Capturing Customers.com: Radical Strategies for Selling and Marketing in a Wired World

Colombo promises to provide "radical strategies for selling and marketing in the wired world" and he delivers. As he explains in the Introduction, "What you're going to find in the pages of this book is a guide that's designed to help you navigate through the maze of issues that surround this whole business of using technology to enhance your sales and marketing efforts. It's going to help you match your technology initiatives with the wants and needs of your customers. " he also promises (and delivers) specific strategies and tactics to understand so as to cope with "the dynamics of a changing marketplace" to be at the cutting edge, and, in process he provides essential insights into the possibilities of e-business so as not to miss any significant but appropriate opportunities. The word "appropriate" is critically important. Colombo correctly realizes that it would be folly to attempt to be all things to all customers and prospective customers. He organizes the material within three Sections:Moving Beyond the Limitations of "Web Centricity" (Chapters 1-4)An Unstoppable Arsenal of Winning Strategies and Tactics (Chapters 5-10)Fine Tuning Your Formula for Success in the Wired World (Chapters 11-14)At the end of most chapters, Colombo includes a "Capturing Conversations" component which is a probing interview of a relevant authority (eg Seth Godin) on the key issues previously addressed. Jeffrey Gitomer and others have stressed the importance of customer "loyalty" (ie sustainable repeat business) as opposed to customer "satisfaction" which is experienced on a per-transaction basis. Colombo shares that view. The ultimate objective is not to "capture" customers but to KEEP them. In this well-written book, he explains how. Here is a brief excerpt from the concluding chapter: "In the grand scheme of things, the technology piece of the puzzle is relatively easy. There is plenty of talent out there to help you get where you want to go. The hard part is knowing where to go. The hard part is understanding what your market wants. [Note: Some customers may often seem fickle or disloyal when, in fact, their needs have changed. Hence the importance of what Treacy and Wiersema characterize as `the discipline of customer intimacy.'] The hard part is understanding what motivates your customers. Serving the needs and desires of your customers is the objective. Implementing technology is the vehicle that can get you there." For many organizations regardless of their nature or size, Colombo would be an excellent chauffeur.

The author doesn't let his good ideas go to his head. Instead he shares his knowledge in a way that's easy to digest, as if you're chatting together over a good cup of joe. George Colombo defines how to get your business wired for a profitable outcome by employing the Internet as one of many tools at your disposal. Capturing Customers.com is an important "must read" for those who want their business to grow is this "click and mortar" world.

You read the manifestos, the prophecies and the change-or-die ultimatums. Now read the postmortem. George Colombo begins his dissection of the dotcom corpse by stating the now obvious: Many Internet companies didn't offer viable business plans, the Internet stock boom was mostly hysteria, and the average Internet start-up had no clue how to acquire or serve customers. But picking through the carnage, he identifies elements of the dotcom business model that are worth salvaging. In clear, spare prose he explains how businesses can blend brick-and-mortar operations with electronic innovations like permission marketing and mass customization to capture long-term customers - the key to success in a market of hyper-informed and fickle consumers. We at getAbstract.com strongly recommend this book to any and all professionals, especially those left wondering what's to become of their vaunted Web strategies in the post-dotcom era.

This book has great insight into the e-business story. I have found it informative and have already recommended it to clients who are moving to e-business for more efficient marketing opportunities. Mr. Colombo's practical approach to technology and the Internet is real plus. This book is worth the time and will give you insight into the e-business movement. I also like Mr. Colombo's style and find it entertaining to read and a good book for an airplane commute.

This book was written for the all the tortoise business owners who've enjoyed the Dot Com bubble burst and are now ready to extend their proven business models to the web. George Colombo's no nonsense, sales and marketing approach to business is evident throughout. I've already suggested this as reading for two of my clients who are grappling with very complex issues as they embrace these new tools. Read and re-read this practical guide.