(The English review is placed beneath the Russian one)
Начнём с того, что для маркетологов книга не представляет никакого интереса. Что касается мелких предпринимателей, то и в этом случаи польза от книги будет минимальной. Автор не предлагает ничего ценного, чего бы читатель, знакомый с базовым курсом по маркетингу, не знал бы. К счастью всю суть своего метода автор описывает в первой половине книги, но делает это как подобает всем американским гуру финансового успеха: ещё вчера я был самым обычным человеком с кучей неоплаченных счетов, а сегодня я уже миллионер. Это настолько явно, что сразу понимаешь, что перед тобой не серьёзная книга по маркетингу/бизнесу, а очередная сказка о том, как разбогатеть за 24 часа (только для этого нужно приобрести курсы, которые можно купить на сайте автора). Да, фактически книга начинается с истории финансового успеха условного Джо, который прошёл путь финансового преображения, о котором я написал выше.
At his wife’s urging, John went to Google and searched for help about launching a product—which is where he found the Product Launch Formula®. And then, since my PLF Coaching Program is not inexpensive, he went to his dad and borrowed even more money.
<….>
John dove headfirst into PLF, and he intuitively saw that it would be a perfect match for his board game. Within a few weeks he had a new plan for his product launch, and was ready to put it in place. It’s worth noting that John spent almost nothing on his PLF-style launch. PLF is all about the method, not sinking a lot of money into the launch.
<….>
He didn’t have to wait long. The results were staggering—and an incredible contrast to his first failed launch. In just his initial launch period, John sold 670 games, bringing in sales of right around $20,000! Even more remarkable, since he spent almost nothing on his launch, nearly the entire amount could go toward paying off the cost to get the games manufactured.
<….>
Now just to be crystal clear, John didn’t spend anything on advertising during his PLF-style launch. He didn’t have any new promotional partners. He didn’t get any media coverage. He used the same resources and assets he already had, and since his family was on food stamps he clearly didn’t have a lot of resources. In fact, he actually started out with a borrowed laptop computer and using the free Internet connection at the local library.
<….>
One more note before we temporarily leave John’s story: the one asset John had in his launch was a small email list—people who had requested that he stay in touch with them via email. I’ll get to the magic of having a list in the next chapter. But the quick story is that when you combine any list with PLF, it’s almost like having a license to print money.
Что же это за формула, которая делает из людей чуть ли не миллионеров за один день/неделю или по крайне мере успешных бизнесменов? Как не удивительно, но это списки лояльных клиентов. Как всё просто оказывается. Спора нет: тема важности списков клиентов, да еще, если они лояльны вашей фирме, чрезвычайно важная, и мы знаем, как высоко ценятся сотрудники, у которых имеется собственная база клиентов, как например это часто бывает с врачами, которые ведут частную практику или профессиональными высококвалифицированными продавцами. База данный клиентов, которые к тому же являются лояльными клиентами, это действительно важный актив бизнеса, но говорить что это «секрет успеха в бизнесе», точно не стоит. Ведь, по сути, перед нами просто лояльность клиентов либо к частному лицу, который занимается некой коммерческой практикой либо к некой компании, но в любом случаи перед нами лояльность клиентов к некому продукту. И вот это, основы основ маркетинга. О клиентской лояльности можно прочесть в любом учебнике по маркетингу точно так же как и о том, чтобы этот список поддерживать и увеличивать.
Here’s the big picture: The Product Launch Formula® is a system to get your target market so engaged with your product (or business) that they almost beg you to sell it to them. And this all happens before you even release the product.
Далее идут ненамного новые и полезные советы для бизнеса, которые скорее напоминают обычный здравый смысл и простое наблюдение вполне способно их заменить.
So let’s start with a fact we all know to be true: how the growth of the Internet since the late 1990s has changed the world in a fundamental way. It’s a very different world, and we’re never going back to the old ways of doing things. Nowhere is this more true than in business, and in that arena, we’re going to focus on three huge changes:
1. Speed of communication: It’s a lot easier and faster to communicate with your market than ever before.
2. Cost of communication: The cost to send an email or make a post to your social media followers is extremely low.
3. Interactivity: When your followers respond to your message, you have all kinds of tracking data. This gives you nearly instant feedback on how your message is resonating with your target market.
<…>
Sure, sometimes when you look at the comments on YouTube, those “conversations” may make you question the future of humanity. Nevertheless, we’re clearly conversing with each other more now than at any time in history. And that conversation has carried over into business — and marketing. People are no longer interested in being shouted at from a TV commercial about whatever features your product has.
Actually, they were never interested in that, but now they have more choices, and it’s a lot easier to tune you out when you start shouting at them, “Buy my stuff, buy my stuff, BUY MY STUFF!”
So instead of shouting at your prospects, what if you engaged them in a conversation?
<…>
Humans are funny creatures. We all like to think that we make rational, logical decisions. But it’s really not that way. In fact, the vast majority of our decisions and behaviors are based in emotion and mental programming—and then we use our precious logic to justify those decisions.
Итак, что же из себя представляет эта книга? По мне, так это типичная книга по самопомощи только в сфере бизнеса или литературы для малого бизнеса. Полезность книги минимальная, ибо сказанное в ней напоминает здравый смысл, нежели какие-то интересные наблюдения или теории в сфере маркетинга.
Let’s start by saying that this book holds no interest for marketers. As for small business owners, the book will be of minimal use to them as well. The author offers nothing of value that a reader familiar with a basic marketing course wouldn’t already know. Fortunately, the author describes the essence of his method in the first half of the book, but he does so in the manner typical of all American financial success gurus: just yesterday I was an ordinary person with a pile of unpaid bills, and today I’m already a millionaire. It’s so obvious that you immediately realize this isn’t a serious book on marketing or business, but just another fairy tale about how to get rich in 24 hours (though to do so, you’ll need to purchase the courses available on the author’s website). Yes, in fact, the book begins with the financial success story of a fictional character, who went through the financial transformation I described above.
At his wife’s urging, John went to Google and searched for help about launching a product—which is where he found the Product Launch Formula®. And then, since my PLF Coaching Program is not inexpensive, he went to his dad and borrowed even more money.
<….>
John dove headfirst into PLF, and he intuitively saw that it would be a perfect match for his board game. Within a few weeks he had a new plan for his product launch, and was ready to put it in place. It’s worth noting that John spent almost nothing on his PLF-style launch. PLF is all about the method, not sinking a lot of money into the launch.
<….>
He didn’t have to wait long. The results were staggering—and an incredible contrast to his first failed launch. In just his initial launch period, John sold 670 games, bringing in sales of right around $20,000! Even more remarkable, since he spent almost nothing on his launch, nearly the entire amount could go toward paying off the cost to get the games manufactured.
<….>
Now just to be crystal clear, John didn’t spend anything on advertising during his PLF-style launch. He didn’t have any new promotional partners. He didn’t get any media coverage. He used the same resources and assets he already had, and since his family was on food stamps he clearly didn’t have a lot of resources. In fact, he actually started out with a borrowed laptop computer and using the free Internet connection at the local library.
<….>
One more note before we temporarily leave John’s story: the one asset John had in his launch was a small email list—people who had requested that he stay in touch with them via email. I’ll get to the magic of having a list in the next chapter. But the quick story is that when you combine any list with PLF, it’s almost like having a license to print money.
What is this formula that turns people into millionaires—or at least successful businesspeople—in a single day or week? Surprisingly enough, it’s a list of loyal customers. It turns out to be so simple. There’s no doubt about it: the importance of customer lists—especially if they’re loyal to your company—is extremely significant, and we know how highly valued employees are who have their own client base, as is often the case with doctors in private practice or highly skilled professional salespeople. A customer database—especially one consisting of loyal customers—is indeed a vital business asset, but it would be inaccurate to call it the “secret to business success.” After all, at its core, we’re simply talking about customer loyalty—whether to an individual engaged in a commercial venture or to a company—, but in either case, it boils down to customer loyalty toward a specific product. And this is the very foundation of marketing. You can read about customer loyalty in any marketing textbook, just as you can read about how to maintain and grow that list.
Here’s the big picture: The Product Launch Formula® is a system to get your target market so engaged with your product (or business) that they almost beg you to sell it to them. And this all happens before you even release the product.
Next up are some not-so-new but useful business tips that are more like common sense, and simple observation could easily serve as a substitute for them.
So let’s start with a fact we all know to be true: how the growth of the Internet since the late 1990s has changed the world in a fundamental way. It’s a very different world, and we’re never going back to the old ways of doing things. Nowhere is this more true than in business, and in that arena, we’re going to focus on three huge changes:
1. Speed of communication: It’s a lot easier and faster to communicate with your market than ever before.
2. Cost of communication: The cost to send an email or make a post to your social media followers is extremely low.
3. Interactivity: When your followers respond to your message, you have all kinds of tracking data. This gives you nearly instant feedback on how your message is resonating with your target market.
<…>
Sure, sometimes when you look at the comments on YouTube, those “conversations” may make you question the future of humanity. Nevertheless, we’re clearly conversing with each other more now than at any time in history. And that conversation has carried over into business — and marketing. People are no longer interested in being shouted at from a TV commercial about whatever features your product has.
Actually, they were never interested in that, but now they have more choices, and it’s a lot easier to tune you out when you start shouting at them, “Buy my stuff, buy my stuff, BUY MY STUFF!”
So instead of shouting at your prospects, what if you engaged them in a conversation?
<…>
Humans are funny creatures. We all like to think that we make rational, logical decisions. But it’s really not that way. In fact, the vast majority of our decisions and behaviors are based in emotion and mental programming—and then we use our precious logic to justify those decisions.
So, what is this book all about? In my opinion, it’s a typical self-help book—specifically focused on business or aimed at small businesses. The book offers little practical value, as its content amounts to little more than common sense rather than any interesting insights or theories in the field of marketing.