Business Book Review: No BS Trust Based Marketing

Taking the opportunity to catch up with some reading during my holidays, I tackled No BS Trust Based Marketing. I was seeking something that could help the countless startups I have worked with, some information and guidance on how to foster trust with consumers quicker.

What started out as promising very rapidly deteriorated into a complete an utter waste of my time. Here’s how:

 

Customers are Irrational

Hanging out in marketing world, we do often forget that customers are indeed irrational. No amount of getting your product ready for customer conservation will get some customers or their friends happily engaging with a product.

 

Dealing with that little bit of crazy can be the hardest hurdle of all. I know this because I flatly refuse to eat anything with sultanas in it after it was implanted in my head as a very young child that sultanas in cakes and breads are dead flies. I also know by 38, I should be rather over it. But I’m not. I’m a fruitcake (get it!?).

 

So it was nice to see someone finally tackling it.

“Yay,” I thought. But not for long.

 

 

Trust is a hard win

Yes indeed folks, I am pretty sure anyone who have ever launched a new business, new product and developed or re-segmented an audience for it is nodding in agreement right now. It is!

 

However, I think my enthusiasm for this point dwindled at about page 30 and it was still being beaten into my head. Would have been nice to see the editor feel the same, but alas no. It was like being caught in a Justin Beiber song, only his repititveness stops after 4 minutes.

 

Not this guy.

 

How to build trust

Now, I was expecting to be hit with some awesome advice here. And yes, advice is supplied. Awesome clearly left the building sometime around the second chorus.

 

And the golden answer is…

• Fox News
• TV, radio and direct mail

 

It was at this point I almost projectile vomited my iced coffee up from laughter. The author was spruiking his own worth through using reliable, valid and trusted news sources like Fox News for his own reputation (OK, maybe with people I don’t want to share dinner with anytime soon, sure) but then proceeded to espouse the magic of TV, radio and especially direct mail.

 

At this point, I checked the date the book had been published and rummaged around in my suitcase for the punch line I mustn’t have unpacked when I pulled out the book.

 

Unfortunately, the date was no help (2011) and the comedy continued with this little gem…

 

Internet = no trust

Any online marketers and community managers reading this post, please ensure you use a mouth guard as not to injure your teeth from what may well be continued gnashing on your part.

 

See, the basic premise I was able to surmise is whilst direct mail is personal (not something that usually ends up in recycling bins like I thought it did these days) and TV and radio have authority (instead of mute buttons when the commercials come on), online, where people can comment, contribute and use for research all by themselves CAN’T BE TRUSTED!

 

Yes folks, the evolution of media is such that despite more people using social media than ever before, despite increasing shifting of budgets away from ATL marketing activities and using online, not to mention daily call outs to friends on Facebook about where we can find what or more people than ever before taking advantage of content on YouTube, blogs they like and so forth, we don’t trust it. We consume it, we Google our arses off when considering a new purchase but when it comes down to ponying up the dough, all we need is a TVC and a carefully placed postcard.

 

It was at this point, I started swearing. I would have thrown the book but we were staying in a glasshouse. I was worried about the correlation between rock bottom writing and stones so I decided against it.

 

Not taking your own advice

Despite talking about being intimate with customers and establishing a relationship of low selling techniques to help foster trust, 80 pages of plugging his other books and “I’m a millionaire, trust me <insert cheesy diamond toothed twinkle sales pitch here> cancels out his own theories. I got a deep sense the author  of No BS Trust Based Marketing is too controlling to actually enjoy what online can bring to a marketing campaign.

“Let the people respond?! Hear what they have to say?! Are you MAD?!” kept chanting through my head with his tinny theories and obviously prehistoric views on marketing.

 

The irony of No BS Trust Based Marketing

I chose it because I trusted the online reviews on Amazon. So you could say he got me a goodin’ alright. If I had seen it on TV that would have been the moment chosen to visit the toilet or refrigerator.

 

Verdict: You are better off talking marketing advice on trust and a no B.S. approach to anything from a one eyed badger with a history of eating small children, adultery and a drinking problem.

 

Don’t buy this book. I’ll mail it to you and we can set up a Skype to laugh at it together. It may ease the pain of parting with $12. I’m serious.