When looking for good marketing books to read, we browse bestseller lists, click on book reviews, and ask friends for their recommendations. But the usual blanket categories and genres can be a bit too broad, and we’ve often found that the best business book recommendations come from leaders in the trenches.
Chief Outsiders, a fractional marketing firm, has curated four seasoned fractional CMOs whose books deserve a place on every marketer’s book list in the upcoming year. If you’re looking for interesting and practical marketing books to read, here’s a look at four curated recommendations you won’t be able to put down.
Lies, Damned Lies, and Marketing
In Lies, Damned Lies, and Marketing (2021), Atul Minocha reveals why so many organizations can’t seem to gain marketing momentum and provides the insight needed to utilize marketing dollars for results. He shows why marketing is necessary, the crucial distinctions between marketing and sales, and how to attain the right blend of hard data and softer creativity to persuade audiences.
With experience at startups and Fortune 500 companies like Honeywell, Kodak, and Toyota, Atul works in various industries, from automotive and healthcare to industrial goods and technology. Atul has a degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and an MBA from Yale University. He is a professor at the Hult International Business School.
Stop Random Acts of Marketing
In Stop Random Acts of Marketing (2019), Karen Hayward shows mid-market CEOs how to build a strategic growth plan in the digital age to deliver compelling ROI. Unfortunately, many mid-market companies in today’s digital era lack a comprehensive growth plan. Instead, they launch sales initiatives that are reactive and ineffective, not supported by solid marketing plans, lack KPIs, and are frustrated by the lack of ROI on monies spent. In this work, readers will discover how to build a systematic roadmap to take their business where it needs to go.
Karen has worked in the trenches with Fortune 1000 companies for 20 years. As a consultant, she’s used the knowledge gained through experience to help mid-market CEOs see the bigger picture and develop in-house marketing and sales strategies based on the voice of the customer and real market insight.
The Growth Gears
In The Growth Gears (2016), Art Saxby and Pete Hayes share their playbook for transforming operationally successful but stagnant companies into growth organizations. This book provides a simple framework and the tools and repeatable processes needed to fully capitalize on your market potential. Readers will learn, among other things, if their business is operationally oriented or market-oriented (and why it matters), why marketing execution is sometimes ineffective, and how to assure ongoing market relevance while increasing the return on marketing programs.
Art Saxby is the CEO, Founder, and Principal of Chief Outsiders. Saxby’s proficiency in finance and operations complements a solid background in branding and positioning, multicultural marketing, advertising, communications strategy, change management, and more.
Pete Hayes is the Principal and CMO of Chief Outsiders. With his background in technology, technology marketing, and digital marketing, he helps mid-market technology and professional services businesses implement business development and operations plans for healthy growth.
Daring Caution
In Daring Caution (2011), Robert F. Sherlock provides executives with a guide for leading their organizations to get better at pricing. Today’s economy challenges every executive to find earnings improvement opportunities to offset numerous risks to profitability – notably cost volatility, global competition, and demanding customers. A more effective approach to pricing can provide a potent antidote to profit pressure, and this book explains how to get there.
So many companies provide more value than prospects and customers recognize. Bob helps executives find that Hidden Value and puts their sales teams in a position to get more yeses faster and at better prices.
Chief Outsiders is the nation’s leading fractional CMO firm focused on helping companies build their engines for revenue growth.
© YFS Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Copying prohibited. All material is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this material is prohibited. Sharing of this material under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International terms, listed here, is permitted.
In this article
