Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: ideal prospect, internal seminar, astonishing guarantee, Duct Tape Marketing, Core Message, Talking Logo (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of Jantsch's popular marketing blog and Web site will be disappointed by this tepid resource. His Duct Tape Marketing refers to systematically "getting people who have a specific need or problem to know, like and trust you" and to inspire customers to "stick" to your company. The book plods through basic marketing precepts such as finding your ideal client, honing your message, being memorable, and making your Web site work for you. The chapters that draw from the author's Web expertise provide a solid overview of creating productive Web sites and automated referral systems. But too many chapters provide only a bland overview of familiar material without providing interesting case studies to illustrate the author's prescriptions. For example, chapter 10, on garnering media attention, starts with a 24-year-old example of a man who got a rush of publicity from offering to sell the Brooklyn Bridge, followed by boilerplate advice on writing press releases and updating media lists. Readers looking for real insights will quickly move on. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Duct Tape Marketing is the small business marketing road map - A collection of proven tools and tactics woven together in a step-by-step marketing system that shows small business owners exactly what to do to market and grow their businesses.

This guide combines insights gained from over twenty years of successfully working, in the field, with real-life small businesses.

There are no theoretical complexities presented in Duct Tape Marketing - just simple, effective and affordable marketing that sticks.

CAREFUL! Duct tape is a serious tool... it sticks where you put it. So are the ideas in this book. If you're ready to make a commitment and are willing to make something happen, John's book is a great place to start.
--Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow

For all those who wonder why John Jantsch has become the leading advisor and coach to small businesses everywhere, Duct Tape Marketing is the answer. I have never read a business book that is as packed with hands-on, actionable information as this one. There are takeaways in every paragraph, and the success of John's blog is living proof that they work. Duct Tape Marketing should be required reading for anyone who is building a business, or thinking about it.
--Bo Burlingham, editor-at-large, Inc. magazine, and author of Small Giants: Companies That Choose To Be Great Instead of Big

Duct Tape Marketing is a worthy addition to the growing library of how-to books on small business marketing -- concise, clear, practical, and packed with great ideas to boost your bottom line.
--Bob Bly, author of The White Paper Handbook

With the world suffering from depleted reserves of trust, a business that sells plenty of it every day tends to create the most value. The great thing about trust as a product feature is that it delivers exceptional returns. With this book, John Jantsch has zeroed in on exactly what small businesses need to sell every day, every hour.
--Ben McConnell, co-author of Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force

John Jantsch has provided small businesses with the perfect perspective for maximizing all marketing activities - offline and on. Jantsch has the plan to help you thrive in the world of business today. Read it, all your competitors will.
--John Battelle, cofounding editor or Wired and author of The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture

Duct Tape Marketing is a great read for anyone in business. It has fresh ideas laid out in a practical and useable way. I highly recommend this book for growing any business.
--Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder of BNI and Co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Masters of Networking

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078522100X
• ISBN-13: 978-0785221005
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #197,292 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Has the "Right Stuff", February 5, 2007

By	Jill Konrath "SellingtoBigCompanies.com" (St. Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

John Jantsch knows what it takes to create marketing that sticks and ultimately leads to quantifiable results. His up-to-date advice shows small business owners numerous strategies they can implement to create a systematic approach to marketing. For companies selling into the business-to-business (B2B) marketplace, pay particular attention to these chapters:

(5) Produce Marketing Materials that Educate: Corporate decision makers today are turned off by self-serving promotional materials. This books points out numerous ways you can create high value, educational marketing collateral that will really make an impact.

(6) A Website that Works Day & Night & (12) Automate Your Marketing with Technology Tools: Most small business owners have no idea how valuable their website can be. Why not? Because they're not doing the right stuff. In this book, you'll learn the basics you need to know in order to maximize technology for business growth.

(10) Earned Media Attention and Expert Status: To crack into corporate accounts today, it's imperative to become a thought leader in your field - even if you're a one-person firm.

If you're just setting up a company, this book provides an excellent overview of how to get your marketing machine in gear. If you've been in business awhile, but you're working too darn hard for the amount of money coming in, this book will be a good refresher.

Finally, I'd like to add that John Jantsch practices what he preaches. Several years ago John invited me to be a part of his Duct Tape Marketing Blog which has numerous experts sharing their knowledge on small business marketing. When the blog received recognition from Forbes & Marketing Sherpa, he leveraged that to get even more media attention, which ultimately led to more opportunities for him to grow his business. I'd suggest you study his website and personal marketing initiatives to really learn how to implement these ideas.

Well-planned marketing can take your company to a whole new level with a lot less effort. If you haven't pulled together your strategic plan or started implementing, it's time!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest and practical, February 19, 2007

By	C. Thompson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Duct Tape Marketing book covers pretty much everything you need to know about marketing for small businesses. And make no mistake, while the concepts might be the same, the practicalities of marketing in a small business vs a large one are very different. Small businesses have limited budgets and staffs so their marketing has to be practical and this book shows how.

The book covers creating a marketing foundation (which so many small businesses forget to do), packaging up the business, tools for generating leads and then converting them to sales. It also talks about the use of the internet including websites, autoresponders and blogs.

It really is that good.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books on marketing that a small business owner can read, August 3, 2007

By	Manny Hernandez "Author of Ning For Dummies" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

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To say "Duct Tape Marketing" is a great book is an understatement. As an entrepreneur who has founded two small companies, I found John Jantsch's approach to help customers to know, like and trust you more to be intuitive, yet very powerful.

He got my undivided attention from the point he proposed having you first identify your ideal clients (as early as in page 5) and asking you to fire about 20 percent of your past customers, if they no longer fit into the picture of your current business. Now THAT makes sense and it is SO powerful: I could recall the occasions when I was spending time pursuing projects that were not a good fit for the goals of our company, but we still pursued them ("Hey! It's business!"). Since I read that section, I've felt more comfortable not pursuing distracting projects.

He then proceeds to walk you through the discovery and delivery of your marketing message in a way that speaks to the heart of those ideal customers you identified early on. The rest of the book is packed with tactics to get that message in front of your target audience and help them contact you and refer you.

These easily are the best 300 pages I have read since I became a small business.