Selling the Invisible - A Field Guide to Modern Marketing
Selling The Invisible is packed with tips and insights on how to market your business services.
Harry Beckwith claims that most marketing advice is based on a product marketing model, most of which doesn't apply to service businesses.
He makes each point in just a few paragraphs, which makes this book easy to grab when you only have a few minutes for marketing inspiration.
His key points include:
Harry Beckwith claims that most marketing advice is based on a product marketing model, most of which doesn't apply to service businesses.
He makes each point in just a few paragraphs, which makes this book easy to grab when you only have a few minutes for marketing inspiration.
His key points include:
- Before marketing your service, make it great.
- Do not just create what the market needs or wants.
Create what it would love. - Survey people by phone.
- Don't do focus groups.
- Marketing is not a department.
It's your business. - Every act is a marketing act.
Make every person a marketing person. - If you're selling a service, you're selling a relationship.
- Your real competitor is often your customer (either they do it themself or they don't believe anyone can do it).
- Marginal tactics executed passionately almost always will outperform brilliant tactics executed marginally.
- Think dumb.
Smart people are experts at squashing good ideas. - Take advantage of the Recency Effect.
Follow up brilliantly. - Forget looking like the superior choice.
Make yourself an excellent choice.
Then eliminate anything that might make you a bad choice. - To broaden your appeal, narrow your position.
- Choose a position that will reposition your competitors; then move back toward the middle to cinch the sale.
- Generic names encourage generic business.
- Your first competitor is indifference.
- Saying many things usually communicates nothing.
- After you say one thing, repeat it again and again.