“And The Clients Went Wild” is Like Having a Marketing VP in a Box


And The Clients Went WildWhether you’re writing a new marketing plan or re-writing the one you’ve got, “And the Clients Went Wild!: How Savvy Professionals Win All the Business They Want” offers sound marketing advice for small businesses, freelancers and entrepreneurs of all shapes and sizes.

I received this book from the publisher late in the fall of 2010 and was eager to get to it.  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen until NOW.  And I regret that because this book has some terrific ideas for any small business owner who is looking to tighten up their marketing plan and put a focus on strategies and tactics that will generate more profitable business.

A Little About the Author

Maribeth Kuzmeski (@RedZoneMarketer on Twitter) is a marketing expert.  Her firm is called Red Zone Marketing and she works with a large spectrum of businesses; from entrepreneurial small businesses to Fortune 500 companies who come to her for help with their strategic market planning.

It’s clear from the book that Maribeth has lots of practical experience especially with butting up against those basic marketing principles that can mean the difference between falling flat and exponential growth.

Creating Insanely Loyal and Happy Clients Requires Focus on Fundamentals

Marketing books are like languages; you can hear the same thing over and over a million different ways, but it won’t click until you read the one that you understand.  And this is what And the Clients Went Wild is like.  There is nothing in this book that you haven’t seen before; nothing you didn’t know; nothing that you haven’t been told – and everything you need to think, do and say.

The book focuses on five basic marketing principles (this is what you already know, but probably haven’t done very well – and that’s why you’re interested in this book). The meat of the book goes into the details of each section and offers specific examples of companies that have cracked the nut and then it also offers questions you can ask yourself to get to the root of how to put this principle in action for yourself.

Here is a summary of the 5 principles:

  1. What are you doing that no one else is doing
  2. Focus your marketing on benefits, results and a call to action
  3. Go Viral
  4. Leverage your network
  5. Execute your game plan

Part II of the book is probably the most exciting part.  In it you’ll find a “Gameplan” worksheet that will walk you through a market planning process that’s focused on the five principles Kuzmeski describes above.

How to Get the Most out of And The Clients Went Wild

And The Clients Went Wild doesn’t pull any punches. It pours out marketing strategies and tactics through a fire hose.   You can read it like you would a novel, but I’d recommend that you do that the first time around; marketing the chapters and sections of the book that you feel you need to give the most attention.

Then I’d recommend that you dig straight into the game plan and start writing.  Then flip around and through the book for hand-holding as required.

Make it Easy and Give me MORE

I’m writing this particular section in real time because I want to actually have the experience that most readers have.  When I received the book, I didn’t even think about a web site,  I just started reading the book.  But as I got into it, I noticed all these worksheets inside.  I automatically assumed that there would be a web page where I could download them and kept reading.  After seeing the “game plan” forms in the book, I started getting curious about what other resources were available online.

The web site that’s given  in the book is Kuzmeski’s Red Zone Marketing and from there you can easily see both of her books.  I then clicked on the And The Clients Went Wild book and it took me to a web site specifically for the book.  There, you have the option of receiving 75 bonus gifts in exchange for your contact information and a receipt number.

As you scroll down, you can also get more information from inside the book by providing your email and a code.

Since I received the book from the publisher, I didn’t have a receipt number and I spent about 5 or 10 minutes looking for a code inside the book.   I’m sure that it’s probably obvious and right in front of me, but so far – I’m not seeing it.

But if you haven’t purchased the book yet and you want to get  a flavor for what’s inside – you’ll find a couple of free chapters that you can download (Chapters 2 and 4) and this really will give you exactly what you need to decide if this book is right for you.

This Book is Right for ALL Sales, Marketing and Entrepreneurial Types

This is a book any sales and marketing type should.  As for business owners, you are the key audience. This book will help you either do your own marketing OR intelligently hire someone to help.  Kuzmeski’s book is like having a marketing VP at your desk, holding your hand, asking the right questions and helping your business succeed.

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Ivana Taylor Ivana Taylor is the Book Editor for Small Business Trends. She is responsible for directing the site’s book review program and manages the team of professional book reviewers. She also spearheads the annual Small Business Book Awards. Ivana publishes DIYMarketers, where she shares daily do-it-yourself marketing tips, and is co-author of "Excel for Marketing Managers."

2 Reactions
  1. This sounds like a great book. Some of the best are those whose main points are duhisms yet things we are not doing but should!