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: VERY DISAPPOINTING
Review: As someone who was delighted by the clarity and eloquence of Harry Beckwith's first book (sending copies to clients and colleagues), his follow-up is such a disappointment in every conceivable way. SELLING THE INVISIBLE, more than any other book in recent memory, served to remind marketers as much as their customers, about the fundamental value and importance of marketing to any business today. Instead of following his own advice (resist the temptation to wallow in "partial-celebrity" that came with his first book) it feels like Beckwith did just that--cranking out a second book in minimal time, which contributes no new thinking or substantive ideas to knowledge already out there, and is not well thought-out and written to boot. Result? Where his first book was inventive, self-deprecating, humorous and filled with commonsensical wisdom, THE INVISIBLE TOUCH is pretty much the opposite--mundane, long-winded and self-involved ramblings of an advertising man, who has decided to write a sequel to accomplish little more than give his growing list of clients a plug. Most intelligent readers are all but guaranteed to stop after first 50 pages of so-called fallacies, thoroughly disgusted at best. One can only assume that the author and/or publisher let expediency rule the day here, ignoring one of the cardinal sins of marketing. Sustaining potential brand and customer loyalty generated by the first book took a back seat to hopes of making a quick buck on the second. Buyer beware!
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Summary: A Great Follow-Up to "Selling the Invisible"
Review: Beckwith's second book is just as good or better than the first. I'ts fun to read. Every principle is highlighted with examples everyone can relate to and each section is short and pithy. Don't be fooled that there's little substance here because each section is such a quick read. Just the opposite. There's a lot to mull about on every single page. Worth reading, re-reading, taking notes and working at implementing these ideas into your business - no matter what kind of business you have.
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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.
Rating:
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.
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