seth_godin

If You're Clueless about Starting Your Own Business
$15.95
I ordered this book from BookMavens on June 22 and I still have not received my book. I have emailed them 3 times. The first time I received a response stating that they were just behind but that I should be receiving my book soon. The following 2 emails I sent during the month of August both were not replied to. I have asked for either my book or a refund, and now I have had to use amazon's A-Z gaurantee process to have them investigate the situation so that I can get a refund.

I am usually very patient and am slow to complain/write a negative review. After 2.5 months I think it is time to start getting frustrated!

All Marketers are Liars (with a New Preface): The Underground Classic That Explains How Marketing Really Works---and Why Authenticity Is the Best Marketing of All
$23.95
Some marketers may be liars; some may be honest; those who are the most successful, combine honesty with a compelling message. That's the secret to a great marketing campaign, and that's why Seth Godin's book is so interesting. He knows how to tell relevent stories which engage the reader; before you know it, you've read this entire book.

The message Godin is delivering is really quite simple. Marketers should have a good story to tell; if it's a good enough story, consumers will repeat it, and that story has now become entrenched in our minds as "reality". Mission accomplished.

Successful marketers understand the importance of creating demand from telling a good story. However, as Godin warns, the stories had better be authentic; consumers in this day and age of social media are quick to spot the phonies. That's good news for the consumers; and should be good news for the creative marketers, who have good stories to tell. That probably explains why Twitter is becoming so popular; people like stories, especially short ones that are confined to 140 characters or less. Cutting to the chase has never been more important than it is today.

It should also be good news for Seth Godin, because his story is authentic, very witty, and most compelling. I highly recommend reading it for yourself; I honestly believe you won't be disappointed.

Small Is the New Big: and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas
$25.95
Small is the New Bigis a collection of insightful entries from Seth Godin's blog and his articles for FastCompany. It is an unconventional read that doesn't flow as poetically as a novel and lacks the organized structure of a Harvard Business Review publication. But the pages filled me with fresh ideas and made me think of common sense approaches to everyday marketing challenges.

For example Godin injects realism by stating, "You don't get the priveledge of deciding what people will think. If they think it, then their truth is already established. The challenge of marketing is to get ideas to spread". He states that the Internet was a commercial success because it spread an idea virus.

He tells the story of Apple trying in vain to convince Windows customers to switch to Mac OS. Apple failed because people weren't thinking about switching, their mindset was not open to the idea, let alone the reasons. Sort of like interrupting someone with a bargain as they are making their way to board an airplane, no matter how good the bargain people aren't in the frame of mind to accept it. It wasn't until Apple changed people's mindset by getting them to accept the iPod. Once customers say yes to the iPod, it opens their worldview to accept other Apple products that they were previously not open to. By starting a 'cascade of flips', Apple is flipping customers from PC to Mac at a growing rate. Could Lenovo leverage this strategy by getting people to accept saying yes to Lenovo with enticing accessories, and leverage the 'yes' mindset to reverse attach a Desktop PC, Monitor or Notebook?

Seth also highlights the importance of design and style by stating that 'design is free'. An illustration is the stylish carpeting, lighting and layout of an Apple store. The Apple store Godin argues, needed carpeting, lighting and a layout anyways, but Apple management took the time to think about the guts of the experience, not just the store fixtures. This example mirrors Seth's statement that "disrespectful method of communication quickly turns into no communication". Can Lenovo corporate website, storefronts, and presentations be enhanced through even more intelligent design and style?

The final key point I learned from Seth is that in today's Web 2.0 with Flickr, Twitter, youtube, Facebook, slideshare...Marketing is no longer about TV ads, sports sponsorship or tradeshows, it is about Interaction. So we should stop waiting and design that webpage, develop that new form factor and pick up the phone to reach out to the customer. "Waiting is pointless".

Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers
$25.00
This book changed the way to talk with customers. In fact, that statement alone reflects the change-- talk WITH, not to. Gave me an entirely new perspective, which has really helped me on the job and helped me to be way ahead of things which we are just starting to see now, such as all the social media sites coming online. Seth Godin is great and I love his books, but this is one of the best. Still as valuable now as it was when it came out. I look it over at least every year, just to keep me on track.