Last year, I wrote a post about some books that I thought might transform the way you thought about marketing your building products businesses.
I wrote it because those books, although not directly related to construction marketing, were inspiring (for me) and I felt like sharing the wealth.
To be fair the majority of you would’ve probably already read them, you’re such a cultured lot, so this time I’m going to mix it up a bit.
If you’re off on your holidays in the coming weeks you could do a lot worse than taking one or two of these fella’s with you, they’re well worth the effort.
1. Predatory Thinking – A Master Class in Out-Thinking the Competition
Out Think The Competition…
Quick summary (that likely does the book no justice):
Dave Trott‘s fascinating and worldly insight into how thinking differently and therefore doing things differently will get your construction marketing both in and out of trouble for all the right reasons.
“Any detail you don’t pay attention to, is somewhere you could lose. Any detail you do pay attention to, is somewhere you could win.”
2. The Challenger Sale – How to Take Control of the Customer Conversation
I wanna be a Challenger…
Quick summary:
Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson take competing-on-price out the back door and give it the kicking it deserves.
A study into the success of sales people who are ‘nice people’ – the relationship builders – versus the sales people who really ‘know their industry’s onions’ – the Challengers.
Disrupting your customers status quo has never been so effective.
3. Scientific Advertising (Free to download)
“A little test might show a way to multiply returns”
Quick summary:
Scientific studies brought to you by Claude C. Hopkins from back in the day (about 80 years back), that may be being overlooked today for all the wrong reasons.
“Nobody should be allowed to have anything to do with advertising until he (she) has read this book seven times. It changed the course of my life.” So said David Ogilvy.
You can download a free .pdf of Claude C. Hopkins Scientific Advertising here: Scientific Advertising
4. The Antidote – Happiness for People who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking
No Positive Thinking here… move along
Quick summary:
Oliver Burkeman is out to disprove all the (mainly North American) positive thinking snake-oil salesmen authors.
Introduced me to Ekhart Tolle
; one time park bench resident, now best selling author and the slowest speaker on the planet.
My wife loves Tolle – The jury is out for me.
5. Made to Stick – Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
Stickier that a piece of chewing gum in the seat of your pants…
Quick summary:
Going viral is a bit of a nirvana for social product promotion, something that a building product manufacturer may never quite achieve – certainly on a global scale – but hey, if a blender can go viral there’s hope for all of us.
In this book the Heath brothers, Dan and Chip, identify a certain ‘sticky’ formula for creating memorable marketing messages.
6. Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son
Don’t let the cover put you off…
Quick summary:
First published in 1902 this is a book I’m still reading. And I am hooked.
Exactly as the title suggests this book is a collection of letters written by a self-made ‘Chicago meat merchant’ called Old Gorgon Graham (John to his mates) to his son Pierrepont.
Carefully yet firmly guiding Pierrepont through his early years at university and beyond into the family business, Old John’s letters are (of the time) both witty and massively educational (especially for all us fathers at least – I’m learning tons).
7. The One Thing – What’s One Thing You Can do Now Such That Everything Else Becomes Easier or Unnecessary
Burn your to do list…
Quick summary:
The antidote to The Antidote. Gary Keller is a half-way house between positive thinker and GTD aficionado.
If we want to be more effective at work we need to be asking ourselves one question…
“What’s one thing I can do to [insert thing you want to achieve ie. improve the effectiveness of my building products marketing] such that everything else becomes easier or unnecessary…”
So, there you have it. 7 more fabulous books to get your head back into (or out of) the groove.
As always, please do leave a comment or share this post as you see fit. And if you’d like, please do make some suggestions for my reading list. That would be most welcome.
Thanks in advance. Have good holiday.
