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Selling The Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing (精装)
by Harry Beckwith
| Category:
Marketing, Sales, Service marketing, Entrepreneurship |
| Market price: ¥ 248.00
MSL price:
¥ 208.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
An absolute masterpiece on service marketing, no, on both product and service marketing! Exceptionally witty and practical. |
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AllReviews |
1 2   | Total 2 pages 12 items |
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Library Journal (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
"Don't sell the steak. Sell the sizzle." In today's service business, author Beckwith suggests this old marketing adage is likely to guarantee failure. In this timely addition to the management genre, Beckwith summarizes key points about selling services learned from experience with his own advertising and marketing firm and when he worked with Fortune 500 companies. The focus here is on the core of service marketing: improving the service, which no amount of clever marketing can make up for if not accomplished. Other key concepts emphasize listening to the customer, selling the long-term relationship, identifying what a business is really selling, recognizing clues about a business that may be conveyed to customers, focusing on the single most important message about the business, and other practical strategies relevant to any service business. |
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Michael Emery (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
Personally, I wouldn't limit this book to only apply to sales. In fact, Harry Beckwith's information in this book could be applied to literally ANYTHING that involves communication with another human being. As he does in his other books, The Invisible Touch and What Clients Love, Harry gives simple anecdotes to clarify otherwise complicated methods. He shines a comforting light on the intimidating shadow of "sales" and "marketing" to make it far easier to imagine yourself able to do whatever you are using your communications to accomplish.
At the end of each section he even has little one to two sentence "summaries" in bold, so you have a quick understanding of each point he is making.
In short, he has packed 1000 pages of priceless information, into a 250 page, easy to understand, and apply, book. I strongly suggest not only buying this book, but the other two that I mentioned as well.
No matter if you want to be a sales and marketing success, a communications master, or simply someone who wants to better understand what inspires and influences people, this book is one you will be glad that you bought. |
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Michael Erisman (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
This book is not an in depth study of marketing techniques, but rather one of the best collections of engaging questions and critical thinking prompts I have read on the subject of business marketing and focus.
For example, many companies focus on improving what they currently do and by doing so they look at themselves solely. This is not out of ego, but rather simply the way we usually operate. However, the internal focus will often result in another company focusing on not improving the service or product by a small percentage, but coming up with something 100% different. This requires that businesses think outside of the boundaries of their own products, services, or methods. When thinking of focus groups, conventional wisdom fails. Groups don't buy products, individuals do. Focus groups measure group dynamics not individual customer insights. A big miss, and yet another example of the hundreds of topics tackled here.
The insights here are nearly always contrary to conventional wisdom, and thus valuable. Whether it is the fact that "marketing is not a department" but the role of every single employee, or how to "position and focus" your organization on the right aspects of service your clients expect, this book has insights into a number of strategic alternatives. The section on pricing also contains some thought provoking ideas.
The book is laid out in a very quick, sound bite style that is easy to breeze through, or revisit from time to time. Overall, I very much enjoyed the presentation and insights throughout. I have about one of every 5 pages dog eared for future readings, an always reliable sign that the topics and information were worth the effort to read or review.
One quote at the end of the book (Page 245) sums up one of the major themes: "Services are human. Their successes depend on the relationships of people. The more you can see the patterns and better understand people, the more you will succeed - and this book was written with the hope that you will do just that." A very highly recommended book, with enough critical thinking prompts to keep one busy for a while just thinking about how to apply them.
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Roger Koon (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
Having spent much of my career in the I.T. services sector, I thoroughly enjoy researching other interests and broadening my understanding of topics that can enrich my life and career. In the area of marketing services, this publication provided ample, tangible information on modern marketing and exceeded my expectations in a number of ways.
First, the covers of this book are not too far apart, which is a rare find these days. Often, writers try to impart an excessive amount of irrelevant information in their writings, as though their real ambition is to write the next, great American novel. This book is different.
This publication is short, concise and filled with valuable information. If you are in the business of marketing, you need this book. For anyone in the service industry, consider giving yourself an edge over your competition by reading this insightful book, and putting into action the relevant suggestions of the author.
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Michael Chiodi (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
Selling the Invisible is must reading for anyone who wants to understand what it really means to run a service business. Your clients will know good service when they "see" it, but they most likely won't be able to tell you what it is. Beckwith can and does. Good service is all about doing the little things to help your customers "like" you. It's about creating relationships with new friends. Read this book, and you'll find out that it's not the most technically competent business that wins, it's the most likeable one that will. We're all very lucky because it's not really hard to do the little things that'll please our customers. Or is it? |
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A reader (MSL quote), Switzerland
<2007-01-17 00:00>
There are several hundred books available on the market about selling. Most of these books are based on tangible products, something the consumer can see, feel and receive an almost immediate satisfaction after the purchase.
This books is one of the few available about selling services. When a consumer purchases a service from you or your company, they are paying for your promise to deliver something in the future. This is especially true in the world of finance and insurance industry. A financial advisor sells a fund and the buyer expects to receive x amount of interest on his in vestment at a later date. In the insurance industry, a client buys an automobile insurance policy but will probably never see the benefits of the insurance policy until he or she has an accident. How do you sell something that has no immediate benefit to the client? Read Selling the Invisible.
There are twelve very easy to read chapters with many short examples (lacking a little bit on the proof side). I do believe it is an excellent book but it is too North American oriented to be carried over one to one for European, Asian or middle- Eastern markets. There will have to be a few cosmetic adjustments made to be able to adapt to other markets but it is still a catalyst to start doing things differently.
The chapters and some of the main messages of those I received from the author Harry Beckwith:
Planning: 1.) Accept the limitations of planning 2.) Don't value planning for its result; the plan 3.)Don't plan your future plan your people. 4.)Do it now. The business obituary pages are filled with planners who waited. 5.)Beware of focus groups; they focus on today and planning is about tomorrow. 6.)Don't let the perfect ruin good. 7.)Don't look to experts for all your answers. There are no answers, only informed opinions.
How Prospects Think: 1) Appeal only to a prospects reason, and you may have no appeal at all 2) Familiarity breeds business; spread your word however you can. 3) Take advantage of the recovery effect. Follow-up brilliantly.
Pointing and Focus: 1) Stand for one distinctive thing that will give you a competitive edge. 2) To broaden your appeal, narrow your position. 3) No company can position itself as anything, your prospects and customers put you there. Positioning is something the market does to you. You can only try and influence your position. 4) Your position is all in the peoples minds. Find out what that position is. 5) Focus. In everything from campaign for peanuts to campaign for presidents, focus wins.
Pricing: 1) Don't assume that logical pricing is smart pricing. Maybe your price which makes you look like a good value, actually makes you look second rate. 2)Setting your price is like setting a screw. A little resistance is a good sign. The reason 10% of the population are chronic complainers of price. 3) Beware of the deadly middle in pricing. You communicate that as well... We are average. 4)Beware of the rock bottom in pricing... you communicate we are substandard. 5)Value is not a position.
Naming and Branding: 1)Give your service a name, not an abbreviation 2)Generic names encourage generic business. 3)In service marketing almost nothing beats a brand. 4.)Building a brand doesn't take millions. It takes imagination.
Communicating and Selling: 1)Make the service and the prospect feel comfortable. 2) Saying many things usually communicates nothing. 3) Good basic communicating is good basic marketing. 4) If you think your promotional idea might seem silly or unprofessional, it is. 5) Prospects do not buy how good you are at what you do. They buy how good you are at who you are. 6) Far better to say to little than too much. 7) People hear what they see. Watch what you show. 8.)Give your marketing a human face.
Overall an excellent book that contains a lot of reasons as to why service marketing is different and how to keep yourself visible amongst the competition. |
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John Chancellor (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
This is a wonderful book for anyone in any service business. Since over 80% of our economy is now service based, everyone can benefit from reading the book.
It is actually a huge collection of essays on marketing. They are short, well written and very insightful. It would be difficult not to pick up 10 to 15 things that you could do immediately to improve your marketing.
The book was written in 1997, so some specific companies he talks about have changed dramatically. However the principles have not changed. These principles will still be valid 50 years from now.
One thing that most service providers have trouble with is pricing their services. They are afraid to charge too much. Beckwith does a great job of explaining why you cannot compete on price.
He tells a little story about Picasso. He was sketching at a sidewalk cafe in Paris when a woman strolling along the street saw him and asked if he would do a sketch of her. He obliged and when finished, she asked how much she owed him. Five thousand francs was the reply. She protested that it had only taken three minutes. Picasso corrected her by saying, "No. It took me all my life." When you are selling services you are not selling your time but your experience. A lesson most in the service business really do not understand.
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Joel Miller (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
Ugly cats for sale, focus wins. Don't charge by the hours, charge by the years. Value is not a position, if good value is the first thing you communicate, you won't be effective. Use vivid words and pictures, tell stories.
Selling the Invisible brings common sense advice about sales and marketing to your business. If you are in business for yourself, which I am, you will certainly glean enough from this book to make more money. It is written in a way that it makes a good companion for a cup of coffee or a train ride to work. Powerful and practical ideas explained easily.
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Jenny Paschall (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
Initially, it seemed there were lots of very short hints with very little meat. On reviewing it more closely, my office book club realized these one-page chapters provided the necessary messages they needed. Primary thrust is understanding the value of customer service and defining how that works. Very well written, Mr. Beckwith provides substantial examples of the ideal customer service profile and activity. What takes some getting-used-to is a writing style with which we are not accustomed in business books. Enjoy it and treat it as a primer to keep handy close to your workspace. Pick it up, open it and find a message for the day that will vastly improve the quality of your business. |
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D. Nishimoto (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-17 00:00>
Communications make services more tangible and visible and give clients something firm to grasp. Marketing communications for services haul a heavier burden than communications for products. We trust products but we are far less trusting of services. So communications about services must make the service more tangible and real and must sooth the worried prospect.
People are interested in themselves. Turn the attention away from "I'm an expert", "I'm the smartest", "me, me, me" and turn the attention to the client. Indifference is the worst enemy not competition. When you do speak say one thing. Saying many things usually communication nothing. Your prospects have one question "What makes you so different that I should do business with you?" So give them one good reason to do business with you then repeat it again and again. Don't use adjectives to explain your reasons, use stories. Work one good basic communication; the communication must be vivid and not unclear, concrete and not abstract, familiar and not unfamiliar, and proper nouns not adjectives. Create evidence of your service and then communicate your service quality. Don't use silly or unprofessional promotional ideas. Prospects don't necessary want to buy the best, they just don't want to buy bad; so, help assure the prospect that you have weakness, you are good enough, and they can be comfort with selecting you. Convey that you are positively good. The client will continue using your service, if the client feels comfortable with them. The golden rule of marketing applies: "It is far better to say too little than too much."
People hear what they see. When people watch commercials they don't hear words, they see pictures. For example, an attorney climbing a mountain caused people to say that "First Banks were strong and solid, like the man climbing the mountain". People will trust their eyes far before they will ever trust your words. Make the invisible visible by using visual symbols to look for clues about what the business is about: Prudential has it's Rock of Gibraltar, Travelers is umbrella, Allstate is good hands, TransAmerica its tower, and Wausau its railroad station. Make sure people see who you are. Make sure your visual communications are consistent and reinforcing through out your company, it make you look more organized and professional and easier to remember. If your selling something complex, simplify it with a metaphor. Metaphors can quickly define your concept and your uniqueness.
If you want publicity then advertise. Prospect believe advertising is publicity and creditability. Advertising is the source by which people come to know the companies mentioned in the ad. People do not believe in companies they have not heard. Write articles and if you want editors to help you then give them something interesting. Give them a story worth publishing. Look deeply there are interesting stories to be told.
Focus on Buying and not selling. Think of the opposite side ask the customer "What do you want; what do you need; who are you". Make buying easy for the customer. Talk with the prospect about them and not you.
People want to smile. The most important thing you can sell is hope. Hope makes people feel good and customers that feel good will continue to give you business.
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