Rating: 
Summary: Nice compliment to "Positioning" and "Focus" by Al Ries
Review: Aptly named, "The Invisible Touch" presents brilliant insight into selling and positioning the intangible; services both online and off.Beckwith argues convincingly that successful service offerings depend not so much on the actual services, but on the consumers' perception of the company offering the services and the consumers' perception of themselves as the decision is made to purchase them. The successful service provider communicates in crystal clear fashion the benefits of said services and charges based on the value delivered. (It's not what you pay; it's what you get!) Perceived value is affected by numerous factors including environment and price. Can you increase the perceived value of your product or service by simply increasing the price? Beckwith discusses several cases in which this is clearly the case. Can a restaurant improve the taste of its' food by improving the decor? Arguably, yes. When discussing State Farm, Beckwith states, "It is not slickness, polish, uniqueness, or cleverness that makes a brand a brand. It is truth." This strategy has worked well for State Farm. Due to the abundance of information available on the web this may become a required strategy for any company.
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Summary: Common Sense and Great Examples: Overall, a Great Book!
Review: As a small business owner, one of the most important factor in receiving (and keeping) business is marketing. Beckwith provides a lot of common-sense tools (that are frequently ignored by Fortune 500) companies that can be enormously benefectial--such as refering to a person's first name, and showing passion for one's work, true passion. Yet many of us forget how important common sense is when we are involved in our business. Beckwith's main advice is to remember the human touch--that you are dealing with humans. That means a certain style, a welcoming style, has to be imbedded in all that you do in your business. A very good book! Michael
Rating:
Summary: Common Sense and Great Examples: Overall, a Great Book!
Review: As a small business owner, one of the most important factor in receiving (and keeping) business is marketing. Beckwith provides a lot of common-sense tools (that are frequently ignored by Fortune 500) companies that can be enormously benefectial--such as refering to a person's first name, and showing passion for one's work, true passion. Yet many of us forget how important common sense is when we are involved in our business. Beckwith's main advice is to remember the human touch--that you are dealing with humans. That means a certain style, a welcoming style, has to be imbedded in all that you do in your business. A very good book! Michael
Rating: 
Summary: The Invisible Touch: The Four Keys to Modern Marketing
Review: Fast read for the busy person. While Beckwith presents four key concepts of marketing (price, brand, packaging, and relationships), he drives home their importance using examples we see daily. The Invisible Touch offers salient points and gets 'right to the heart-of-the-subject.' After this quick read, CEOs, entrepreneurs, web page designers, and service oriented businesses will appreciate the subtleties of marketing. CEOs will revisit existing marketing plans with 'new eyes' and passion. Entrepreneurs will gain insight to the nuances of marketing and an appreciation for the importance of a good marketing plan - one written on paper, not just carried around in your head. Web page designers will find that The Invisible Touch is an excellent resource and reading reference for your customers, especially when justifying costs assocaited with well designed sites. Service oriented businesses will particularly appreciate Beckwith's ability to provide insights to marketing the intangibles of services. From a personal coach's perspective, home business and entrepreneurial clients find this book helpful in determining whether (or when) to do the marketing themselves or hire a marketing specialist. Keep this book handy.
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Summary: Add this book to your marketing arsenal
Review: Get this audiobook and listen to it 5 times! Straight. Then listen to it again for a 6th time. Not only will you be reminded of things you already knew, but you will be jumpstarted with new ideas and approaches for your products and services.
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Summary: The Invisible Touch is clearly a hit
Review: Harry Beckwith has done it again. He follows Selling The Invisible with a book that, like its predecessor, is full of little gems that convey big truths. The Invisible Touch expands on the territory covered in the first book rather than simply repeating it. So you'll find new insights and topics that make this a must read for anyone in business, marketing, or advertising. Go buy it, then buy several for your clients.
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Summary: Insightful!
Review: Harry Beckwith is considered nearly godlike in the marketing world. In this book, as in his previous bestseller, Selling the Invisible, he offers wise and witty on-target assessments about human nature. His candid observations come from his extensive experience as head of his own marketing firm. Written in an intelligent, conversational style, this breezy book gets right to the heart of what works and what doesn't in marketing. Beckwith breaks open every myth and standard business practice in the industry. He incorporates plenty of examples and anecdotes, not just from the business world, but from literature, pop culture, the arts, history, and more. Praised by industry leaders and book reviewers, this savvy little volume has more insight than ten other books combined. We [...] recommend this book for anyone conducting any kind of business.
Rating: 
Summary: A rehash of something outstanding
Review: Harry's second book falls prey to his own advice: the first one was so outstanding, that I expected something excellent and was disappointed with merely "good". Like many movie sequels, this book simply repeated themes that were great in the original, but have now grown stale. Of all authors, I was really disappointed in the blatant reuse of specific examples: the orangest orange example, the Peanuts back-of-the-shoes example. Others. I did read it cover-to-cover in one night. I did chuckle. I did enjoy the examples. But there was no blinding new insight. Having loved his original, I'm disappointed with the sequel. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was expecting it to be outstanding. This didn't have it. If you haven't read Selling the Invisible, buy that instead. If you have already read it, don't bother with Part II.
Rating:
Summary: Exposes Assumptions
Review: He's off completely though when he gushes over his European hiking pal. What if this hiking pal was a Subway sandwich guy, instead of a 2nd year law student...? Placebo effect in full force again. It depends on "who" is saying your name. How many Moms wish they could change their names? What's the deal with the Carter-Reagan comparison? That wasn't even intelligent?!?!?! The greatest insight, I thought, was the discovery that people first make decisions and then seek to justify them. I can see how understanding that concept can be useful. Find out what they've decided first, and then support it or try to change it... Absolutely Brilliant!!!!! I'm soooo guilty of that one. Thanks Harry for another great treasure of insights. Didn't care for the repeat stuff from "What Clients Love", but you knocked a few out of the park. I'll pay to see that any time!
Rating:
Summary: Exposes Assumptions
Review: He's off completely though when he gushes over his European hiking pal. What if this hiking pal was a Subway sandwich guy, instead of a 2nd year law student...? Placebo effect in full force again. It depends on "who" is saying your name. How many Moms wish they could change their names? What's the deal with the Carter-Reagan comparison? That wasn't even intelligent?!?!?! The greatest insight, I thought, was the discovery that people first make decisions and then seek to justify them. I can see how understanding that concept can be useful. Find out what they've decided first, and then support it or try to change it... Absolutely Brilliant!!!!! I'm soooo guilty of that one. Thanks Harry for another great treasure of insights. Didn't care for the repeat stuff from "What Clients Love", but you knocked a few out of the park. I'll pay to see that any time!
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