Much More to Marketing than Meets the Masses Moving Eyes

Taking a marketing class in college is one thing, but doing it in real life, when it is your business, your life, your money and your future at risk, well that is a whole new level of commitment. All too often, business students will do a "business plan" project for a hypothetical company and they will email me for advice. It seems there knowledge of the reality of things is limited, there questions are questionable and they, well, they don't really get it.

What books are they reading I think to myself, what are they thinking and who on Earth is their business instructor? Further, why are they contacting me and asking me such silly questions. Well, rather than get critical on your dream to market your own business, let me recommend a very good marketing book to you:

"Principles of Marketing" by Jay Diamond and Gerald Pintel -1972

This marketing book is in a textbook format, but serves as a good reference book for the small business man, entrepreneur or corporate executive. It has chapters such as;


The Nature of Marketing
The Consumer Market
Consumer Goods and Industrial Goods
Consumerism
The Industrial Market
Channels of Distribution
Marketing Research
The Product
Packaging and Brands
Pricing
Transportation and Storage
Wholesaling
Retailing Sales Promotions
Personal Selling
The Computer and Marketing
International Marketing
Marketing Mistakes
A Marketing Application

Obviously, since the book was written in 1972 the chapter on "The Computer and Marketing" will make you smile, perhaps even good for a laugh or two. The rest is somewhat timeless and is just good business sense and thus if you can get a copy of this old book, well it might be wise to have it nearby on your shelf.