Your Marketing Sucks.

July 7, 2003
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.

As the title of this audiobook intimates, you and your company or product are in need of, er, a renovation. Author Stevens, a marketing guru of apparently the first, or at worst, second degree, exhorts, instructs, even bullies listeners into rethinking, redesigning, and retrofitting their marketing and sales efforts. Michael Arkin delivers the message with an aggressive edge and just a hint of a sneer as he embodies a marketing heavy-hitter. No corporation is safe from criticism; no campaign sacrosanct. Cringe as you learn just how incompetent you probably are--but rejoice as this competitive black-belt brings you to fighting fitness in sales and marketing. D.J.B. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine