Your Marketing Sucks. (Hardcover)

by Mark Stevens (Author) "If you saw someone open an office window and start tossing out handfuls of thousand-dollar bills, you would have every reason to think that he's..." (more)
Key Phrases: marketing sucks, Extreme Marketing, Lazy Marketing, Extreme Marketers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Most companies don't have a clue about good marketing, argues entrepreneur Stevens (Extreme Management) in his slender but vociferous book. What they need are the principles of "extreme marketing," in which every dollar "is set in a strategic context," is part of an integrated plan and brings in more than a dollar in return-strategies Stevens lays out in his readable, thought-provoking and sometimes outrageous book. He bashes marketers' "conventional wisdom" with an almost immoderate glee, and proposes big changes too: stop all marketing if you can't prove it works; don't use your competitors' marketing as a benchmark; don't depend on the results of focus groups; fire sellers that don't sell; cross-sell to consumers; and try direct mailings are just a few of his ideas. With charges like "Be persistent, relentless, inventive, counterintuitive, challenging, combative, strategic and tactical," readers may be tempted to think: easy for you to say. But this gem of a book is brimming with anecdotal evidence of advertising strategies gone awry, and full of examples of better plans. Diversification of programs is key, as are market testing and tracking. And if Stevens's examples aren't enough to convince (though they should be), his passion for his subject may carry the day. At the book's conclusion, Stevens instructs readers to not return to the office until they have figured out how to implement his advice. This is as different from more traditional and staid marketing how-tos as its title suggests.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Stevens, a marketing consultant, promotes his theories by teaching readers how to get a positive return on their marketing investment. He offers strategies that include aligning marketing with a company's objectives, developing a clear statement of purpose, determining how to reach the broadest audience, and qualifying prospects. The author's tactics help readers describe their offerings, differentiate themselves from competitors, determine the best products to sell efficiently, capture leads and follow up on them, and structure steady growth plans. The author concludes with a step-by-step approach to analyzing a company's marketing efforts and then designing an action plan to make necessary improvements for reaching stated objectives. By following the author's instructions, the reader will engage in Extreme Marketing, in which every marketing dollar spent will bring in more than one dollar in return. Although this book is clearly an infomercial for Stevens' business, in our competitive marketplace it is critically important to reflect upon marketing initiatives and make every possible adjustment to improve them. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business; 1 edition (July 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609609831
• ISBN-13: 978-0609609835
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #376,112 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Playing it safe...3 stars..., January 7, 2004

By	T. George "anne-with-an-e" (An American city) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wow. I have never seen such bitterness about an Amazon product. There are some truly horrible products out there, I admit, but it looks like anyone who gives a positive review will get shot down 0 to 5 in the voting. It makes one think...

As for my review, I'll play it safe with 3 stars. I rated Mosquito Coast 3 stars too. What does it mean? It means I wouldn't go out of my way for it & I didn't get a ton from it, but there was something about it to justify it's existence.

For those of you who haven't read and who haven't been prejudiced to a negative review, the author's basic concept is that marketing should fall under the business domain and not the "artsy, creative domain" that it usually does. He makes a good point that your marketing should not be out there to win awards, and that more expensive (a la Super Bowl spots) doesn't mean better. Instead, everything you do to promote a product or service - and it can be at a grass roots level - should reinforce each other. I.e., your ads should tie to your website should tie to your publicity, etc. And all this should increase sales. If you don't increase your sales, your marketing sucks.

Now, it is true that the book is not an academic or even an intellectual book. Do not come here to learn about marketing. It's not even marketing 101. It's basically written to people in marketing who are doing it wrong. And, even if you think that this book is really simple, the reality that I've found is that most people in marketing really ARE doing it wrong. So, if you are in marketing - especially if you haven't had much business exposure - then this may be a helpful read.

Now, I will say that this book is INCREDIBLY poorly written. I think he spent 3 chapters winding you up to tell you what was inside. While inside, he meandered through countless examples where he identified poor marketing. And then he propels you to a final chapter that is fairly shallow & unhelpful. His advice that you should go on a retreat to absorb everything before you return to the office is a cute touch to make you think that there was alot to absorb.

I will say this though. At the end of the book, you wonder how much of a marketing tool this book is for Stevens' company. And you wonder what marketing tools he used to get so much hype for a book that isn't really worth it. And you think perhaps he really does know what he's talking about even though he can't write very well. It's kinda like looking at your reflection via 2 mirrors and seeing you look at your reflection via 2 mirrors who is looking at your reflection via...you get the picture.

My final word is that, in the long run, Stevens will be the big loser long-term whether the books sells well or not(unless he's exceedingly brilliant, which I am doubting at the moment). He's a one-trick pony. He may actually be a whiz at marketing consulting. But with his shameless use of a crude title & slogan to catch people's attention, he has also lowered himself on classiness pole enough that he probably will never be taken as a serious player in the business world. He will never rule the roost. He'll just help the rulers get more money...until some other irreverent upstart can do it better than he.

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Beginner's Guide to Sales and Advertising, September 22, 2003

By	mruseless "mruseless" (Highlands Ranch, CO USA) - See all my reviews

No original ideas, except of course the title. I guess this is worth something, after all, it persuaded me to buy the book!

The book starts off with the annoying phrase, "Extreme Marketing". Let's get one thing straight: Nothing in this book is extreme. The ideas are basic, focusing on sales and advertising. If that's what you need, then perhaps this is a good book for you.

Second, this book suffers from the ever-popular confusion between marketing and sales. This book doesn't really touch marketing as a discipline, but instead reads like a commercial for his advertising firm. He spends an entire chapter (one of the longer chapters in the book) describing how a company transformed itself using "his" principles. Guess what? The company is fictional! He made up the company, and made up the results! How is that helpful?

Overall, if you are a beginner in sales, this book may be of some help. But if you are looking for marketing tactics, strategy, or new insights, this this isn't the one.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This is a promo for the Author's Consulting firm, August 24, 2003

By A Customer

This book is more hype than substance. Great title and admittedly well marketed. But a good marketer knows you have to deliver on your marketing promise to truly be effective. Mark Stevens does not do that. I would not buy another book from this author (fortuneately I got my copy from the library) I also would not reccomend it to others. His themes and concepts are not original. Sergio Zyman's book (End of Marketing...) is much better and insightful. Like most others who write on the subject of Marketing effectiveness, he talks a big game on Marketing ROI, but falls way short when it comes down to how to really measure it. He takes the easy road by speaking at a high, theoretical level. His most egregious mistake is confusing marketing communications (advertising, direct mail, PR) with Marketing. Even the Marketing undergrad knows Marketing communications alone doesn't motivate someone to buy, it is an integration of the product, the price you charge for it, how and where it is distributed and sold as well as the Marketing communications. Reading this book, you'd think just adjusting your advertising or direct marketing or PR will drive results. Shame on you, Mark.