Customer Rating:
Summary: Read this book!
Comment: People talk. When they're happy, they chat. When they're unhappy, they yell and scream and kick and rant, inciting angry mobs. Social networks have shone a searchlight on the darkest corners in business - there is literally nowhere to hide. We ignore this new exposure at our peril: revenues and reputations can be rapidly destroyed by it. But there is a big upside if we learn how to participate fully.

Andy shows us how to embrace the transparency inherent in social networks, use it to engage honestly, enjoy the process, and reap real benefits. He reminds us that the fate of our business will be decided by others unless we open communications on all channels. Best of all, he reminds us that doing what's right is not only more pleasant, it's more profitable.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: This review is word of mouth
Comment: Your customers are talking about you. You can choose to listen, facilitate, and participate - or ignore them.

I like how the author described word of mouth as BtoCtoC (business to consumer to consumer). I also like the emphasis on honesty and disclosure. "Nobody talks positively about a company that they don't trust or like."

Aside from the obvious promotional value, word of mouth offers customer service opportunities, and unfiltered market research insights.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: It Works. Honestly.
Comment: I have a bookshelf brimming with business books, but Andy's is one that's dogeared, highlighted, post-ited(???) and a continual go-to reference for me. The Five T's are clear, insightful, and compelling (because they work - how's that for a new concept?).

Andy's writing is witty, concise, and you can breeze through this book in a day or two. But the ideas and concepts are workable for the long haul and they're a staple in my marketing arsenal (in fact, quite the cornerstone in many ways). A practical, common sense guide for bringing the best in marketing back to its very essence.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good Book on WOM
Comment: I liked this book on word-of-mouth of marketing, but I didn't love it. I've read other books on WOM, which provide better information. In my case, I use WOM to market my books. While this book is applicable to marketing books, "Plug Your Book" is better. That's not to say that this book isn't worth it. It's full of valuable information for anyone who is new to WOM marketing.

I especially liked the examples the author uses and how he broke WOM down to a science. He provided a pie chart that shows that at least one third of sales comes from WOM.

The reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because I don't like how it rambles on about the importance of WOM. When I write or read, I like it be straight and to the point. That's why so many books are thick; they ramble. My books are thin; I write about thing and then move on.

Brandon Simpson

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Comment: I just finished this book as part of an ongoing project on developing WOM strategy for my company and found many great ideas in the fast reading, straightforward book. The author is the President Emeritus of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), and there is a bias in their direction, but it is an excellent organization with a lot of good information and networking. The only missing element is marketing research - the author clearly alerts readers about the lack of research in the introduction as he wanted to keep the content fluid and full of ideas rather than an academic analysis of statistical research. It would have been nice to see measurable evidence of the effectiveness of his 5T approach. Yet...

Good book. Fast read. Great ideas.

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