It's Not Rocket Science: Using Marketing to Build a Sustainable Business

by Mitchell Gooze

Book Overview

It’s Not Rocket Science: Using Marketing to Build a Sustainable Business has been praised as an easy to understand "How To" guide to marketing. Delving into everything from branding to customer... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1889772003
• ISBN13: 9781889772004
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Institute for Marketing and Innovation
• Length: 317 Pages
• Weight: 1.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

It really is this simple

One of the two early Mitch Gooze books on sales and marketing. Lays out the theory of constraints and uses six sigma without getting all technical. He has done all this for quite some while

Clear, concise and full of great advice

Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (10/06) In "It's Not Rocket Science: Using Marketing to Build a Sustainable Business," the Marketing Plan is only discussed briefly near the end of the book. Mitchell Gooze writes in the introduction, "My intention here is to acquaint readers with the nuts and bolts of the real job of marketing." The author accomplishes exactly what he sets out to do in this concise, easy-to-read book. The first section of the book explains what marketing is and what it is not. Many businesses get into trouble because they do not have a clear definition of what marketing is and often confuse it with sales. "Marketers take the long view: they want to think about the future. They like to envision products or services that could better satisfy customers' needs in the months and years to come. Salespeople, on the other hand, concern themselves with the here and now. Salespeople want the order yesterday; they'll settle for today; its taxes their patience to wait until tomorrow." explains the author. Without a strong foundation in marketing, a business is going to be seriously compromised when going head to head with their competitors. Chapters on how to make product guarantees, product pricing, market share, distribution and surviving competition are all vital in marketing, sales, budget forecasting and strategic planning. Gooze also uses excellent examples (both success and failures) about real companies throughout his book to illustrate his marketing points. I was very surprised to read about Avon's near fatal decision to buy Tiffany & Co. in the chapter about having a plan and knowing your market. The final part of the book includes the actual marketing plan. The preceding sections of the book lay such a solid foundation that putting a plan together is no longer so overwhelming and mysterious. As a not-for-profit executive who has been struggling with economy issues and tough competition, I felt like I finally had some answers to how to turn the business around after reading this book. I realized that my small independent not-for-profit has spent the last 10 years going head to head with the two competitors that own the market. The books principles helped me to analyze our strengths and weaknesses and to identify the two products our creative staff has made into nationally recognized and sought after model programs over the past seven years. The two competitors do not have these programs and have no current plan to get into this aspect of the business. After protecting them with copyrights and a patent pending we are now ready to launch the program products that should support and sustain my not for profit. Instead of being a small fish in a big pond by trying to compete directly with the national organizations, my not-for-profit business is finally finding its niche. "You can succeed in business if you will just master Marketing 101. You see...it's not rocket science." writes Go

`Get you head on straight' thinking for business owners

Mitch Gooze has convinced me that I can be and need to be the Chief Marketing Officer for my company. His emphasis on the distinctions between marketing and sales is a real `eye opener' as I grow my business. We are starting to do some things differently, but the critical impact is that I am thinking differently.

Read this book if you want to win!

Read this book if you are thinking about starting a new business or want to increase sales in an existing company. Reading it won't guarantee success but it will arm you with the information that you need to gain a competitive edge in an increasingly competitive marketplace.This is a clearly written "how to" book about basic business principles that work. It is full of informative examples from the history of business and it is the one book to read if you are serious about succeeding.

Enjoyed the book

I'm not one to normally write my comments on any book. However, I enjoyed this one enough to take the time for these few comments. It makes you see the true difference between marketing and selling in clear terms. I liked the numerous examples used throughout the book. As a business owner, who knows I may even try some of this stuff, which is very unusual for me.