Customer Reviews

Marketing Your Services: A Step-by-Step Guide for Small Businesses and Professionals

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Of all the books I've read on "Marketing Your Services" this has to be the best. The reason is that Putman gives the most comprehensive, in-depth and holistic view of marketing I've ever seen in print. He looks at marketing your services not as a chore you need to get through but as a fun and challenging activity to improve the success of your business. Everything is covered here, from finding your niche to taking care of clients. The style is fun and informal and includes many stories and real life examples. This is a "must have" book if you want to attract new clients.

This is the ideal book for professionals who know they need clients but have always thought of marketing as trickery and manipulation. Putman begins with a different way of thinking about marketing: It's honestly presenting what you have to offer, as a professional, in a way that someone can decide whether they want it. He then goes on to show how to do that. At each phase there is a discussion of the important points, and a practical, step-by-step, how-to list. The writing is down to earth and absolutely clear. After reading this book, you know what to do and how to do it at each point. And, you know that doing it is simply part of being a professional.

Putman has crystallized the essence of what it really takes to build a business successfully. There's no academic hype or muddle, just delightfully practical insights you can transfer easily from where you're learning to where you're earning ­­ with his guidance. His coaching style combines with a caring, supportive attitude, tons of practical ideas and a 'do-able' process to make you truly effective at marketing what you're selling. Good show, Anthony, GOOD SHOW

I read lots of business start-up books since I help people start successful businesses for a living. Finding a book written by someone who has something new to say is rare. This is a book which is not just a recycle of someone else's work.

Most books are written for product-based businesses so the 4 p's of marketing are applicable, but service businesses are really different. You can't taste, touch, or otherwise inspect a service before you buy.

Putman's chapter on pricing justifies the price of this book by itself. The book is also helpful in dealing with price objections, a critical part of any business. While it's pricing component is not new, the method provides a great baseline for your business.

I particularly liked the method by which Putman helps entrepreneurs creates benefit statements. People don't buy based on a feature list.

Simple, straithforward and to the point (hitting the mark). Good advice that does not just sound good, but is being presented in a very practical hands-on way. Very well written, very practical to implement (take your own step-by-step actions). A definite good buy and destined to become a classic.

It's difficult to market a service - you're marketing the invisible. It's even more difficult to find a services-specific book on marketing. Anthony Putman cuts right to the bone with his ideas, approach and presentation. This is the best marketing book I have ever read. And, I have bought dozens to give to my friends in the service industries.

Strong words in my title but as someone who's read a number of books aimed at promoting a service business, I'm perfectly comfortable with the words.

The author writes with passion and obvious experience. Essentially, what you have is a book about marketing that's both an informative and interesting read. A great deal of that comes from the many case studies dotted throughout. The consultants featured come from a variety of professions. You'll get to listen in as Putman guides an accountant, a chiropractor, business consultant and more, toward a successful marketing system. And while your area of expertise may differ from those featured, the various concepts are clear (mumbo jumbo free), comprehensive, and to the point.

Unlike a lot of other marketing titles, Putman's book reads just like a novel. So, instead of being a stack of good ideas that are presented in a relatively random fashion, where you can open any page, in any chapter, and dig out an idea, you'll need to read this one from front to back to get the best out of it. Mind you, it's tempting to jump ahead.

I'm quite shy person and find the marketing aspect of my business pretty daunting. This book changed that and helped me plan the `what, when, how and why' of what I to say to get the best ROI for my marketing efforts. It's the lesson on setting a "relationship agenda" that helped me with that most of all I think. When you set an agenda there's no reason to stumble over what to say. What that means is that I now look forward to the chance of marketing (not selling) my business. I can't believe I just said that!

A word of warning; this will take effort on your part. It'll take reading, thinking, writing and then it's pretty likely you'll want or need to repeat that process in some spots.

One thing I will mention, and it's more of an observation rather than a criticism. The book was written in 1988 (published 1990), so internet marketing is not featured. But, the good news is that you can still take the concepts and adapt it to your online business presence (in fact, you'd be foolish not to). Don't worry though, the content remains as relevent today as it was in 1988.

I got my copy a little cheaper from the Amazon marketplace for about $15 or so, but I can honestly say that the value has come back to me 10 fold...at least.

As someone who coaches independent professionals on how to find new clients, I especially like the advice in this book on targeting. If you don't have a target you spread yourself too thin. There is much to be gained from this book. -- Henry DeVries, founder, New Client Marketing Institute

This book is a classic for us consultants...probably also for others, but it's consultants I worry about. We have a hard time with finding the line between "selling" and "building relationships". Tony Putman has the help we need...P.S. I feel very proud when I learn that I am "Marion" in this book...imagine that!