TITLE: Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern MarketingAUTHOR: Harry Beckwith
STARTED: January 28, 2010
FINISHED: February 4, 2010
PAGES: 252
GENRE: Non-Fiction
FIRST SENTENCE:You can't see them - so how do you sell them?
SUMMARY: [From barnesandnoble.com] Part of iPublish.com's Portal Biz Book series of books tailored for readers on the go, Selling the Invisible is the first book to address the millions of people who work in America's service economy--proprietors, top executives, and sales and marketing professionals who sell the "invisible," that is services rather than products.
THOUGHTS: This book is over a decade old; I expected it to be outdated and dull read. Luckily, I was wrong. While some snippets here and there show their age, the book's lessons still hold true to modern marketing.
Beckwith's book is composed of lots and lots of very brief lessons on marketing. Each point or anecdote is capped with a bold-faced take-away sentence. The briefness of each section causes the book to have a chopped, slightly disorganized feel. That said, the short lessons make it an easy read. I spent most of my time reading a few passages during my commute or right before bed. I found Beckwith repeats many of his messages but, instead of becoming tedious, this highlights their importance.
There were a few sections of the Selling the Invisible that I felt were ego trips. Beckwith spends a lot of time touting what he has done in the marketing field. I understand writing what you know, but in this case it sounds like Beckwith is trying to gain more clients.
This book will not make you a marketing master, but it will at least give you some smart, sassy, and helpful guidelines to follow.
RATING: 6/10 [Good]
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