couple of years ago, someone.. probably Sonny..started a thread about books we all should be reading to improve our business skills
i bought several of those books.. some were better than others.
thought it might be time to revisit: here’s what i suggest..
if you’ve ACTUALLY read the book, write a quick review… rate it against other books you’ve read.. tell us how it helped your business.. or helped YOU
some of the books i’m talking about:
“The Goal”…. Eliuahu Goldratt
“The E-Myth”…..
Selling the Invisible”…… Harry Beckwith
“Positioning”
“Destination: Quality”… Gilbert Veconi
here’s my favorite:
“Guerrilla Marketing”..Jay Conrad Levinson..
the sub-title is “secrets for making big profits from your small business”
this book was revised in 1993.. has 5 parts :
the Guerilla approach
Mini-media
Maxi-media
non-media
& launching your guerilla marketing attack
i read it after attending a seminar at a JLC-Live , where the speaker recommended it.
306 pages , well written and entertaining… full of very practical ideas for promoting your business. In terms of marketing , this one is a must read for small business owners. Some of the other books i’ve read were obviously talking to businesses with a larger budget than ours. And some of them were quite dated, didn’t seem to have a timely message.
This is my number one recommendation for small business marketing… what’s yours?
and .. any of these books.. or others.. how about a review ?
Replies
Ordered the E-myth Contractor.... Should be here in time for the vacation golf trip.
"The E-Myth"
Read it a few years ago. A good book for anyone in a business to read.
Gerber's main point is to use a systems approach to your business in order to sell it. I don't necessarily think I'll want to ever sell my business but I see no problem applying his approach sans systems.
If your business runs well enough without your constant input, you're free to experience the best of both worlds. Travel, sleep late, do volunteer work, whatever. You're free to dabble in what you want to AND you can meddle in your company at will. Attend company parties, important meetings, socialize with employees/subs/customers, etc. When you're not a critical part of the company you can do what you want.
Getting back to Gerber, he writes that all activities should be regimented and documented. When your perform a task successfully take hte time to document your steps so someone with much less skill and knowledge can replace you. Eventually you have your co. on autopilot.
A lot of small business owners don't know why they do certain things let alone have the ability to communicate to a replacement. If you force yourself to document your standard operating procedures you will gain much from your introspection.
All in all a good book. Easy to read and it leaves you with a tinge of excitement about the possibilities.
Jon Blakemore
Mike,
Could you give the ISBN of Guerrilla Marketing? Everytime I look for it I get 39 variations and want to make sure I read the most apt one.
Jon Blakemore
If you read one book on marketing, make it "Positioning" (I just had a quick peek at the reviews for the "updated" version and I think I'll stick with the original although the specific examples might be dated now). I have literally a bookcase full of marketing books, a pet interest of mine, and this is the best and most easily digested I have ever read. Other books may be better at narrow strategies, but my personal opinion is that success or failure is determined by well laid groundwork and a principal question is what position your firm occupies in the marketplace (or more to the point what position you are perceived as occupying - "the perception is the reality" as they say). It is chock full of practical, real world issues and principals that apply to any business of any size.
On a related topic some other business favorites of mine are : "The Greatest Company on Earth - A History of ATT" a great read that will leave you astonished at what a truly huge company is like, and "Inside the Golden Arches" which is an inside look at McDonald's. Both are several years old but great, easy reads and fascinating.
PaulB
Edited 2/25/2005 3:17 pm ET by PaulB
paul... i just finished reading "Positioning"
i read every word and i have to say i was disappointed, it seemed very dated..
the main thing i took away from it is how fragile business really is.. he kept talking about all of these great companies...
IBM, ATT , Polaroid, all shadows of their former great selves...
i preferred "Selling the Invisible " to " Positioning"..
have you read " The Goal" yet... Sonny was pushing that one hard..
pretty entertaining with some good insight
also
"Who Moved My Cheese" that was another one we reviewed with SonnyMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike, I'm surprised that you were even slightly disappointed about the book Positioning. I'll agree that the concepts/stories were dated, but the lessons live on forever.
One reason that I'm so surprised at your disappointment is because you seem to be a prime example of a guy that understands the concept and have implemented almost everything that the book explains. I think maybe, you don't appreciate how important the book is becuase you don't need to change much!
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
blue.. i understood the book... but i was still disappointed in it....kinda like seeing the previews for what looks to be a great movie.. then when you actually spend your time and money, you realize you picked the wrong one..
two weeks ago... i saw Million Dollar Baby... absolutely loved it.. saw a preview for "Sideways".. couldn't wait.. even my wife ( she loved "Benji" ) was looking forward to it... what a disappointment
but anyways.. give us a synopsis of "Positioning" so we can bounce some ideas around..Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I read Who Moved My Cheese and found it to be helpful. It provides a very simple framework for understanding the consequences of getting complacent. I used that book as an example to Frank when we were discussing changes to our business this past week!
blue
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
jon... my edition of Guerilla Marketing is copyrite 1993 (paperback )
ISBN 0-395-64496-8 (pbk.)
there may be a newer edition... and in fact i have one called "Guerilla Marketing With Technology" same author (Jay Conrad Levinson ).. but i prefer the original.
here's what Amazon has.. looks like the 3d edition ( mine is the 2d )
Guerrilla Marketing : Secrets for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business (Guerrilla Marketing)by Jay Conrad Levinson
Look inside this book
Share your own customer images
List Price:
$15.00
Price:
$10.20 & Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. See details
You Save:
$4.80 (32%) Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours from Amazon.com
Want it delivered Monday, February 28?
Order it in the next 2 hours and 2 minutes, and choose
One-Day Shipping at checkout. See details 62 used & new from $7.89
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Just books on marketing or books on business management in general?
.
View Image
ParadigmProjects.com | Paradigm-360.com | Mac4Construction.com
jerrald... they should be related to marketing.. we could start another thread about business management..
i know i was digressing with the comments about "The Goal".. and "Who Moved My Cheese"
but .... me personally... i think the biggest concept i got in 30 years was how important Marketing is (Sales )
you wanna beat this Marketing Thread to death , then move on to Management ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Okay books marketing that I like and think are really helpful and usefull.
Selling the Invisible : A Field Guide to Modern Marketing,..The Invisible Touch : The Four Keys to Modern Marketing and What Clients Love: A Field Guide to Growing Your Business all by Harry Beckwith, All of them are available on tape and CD too. I was listening to What Clients Love as I was driving around between venues today.
Full Price: Competing on Value in the New Economy by Thomas J. Winninger. Having a hard time justifying a higher cost or higher rate for your sevices then this book may help you with that.
Customer Culture: How FedEx and Other Great Companies Put the Customer First Every Day by Michael Basch on the list too. For anyone who has read Michael Gerbers ideas about systems that he mentions first in The E-Myth Revisited,...The E-Myth Contractor: Why Most Contractors' Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It or his most recent book E-Myth Mastery : The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company this is a great book to illustrate systems thinking in action and the importance of designing those systems around the CUSTOMER!
The book is based on developing a customer-centered company culture. The author states "Well-designed cultural structures have six primary attributes:
Vision: A clear picture of the desired customer experience.
Values: The code of conduct or rules of the game that will not be compromised.
Goals: The specific time-critical results that the organization desires to achieve.
Relevance: The desire or determination level among the people to achieve goals.
Feedback: The results or scoreboard that tells people their relative success.
Actions: The specific actions taken by the people to achieve the goals.
Re-imagine! by Tom Peters A lot of business management mixed in with the marketing in this one but I think that very intentional on Tom Peters part in that he trying to show that the two are in reality intimately linked. Exciting read too. Tom Peters like to provoke and charge things up and I think he always succeeds at that.
I'm not allowed to mention The Goal in this list since it supposed to be about marketing but It's Not Luck is Eliyahu M. Goldratt book on marketing and sales and how it realates to the Theory of Constraints.
The Loyalty Effect: The Hidden Force Behind Growth, Profits, and Lasting Valueby Frederick F. Reichheld, Thomas Teal
Customer Centered Growth: Five Proven Strategies for Building Competitive Advantage by Richard Whiteley, Diane Hessan
Customer Once, Client Forever: 12 Tools for Building Lifetime Business Relationships by Richard A. Buckingham
The One to One Future: Building Relationships One Customer at a Time by Don Peppers, Martha, Phd Rogers
The Power to Get In : A Step-by-Step System to Get in Anyone's Door So You Have the Chance to... Make the Sale... Get the Job... Present Your Ideasby Michael A. Boylan. The best book on cold calling technique I've ever read because he teaches you how to turn a cold call a warm call.
New Sales Speak by Terri L. Sjodin.
Solution Selling: Creating Buyers in Difficult Selling Markets by Michael T. Bosworth
The Experience Economy; Work Is Theatre & Every Business is a Stage by B. Joseph Pine, B. J., II Pine, James H. Gilmore
How to Drive Your Competition Crazy : Creating Disruption for Fun and Profit by Guy Kawasaki. Mike you and anyone else who appreciates Jay Conrad Levinson's Guerrilla Marketing : Secrets for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business will really appreciate this one by Guy Kaasaki. On of my favortes in it that still sticks in my mind even now was how a pizza chain entering the Colorado market offered a two-for-one promotion to anyone who brought in the Yellow Pages ad of its competition. It's hard to call other pizza places when their ads are torn out of the phone book. Guy Kawasaki was the origional Macintosh Evangalist and his marketing ideas in the early day of the Mac are what put it in everyone mind.
And last (at least for now) but certainly no least I like the books by Dr. Thomas J. Stanley Selling to the Affluent,...
Marketing to the Affluent,... and
Networking with the Affluent.
View Image
ParadigmProjects.com | Paradigm-360.com | Mac4Construction.com
damn, jerrald, i hate you...
what else is left to say ?
couldn't we just take ONE of your favorite books and discuss it ?
nooooo ... you gotta list 15 bajillion with a two sentence review for each..
now get back here and choose ONE.. this shotgun sh*t ain't gonna cut it
so...
if you were trying to entice a young dude , just starting out in business to read ONE book about marketing.. what would be you first choice.. and how would you set the hook , so you could reel him in and get him to read the SECOND book you hold most dear
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I was gonna ask you which one do you want to discuss? I just happened to have a huge list pulled together already becuase it's my intent to write blurbs on them for the pages on my website anyway. I'll let you (or anyone else for that matter) pick where I should start.
View Image
ParadigmProjects.com | Paradigm-360.com | Mac4Construction.com
jerrald .. ... iyam what iyam..
no, you choose your favorite..
the premier one that YOU think the budding entrepreneur should read first......
sure glad i dint havta put a <g> after my "i hate you "
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I posted this once in it's own thread, but no one read it, so I'll post it here.If you complete two of the Master Craftsman tests (I did the fibercement siding and the decking) on Certainteed.com, they will mail you a bucket buddy and a copy of The Remodeler's Marketing PowerPak by Linda Case and Victoria Downing. The tests are "open book" and most could be passed with just general knowledge and common sense.The book is nice because it offers an overview of the different marketing choices and actually gives you several form letters to use in direct mail.
hammer.. thanks.. i am qualified as Master in roofing and fibercement...
he*l.... i even got to Wizard in roofing..
now i gotta go back and see if they'll send me the lootMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
blue...
i finally cleared my desk off.. and i found a little gem
remember that book.. "Building with an Attitude "
well, the author, Al Trellis, wrote a little give-away book for Andersen Windows
"The Builder's Guide to Marketing Success"..... 32 pages..
what a great little booklet....
i'll see if i can get some copies
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike, I hope you don't chew me out next...I forgot that this is a marketing thread. I only mentioned my choice because you mentioned the cheese thing.
I'm sorry.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
Jerrald,
What did you think of "The Experience Economy"?
While the "progression of economic value" from commodity, to goods, to services, to experiences, makes sense, how do you relate it to the "experience" of remodeling?
Bowz
Bowz -
"What did you think of "The Experience Economy"?
While the "progression of economic value" from commodity, to goods, to services, to experiences, makes sense, how do you relate it to the "experience" of remodeling?"
Bowz I don't have much time to comment on that today since I am working on something else that has a March 1st deadline looming but while I'm breaking for lunch let me say that reading the Experience Economy was an eye opener. I happened to be working on a particular project at that time that also really showed me that these people hadn't hired me and my company because we could do the work. That was really sort of a given. They had hired us for the "experience" of working with me and my company". Since reading the book I think I've focused my thinking more on designing what my clients "experience" is working with us than I am on the nuts and bolts of the actual craftsmanship. I have some very good people that handle that very well.
I'll have to get back to you on this later this week how's that sound?
View Image
ParadigmProjects.com | Paradigm-360.com | Mac4Construction.com
Jerrald,
I'll have to get back to you on this later this week how's that sound?
Whenever you get to it is fine, I will just toss out some of my thoughts about the book.
Interesting that you relate the book to one particular project, because that was my experience also.
My project was a kitchen remodel for a doctor and wife, who had never done any remodeling before. The interior designer was trying to run the project, and was dropping the ball on it. I was brought in by the cabinet company to deal with the cabinets, but ultimately ended up taking over from the designer and running the project.
Reading the book while doing the project kept my mind thinking not just exclusively on the remodeling aspect of the project, but also on what the clients were experiencing. The project went smoother than I expected, (at least until the granite people cut the island sink in wrong). By then, the clients had "experienced" that a few things do go wrong but the problems do get taken care of.
Another aspect is the sub-title to the book, "Work Is Theatre, and Every Business a Stage". I have worked on mansions like this this before, but only as an employee, or a sub. To be put in charge, pushed me out of my comfort zone. Although I knew what I was doing work wise, and believed I could handle running the job, I still made a conscious effort to act the part of being in charge. A conscious effort to keep the clients "experience" from being bad.
Which is where I am having some difficulty making the connection. The authors promote positive experiences as something of value, that we should be charging for. However I am thinking clients view remodeling as something traumatic. And at our best as remodelers, we are simply reducing the trauma.
The value the clients are seeking is in the use of the finished product, not in the path to get there. Making that path smooth, gets us referral and repeat business, but that has always happened anyway.
I still think the book was worth reading, and it paid for itself with one sentence. "You must charge for the value delivered, not just the costs you incur".
Bowz
Jerrald-I can't believe you didn't mention any of Jeffrey Fox's books. Each is short, easy and fun to read, and full of insight. For this topic, I'd recommend:HOW TO BECOME A MARKETING SUPERSTARHOW TO BECOME A RAINMAKERHOW TO MAKE BIG MONEY IN YOUR OWN SMALL BUSINESS.If you need blurbs for your website, I'd be happy to provide! (in the interest of full disclosure, I've worked with Jeff for 15+ years and collarborated on those titles.)Also, another great (in my objective opinion) marketing book (not sure how relevant for this audience) is my new one (co-authored with J Fox): THE DOLLARIZATION DISCIPLINE... about how to quantify the "value" delivered to customers.Great thread topic.-Rick Gregory
One more: One of the best books ever written on marketing/advertising is OGILVY ON ADVERTISING by David Ogilvy. May be hard to find, but it is full of gems.
Geez you know your right. What I did when I made that list was just turn around an look at the shelves behind me and they weren't there. I gave them to my brother who is up there in Avon with you guys right around the time we last talked about his books.
I do however keep:
How To Become A Marketing Superstar
How To Become A Rainmaker
How To Make Big Money In Your Own Small Business.
as well as How to Become a Great Boss: The Rules for Getting and Keeping the Best Employees
on CDs in my car and I listen to them as I drive around between projects.
I got The Dollarization Discipline : How Smart Companies Create Customer Value...and Profit from it last fall. Since that's the one I know you worked on with him I feel I've got to cofess that when I got it last fall I started it one day while drinking coffee on a break I got sidetracked and never finished it. Now that you've caught me I promise I'll get back to it this week. I'd forgotten all about it. Will it be coming out on CD someday too? Ya know I should get you guys to sign my books too since I'm in Avon often enough.
Ya know I also think How to Become a Rainmaker and How to Become a Marketing Superstar are particulary valuable to sub-contractors who sales are really business to business too.
Thanks for catching me on them. My bad.
View Image
ParadigmProjects.com | Paradigm-360.com | Mac4Construction.com
If DD is too thick for you, Soundview Executive Books Summaries just published a summary of it... Also named it one of the Top 30 business books of 2005.No deal yet for an audio CD, but we're working on it.If you want autographs, we have personalized labels we sign and could mail to you... then you just pop them in the book. Might be easier than trying to catch both Jeff and me in CT at the same time!Just let me know.
RICKGREG - "
If DD is too thick for you, Soundview Executive Books Summaries just published a summary of it... Also named it one of the Top 30 business books of 2005.
No deal yet for an audio CD, but we're working on it."
Nah that isn't it. I read anywhere from 40 to 60 books a year. I need the hard copies to highlight and put my notes in the margins. But I spend a lot of time driving around between venues and to make use of that time I'm always rereading the books I read via audio. I know also listen to them via my iPod while I bike ride too (athough I'll confess when I'm really banging out a bike ride I'm listening to Springsteen or some other R&R band). While its really a management book and not about marketing the book I reread/listen too most often is Goldratts The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement. I think I probably listen to that 6 or seven times a year.
View Image
ParadigmProjects.com | Paradigm-360.com | Mac4Construction.com
If U really wanna pump up your sales toss the educationalo CD's and get some hard core punk.
or ... a punk-like cd .... great motivational sales song ...
Guns n Roses ... Spaghetti Incident .... "Attutide".
great cover of a Misfits tune.
Really get your mindset right for closing the deal.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
I'm a big Patti Smith fan. I was listening to my iTunes collection of her yesterday and today. Used to catch her and her group, the Sex Pistols, and various other groups years ago down in the village, at Max's KC and CBGBs.However that said I find with many of the clients I have to approach and deal with nowadays listening to Bach, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Beethoven etc. is often better preparation for a sales call than Guns n Roses or the Patti Smith Group.I've got some free iTunes coming from some Pepsi caps I've picked up so maybe I'll pickup some songs from the Spaghetti Incident.
View Image
ParadigmProjects.com | Paradigm-360.com | Mac4Construction.com
Current favorite is "Bounty Hunter" by Molly Hatchet.
only Hatchet could pen ...
"Uhhhhp bhup bhup Yeahhh" ...
Love that line!
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
Mike, I'll chirp in with The Richest Man in Babylon.
This book is a classic, written in the early part of the 20th century, yet it is timeless and will remain timeless...well forever.
The book details all the basic lessons on wealth building. It is set in ancient times, but the lessons truly apply to today, as well as back then. Some of the lessons are so basic, yet until you look at them altogether, you really never understand how stupid most of us are with regards to wealth building.
I had to laugh when I read the book because I saw myself in the story in so many ways. I'm now consicously trying to avoid being in there again unless I'm in there as a one of the smart guys.
This book is on my "must read" booklist, especially for young people. Us older guys have learned some, not all, of the basic lessons, but the young ones can avoid a ton of heartache and headache if they take the time to read this one. It is especially important to read this book if you are prone to buying yourself nice things. It will teach you and your wife how to do it the right way.
Don't pass up this recommendation.
blue
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
Sorry Mike, I can't do just one.
I don't own a copy of Guerrilla Marketing, but checked it out of the library a few times, and took notes. The only thing I specifically recall using out of it was color selection. My name on the truck and on the cards is done in maroon on silver. Maroon being associated with high end value, vs red being associated with price only. I don't recall what blue represented, but there was a reason that I chose not to use it.
A similar book, kind of Guerilla Marketing meets Joe Contractor, is 101 Power Strategies: Tools to Promote Yourself as the Contractor of Choice, by Paul Montelongo. http://www.contractorofchoice.com .
A lot of 1 page suggestions about getting your name and face in front of the buying public. Strategy #2 is about your "30 second commercial". Still haven't come up with a good one, but we keep trying. It is not an "end all, beat all" book, but certainly worth the $17. The author of Guerilla Marketing has a glowing appraisal of the book on the back cover.
Mostly what I have gotten out of it is the reminder to keep my name and face in front of the buying public, and people who can refer the buying public to me.
I would also split marketing and sales. IMO they are 2 different animals. Marketing is getting your phone to ring, sales is what you do after that.
Of the dozen or so sales books I have, 2 stand out. They are from the late '80s or early '90s so I don't know if they are available yet, but I believe the authors are still alive.
The first one is "How to Master the Art of Selling" by Tom Hopkins.
I think what it did for me is change how I looked at sales. No longer was it trying to pry money out of peoples wallets, but it was a process that was necessary to bring in work.
My second sales book is the one book I would absolutely not be in business without. It is "Secrets of Closing the Sale" by Zig Ziglar.
In this book he takes you through a number of techniques, and closes. Not just, "go out and sell", but actually gives examples of what to say, and how to say it. One of the suggestions he also gives was to have a sales notebook. So I had a laugh when Frenchy suggested it a few weeks ago, because I used to have one, but hadn't used it in years. In fact I can't even find it so I started a new one.
That book has also made us money buying and selling vehicles and real estate. It's probably the only thing I own that is worth more than it's wieght in gold.
Bowz
PS Hopkins and Ziglar also wrote books on motivation and setting goals, which are excellent.
bowz.. i think Zig is one of grumpy's ....er' i mean Jeff's guiding lites
yeah , i know sales is seperate from and dependent on, marketing
which is why i was concentrating on marketing..
naturally , some of these books overlap... but .. primarily.. this one is marketing..
Selling the Invisible was very good.. i think i circled something on every page
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike,
I was mistaken. The book was "Guerrila Marketing Weapons" also by Levinson. I had checked out "Marketing" also, but found "Weapons" to be immediatly useful to where I was at the time.
That point being someone without a logo, a dented up old truck without my name on it, and two of my major sources of leads had dried up. One was the cabinet shop I did a lot of work with. The management changed, and the new managers decided to find a lower cost installer. The other was a mom and pop lumber yard that went out of business.
Either way I was depending on other people for over 1/2 of my leads and work.
Some of the "Weapons" I put to use were:
1. Name: I switched to using my actual name rather than a DBA. "Bowz Carpentry and Construction" vs. oh let's say "Riverside Remodeling". Might be a detriment to selling in 20 years, if that is possible, but at that point there was no value to "Riverside Remodeling" anyway.
2.Color: I already mentioned using maroon, vs the other choices. But I also tried to incorporate gold into the logo. It didn't work as well, and my new truck was 2-toned, so that only left 1 color to work with. (A designer had told me not to have more than 3 colors total) The sign shop I used put strips of various colors on the truck in different spots, so that we could judge how they looked for a week.
3. Logo: Simple, very similar to what you have, with my name the most prominent thing, phone # off to the side.
4.Niche: Well sort-of. I listed on my new business card, and on the truck what I really do. "Kitchens - Bathrooms- Additions- Remodeling"
5. Neatness and smiles: Just being neat and clean. And when I look at projects, I generally now where a dress shirt. I used to think it was to my advantage to show up in clean work clothes, showing that I was the one doing the work. But I no longer think that is the case.
6. Community Involvement: Not a big time commitment, but I volunteered to pull a church float in 2 parades. Got my name and face in front of at least a dozen people that I had already worked for, and thousands of potentials, that I saw along the parade routes.
7. Association membership/networking: Joined the local Home builders Association. Zero leads the first year, but it was worthwhile getting comfortable talking with others involved in building. One large lead for this year and one new home builder told me he gave my name out to anybody who asked about remodeling at the home show.
Got a few more that I used also, but I gotta run.
Bowz
each time I start one of these books I realize I've spent way too much of my life sitting in some big money "sales seminar" listening to some good looking tan guy in a $1000 suit telling me the exact same thing the last good looking tan guy in a $1000 suit told me.
Then ... I quietly laugh to myself that everything they said and more was taught to me by my first "sales manager" ... a guy that ran away from home at 15 and ate out of dumpsters till he learned how to sell himself. He used different words ... surely wasn't as polished on the delivery ... but he walked the walk.
Who Moved my Cheese .... I dunno but they replaced it with a cheezy title. How about some more catch phrases and a couple more chapter on what everyone else already wrote?
I'm half way thru Selling the Invisable ...
and half way thru the E-Myth Contractor.
shouldn't started both at the same time ... but had Selling ... then the E-Myth came mail order and I couldn't wait.
E-Myth. Pretty much useless to me. Right off the bat ... important advice ... to get your price ... don't take work you aren't 100% sure how to price. Limit yourself to work you've already done ... work U know for sure how long it'll take.
Well ... there goes remodeling!
guy may be a genius .. but he's never worked a day in remodeling.
other main point ... make a syatem for everything ... so the helper can replace U when yer on vacation. Well ... since I see myself as as much an "artist and craftsman" as working carpenter and business owner ... that don't fly either. So much for my "I'm hands on" sales pitch?
I'll finish the book .. but I'll be lucky if I get more than 2 good ideas from it. I'm not the target market. Seems more for established company owners with employees that just aren't where they think they should be. A feel good book. One reviewer said "life changing" .. he needs a new life.
Selling the Invisable" ... again .. only half way thru. and again .. so far ... just a rehash of basic sales 101. Nothing new. But ... well written ... easy to pay attention. I'll read thru the whole thing ... bet I get a few more usable ideas or remember a few I've forgotten compared to the E Myth.
Best part of "Selling" ... listening to the wife complain again about her boss not kicking a$$ in selling ... I was able .. again .. to pretty luch list his mistakes ... except this time ... as references from the book. Gotta read thru so I can hand it off to her ... so she can read thru ... then ... she's gonna give my copy to her boss.
he'll not believe it coming from her mouth ... but ... written in a book? Hell .. it'll be genius! Might help her bonuses?
I have a different background than most carps ... I worked 8 yrs full time as commissioned sales. After the sales genius I first worked for ... I worked for a big car dealer and a national security systems company ... both had deep pockets and sent me thru all sorts of seminars. I've had the chance to hear the same BS from the tops in the field. It's not BS ... sales techniques work. Thess books work if U adapt and impliment. I'm just cynical as I've heard the same thing ... time and time again.
There's only so much sales technique and theory. The trick is to learn it and impliment it. I just get a bit disappointed when I hear of a "great new book" .. and it's the same stuff all over again.
Plus .. like that Cheese crap ... man .. I hate new age sales .... that crap is worthless.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
Plus .. like that Cheese crap ... man .. I hate new age sales .... that crap is worthless.
Jeff, you were going along good...a bit grumpy, but good. Then you run that line by us and I'm stumped. What do you have against Cheese? What are new age sales?
Don't talk so cryptically....it aint' your style.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
jeff.. can't you adapt the E-Myth principles to remodeling ?
and ... when corey gets his tool belt... won't you pass on your "systems" ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike, I don't think remodeling is that good of a choice for "systems". Sure, there is always a systematic approach, but I think Jeff is trying to say that remodeling is more art than science and therefore doesn't lend itself to systems. If he chose one segment of the market to tap into, like HAZ does, then systems come into play again.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
Michael Gerber (E-Myth) earned a little more respect from me when I learned he had been a framing contractor in one of his past lives. Not exactly remodeling, but at least he's been in the trades. E-myth contractor was good, but I prefer E-myth Revised because it's more comprehensive, and I can figure out myself how to apply his ideas to construction.
A VERY good book on marketing is "Marketing Your Remodeling Services" by Carol Davitt. Basic, but that means easy to understand. Her case study is her husband's remodeling company. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0867183888/qid=1109437465/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-1195175-2566223?v=glance&s=books
It's not as in-depth as something like Guerilla Marketing, but I refer to it constantly when I want to find specific, practical information. It's hard to use Guerilla Marketing as a reference book, great as it is.
Mike
Mike.... Carol is the brains behind Davitt Construction.. a very successful company with lots of systems in placeMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
All of you that are quickly running to track down these books, should check out Half-Price Books. I found a copy of Guerrilla Marketing for $3.98. The copy is in perfect shape. Their business section has most of the books that are mentioned here.http://halfpricebooks.com/neighborhood_locations.htmlThere's a link to find one of their stores near you.
good point hammer... i usually buy my books used from Amazon..
matter of fact , i just bought that book by Carole Davitt after Mike Maines recommended itMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I forgot the Davitts are in your neck of the woods. Do you know them personally?
no.. i know lot's of people who work for Davitt... the company is pretty successful...
a real business..come to Calvin's Fest in August and i'll tell you more...
matter of fact.. the mailman just delivered Carol Davitt's book:
"Marketing Your Remodeling Services".... just leafing thru and reading a few pages..
this has got to number one on the must have books.. it's sort of a synopsis of all the other books i've read..
you could blatently copy everything in here and be light years ahead..
i think it's a good example of a book actually following a real business.. a very good company...Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike! I got the book "Building With an Attitude". So far, it's a good (and easy) read. It will be helpful I'm sure. I'll give a book report when I'm done.
blue
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
not Marketing.. but i am re reading E-Myth for Contractors.. and i've got a couple that we've mentioned comming in the mailMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike,
I read "The Goal" and did a 10 page essay/book review on it in college about 4 years ago. I thought it was pretty good.
Michael Stone "Markup and Profit" is pretty good. I'm not in the business side though, that is my brother and father. I'm just the jobsite geek :-)
I just finished reading "The E-Myth Contractor," and "Positioning" is waiting in the wings. Jon Blakemore gave a good overview of the book earlier in this thread, so I won't do that again.
I found there was a lot in this book that I don't think will be easily applied to the work that I want to do, repairs, restorations, etc, of older buildings. I think his systems approach would apply much more easily to the specialty trades. If I was still running a deck business, for instance, I could easily apply his methods, and I'm sure they'd be productive.
But like most books I read, there was still lots of good information. Anything that makes me view a situation from a different perspective is good, IMHO, and this book certainly does that.
It was a hard book for me to get into, mainly because there was so much in the first part of the book that I thought wouldn't apply to my situation. It took me three weeks to finish. If I pick up a book of that size that I really enjoy, I'll read it in one evening.
The second half of the book, when Gerber shows his Sonoma County roots, was the more interesting part for me. His views on change and time were interesting, and were far more valuable to me than him telling me how to categorize my prospective clients.
I have a long list of books to read, and plan to purchase and read every one of them before I hang out my shingle again. I'm glad this one was recommended to me, and there were some nuggets in it. I hope to pull a few nuggets out of each of the books I read, and this one delivered. I don't expect any one book to tell me everything I need to know.
Now on to "Positioning," and then "Markup and Profit."
Allen in Santa Cruz
allen..
the one book i wish i had read when i first got married in '73 is
"Rich Dad, Poor Dad"
i keep trying to figure out how to get my daughter and her husband to read it.. and my nephews and nieces
i definitely liked E-Myth Contractor.. but find it very difficult to implement.. ( fighting alligators while the job is draining the swamp )
"Positioning "... i found very dated.. i preferred " Guerilla Marketing " to Positioning..
seemed like the authors were more in love with thier coining the phrase "positioning" than in offering practical adviseMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Thanks, Mike. I'll add Rich Dad, Poor Dad to my list. Here's a list I've made of the books I've seen recommended on this forum that I plan to read. Some I already have.Markup and Profit...Michael StoneContractor's Legal Aid Kit...Gary RansonePositioning: The Battle for Your Mind...Al Ries & Jack TroutHow to Master the Art of Selling...Tom HopkinsThe Experience Economy...Joseph Pine & James GilmoreThe E-Myth Contractor...Michael Gerber Working Alone...John CarrollSecrets of Closing the Sale...Zig ZiglarWhere Did The Money Go?...Ellen RohrHow Much Should I Charge?...Ellen RohrMarket Your Remodeling Services...Carol DavittBuilder's Guide to Running a Successful Construction Company...
David GerstelsSmart Business for Contractors: A Guide to Money and the Law...
Jim KramonMastering the Business of Remodeling...Linda Case101 Power Strategies...Paul MontelongoThe Richest Man in BabylonRich Dad, Poor DadEdited 3/19/2005 4:06 pm ET by moondance
Edited 3/19/2005 4:09 pm ET by moondance
allen , thanks for the list..
just ordered Richest Man in Babylon & Millionaire Next Door..
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Cath read the Millionaire Next Door a while back.
she really liked it. Very practical advice.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
I read that one too a while back. I can't comment...I hardly remember it. I kinda remember that there were some things in it that I learned but for the most part, I already was familiar with alot of it.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
Moondance:probably just a typo, but The Experience Ecomomy was written by Joseph Pine & James Gilmore.Have most of the books in this thread and putting the others on the list. need to reread many of the ones I have.the easy part is reading, maybe we need a thread on implementation <g>
Barry E-Remodeler
Thanks, Barry. I'll make the correction.
Allen in Santa Cruz
Mike - On your recommendation ( among others) I picked up The E-Myth Contractor a week ago and plowed through it in one night. I found it an extremely stimulating read, sucking me in to the author's vision, and mind expanding. And that, to me, is its main function. The nuts-and-bolts of some of his approaches were a little esoteric at times and babble-ish, and, as mentioned often here, not always easy to apply.
But, in that it made me THINK (a lot), it is a title that I will also recommend to people needing a little something to shake them loose. I'm also accumulating other books(one of my serious weaknesses) in an effort to condition my head as I plan a new sideline business, intending to grow it into the real thing. I'm looking for a good book on formulating a business plan; one that uses words in real-time, if you know what I mean, not seminar-speak. Yadda yadda yadda.
Do you think that E-Myth Revisited is worthwhile for fleshing some of Gerber's concepts out? "Contractor" seemed a little skimpy at times. Or perhaps all this is a grapple to suck one into his secret kingdom of E-Mastery. As others have put it, maybe all these books are an end in themselves (on a certain level).
Thanks for the discussions - they are very enlightening.
water.. i think all the e-myth books are good. but so many books .. so little time..
i think the rich dad, poor dad books would be my first read
which is NOT about marketing.. it's really about building personal wealth and independence
Guerilla Marketing is stil my favorite in the marketing books
and a " fill in the blanks " book would be that one by Carole Davitt.... if you follow her recipe, it would be hard to fail the marketing partMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike, Thanks for sending that gem Building With An Attitude! I loved every bit of it. Some of it I already knew, but I liked how they consisely got to the point. There was maybe ten pages out of the entire book that wouldn't apply to me, everything else was priceless information.
If someone would like this copy that Mike has so graciously sent me, email me....I'm sending it on down the line!
Unless Mike wants it back of course. Mike, shall I send it back to you, or pass it on?
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
blue... tape one of your new business cards in the fronticepiece and pass it on..
just like you do with your advice
anyone who wants itMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike, consider it done. Eric is the next target of this traveler.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
I hope to pull a few nuggets out of each of the books I read
"A few nuggets here, a few nuggets there and pretty soon we're talking about some serious money."
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
That's what I'm hoping, blue!
Allen in Santa Cruz
Sorry Eric, I can send the book, but I can't accept the postage...Mike has already done that and all I can do is return the favor.
Consider the book on it's way.
blue
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
Edited 3/20/2005 10:25 am ET by blue_eyed_devil
Thanks Blue,
I'll check with Mike before I pass it along, postage paid of course!
Eric
BTW, I made several changes to your flier.
Best of luck with the venture.I Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
[email protected]
on't check with me....it's in the wind..
just put your card in..... advertise here and pass it onMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike, you haven't read Millionaire Next Door? That was the first of these kinds of books I read and it got me really excited about the possibility of changing how I looked at work, life, money. Same ideas as Rich Dad, complimentary information.
BTW, to the guy that has Smart Business for Contractors--I found it less helpful than most of the other books, but I suppose every book has it's nuggets as you say.
Mike
ThanksI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
[email protected]