The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand out From The Crowd

Persuaded: I will admit that I picked this book up with grave misgivings. I was asked by the author’s assistant to review the book but declined to do so. Coincidentally, a week later, one of my clients was looking for a way to get his leadership team on the same page when it came to marketing and sales. So, I picked up the Kindle version of the book and promised I’d let him know what I thought. By the time I finished the introduction, I was shaking my head in agreement with Mr. Dib. Halfway through the book, I was confident enough to recommend that my client get the book for himself. Let me explain some of the reasons why I believe this book is worth your time to read. Layout: The chapters are in a logical order that builds from one marketing principle to another while working toward completing the plan. There are frequent referrals between concepts that tie everything together. I appreciate the way Dib starts each chapter with a summary and a list of what he will be telling you in that chapter. Then, at the end of each chapter, he has an action item and instructions for filling in one block of the nine-block marketing plan. Marketing: It is refreshing to read that Dib believes there is no longer (and maybe never was) a reason for not doing the work of determining the return on investment (ROI) for your marketing budget. Technological advances in digital media make parts of the ROI equation very easy to manage. Print media is also much more targeted and traceable than in the past. So, no excuses! Continuous improvement in marketing effectiveness is possible and required for a well-run business. Dib also dispels the myth that print and direct marketing are "dead," or dying. He drives home the concept that all the media can be useful and should be used in a mix that is most effective for your target market. Also, yes, some of the determination of the proper combination will be trial-and-error which is why measuring is so critical. On the target market subject, Dib suggests that a narrow focus is best. We cannot be all things to all people in all markets. Combine a narrow focus with the creation of a customer avatar, and you will be able to create a powerful model for marketing and sales personnel to use as a guide for their work. There are many other great tips and ideas for a highly effective marketing program; too many to itemize here. As I mentioned above, it is well worth your time to read what Dib has to say. Sales: Marketing and sales are very closely intertwined. Generally, the sales process is where I disagree with most sales and marketing trainers or authors on these topics. Try as they might, they cannot seem to get to the point where they stop making the process about making the sale. Many start out saying the right things: “It’s about the buyer; You must add value; You must build trust, etc." Then, inevitably, they wind up inculcating tactics that make things all about the salesperson making the sale. Find out what your customer needs – so you can make the deal. Build a relationship with your customer, because that is what will make them comfortable placing the order. Always be closing. Dib has come the closest I've seen so far to reaching my own sales philosophy – if you want someone to buy, stop selling. People want to buy; they do not want to be sold – no matter how pleasant you are as a salesperson. Today, if I want or need something, I have researched it already, and I either have it or have decided it’s not in my budget. Therefore, if you’re trying to manipulate me (no matter what fancy tactic you use) into purchasing something I don’t need or can’t afford, then you’re serving yourself and not me as the customer. The most egregious sales tactics today are those based on neuroscience. They are designed to use new knowledge about how the human brain works to manipulate people into doing what you want them to do rather than help them understand what it is they want to do. To me, doing that is evil. As a vendor, my job is to be found. That, being found, is why this book is so important and worth reading. Definitions: Dib uses an interesting story to define some of the common terms we use around marketing and sales. “Here's the simplest, most jargon-free definition of marketing you're ever likely to come across: If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying, ‘Circus Coming to the Showground Saturday,’ that’s advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that’s promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flower bed and the local newspaper writes a story about it, that’s publicity. And if you get the mayor to laugh about it, that’s public relations. If the town’s citizens go to the circus, you show them the many entertainment booths, explain how much fun they’ll have spending money at the booths, answer their questions and, ultimately, they spend a lot at the circus, that’s sales. And if you planned the whole thing, that’s marketing.” As you might imagine, my difficulty is only with the portion that states, you “explain how much fun they’ll have spending money at the booths.” Just show them the booths. They’ll figure out if they want to spend time and money having fun. Bottom Line: As I said, Dib comes closest to meeting my "don't sell" sales philosophy. Moreover, he is right on target with the marketing, branding, and promoting philosophy. This book is the most lucid and most thorough book on this topic that I've read to date. Also, Dib has more useful resources on his website for those who want to dig deeper. I highly recommend the 1-Page Marketing Plan.

I found this book clear, down-to-earth, and actionable. Allan writes in a clear, no-nonsense manner, explaining all terminology and providing plentiful examples. He has a flair for making apt analogies to explain marketing principles, from hunter-vs-farmer to infrastructure for roads. More importantly, he never talks down to the reader, instead showing great insight into human nature, and justifying human behavior. The biggest benefits that set this book apart are the following: 1.) Allan doesn't escape the difficult questions. He answers them. Much as he writes in the book, he tries to address concerns that his past clients and many people already have, participating in the risk assessment process with you. For example, when advising the use of a shock & awe package, a physical parcel to provide customers with unexpected value and nurture memorable relationships, he immediately discusses the cost concern, and later provides examples of how existing marketer Joe Girard used it to set a world record in car sales and customer retention. Even when I encountered specific questions the book didn't answer, Allan was a quick email away in providing insight. 2.) In simple language, Allan defines difficult terms like Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and even terms that seem simple but involve more nuance, like marketing vs. promotion vs. advertising, and front-end vs back-end. He uses anecdotes effectively to illustrate his points, clearly aware that case studies provide more impact and lasting applicable knowledge than general statistics. There are a few more uncited statistics than you might like, but he always drives it home with an example. 3.) Actionable advice. Each chapter of the book drills down into one square on the 1-page marketing plan, a fill-in-yourself template for creating your marketing plan. At the end of each chapter, he prompts you to think about your answer, and how you might take action on it. Certain things, like choosing a mass email newsletter mailing system, such as MailChimp, are so pinpoint-specific and relevant today to the point that you may wonder whether he would need to update the book in a year or two. This is good, because you can begin acting on the advice as you read, and Allan encourages you to do so: "Knowing and not doing is the same as not knowing." Overall, I'd recommend the book, even if it doesn't cover every possible business model. In fact, it covers the human mindset and human buying behavior, more than specific business models, which is both refreshing and sensible, in that people buy from people. He discourages big-corporation-style advertising reliant on a large marketing budget, and advocates a more direct approach to identifying prospects, staying in touch, building value, and making transactions natural. You can find this advice on many websites like Julian Shapiro, but they don't do as good a job as Allan as tying it all back to human psychology, emotions, and means for growth, with examples that seem real and down-to-earth. He doesn't overdo the A/B testing and measurement mindset, or social network marketing, instead discussing them and their merits and then leaving them in the margins to focus more on crafting a message, and building a customer retention/management system. The book reads quickly, motivates action, and inspires belief that results are both measurable and manageable.

He's straight, to the point, and gives you an easy way to write your marketing plan. I couldn't have done this without this book.

Not earth shattering concepts - pretty common in the entrepreneurial world but it was great that this book was geared directly toward smaller businesses (read: not Walmart lol). And as mentioned at the end of the booked, the focus on simplifying down to one page with nine objectives is awesome! Easy read, good perspective, fun refresh.

Excellent writing. Excellent rhythm. I have read it a couple of times already and I always come out reinforced in my marketing strategy. In fact, what I liked the most to discover is that marketing is not about selling, it is about knowing your target audience and trying to orient yourself to them. It is not a question of advertising, but of product strategy, customer experience, etc. I really liked that the writing style is far from the typical academic book, and is very personal. The experiences that the author shares throughout the book are concrete and always very successful to illustrate what he wants to explain. In short: a highly recommended work, very easy to read and condensed of good ideas and tips at the same time.

The book is very well written and composed. Step by step guide through the world of marketing in modern times. Full of valuable information and points. From what marketing is, how it works and why is it so important, to implementation of crucial steps, this book is a must read for anyone wondering on how should they tackle the implementation of marketing into their business. I would say it's more for novice entrepreneurs like myself than anybody else, but more experienced individuals can also find value in it for sure.

ممتاز

„Was nichts kostet, das ist nichts wert“ – das kann man bei diesem Buch absolut nicht sagen. Es behandelt so viel mehr Themen als „nur“ pures Marketing. Allan spricht Business Owner direkt an & solche, die es werden wollen. Ich arbeite seit Jahren im Marketing & erlebe immer wieder Budgetkürzungen und das Herunterspielen vom Einfluss guten Marketings auf die Bottomline. Allen stellt klar: ohne gutes Marketing kein Verkauf, ohne Plan kein gutes Marketing, ohne Aktion keine Reaktion. Steht auf, fragt, macht. Ich fand das Buch richtig klass, leicht verdaulich & zwischendurch mit PowerTalk–artigen Sequenzen. Auch wenn es schon vor Jahren geschrieben wurde & ich nicht alles unbesehen einfach so umsetze, wie beschrieben, so finde ich die generelle Message klasse, das Wording leicht & präzise. Umsetzen müssen wir selber. Das Buch ist kein Blueprint für ein erfolgreiches Business, ist aber ein extrem guter Startpunkt, sein Business (& sich selbst) in ein erfolgreiches zu transformieren.

I wish I had stumbled across this book a long time ago as it would have saved me a ton of time reading a lot of other books and listening to many many podcast first. And compared to the 900+ page sleep-inducing monstrosity that was our marketing coursebook at university 20 years ago, this book actually breathes life, fun and relevance into the subject. Below are a few reasons why: Know the difference between marketing, adverting, promotion and publicity and how they relate. How strategy affects which tactics to use When to use digital or traditional mediums to communicate with your market Common mistakes that threaten most small business Best ways to kill a business and how to avoid making the same mistakes How to choose which type of advertising is best for your market How to best Identify your target market What to tell your target market Choose which medium is best to communicate with your market How to attract idea prospects How to nurture prospects into customers How to increase value for your customer in ways that don't necessarily increase cost How to ideally turn your customers into your own loyal sales army At the end of the process, you'll have your own treasure map ready to start implementing Anyway enough reviewing for me, off to action!