A B2B Marketing: Radically Different Approach for Business-to-Business Marketers

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing concept; best suited for newcomers
Review: Steve Minett's book offers a valuable perspective on marketing in the world of business-to-business.

The first few chapters of the book focus on the nuances of the B-to-B sale. Minett's evaluation of the motivations and considerations behind B-to-B purchases -- as compared with consumer purchases -- is intriguing. In short, Minett outlines why the kind of flashy ad campaigns that sell the latest nail polish will not help a business sell machine tools. The audiences' needs are different.

For me, the book went downhill once it got into the specifics of how to conduct a B-to-B marketing campaign. I've been in the business a while, so Minett's information on how to write and publish a case study (I believe he calls them "case stories") was a little too elementary for me. Nonetheless, it might be useful for someone brand new to the B-to-B side of marketing or public relations.

My other complaints about this book were:

- The case stories often didn't seem to support any particular point being made in the text. I wasn't sure why they were in the book other than to boast about the success of Minett's marketing company and its clients.

- Very poor editing. I found many typographical and grammatical errors throughout this book. As a writer, I find it difficult to take someone's expertise in communications seriously when he doesn't know the proper usage of "its" versus "it's." But I admit to being a grammar snob, and I strongly suspect most readers won't notice or won't care about these errors.

Overall, I think the book would be extremely useful for someone who has just moved from a consumer-based business into a B-to-B marketing environment. For those with more experience, the theory is interesting but the practical advice offers nothing new.