Rating: 
Summary: Strategy to the Rescue
Review: "Strategy" may be a terribly overused word, but it certainly isn't a used-enough practice when it comes to creating and managing an effective Web site. The vast majority of Web sites out there are just that--"out there," with no clear purpose, no specific goal, no compelling attraction to turn visitors into customers.They lack a strategic plan. Solid, thoughtful help has arrived for businesspeople, especially those with small businesses, in the form of Roger C. Parker's "Streetwise Relationship Marketing on the Internet." Parker spells out in great detail, and with very practical supporting tips and worksheets, what he calls the Customer Development Cycle. It's a five-step strategy that maximizes one's Internet efforts while also putting them in the greater context of one's overall (offline) business goals and strategies. By studying his easy-to-read strategies one can turn a Web site that is currently not much more than a highway billboard (with cars speeding by it) into the most interactive business tool since the face-to-face meeting. Speaking of interactive, Parker also assigns e-mail its deserved central role in creating loyal customers. In tandem with a Web site's own information ("meaningful content" in Parker's words), the exchange of information is a vital component often lost on businesses on the Internet. I highly recommend Parker's book. Even though his many examples and 29 case studies do not include my own field--publishing--I found his unique perspective of combining relationship marketing and the Internet very helpful in developing and fine-tuning a profitable Web site.
Rating:
Summary: Strategy to the Rescue
Review: "Strategy" may be a terribly overused word, but it certainly isn't a used-enough practice when it comes to creating and managing an effective Web site. The vast majority of Web sites out there are just that--"out there," with no clear purpose, no specific goal, no compelling attraction to turn visitors into customers. They lack a strategic plan. Solid, thoughtful help has arrived for businesspeople, especially those with small businesses, in the form of Roger C. Parker's "Streetwise Relationship Marketing on the Internet." Parker spells out in great detail, and with very practical supporting tips and worksheets, what he calls the Customer Development Cycle. It's a five-step strategy that maximizes one's Internet efforts while also putting them in the greater context of one's overall (offline) business goals and strategies. By studying his easy-to-read strategies one can turn a Web site that is currently not much more than a highway billboard (with cars speeding by it) into the most interactive business tool since the face-to-face meeting. Speaking of interactive, Parker also assigns e-mail its deserved central role in creating loyal customers. In tandem with a Web site's own information ("meaningful content" in Parker's words), the exchange of information is a vital component often lost on businesses on the Internet. I highly recommend Parker's book. Even though his many examples and 29 case studies do not include my own field--publishing--I found his unique perspective of combining relationship marketing and the Internet very helpful in developing and fine-tuning a profitable Web site.
Rating: 
Summary: A realistic alternative to overly-complex personalization
Review: Although 1 to 1 marketing and personalization schemes are currently in vogue, studies have shown that overly complex personalization schemes are inappropriate for most web sites. The reasons for the failure of complex personalization are both technical and personal. First, it takes a great deal of complex programming to make elaborate personalization schemes work. This translates into high development costs and expensive delays. Studies have shown that, even after the infrastructure is in place, elaborate schemes are often neglected because of the effort needed to implement them. Second, past behavior doesn't always acccurately predict future behavior and customers can often easily see through insincere personalization schemes. Insincere personalization drops to the level of a "Have a nice day" delivered at the drive-up window of your favorite fast food joint. As an alternative to impractically complicated personalization schemes, in The Streetwise Guide to relationship Marketing on the Internet I propose a simple, easily-implemented 5-stage Customer Development Cycle. The five stages include: 1. Awareness 2. Comparison 3. Transaction 4. Reinforcement 5. Advocacy The goal is to provide different information to customers at each of the five stages. The Streetwise Guide to Relationship Marketing on the Internet also describes the need to create an on-going synergy between e-mail and web site. E-mail is used to "drive" customers from level to level of the Customer Development Cycle. Numerous case studies are included to bring the 5-stage Customer Development Cycle to life in The Streetwise Guide to Relationship Marketing on the Internet. The goal is also to provide readers with a framework for identifying and delivering the information customers and prospects need at each level of the Customer Development Cycle. In addition, my web site, www.NewEntrepreneur.com contains downloadable .PDF and Word .DOC files for the worksheets included in The Streetwise Guide to Relationship Marketing on the Internet. The purpose of these worksheets is to make it as easy as possible to put the book's lessons to work. These are exciting times. For over thirty years, I've been advocating customer retention rather than customer acquisition (which is inevitably more expensive). For the first time, thanks to the Web and e-mail, customer retention is now feasible for firms of all types.
Rating:
Summary: Relationships Rule in Life and in Marketing
Review: As a veteran mental health professional I know how to establish positive relationships in face to face encounters but I was uncertain about how to effectively establish them on my own website. Roger Parker's book gave me a five step blueprint about how to establish ongoing relationships with my book customers and his suggestions jive with the fundamentals of good psychology. I especially liked his section on "the Least You Need To Know about Design and still Succed," because I have such limited time and I wanted to get started quickly. It has proven to be an excellent resource for me.
Rating:
Summary: So obvious most people don't see it
Review: For years now Roger Parker has been supplying us mere mortals with the keys to create quality design and content for print and web. With this book he's done some of his best work. If you've ever created publications or web sites you'll know how hard it is to remember to take into account things that afterward seem so obvious. You learn the hard way that nothing's obvious until you do it the wrong way. The beauty of this book is that you could read it through and never realize how many pitfalls you've avoided by following Roger's advice. The last few years have been full of stories about how new companies, relying on the Internet, have upset the giants and reshaped the landscape. Roger shows how small to medium sized businesses can do the same thing. This doesn't involve big budgets or time-consuming processes. After you read this book I'm sure you'll want to send a copy to many web sites. It seems that people have gone out of their way to make their sites uninviting, incomplete, or just plain confusing - and that means lost sales, not just once, but many times if a potential customer goes to a competitor. This book lays out a clear plan of how your business can profit through the Internet. Roger's immensely readable style guides you through the process with examples from many different types of business. Just like the early days of the Internet decided the big winners and losers, so relationship marketing will do the same for smaller companies - and it's starting now. A classic.
Rating:
Summary: So obvious most people don't see it
Review: For years now Roger Parker has been supplying us mere mortals with the keys to create quality design and content for print and web. With this book he's done some of his best work. If you've ever created publications or web sites you'll know how hard it is to remember to take into account things that afterward seem so obvious. You learn the hard way that nothing's obvious until you do it the wrong way. The beauty of this book is that you could read it through and never realize how many pitfalls you've avoided by following Roger's advice. The last few years have been full of stories about how new companies, relying on the Internet, have upset the giants and reshaped the landscape. Roger shows how small to medium sized businesses can do the same thing. This doesn't involve big budgets or time-consuming processes. After you read this book I'm sure you'll want to send a copy to many web sites. It seems that people have gone out of their way to make their sites uninviting, incomplete, or just plain confusing - and that means lost sales, not just once, but many times if a potential customer goes to a competitor. This book lays out a clear plan of how your business can profit through the Internet. Roger's immensely readable style guides you through the process with examples from many different types of business. Just like the early days of the Internet decided the big winners and losers, so relationship marketing will do the same for smaller companies - and it's starting now. A classic.
Rating:
Summary: Relationship Marketing Made Easy
Review: I appreciate a good "how to" book. Following the steps in this book allowed me to see the honest mistakes I was making in my email marketing campaign. I made some changes recommended in Roger's book, and the results came immediately!
Rating: 
Summary: The Book is not as great as the review says...
Review: I bought the book because I saw a lot of great reviews about it on amazon.com. But after reading the book, it's really disappointing because the book is just very shallow about web marketing... It's also very repetitive and all it says is very general, it doesn't really cover much on strategic web marketing. A lot of the articles on the many web marketing sites or newsletters out there are much more helpful than that book. It doesn't tell much except for mentioning repeatedly how good content, customers registration and email newsletters are important for relationship marketing... It doesn't provide any resource at all for the readers to create good content, to build a customer email database or to launch an effective promotion or marketing campaign, i don't recommend this book at all.
Rating:
Summary: Practical book to transform your on-line operations
Review: I found Roger Parker's book to be excellent for the small to medium size business owner who is serious about making their company's website a serious business tool. Too many businesses simply post a website expecting customers to come running to them. Relationship Marketing on the Internet gives in-depth, practical solutions to transform a business website from a on-line brochure to a tool that will attract new customers and streamline business operations. The book is well laid out, easy to read, and gives many small business case studies that make it applicable for just about any business owner.
Rating:
Summary: Practical book to transform your on-line operations
Review: I found Roger Parker's book to be excellent for the small to medium size business owner who is serious about making their company's website a serious business tool. Too many businesses simply post a website expecting customers to come running to them. Relationship Marketing on the Internet gives in-depth, practical solutions to transform a business website from a on-line brochure to a tool that will attract new customers and streamline business operations. The book is well laid out, easy to read, and gives many small business case studies that make it applicable for just about any business owner.
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