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40th out of 155 books
—
112 voters
Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing
You can't touch, hear, or see your company's most important products... So how do you sell, develop, make them grow? That's the problem with services. This "phenomenal" book, as one reviewer called it, answers that question with insights on how markets work and how prospects think. A treasury of hundreds of quick, practical, and easy-to-read strategies-few are more than a...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
March 1st 1997
by Business Plus
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Sound bytes on how to sell services, which is drastically different than selling a product.
Key points, borrowed from others reviews:
1) Simplify access to your work! [Learn how to create executive summaries, tables of contents, hyper-links, etc.--don't assume that everyone knows your value and is willing to spend time digging into your work.]
2) Quality, speed, and price are *not* in competition, they must be offered simulaneously and at full value.
3) What is your promise or value proposition? A...more
Key points, borrowed from others reviews:
1) Simplify access to your work! [Learn how to create executive summaries, tables of contents, hyper-links, etc.--don't assume that everyone knows your value and is willing to spend time digging into your work.]
2) Quality, speed, and price are *not* in competition, they must be offered simulaneously and at full value.
3) What is your promise or value proposition? A...more
What I enjoyed most about this book was the idea that services should be viewed as something to sell, just like a product. I found I wanted to hand it to several local businesses and even some larger corporations, because if more people behaved like this, we'd all enjoy our business interactions so much more.
My only complaint is that in business terms, it's been awhile since it's been written. I'd love to see it revised and include a chapter on the internet. Though, to be fair, I got my copy fro...more
My only complaint is that in business terms, it's been awhile since it's been written. I'd love to see it revised and include a chapter on the internet. Though, to be fair, I got my copy fro...more
Sep 07, 2007
Ashley
added it
This is probably the easiest book I've ever read. The chapters are divided into sections that are incredibly small, which makes it a breeze to get through. But I think that's also its biggest weakness: you feel like you're being hit with so much that there's no way you could take it all in. And so no matter what you do take from this book, you feel as though it's not enough. Nevertheless, there was a lot of useful info in here. It's a good example of how marketing, due to human behavior, is not...more
Loy Machedo’s Book Review – Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith
Harry Beckwith is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Standford University, the author of books which have sold over 1.2 Million Copies in 24 languages and among the World’s Five Best Speakers on Sales and Marketing as per a 2009 Poll of 13,000.
Among the books he has authored,
• Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing
• You, Inc.: The Art of Selling Yourself
• What Clients Love: A Field Guide to Growing Your Business...more
Harry Beckwith is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Standford University, the author of books which have sold over 1.2 Million Copies in 24 languages and among the World’s Five Best Speakers on Sales and Marketing as per a 2009 Poll of 13,000.
Among the books he has authored,
• Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing
• You, Inc.: The Art of Selling Yourself
• What Clients Love: A Field Guide to Growing Your Business...more
This little book is jam packed with stories, statistics, and other valuable information that will help you to sell your services (vs. a product). While some of the points he raises I was aware of, may other points were new to me and a bit counterintuitive. For example, you don't need to convince the customer that your services are superior. Instead, "you can accomplish just as much by convincing a prospect that your service is 'positively good.'" (p.182)
I enjoyed reading this book and found the...more
I enjoyed reading this book and found the...more
I was so excited to see this book come out this year. I figured there would be a lot of timeless concepts that would help me as I direct-market my family's grassfed meats. And I was right. There were. However, I am appalled at the mercenary nature of the publisher -- that they would release a reprint of this book in 2012, targeted at SERVICE marketing -- and there would not be ANY relevant of the internet or social media. So if you are looking for age-old notions, great. This is your book. If yo...more
OK, if I were to, you know, ever meet Harry Beckwith, I think I'd check to see how tall he was...if he had pointy little ears and talked funny because after reading his "Selling the Invisible", I am CONVINCED the man is Yoda!
Of all the creative/business books I've read so far this year, I think this one is up there at No. 1 (alongside "Creating Customer Evangelists") for the sheer amount of wisdom Beckwith provides his readers as it relates to being in the service industry and marketing yourself...more
Of all the creative/business books I've read so far this year, I think this one is up there at No. 1 (alongside "Creating Customer Evangelists") for the sheer amount of wisdom Beckwith provides his readers as it relates to being in the service industry and marketing yourself...more
BEST BUSINESS BOOK I'VE READ YET.
All you wedding industry business owners - put this on your must-read list. It's packed full of good stuff. Not to mention it's written with us in mind.
Take the title: "Selling the Invisible." Those of us who are selling a service are doing just that - selling something that, at the time it is purchased, is invisible. I love how Beckwith starts the book: "So as a service marketer...you face prospects almost shaking with worry, and sensitive to any mistake you m...more
All you wedding industry business owners - put this on your must-read list. It's packed full of good stuff. Not to mention it's written with us in mind.
Take the title: "Selling the Invisible." Those of us who are selling a service are doing just that - selling something that, at the time it is purchased, is invisible. I love how Beckwith starts the book: "So as a service marketer...you face prospects almost shaking with worry, and sensitive to any mistake you m...more
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Clearly, this book is written by a marketing master. Every page is a sound bite. Haha. Still, all in all, this is the book you're supposed to read if you don't read any other book on marketing, and I can see why. I took notes. Everyone has to know how to market something in this world, even if he/she doesn't work in sales, so I figured I'd dip my toe in the waters.
Great book for selling services. I found the book very easy to read. This book, written in short chapters is very convenient to read and is considered a practical guide to marketing operations.
It does a great job presenting simple ideas to help your business prosper. The end of each chapter has specific to-do items from that chapter to help make implementation simple and quick.
It does a great job presenting simple ideas to help your business prosper. The end of each chapter has specific to-do items from that chapter to help make implementation simple and quick.
As with most excellent Sales books, the advice provided here is based on good common sense with altruistic aims. Sales can be a very intimidating profession, selling tangible items can be difficult to many, and successfully selling a service that cannot be touched can prove impossible for most. This book helps you see how selling services is a lot about common sense and doing the right thing. For some reason, common sense and doing the right thing get lost in most business activities.
This is probably the best marketing book that anyone could ever read, that provides anything in a Service industry. The name describes it best, as a Service is invisible to customers, that otherwise need to just hear from someone else or be convinced that what you claim you will do, you will do and DO WELL!!
Highly readable book about marketing services. Gets right to the point, uses examples to illustrate the concepts. Great information for someone who isn't familiar with marketing, and very, very good for anyone who wants a refresher or is thinking about how to market a service (rather than a physical product).
This book is very insightful for those who are thinking about branding and work in the service industry. Beckwith's collection of soundbites are more a litany of best practices and he fails to tie them together with one comprehensive idea or principle which would have made this a much stronger read.
Work in marketing? Read this book. Work in customer service? Read this book. Work in sales? Read this book. Starting your own business? Read this book! (Borrowed a copy from our CEO, read it cover to cover, then bought a copy for myself.)
This book brings light to the Services industry and to those that work in creative environments. I found it extremely useful in my line of work (Cause Marketing) and have put to work a few of his methods that are very easy to understand and implement. The book reads like a "manual" so there's no need to read it all in one go and I've put it in my office shelf for future reference. I would have liked more "real life examples" which would have helped me comprehend the exact point he was trying to...more
Love this book as it relates to business, this timeless advice is perfect for anyone in a 'service' business field. This takes everything that you thought clients didn't care about and put it into perspective.
A great little book, with short chapters, catchy phrases and common-sense examples. For instance: "Monogram your shirts, not your company"! IBM is the exception, he notes.
Anyone involved in a service business needs to read this book. The book is full of simple things that you should do to market your product and yourself.
Listened to as an audio book...one I listen to frequently on my drives from SC to MD...very good and there are ALWAYS new nuggets of wisdom to take from it!
There are no earth-shattering ideas in this book, but it's a quick read and an excellent reference guide specifically geared towards services marketing.
It is a book full of solid suggestions about marketing a service business. I would recommend it if you are looking to review your service marketing.
The dust jacket calls this "the best thing ever written on the subject," and "the best book on business ever written." I agree. Don't miss it!
Anyone who sells anything for a living or simply needs inspiration to convey a deep conviction to others needs this book. Excellent!
Easy read and lots of great ideas. The edition I read was about 10 years old so a few things are dated, but overall this is a great book.
Excellent review for anyone that has become complacent with their marketing skills and wants a simple but realistic wake up call.
Provides a different perspective on how to look at the services business. Honestly, nothing new but may be helpful to newcomers.
Mar 29, 2010
Beth
marked it as to-read
Another one I read years ago when R was thinking of starting his own business. Again, will be more relevant to me now...
So glad I read this. It is about marketing service oriented businesses. I listened to it first then I checked out the book.
A should-read book on sales for knowledge workers, managers, executives, and entrepreneurs.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What is an effective marketing plan? | 1 | 15 | Oct 29, 2009 09:11pm |
Harry Beckwith heads Beckwith Partners, a marketing firm that advises twenty-three Fortune 200 clients and dozens of venture-capitalized start-ups on branding and positioning. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford, Beckwith is an internationally acclaimed speaker. He is the bestselling author of five books, which, collectively, have been translated into twenty-three languages.
More about Harry Beckwith...
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