Selling the Invisible summary
Book Summary & Synopsis
What's it about?
Selling the Invisible explains how to make intangible services visible, distinctive, credible, and valuable. Harry Beckwith explores why services are difficult to market and shows how customer expectations, differentiation, innovation, feedback, focus, positioning, pricing, branding, and storytelling shape service success.
Who is it for?
- Readers who want to understand how to market services that customers cannot see or physically evaluate.
- Business owners and marketers looking for practical ideas about customer experience, differentiation, positioning, branding, and persuasive service communication.
About the author
Harry Beckwith is the author of Selling the Invisible, a book focused on making intangible services visible, distinctive, and credible through thoughtful marketing and customer-focused practices.
From the Introduction & First Chapter
Introduction
Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith. Marketing services is crucial in today's economy, where branding and storytelling matter more than ever. Why are services so difficult to market when customers cannot see what they are buying? Imagine choosing between two providers whose offers seem almost identical, yet one somehow feels more trustworthy.
In Selling the Invisible, Harry Beckwith explains how to make intangible services visible, distinctive, and credible.
the growing service economy
The Growing Service Economy. The American economy is undergoing profound changes. New industries are springing up in place of old ones.
One of the most striking shifts is the staggering growth of the service industry. Companies that sell services are becoming increasingly important. These include banking, legal representation, and even haircuts. More than half of the companies in the Fortune 500 are service companies.
More than 75% of working Americans are employed in this sector. That percentage continues to grow. Services are also playing an increasing role in other sectors. Retail sales have always depended heavily on customer service.
A department store sells physical products like clothes. But its revenues depend on its salespeople and how much they sell. McDonald's success relies not only on its popular fast food. It also relies on fast, consistent customer service.
The services attached to products are expanding as well. Products now often come with value-adding services. When you buy computer software, you rarely get the product alone. It usually comes with technical support and upgrades.
Levi's Personal Pair jeans offer another example. After a customer's measurements are taken, Levi's creates custom jeans designed to fit her perfectly. The finished product is then carried directly to her home. This extra level of service makes the product more desirable.
Table of Contents
- 1 Introduction 0:29
- 2 the growing service economy 1:56
- 3 Why Services Are Difficult to Market 1:46
- 4 exceed customer expectations 2:13
- 5 stand out through difference and innovation 2:27
- 6 Balance Planning with Action 2:05
- 7 make everything part of marketing 2:08
- 8 irrational forces shape customer choices 2:07
- 9 focus and position your service 2:07
- 10 pricing signals quality and value 1:55
- 11 build a recognizable and trusted brand 2:14
- 12 tell a compelling story 4:41
