Ice to the Eskimos: How to Market a Product Nobody Wants

by Jon Spoelstra

You.
That's Right. YOU.
You've got a problem.
You've got a product that's not first in its class.
It's not even second.
You've got to find a way to market that product. What Are You Going To Do? You're going to read this book, that's what. Let's face it. There comes a time in the life of every business when a product or service does not sell up to expectations. Maybe your product is outmoded. Or hasn't been positioned correctly. Or is competing in a crowded market. Whatever the reason, Ice to the Eskimos is dedicated to helping you reclaim that lost ground. It's about taking a product or service and turning it into a winner. If you've got a product that is not the best in its field, then you will love Ice to the Eskimos . Take the principles Jon Spoelstra writes about and run hard with them—you'll be amazed by the results. Written by the former president of the hapless New Jersey Nets, Jon Spoelstra is the man responsible for tripling that team's lagging revenues in just three years and increasing the season-ticket holders base by 250 percent. This guy knows what he's talking about. What everyone else had seen as a lost cause, Spoelstra saw as an outstanding opportunity to reawaken a tired and beaten product to achieve unprecedented profitability. Not just for sports marketers, this lively, entertaining book successfully makes the jump from sports to whatever your product may be. The techniques Spoelstra perfected while working for teams in the NHL and NBA—from innovative packaging to image overhaul—apply to any product in any company. The numerous winning examples are sure to make Ice to the Eskimos a must-read for anyone with a product or service to sell. Ice to the Eskimos is sure to be an instant marketing classic. It will show millions of readers how to market their product...sometimes even after they've given up hope. By using the powerful techniques in this book, you too can learn to achieve the impossible and market ice to the Eskimos.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Sports

288 pages, Hardcover

First published May 9, 1997

About the author

"I can't believe I've turned into a typical old man. I can't believe it. I was young just minutes ago."

I wish I had uttered that. I didn't, but I feel it. (Attribute that quote to an American illustrator, Maurice Sendak.)

So, not accepting that I've turned into a typical old man, I wrote a mystery involving some nifty old guys, "Who's Killing All My Old Girlfriends."

I sent the manuscript to a bunch of test readers—all old men and a few old women. They loved it. They wanted to read the sequel. Even before publishing "Who's Killing All My Old Girlfriends," I wrote a sequel. "Who's Killing the Fountain of Youth."

More rave reviews came from my test readers, all oldsters.

If you're over 50 years old, I suspect that you'd enjoy these two novels. If you're under the age of 50 and have a favorite grandpa, you'd also probably like these adventures.

You might as well get started. I'm now writing the third book in the series, "Who's Killing All the Good Old Bank Robbers." So, get crackin', you'll have fun.

Happy reading,

Jon Spoelstra

Reviews

[Justin Dahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s very apparent why the author’s son, Erik, can become an NBA coach when his dad has the drive and meticulous brain that he does. Jon Spoelstra gives a lot of good anecdotes and business rules that a sales person should follow. He also finds ways to connect with salesmen from all industries by likening his NBA expertise to other fields. As someone who work in the marketing field I was able to gain a substantial amount of insight from this read.

My knock on this book is that it felt like some chapters weren’t crucial and were meant to take up space, their messages were either redundant or not worthwhile. I also thought his attitude toward other people in the organization was a bit snooty, it had the vibe of “sales people are holier than thou, everyone else is a hindrance to us”

[Guilherme Zeitounlian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read with some interesting insights.

What I liked the most was the fact that the author actually cared about the customers and fans of the clubs that he worked for.

The book also has some sense of humor, which is a relief - and actually sets this book apart from most business and marketing books.

[Jamie from The Doer Co · Rating 5 out of 5]

My copy has a LOT of highlights

[Marius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marketingistam gera knyga. Radau kelias geras idėjas.
1. Kiekvienas produktas turi savo rinką. Rask ją.
2. Jei toje rinkoje gali sektis, skirk daugiau pinigų ir jėgų, kad įsitvirtintum ten.
3. Produkto bloga savybė gali būti panaudota kaip išskirtinė. Geras pavyzdys „Norfa“ reklama, kur vyras slepia „Norfa“ pirkinių krepšį.
4. Rask vieną dvi geriausias produkto savybes ir jas reklamuok.
5. „Skubaus remonto sidabrinė kulka“ – klientų pirkimo padažninimas. Tam reikia pažinti savo klientus ir turėti jų kontaktus.
6. Leisk pinigus ieškodamas naujų įplaukų šaltinių.
7. Pokyčius savo pavaldiniams pristatyk, kaip eksperimentus.
8. Atsilygink darbuotojams už klaidas, t.y. mokėk už kiekvieną jų išsakytą pasiūlymą.
9. Nuolat reikia įvedinėti nedideles naujoves prekyboje ar naujus produktus į rinką.
10. Keturios pagrindinės taisyklės, kurios padeda sutelkti dėmesį į tuos pasiūlymus, kurie bus naudingi:
* mūsų produktas neišgelbės mūsų;
* apsibrėžk rinką, kurioje mes turėtume pasisekimo galimybių;
* susikurti strategijas apibrėžtose rinkose, kuriose turite pasisekimo galimybių;
* užkariauti naujus produkto vartotojus, sugalvojant naują produkto pritaikymą.
11. Jei nesulūžo – imkis tobulinti.
12. * Užverbuokite bendramintį.
* Pasirenkite taip lyg stotumėte prieš Aukščiausiąjį Teismą.
* Pristatymas Aukščiausiajam Teismui.
13. Bandykite parduoti tiktai tą produktą, kurį pirkėjas nori pirkti.
14. Pamėginkite pirkėjui parduoti truputį daugiau, nei jis nori pirkti.
15. 1. Pats atsiliepinėkite telefonu.
2. Pats spręsk visus sunkius nusiskundimus.
3. Jokių specialių privilegijų.
4. Artėk prie kliento.
5. Pirk savo produktą.
6. Tiesioginė linija nusiskundimų klausimams spręsti.
16. Pajamos (Lt.)/ Išlaidos (Lt.)=Santykis (Lt.)
17. Vieno pirkėjo segmentas – tai žmonės, kurie parodė nors menkiausią susidomėjimą Jūsų produktu.
18. Bendrauk su klientais, kaip su draugais.
19. Tyrimai reikalingi tik, kai bandoma kam nors ką nors parduoti ir vystymui ir tyrimams.
20. Įroykite kliento viršininkui, koks didvyris yra jo pavaldinys:
* Atlikite kruopštų darbą.
* Pateikite metų ataskaitą.
* Sureikšminkite klientą.
21. Ruošk ataskaitas klientams apie tai, ką jie gavo sudarę sutartį su jumis.
22. Metinė ataskaita netinka mažmenininkams, kurių pirkimo ir pardavimo kainos yra mažos.
23. Skirkite daugiau laiko ir pastangų kylančioms žvaigždėms. Palikite ramybėje priešiškai nusiteikusius žmones arba juos atleiskite iš darbo.
24. Kurkite sistemas ir būdus, kurie leistų Jūsų kylančioms žvaigždėms pasiekti sėkmės.
25. Turėkite kuo mažiau paslapčių nuo savo darbuotojų.
26. Jūs turite arba toliau mažinti kainą, arba padidinti vertę, arba mažinti kainą ir didinti vertę.
27. Pasiūlykite klientams tai ko jie negalės atsisakyti.
28. Reikia skirti savo stambius klientus nuo smulkių.
29. Su klientais reikia elgtis naiviai. Ypač jei jie atrodo, kaip apgavikai, norintys Jus apiplėšti.
30. Kai situacija tampa sudėtinga- samdykite pardavėjus.

Gal ne visi punktai aiškūs neskaičius knygos... Tada imkite ir perskaitykite. Manau taps aiškiau, o gal rasite dar ką nors, kas Jums įdomu...

Sėkmės.

[Kristina Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book about creative person in sales business

[Michael Griswold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jon Spoelstra may just have sold ice to the eskimoes when he convinced people to lay down hard earned money on the New Jersey Nets during the 1990s (any NBA fan can tell you how bad they were). Spoelstra is very quick to point out that his book is primarily geared to those people in the business and marketing world with a product to sell. I have neither a business nor a product to sell. In the interest of full disclosure, I have a degree in political science, but I am a guy who often likes to look at things from different perspectives, so I read this book.

You do not have to be a marketing person to enjoy this book. It contains a number of humorous anecdotes that had me cracking up. Even deeper than that, it really stimulated my thinking on how some professional sports teams could be better marketed or how things could be done differently in pro sports. If it succeeds at getting a person with a political science degree who loves sports to think that deeply about a topic, I shudder to think what this book could do in the hands of a marketing director for a professional sports franchise.

Good for the marketers and the novice alike.

[Peter Wolfley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first business book I ever read. As a 12 year old kid I just loved the title but as I read it I realized there were lots of good things to learn. It helped me sell a crap load of band candy and football sponsor cards.

This guy was in charge of selling the New Jersey Nets to the public- a pretty difficult job. Lots of good stories.

[Steve Nitzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this would be another book on concepts, so I wasn't that excited at first. But after reading and putting in "practice" the applications that the author highlights I've seen a dramatic jump in my overall revenue, customer satisfaction and now I'm excited for the future like never before.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

It offers some basic common sense techniques to sell more product. Nothing earth-shattering in hindsight, but can open your mind to a new way of thinking.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. Lots of great marketing ideas. Good read that will give anyone in marketing some great stuff to think about.

[Aaron Thomas]

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book and how help it has been. I learned a lot about Management and taking care of the customer

[Ted Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Your team stinks, advertise your opponents.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite marketing book!

[Luke Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super entertaining book (how often can you say that about business books) that takes you through what it is like the market an aweful NBA team and how you can apply those principles in any business. I would recommend to any person who is even just a little bit interested in business.