strategic success, W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne argue that cutthroat competition results in nothing but a bloody red ocean of rivals fighting over a shrinking profit pool. Based on a study of 150 strategic moves spanning more than a hundred years and thirty industries, the authors argue that lasting success comes not from battling competitors, but from creating “blue oceans”: untapped new market spaces ripe for growth. Such strategic moves—which the authors call “value innovation”—create powerful leaps in value that often render rivals obsolete for more than a decade. Blue Ocean Strategy presents a systematic approach to making the competition irrelevant and outlines principles and tools any company can use to create and capture blue oceans. A landmark work that upends traditional thinking about strategy, this book charts a bold new path to winning the future.
Customer Reviews:
Question the status quo.......2007-09-25
The book forced me to rethink the way I normally would look at business developments for my companies: either value based or feature based. The idea of a creating new space in a crowded market and making a leap in growth through the blue ocean strategy stirred up my thinking juices. Personally, I don't like how to books with "three simple steps" This book was great; a must read.
Good Book.......2007-09-24
1. This is NOT a marketing book
2. There is no such thing as a fail safe strategy
3. This is a tool and is only as good as the user
4. Applicable in different situations
5. Good companion to Competitive Strategy written in the 80's by Mike Porter which is THE industry book
6. The book is NOT a pioneer and is NOT proported to be. It is a study in those companies who seemed to have created new markets such as Cirque De Soleil. The authors did NOT set out to create a new "theory" and then retroactively "fit" companies but rather study an emerging pheonom. and try to locate patterns.
I think that pretty much covers all the gripes of the previous entries. I first came across this book in a competitive strategy class in a business organizational change degree. It is an excellent text and gives another viewpoint to the old study of competitive strategy. I have used the strategy canvas tool located in chapter two AS A TOOL to assist me in both departmental and industry situations to locate existing patterns of competition.
Worth the money.
But then, I am just a "mere" academic (albeit with many years of industry experience) so if you truly do not like the book I suggest returning it. :)
What is your greatest challenge?.......2007-09-13
The greatest struggle for most business people is to come up with a truly original and valuable idea. Close behind that is how to get employees to work together. This book makes me want to cry, because it actually, simply, lays out how to do both. Beautiful.
Academics rarely demonstrate how to do it!.......2007-09-11
I bought this book. Their identifications are valid enough. Great companies have always created uncontested market space while making their competitors irrelevant. This is not in dispute. However...
The authors Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne are just mere academics. And what is annoying is that they haven't battle tested their Blue Ocean model from hard knocks in the trenches business wars to find out what works and what doesn't for themselves! Again, this is what I find annoying with academics. They say a lot but never prove it themselves! Remember Merton & Scholes and LTCM?
For an example...in the book, the authors have an interesting strategic canvass graph approach that supposes to prove how Blue Ocean events come about. That's fine, but how do you prove it? Moreover, the 'values' are different for each company, so there is nothing consistent to glean from this.
What I'd like to have seen is a Dash Board type matrix template that allows any company or budding entrepreneur to carry out Blue Ocean due diligence on any industry or market niches...proofing these Blue Ocean catchments from a zero learning curve application! The book does have important points but lacks the cutting edge tools to unify Blue Ocean diligence and proofs for any company!
Thus, what this book lacks is a more honed processing of enquiry from the authors. And I suspect this to be the case because like many academics they haven't proven the unifying dynamics that goes into capturing Blue Ocean strategies for themselves with businesses they have built through their own mindset!
Again, this book is a case of 'do what I say, because I don't have to prove what I say'.
There are great industry shapers out there who can shift and move whole industries and markets in their favour...but the authors of this book are not one of them.
However, there are great positives the authors have identified. The book contains a very interesting 'Strategic Grid' technique. From this simple grid technique any one can mentally survey how to change one's industry or market from a macro-vantage point. But shifting and moving your new found Blue Ocean grid at a tactical level to rule your competition making them irrelevant is another matter entirely. The chapters that explain this grid are worth the book, but don't expect any thing else.
What you really want is a knowledge base that allows you to dig out Blue Ocean criteria from a template of enquiring tools STACKED PROCESS BY PROCESS UNTIL YOU PROOF YOUR OWN BLUE OCEAN POWER. This book fails on this!
I would suggest that any one buying this book should read 'Blue Print to a Billion by David Thomson to understand how real Blue Ocean executions are carried out correctly. In addition, Chet Holmes' Ultimate Sales Machine' gets you to understand how to carry out big frame strategies at the tactical level.
Both these books will plug the holes lacking with Kim & Mauborgne's work.
Blue Ocean Strategy.......2007-09-10
I like the non text book clear presentation. You do not have to have an MBA to enjoy and learn from this book.
Book Description
The 11
th edition of this popular text continues to build on four major marketing themes: building and managing profitable customer relationships, building and managing strong brands to create brand equity, harnessing new marketing technologies in the digital age, and marketing in a socially responsible way around the globe. Thoroughly updated and streamlined, Principles of Marketing tells the stories that reveal the drama of modern marketing, reflecting the major trends and forces that are impacting this dynamic and ever-changing field.
Topics include: the marketing environment, managing information, consumer & business buyer behavior, segmentation, targeting, and positioning, branding strategies, distribution channels, advertising and sales promotion, direct marketing, and the global marketplace.
An excellent tool for anyone in marketing and sales, whether self- or corporate- employed.
Customer Reviews:
Principles of Marketing continues its tradition of being the best. Reviewed by: Adam Platts.......2006-09-28
Principles of Marketing by Philip Kotler continues to be an excellent marketing reference. The 11th edition (2005) is an impressive example of good organization and instructional thoughtfulness. Principles of Marketing is an excellent, enjoyable, and practical book that sheds light on what marketing really means in the US and Global environments.
Reviewed by: Adam Platts, Northridge
Very Helpful !!.......2005-10-24
Highly recommended for those who are new to Marketing.
There are so many examples which help to understand the theories much more easier.
MKT 301 - Textbook.......2005-09-06
The same great quality of a hardback in a paperback for less then half the price. Who can beat that?
Principles of Marketing by Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong.......2005-08-05
I have used Principles of Marketing by Philip Kotler in my university days of the 1980s when I was learning the basics of marketing. It is gratifying to note that my favourite marketing reference book has been kept up to date. The latest international edition, the 11th edition (2005) is really the top quality book that one would expert of Kotler and his colleague.
"Principles of Marketing" is an excellent textbook on the current marketing trends. It is an enjoyable and practical book. After reading the book, one will really understand that marketing is all about understanding the customer needs and finding solutions that delight the customer. The reader will come to appreciate that marketing is a philosophy of doing business for those organisations that are going to thrive in the current highly competitive global markets.
This delightful book should be very useful for both newcomers to marketing and for those like me who studied marketing years ago and are at the risk of being left behind by the current marketing trends that exploit the vast opportunities presented by the internet.
Book Description
This reader-friendly marketing book conveys timely and relevant material in a dynamic presentation of how marketing concepts are implemented, and what they mean in the marketplace. It introduces marketing from the perspective of real people making real marketing decisions at leading companies every day. Learners will come to understand that marketing is about creating value–for customers, for companies, and for society as a whole-and they will see how that is accomplished in the real world.
A five-part organization covers making marketing value decisions
, identifying markets and understanding customers' needs for value, creating the value proposition, communicating the value proposition, and delivering the value proposition.
For individuals interested in a career in marketing.
Customer Reviews:
bad condition.......2007-01-09
I bought a book from Textcellar and it said on the listing that the book was in a great condition. I paid $50 for the book and it looked like a $5 book. Very bad condition. Looks very badly handled and pages torn off on the corners. If you say it looks like new, it should look like new. I don't think I am gonna buy from you next time.
An excellent Intro to Marketing Text.......2002-12-25
This text gives a great overview of the many aspects of marketing. The text explains all aspects in great theoretical detail with an abundance of real world examples to clearify each point. The text is up to date and the real people, real decisions stories are quite interesting and fitting to the subject of their respective chapters.
The book was easy to read and all important points are highlighted and defined in the page margins.
The study guide which comes with the text helps students remember the key points of each chapters by providing a brief summary of the chapter followed by a number questions of all different types.
This is the second administration text book that I have bought from Pearson Education and I would recommend this book for anyone who is taking or planning on taking an introduction to marketing course at the University or College level or even for those who just wish to know more about the topic of marketing.
Book Description
Salespeople hate to read. That's why Little Red Book of Selling is short, sweet, and to the point. It's packed with answers that people are searching for in order to help them make sales for the moment--and the rest of their lives.
Amazon.com
"The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth or any number of the other mysterious changes that mark everyday life," writes Malcolm Gladwell, "is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do." Although anyone familiar with the theory of memetics will recognize this concept, Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting twists on the subject.
For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanize the forces of resistance so effectively in part because he was what Gladwell calls a "Connector": he knew just about everybody, particularly the revolutionary leaders in each of the towns that he rode through. But Revere "wasn't just the man with the biggest Rolodex in colonial Boston," he was also a "Maven" who gathered extensive information about the British. He knew what was going on and he knew exactly whom to tell. The phenomenon continues to this day--think of how often you've received information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a dozen times before reaching you.
Gladwell develops these and other concepts (such as the "stickiness" of ideas or the effect of population size on information dispersal) through simple, clear explanations and entertainingly illustrative anecdotes, such as comparing the pedagogical methods of Sesame Street and Blue's Clues, or explaining why it would be even easier to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with the actor Rod Steiger. Although some readers may find the transitional passages between chapters hold their hands a little too tightly, and Gladwell's closing invocation of the possibilities of social engineering sketchy, even chilling, The Tipping Point is one of the most effective books on science for a general audience in ages. It seems inevitable that "tipping point," like "future shock" or "chaos theory," will soon become one of those ideas that everybody knows--or at least knows by name. --Ron Hogan
Book Description
"The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth or any number of the other mysterious changes that mark everyday life," writes Malcolm Gladwell, "is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do." Although anyone familiar with the theory of memetics will recognize this concept, Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting twists on the subject.For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanize the forces of resistance so effectively in part because he was what Gladwell calls a "Connector": he knew just about everybody, particularly the revolutionary leaders in each of the towns that he rode through. But Revere "wasn't just the man with the biggest Rolodex in colonial Boston," he was also a "Maven" who gathered extensive information about the British. He knew what was going on and he knew exactly whom to tell. The phenomenon continues to this day--think of how often you've received information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a dozen times before reaching you.Gladwell develops these and other concepts (such as the "stickiness" of ideas or the effect of population size on information dispersal) through simple, clear explanations and entertainingly illustrative anecdotes, such as comparing the pedagogical methods of Sesame Street and Blue's Clues, or explaining why it would be even easier to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with the actor Rod Steiger. Although some readers may find the transitional passages between chapters hold their hands a little too tightly, and Gladwell's closing invocation of the possibilities of social engineering sketchy, even chilling, The Tipping Point is one of the most effective books on science for a general audience in ages. It seems inevitable that "tipping point," like "future shock" or "chaos theory," will soon become one of those ideas that everybody knows--or at least knows by name. --Ron Hogan
Customer Reviews:
A Paradigm Shift For Business and Life.......2007-10-05
This is one of the books that "skates to where the puck is going" instead of where the puck is at. A must for business and anyone studying the sociology of man.
Timothy KendrickPTSD: Pathways Through the Secret Door
Development of Trends!.......2007-10-02
This book presents an interesting thesis for the parameters under which a new trend is construed. The flu, for example, can be held in check for a long time without being an epidemic. But suddenly, once some threshold is crossed in terms of number of people infected, things get much worse very quickly. Gladwell's premise is that in addition to applying to viruses, this type of pattern is observed in many other situations. The book is filled with far-reaching examples, from the resurgence of Hush Puppies shoes to the popularity of Sesame Street to an epidemic of teen suicides in Micronesia.
Perhaps the most well-known example described is the rapid fall in crime levels in New York City in the mid-1990s. Murder rates fell by 64.3% in a five year period, with other types of violent crimes dropping by 50%. This happened after years of steady increase. Gladwell argues that the factors conventionally cited as causing the improvement (improved policing, declining crack use, and aging of the population) are not sufficient to explain the suddenness of the change. All three factors included gradual shifts in behavior, and yet the drop in crime occurred very rapidly. Gladwell makes a convincing argument that the police in New York put into place certain conditions that suddenly "tipped" the crime epidemic, sending crime rates into a decline.
So, what are the parameters of dramatic change?
Gladwell quotes the following three laws: -
1. The law of the few
2. The stickiness factor and;
3. The power of context
The law of the few says that there are exceptional people out there who are capable of starting `epidemics'. All you have to do is find them. The lesson of stickiness is the same. There is a simple way to package information that, under the right circumstances, can make it irresistible. All you have to do is find it. The lesson of the power of context is that we are more than just sensitive to changes in context; we are exquisitely sensitive to them - what really matters is the little things.
The book includes a collection of case studies. These include Paul Revere's ride, which alerted American colonists to activities of the British garrison and led to the War of Indepence and the success of New York in reducing crime by cleaning the subway cars.
He then explains the significance of the number 150. "The figure of 150 seems to represent the maximum number of individuals with whom we can have a genuinely social relationship, the kind of relationship that goes with knowing who they are and how they relate to you. At a bigger size you have to impose complicated hierarchies and rules and regulations and formal measures to try to command loyalty and cohesions. Below 150 it is possible to achieve the same goals informally. In smaller groups people are a lot closer. They're knit together, which is very important if you want to be effective and successful in community life. If you get too large, you don't have enough work in common."
The conclusion is that when groups or organizations reach 150 they should split and operate in smaller numbers, and he gives examples of organizations that have done this.
Although not intended as a management book, The Tipping Point
has many lessons for managers and organization development consultants.
The book in itself may be described as a tipping point.......2007-09-28
Why does a product suddenly become successful, whereas another does not? This is a good empirical question, and for me, one that is so original that I had not considered it hitherto. This book had been `on my reading list' for some time, having heard several recommendations for it. The ideas about what defines a `tipping point' are clearly defined and well explained, with products or examples that many can identify with.
The examples are the key. In essence, Gladwell describes a `tipping point' as the moment a good sales campaign becomes a phenomenon, and takes examples to illustrate the three salient items; it is contagious, little changes have big effects, and it is not something gradual, but extremely dynamic.
Gladwell takes these, and analyses them further, in his three laws. These concern the individuals involved, how `sticky' or contagious the idea / product is, and the context in which it is presented. Each is described in detail, with real people introduced (not `Bob' or `Sarah' but Mark Alpert and Tom Gau, being but individuals to illustrate the types of individuals).
The book is very readable, and it makes good common sense. Gradwell brings together lots of strands of research, and introduces some very appealable people. The people and situations are selective, but they had to be. They back up the basic premise of the author (no surprise there, then). But in total, the book has a roundness and totality about it.
Examples used are exclusively American, but so is Gradwell! He has also helped to bring rather dusty research into the mainstream of business life and collective consciousness. People now use the language of the research Gladwell describes to define when a product is becoming part of the mainstream of life. After the `Innovators' come, in order, `Early Adopters', the `Early Majority', the `Late Majority' and finally ` Laggards'.
The material is not new; the research in many cases was available before, and the market-place examples were there for all to see. Gladwell has distilled this into a little gem. I should have read it before. Reading it in 2007 will make a difference to the way that I see change. I may even be able to influence how change affects those in the circle around me, thinking back to the central core of `The Tipping Point'.
Peter Morgan (morganp@supanet.com)
Simple & Interesting.......2007-09-22
This is one of my "relaxing" books. Basically, I read things like this to chill out. It's a really quick, simple read. You can get some interesting facts, which make excellent conversation tid-bits. It's truly one of those rare books you just remember tons of little details from. The author admits he is using the research/work of other authors and organizations to write the book. He's not taking the credit for discovery of these facts. However, he is combining them in a new way. Complete originality? No, but entertaining nonetheless.
Loved it........2007-09-21
The information presented in The Tipping Point is not necessarily business/marketing related. In fact, it's more social commentary than anything else. While this is more an informational book than a strategic one anybody in the marketing industry should find this book extremely engaging as it has a lot to offer to those of us who want to learn more about how and why certain things happen in the marketing sphere.
The premise of The Tipping Point is that some things develop slowly over time but then suddenly reach a point where they take off . It can be a sudden surge or a sudden decline, depending on the circumstances. Whether it's a disease, information, a product, or anything else, there is a certain point where things suddenly change. A change that is outside of past projections and does not conform to the previous patterns. That's when they reach their "tipping point". Suddenly diseases become more widespread, information creates a furor, products skyrocket or decline in sales, etc.
Malcolm Gladwell takes us through a series of stories that show how trends are often created, both in society and in business. Sometimes these are the result of getting things to the right people at the right time, and sometimes they can be manufactured. It can even be a combination of the two. But one thing is for sure, to get something to "tip" whether it happens naturally or through a lot of research, it must be genuine. But as the sub-title suggests, tipping is rarely about doing big things, but doing small things well.
Several good examples are made in the real of marketing, specifically a history of Sesame Street and Blues Clues and why those shows have been as effective as they are. We also learn the anatomy of how and why certain things tip. This was one of the most fascinating reads I've had all year and, again, even though it's not directly a business book, it is certainly a book businesses can learn a thing or two from.
Book Description
"The Long Tail" is a powerful new force in our economy: the rise of the niche. As the cost of reaching consumers drops dramatically, our markets are shifting from a one-size-fits-all model of mass appeal to one of unlimited variety for unique tastes. From supermarket shelves to advertising agencies, the ability to offer vast choice is changing everything, and causing us to rethink where our markets lie and how to get to them. Unlimited selection is revealing truths about what consumers want and how they want to get it, from DVDs at Netflix to songs on iTunes to advertising on Google. However, this is not just a virtue of online marketplaces; it is an example of an entirely new economic model for business, one that is just beginning to show its power. After a century of obsessing over the few products at the head of the demand curve, the new economics of distribution allow us to turn our focus to the many more products in the tail, which collectively can create a new market as big as the one we already know. The Long Tail is really about the economics of abundance. New efficiencies in distribution, manufacturing, and marketing are essentially resetting the definition of whats commercially viable across the board. If the 20th century was about hits, the 21st will be equally about niches.
Customer Reviews:
Good article, stretched out to a padded book.......2007-09-26
This book started off as an article in Wired Magazine, and it was an excellent one. But Anderson must have decided to cash in, because the book doesn't add anything that wasn't covered in the article itself. It's not a complex concept.
Read the article on the Wired website. Then go spend your money on something from a tiny niche market.
One Trick Pony.......2007-09-09
This is one of those books that has one, keen insight and then takes one hundred + pages to say the same thing over and again. The keen point is indeed interesting. It just does not a complete book make. My $.02 !!
Good book for the startup entrepreneur in the 21-century .......2007-08-20
This is an insightful book into the today's world of retail business. Cool examples of how the Internet has leveled the playing field for many small businesses and artist.
Looking at it from the point of view of the producer and not the consumer or the retailer .......2007-08-16
I am not much of a business mind but I think I get the picture here. Instead of twenty percent of the product bringing in eighty percent of the revenue ninety- eight percent of the product is going to bring in all the revenue. Having so much available, and having ready access to it means sales no longer concentrate on a relatively few items. Freedom of choice abounds, niches multiply, Alvin Toffler is happy, future shock is no longer shocking, customization is here forever, and we all can have anything we want as long as we are able to pay for it.
Good. But I think of this in another way. Does this mean that 'value' also will not be centered as we ordinarily center it in the great works, the masterpeices, the few chosen ones? Does it mean our whole conception of valuing cultural goods will change, and a few big things will be less worshipped while many more appreciated? In other words will deTocqueville be happy here because 'equality' is in the saddle and mankind has many little good things, instead of the aristocracy only having a few?
And what does that mean for creators of culture? As a writer can I now happily post my unpublished writings with the thought that perhaps a few will read them, where before none did. In other words a moneyless long- tail is still a long- tail.
I don't know. But I do sense Anderson has hit on to a new truth here which will have all kinds of implications better business people than me will have to see.
Must read.......2007-08-14
The Long Tail is a must read for anyone wondering how the Internet works or how it's changing the world as we know it. In the book, Chris Anderson, the editor of Wired Magazine, explains how one simple principle is behind so many of the social and economic changes we are seeing with the internet. The Internet makes it possible for many people to produce and publish cheaply and for many other people to find those "amateur" works easily. For example, until the Internet, the only music you had access to was the top 40 on the radio or maybe the top 500 albums at the music store and maybe a local band at the bar on weekends. Now you have access to hundreds of thousands of songs written and produced by anybody and everybody in the world. Not only that but they are easily searchable in many different ways. So a you don't have to listen to just hits anymore and you don't have to be a world wide hit to be successful. That's what is changing the world. Niche markets are growing (around all of these non-hit works) and at the same time the way we share and find these niche products is becoming easier and easier - creating new communities online.
Chris Anderson explains it much better than me and I highly recommend the book if you've noticed that the Internet is changing the world and wondered why.
Book Description
Marketing, 8e by Kerin, Hartley, Berkowitz, and Rudelius continues a tradition of leading the market with contemporary, cutting-edge content presented in a conversational student-oriented style, supported by the most comprehensive, innovative, and useful supplement package available. This text and package is designed to meet the needs of a wide spectrum of faculty—from the professor who just wants a good textbook and a few key supplements, to the professor who wants a top-notch fully integrated multimedia program.
Customer Reviews:
Comprehensive overview of marketing fundamentals!!! .......2007-08-21
This book was actually used as a textbook for an online course Essentials of Marketing. The marketing fundamentals are divided into 5 parts; (i) Initiating the Marketing Process, (ii) Understanding Buyers and Markets, (iii) Targeting Marketing Opportunities, (iv) Satisfying Marketing Opportunities and (v) Managing the Marketing Process.
Part I lays the foundation for the entire book, explaining what marketing and strategic marketing process are, and relate the importance of environmental, ethical and social responsibility factors to the marketing actions. It mentions briefly the use of BCG (Boston Consulting Group) business portfolio analysis to quantify performance measures and growth targets to analyze a firm's business units. Similarly firms can also view growth opportunities using the market-product analysis. The 3 key phases in a strategic marketing process (planning, implementation and control) are introduced. More details on each step in the planning phase is provided, such as SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, threat) analysis, environment scanning, market-product grid, market segmentation, target markets, developing the marketing program 4Ps( product, price, place / distribution, promotion), budgeting, etc.
Part II discusses on the ultimate consumer and organizational (industrial, reseller, government) markets and buyer behavior. The NAICS allows the classification or common industry definitions of industrial, reseller and government markets for Canada, Mexico and US. The breakdown or definition of the NAICS is shown in detail. On a global perspective, the dynamics of the world trade is discussed. Porter's diamond of national competitive advantage shows the 4 key elements affecting world trade; factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries and company strategy, structure and rivalry. Further on, 4 global market-entry strategies are discussed next; exporting, licensing, joint venture and direct investment, in terms of the marketing mix (product, promotion, distribution and pricing) strategies.
Part III discusses the key marketing methods and then focuses on the marketing efforts on those key segments most likely to buy the product. The role of marketing research and the 5-step marketing research approach leading to marketing actions are defined. From the market research conducted, the 5-steps in segmenting and identifying the target markets, product positioning and sales forecasting techniques can be performed.
Part IV covers the 4Ps of the marketing mix that can be used to implement the marketing program. It provides correlation of the stages of the product life cycle (introduction, growth, maturity and decline) to the specific marketing objective (gain awareness, stress differentiation, maintain brand loyalty and harvesting/deletion) and the characteristics of the product, price, promotion and place strategy. 3 ways can be used to manage a product through its life cycle; modifying the product, modifying the market and repositioning the product. A brief discussion is on branding and brand management. The differences between products and services are highlighted. The 6 steps in setting price are discussed next. A few factors will affect the pricing decisions such as the type of competitive market (pure monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic competition, pure competition), the pricing objectives and constraints, the estimation of demand and revenue, the determination of cost, volume and profit relationships, etc. Various pricing strategies such as skimming, penetration, prestige, bundle, standard markup, cost-plus, target return on investment, loss leader, etc can help to select an approximate price level. Following this, the marketing channels of distribution is discussed next. The channels' terminologies (broker, wholesaler, retailer, distributor, dealer), functions (transactional, logistical, facilitating), structure (direct versus indirect channel) and organization (traditional, vertical marketing system) are introduced. An entire chapter is dedicated to supply chain and logistics management. This section concludes with the promotion factor of the marketing mix. The concept of integrated marketing communications (IMC) is introduced as designing marketing communications programs that coordinate all promotional activities (advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing) to provide a consistent message across all audiences. Guidelines are given on developing an IMC program. Since selling must be managed if it is going to contribute to a firm's marketing objectives, the sales management process is next explained.
The last part, part V, shows how marketing weave a myriad of controllable (4Ps of the marketing mix elements) and uncontrollable (environmental scanning) factors into interactive, traditional and multi-channel marketing programs. Among the marketing channels available, interactive marketing allows for interaction, individualization and customer relationship building through the choices of choiceboards, collaborative filtering, etc. The 3 phases (planning, implementation, control) in the strategic marketing process are again reviewed. Under planning phase, 3 marketing planning frameworks can be used; Porter's generic strategies, profit enhancement options and market-product synergies. Guidelines are provided for an effective marketing plan. As for the implementation phase, there is a need to schedule precise tasks, responsibilities and deadlines, as well as a marketing organization. The final control phase involves measuring results using sales analysis, profitability analysis and ROI marketing, and ends with taking appropriate marketing actions.
Overall, each chapter guides you on writing individual sections of the marketing plan. An example of a marketing plan is provided in Appendix A. In addition, there are case studies based on actual companies' experiences. Since finance is intertwined within marketing concepts, Appendix B gives an introduction into the financial aspects of marketing. In addition, this book pinpoints to a few websites where you can obtain more information such as www.supplychainbrain.com, www.census.gov, etc.
One of the setbacks is on the topic of building a price foundation. This book elaborates only on the demand curve, with no mention on the supply curve at all. Since pricing is based on the laws of supply and demand, I feel the supply curve needs to be taken into account as well. Another setback is the book does not delve deep into each subject matter. As an example, for pricing, this book highlights various methods of pricing such as price penetration, price skimming, target return on sales, cost-plus or standard markup. It provides definitions and only brief elaborations. For further understanding, other specialized resources have to be used such as courses or books on pricing, etc.
Nevertheless, this book is highly recommended for someone who is interested to gain an initial understanding on marketing.
Easy read.......2007-06-08
This is a great marketing and management book, easy to read, up to date examples and study cases. The website also provides videos of the cases if you don't like to read.
Marketing book.......2006-11-06
The book was received in great condition. There was no CD in it as I expected, but the overall purchase was very pleasant. Thank you.
Excellent Overview of marketing for undergrads.......2006-08-08
This book is an excellent resource for undergraduate marketing classes. The teacher materials (videos and cases) are solid and interesting. I have used this textbook for several years with great success.
I would like to see a bit more work in the book on B2B E-Commerce, which is so important as a business driver today.
Excellent topics with real-life samples.......2006-05-16
I love to read this book. The book contains interesting topics for basic marketing. However, it's a bit pricey on the shelf.
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