If there are any books you would like us to review, or you wish to place your own review, please drop us an email at bookrev@srchk.com. We reserve the right not to publish reviews sent in.

Marketing professional services: Forward thinking strategies for boosting your business, your image, and your profits (2ed).
Kotler, P., Hayes, T., and Bloom, P.N (2002)

Philip Kotler is considered the father of modern marketing and it is therefore disappointing to find this book which seems to be a re-hash of many of his existing works that is only partially applicable to professional services. As a primer for those developing their knowledge base in this area it is useful and has many interesting ideas and examples. For the more demanding practitioner it is probably too generic to be of real value.

The trusted advisor. Simon and Schuster.
Maister, D.H., Green, C.H., and Galford, R.M. (2000)

If Kotler is the father of modern marketing, then Maister is the pre-eminent writer on managing professional service organizations. This book is an enjoyable and easy read that shows the importance of trust based relationships and gives many examples of real situations that the authors and others have found themselves in. Definitely a worthwhile read.

available at amazon

Managing the professional service firm. Simon and Schuster.
Maister, D (2003)

This is a must read that provides real insight into the management of professional service firms. The only area that SRC fundamentally disagrees with is the sections on marketing. Here, Maister gives the impression that marketing is about promotion and is artificially separated from the rest of the organization. He also makes no mention of its role in strategy. Overall the book is excellent but lacks the rigour one would expect in treatment of certain areas.

available at amazon

Market driven management: How to define, develop, and deliver customer value (2ed). Wiley.
Webster, F (2002)

A fervent advocate of the marketing concept, Webster has produced a book that is rare indeed. The integration of empirical evidence and theory that is jargon free and easy to understand will be a valuable aid to all those interested in marketing. It is rigourous, fact based, and above all innovative. This is a must read.

available at amazon

Marketing and the bottom line (2ed). Prentice Hall.
Ambler, T (2003)

As the focus on marketing accountability grows, the number of books addressing marketing metrics and the evaluation of marketing activity is growing. This book is one of the better ones. Clearly written and full of examples, this makes clear the role marketing has to play in organizational value and how organizations can go about measuring their marketing activities.

available at amazon

Value based marketing: Marketing strategies for corporate growth and shareholder value. Wiley.
Doyle, P (2000)

A groundbreaking book that demonstrates with unparalleled rigour and evidence that marketing is the key driver of organizational value and that finance and marketing are not at odds but rather complimentary. It shows how to value marketing investment against accounting measurement and that shareholder value is the goal of marketing. This should be on the desk of every marketer.

available at amazon

Marketing professional services. The Chartered Institute of Marketing, Butterworth Heinemann.
Roe, M (1998)

Although not a thorough treatment of the marketing discipline it is a highly practical book with many tips and suggestions for business development. It has a strong focus on personal selling and at times the reader may mistake a promotion orientation as the key to marketing success. If one understands that the book is intended as a source of ideas and suggestions, then it certainly warrants a read.

Marketing your consulting and professional services (3ed). Wiley.
Connor, D., and Davidson, J (1997)

Another practitioner book that cannot be called rigourous by academic standards but still of value to those who have marketing responsibility in their organization. Plenty of examples and checklists that also takes a strategic view of marketing rather than a tactical reactive one. Solid tips on PR activities, seminar talks etc. makes this a useful reference guide.

available at amazon

Practice what you preach. Free Press.
Maister, D.H (2001)

This is an excellent book. Drawing on data from 29 professional service firms in 15 countries it provides rigourous and methodologically sound evidence that a strong organizational culture where positive values are lived and breathed by management has a demonstrable impact on financial performance. This book is not conjecture or opinion, but fact based and scientific.

available at amazon

Positioning: The battle for your mind. Warner Books.
Ries, A., and Trout, J (1981)

Now over 20 years old, this book has become a classic. The concepts about positioning are more relevant today than ever and you would be hard pressed to find a better treatment of the subject. If you are a marketer and have not read this, do so and quickly!

available at amazon

Building strong brands. Free Press.
Aaker, D.A (1996)

David Aaker is a recognized expert on branding and this book is a well written treatment of the subject. It is straightforward with plenty of examples to make the concepts come alive. Even though written by an academic, it does not take an overly theoretical view and hence many of the ideas presented should be useful to those with marketing responsibility in their organization.

available at amazon

Competing for markets: Growth strategies for SME's. McGraw Hill.
Lee, K.S, Lim, G.H., and Tan, S. J (2002)

At only 160 pages or so, this is easily digested by the SME owner/manager and it should be. Integrating theory with rigourous examples the authors clearly demonstrate that SME marketing is different to large firms and that the resource limitations of such firms need to be taken clearly into account when devising an appropriate strategy. They also underline the need to consider competitive reactions. Most importantly, they reveal a solid conceptual framework that practicing managers can apply to their organization strategy efforts. This book is highly recommended.