Mark Stevens (author of my all-time favorite marketing book “Your Marketing Sucks”) shares his personal life examples, and examples from his well known wealthy friends, that illustrate how your attitude toward money and wealth is really the key to having them both. This is an important book for you to read if you are focused on lifestyle design, building your own independent path, and providing for yourself and your family in all economic environments. It’s a perfect companion to some of my other required reading such as “The 4-Hour Workweek” and “Think and Grow Rich”.

The book is not a “how to get rich quick” guide by any stretch of the imagination. Mark conveys far more important philosophical differences between those who have a healthy attitude toward money and wealth, and those who do not. Saying to yourself “of course I have a healthy attitude toward money – I want all I can get” doesn’t cut it. And I think that’s why he chose the path of describing wealth creation as a “religion” because it reflects a core belief system that treats money, spending, value, leisure and time all with respect.

Mark turns conventional wisdom about wealth on its head by reinforcing the point that the most important money you can have is the money people can’t see. If you spend your hard earned dollars on external validation designed to impress others (expensive cars, fashion, over sized McMansion), where will it leave you when you really need the money, either for a crisis or an opportunity? Remember the Lending Tree commercials with Stanley Johnson who had the great home, club membership, new car and said he was “in debt up to my eyeballs. Somebody help me!” ? Even Frank Lopez in Scarface warned Tony Montana against “the guys who want it all….chicas, cars, flash”.

Mark illustrates how the truly wealthy think differently about money, and that they go to great lengths to avoid spending it. The inspired examples of Sam Walton, Carl Icahn, Tom Carvel and others who have amassed great sums, and spent freely when the money would create a return, and would shut their wallets tight when they felt their money was not being spent wisely. The fact that these men could afford to spend on anything they wanted to, never meant that they should.

Mark challenges the myths that we have all been brought up with, and which keep most people on the treadmill. He outlines the philosophy for creating your own environment and lifestyle based on the creation of wealth, not the exchange of time for a paycheck. What I like about this book is that he is telling you the “what” and not the “how” – so once you get your mind around the concepts you are free to use your imagination to create the lifestyle and freedom on your own terms. I was fortunate enough to spend an hour with Mark discussing his views before the book was released, and I can tell you that he is passionate about this book because he lived its lessons.

“Rich is a Religion” will change your attitude toward money. From a joyless world of you working for money to an inspired world of money working for You.

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And yet it’s not trivial to compare how great artists inspire loyalty, emotional connections, identity, community, and repeat purchases. And the very best ones understand the business concepts of delivering value, consistency, reinvention while staying loyal to the core values, merchandising, packaging, adoption of new technologies, and seeking out niche markets where there is little competition.

Consider the Stones. The Greatest Rock N Roll Band in the World is also a global enterprise who’s CEO Mick Jagger also happens to be the product and pitchman. The “Tongue and Lips” logo is instantly recognizable worldwide, and is tattooed on an unknown number of men and women. Beginning with the Steel Wheels tour of 1989, the Stones have delivered a consistent product in a manner surprisingly similar to Disney: a Stones concert is a true experience with an outrageous stage set, plenty of familiar songs with enough new ones to keep things interesting, pyrotechnics, and a band that plays the songs true to the recordings you have heard a thousand times over. And of course, plenty of unique souvenir merchandise which can only be purchased at a concert. Gone are the days of sloppy riffs, forgotten words, Keith barely conscious enough to stand, and alienating the core fan base by straying too far away from blues based rock and roll (like their disastrous psychedelic experiment in 1967). Today you get what you want, and what you need – which is why millions of fans shell out hundreds of millions of dollars every time the Stones decide to crank the machine back up.

Loyalty - Stones Tongue Tattoo

So in compiling these comparisons between Elton John and JetBlue, The Rolling Stones and Cadillac, KISS and Wal-Mart, Aerosmith and Volkswagen, there emerge several key themes that are common between great Bands and great Brands:

• They truly understand their fans and customers
• They create strong emotional connections with fans and customers
• They reinvent themselves to stay current, but don’t stray from their core offerings
• They understand that the product is closely tied to the experience
• They are unique, one-of-a-kind, often imitated but never duplicated.

Take Away for Marketers: Of all the examples in the book, many of the best ones are those that relate to brands that create true passion among their customers. Starbucks, KrispyKreeme, Harley Davidson, Apple, Google, JetBlue all stir strong emotions and passion among their fans – for them there is no substitute. Read this book because it’s fun, and think about how you can create that same passion, and sense of identity between your brand and your fans. After all, it’s only rock and roll but I like it. Yes, I do.

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I love this book. You must read it, and re-read it with a highlighter. It is a game changer. And, it is not for everybody.

I got this book when it first came out because the title intrigued me – I was pleasantly surprised to find that the content lived up to the title, and it delivered much more and perfectly fit my frame of mind at that moment. For me, it was the right book at the right time.

In a nutshell, Timothy Ferriss outlines his personal experience in throwing away the conventions of work-tied-to-location, sacrifice-for-advancement, money-for-hours, and work-30-years-to-retire. He tells his story, and the philosophy behind it, and then offers step-by-step instructions on how you and I can do the same thing.

To use an overused phrase, this book truly outlines a “paradigm shift” in how to think about your lifestyle and how to pay for the things that are important to you.

There are three key concepts in the book, which I won’t describe in detail because I want you to read and internalize the book for yourself. But here’s a taste of what he is talking about:

1) Lifestyle Design - a core premise of the book is for you to figure out what you really want out of life and to go build your life around it. Don’t settle for doing the things you love solely on the weekends or on the rare vacation, but every day. Imagine your life centered on your passions and dreams and then earning a living, not the other way around. If you want to live at the beach, then go do it. If you want to spend your time on cause related issues, then go do it. The money will follow if you put your true desires first.

2) Outsource the Mundane - let someone else handle the details of day-to-day living, and even the larger aspects of your business and personal life. Tim outlines his use of “virtual assistants” to reclaim hours every day of his life to respond to emails, set appointments, pay bills and so on. And in the more advanced concept of building self-operating and self-sustaining businesses, he describes how to leverage technology, empowerment, and classic outsourcing to simplify the process. All with the goal of creating income streams, and putting time back in your life.

3) The Real Value of Time and Money - do you know what you’re time is really worth? Tim shows you how to look beyond your “hourly rate” and figure out what your time is really worth, and what your leisure time is worth. He demonstrates how 80% of your results can be achieved in 20% of the time – a difficult concept for many folks to implement because our culture tends to value “personal sacrifice instead of personal productivity.” (One of my favorite quotes in the book!) This section of the book may be the biggest eye-opener for most people, and one that can inspire you to make a change in your thinking.

Beyond the philosophy of the book, Tim does a very nice job detailing the “how to” of his concepts. For those not familiar with internet businesses and the underlying technologies, this section may be too technical and geeky – but I recommend reading it to understand the underpinnings of how to do things differently. And this is really the key to the book I like best – it forces you to think differently about work, life, and leisure and your current approach to all three.

The Takeaway for Marketers: There are several. First, the book is just about a how-to primer on how to build an e-commerce internet marketing company from customer acquisition to fulfillment. Second, there are very practical, hands-on tips on how to leverage tools in the marketplace to do direct consumer research quickly and cheaply. Third, the wildfire success of this book is a marketing lesson in itself. Lastly, there is truly a new breed of entrepreneur which he calls the “New Rich” – these good folks will become a very loyal base to those who figure out how to speak their language, provide amazing service, and make their lives easy.

Buy this book. Buy it now. Don’t stop reading it until you do something different. Then go buy another copy and give it to someone who needs it.

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Mr. Allen became famous for putting out this challenge: ”Send me to any city. Take away my wallet. Give me $100 for living expenses. And in 72 hours I’ll buy an excellent piece of real estate using none of my own money.” He exceeded this boast when challenged by a reporter from the L. A. Times, buying seven properties within 57 hours. He later set his sights on internet marketing with a similar challenge:

“Sit me at the keyboard of any computer in the world with access to the internet, and in just 24 hours I’ll earn at least $24,000 in cash.”

This book walks you thru how he did just that (and more), and reveals some great ideas for anyone involved in internet marketing.

I like the way the book teaches and reinforces the ideas behind organic list building, email marketing creative writing, offers and incentives, and creating demand. A key concept is building your own lists, and writing engaging copy to keep them interested in opening your next email. His use of stories, offers, information products as gifts are all designed to add value and build trust among your subscribers.

He also puts forth a concept lost on so many companies in their communication – give your marketing a personality, preferably that of a real person. Whether it’s the sole proprietor or the CEO, giving your copy a true personality makes the communication much more enjoyable, engaging and ultimately successful. How many times have you received an email or direct mail piece that you just KNOW was written by at least two writers and then signed by some anonymous VP of something-or-other who you know never even saw the copy before it went out? Imagine trying to call that person and asking him or her about the offer…..

But then the book gets into the meat which pays off on the title: How to create multiple steams of Internet Income. The techniques here dovetail nicely into what you learn reading Timothy Ferriss’ book “The 4-Hour Workweek.” There is something for everyone here. He covers affiliate marketing, search marketing, selling on eBay, custom information products, selling advertising on your site and more. In the world of internet marketing, he makes the point that you can successfully create multiple streams of income by finding the one that fits you best, maximizing it, and then creating another one.

The Take Away for Marketers: If you are searching for the right internet marketing vehicle for your own business, the book covers not only the basics but the “how-to” of taking those ideas to the next level. Marketers at large companies or agencies will benefit reading the compelling (if long) copy that really SELLS and PERSUADES – so much better than some of the cleverly written, but completely ineffective gobbledygook I get in my inbox every day. And for everyone, the book really hones in on the necessity of building your own e-mail lists and adding value to those subscribers with every communication you send.

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The title of this book intrigued me – who wouldn’t be attracted to the idea of making millions using Google?

If you have no experience in internet marketing and just learning concepts like affiliate marketing, search marketing, pay-per-click advertising, or AdSense this book does an OK job explaining those concepts. It even offers step-by-step instructions on how to get started with Google AdWords, Commission Junction, Microsoft AdCenter and Amazon Associates programs, and explains the difference between search and content networks.

If you know how to do all those things, then there is only one really big idea in this book that Anthony shares. The big idea is:

1. Sign up for popular affiliate programs thru Commission Junction, Amazon and others
2. Instead of building web sites and web pages to drive your affiliate program sales, buy paid search advertising and drive traffic directly to the affiliate’s web site.

That’s it.

Not a bad idea and one that evidently made him some money. I don’t know that I needed to read 253 pages to get to that idea, but again this book is really suited for someone starting out in the business.

Take Away For Marketers: Find ways to bring your customers to the point of purchase, eliminating as many steps as possible. Good basic overview for those new to internet marketing.

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2,239 more fantastic ideas and thought starters to be exact!

I was given this book back around 2001 and have loved it ever since. I have probably given away 100 copies of it. Why? Because it actually kind of reads like a novel – it is a page turner that you cant put down.

Denny Hatch and Don Jackson are experienced marketers who have compiled a book of their own best practices, along with the insight of other classic marketers like Don Peppers (1:1 Marketing), Steve Dworman (DRTV), Dick Benson (Direct Mail) and many others. While there are plenty of examples of what to do and what to avoid, the book is less of a “how-to-do-it” guide and more of a “how-to-think-about-it” book of direct marketing inspiration.

I guarantee you will generate at least one good idea every time you open this book.

The subjects covered range from general marketing concepts to the detail level tactics of envelope size, putting live stamps on self-return envelopes (should you or shouldn’t you… the answer may surprise you!), and specific offers that work.

Written in 1998, the book is not one full of internet marketing secrets, but the basic mechanics of finding your niche, writing compelling copy, making offers, and getting people to take action. These are timeless and apply to your internet marketing strategies as well as your offline tactics.

On a personal note, the book reinforces one of my personal direct marketing beliefs that “Ugly Sells.” I have had an untold number of heated debates with creative directors, graphic designers, copywriters, CEO’s, CMO’s and others around this simple concept. The creative team at Quicken Loans even created cartoon characters to make fun of me and my insistence on this point. In what may have been some of their most memorable work, sprung to life were my new mascots “Checky” the walking check mark, and his pal “Burst” – a cute little dog-like walking starburst! Well, Checky and Burst are in good company with ideas like:

• “Ugly Sells” page 128
• “A lot more money has been made with ugly shows than glamorous ones.” Page 152
• ”Test Ugly Early” page 202

Take Away for Marketers: This book is a classic. Buy it, dog ear it, give away copies. Read it when you are in a dry spell for creativity, or just cant get out of the rut. Use the timeless concepts and challenge your own thinking and apply them to the world of internet marketing, search engine marketing, rich media, email, and your ongoing communication with existing customers. Read the fundraising chapter and see what you can apply to your loyalty campaign.

And go ugly, early.

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