Book Review of “Meatball Sundae” by Seth Godin
June 10th, 2011 by Diane Conklin under Diane's Book Reviews. No Comments.
If you’re like me, the thought that first might occur to you is that “Meatball Sundae” is an odd name for a marketing book. Being a big Seth Godin fan, I was sure the book would be worth the read, and I was not disappointed. I don’t think you will be either…I highly recommend you get this book and have a pen or highlighter in your hand as you pour through it.
The book is really about the changing trends in business and marketing particularly as the internet and social media have emerged as bigger players in this arena. In the new marketing our attention spans are shorter and we, as business owners and entrepreneurs, have to find different and better ways to interrupt people’s lives to get our messages to them. And, the internet is the hardest way to interrupt people today. It’s also slow and very expensive (this fact alone should make you want to read this book, if you haven’t already).
Also, our stories have to be shorter and more meaningful. What sets you apart from everyone else out there that’s doing what you do? What’s compelling about your story?
One of the things I thought was most telling in the book was Seth’s remarks about marketing. He says:
“Marketing has always been about discovering what people want and need, and telling them a story about how they can get it (from you).”
Seth Godin talks a lot in this book about serving your market, being available to them, and responding to them quickly.
It’s also very interesting to me, because I’ve heard this theme a few times lately, that he says it’s not in our nature to do what works. As a matter of fact he says we rarely do what works.
I’ve had many instances where this has proven to be very true. I recently had a struggling business man call me in need of help. His business was failing and after just a few simple questions, he revealed to me that he had a direct mail campaign that was pulling a 12:1 Return on Investment (ROI) but he has stopped running it. And, much to my surprise, nothing I said could convince him to start the campaign again to save his business.
The middle section of this relatively small, quickly read book, discusses the 14 trends you, as a marketer and business owner, can’t ignore as you grow your business now and in the coming years. And, those who follow and ride these trends will be the ones who are the most successful.
On other very interesting aspect of this book is that you might just discover if you do the right things and do things right you might find some champions out there who do a lot to grow your company with no pay or compensation whatsoever.
There are a lot of very interesting paradigm shifts that might take place inside you and your business after you read this little gem of a book.
This is a definite must read on my list of books.
Let me know what you think…….
