Valuable, if somewhat rudimentary, advice for the budding communications consultant.
A beginners’ guide focuses on starting and growing a communications consultancy.
Darnell’s book considers the basics of starting a business in the field of corporate and marketing communications, but it could just as easily apply to any professional services’ sole proprietorship. The fundamental principles he covers are the cornerstones of most small businesses, and the lessons he shares are instructive. In Part 1, the author discusses reputation management, creativity, strategy, and personal branding. After a worthwhile discussion of the importance of protecting the integrity of corporate reputations, the work makes a strong case for maintaining business and personal ethics. Chapters on creativity and strategy concentrate largely on the communications business. The material included about branding is more broadly applicable, particularly Darnell’s recommended process for developing a personal brand. Useful for novice brand builders is his clear explanation of “The Copy Platform.” Part 2 is a kind of minicourse in business; it includes chapters on leadership and management, objectives, brands (with some intriguing case histories about “rebrands”), business development, customer service, integrated marketing, and cash flow/project flow. Again, all of these areas focus on communications yet have relevance to most professional service firms. Especially useful, albeit brief, is the content on managing projects. In Part 3, Darnell examines very specifically running a communications consultancy, discussing such issues as client size and media usage. A noteworthy aspect of this book is the “Exploration” section the author appends to the end of each chapter. Here, Darnell suggests exercises that test readers’ knowledge and encourage hands-on practice; for example, “For your personal favorite brand, pick one area of The Promo Mix where you feel that a new campaign effort could introduce significant benefits for the brand. Describe the campaign using the Copy Platform format (see chapter 4).” The author personalizes the book by interweaving his own career experiences with instructional content; he also cites relevant sources and uses appropriate, engaging examples. While covering a lot of ground, the book does not delve deeply into any one topic, resulting in more of an overview than a comprehensive manual.
Valuable, if somewhat rudimentary, advice for the budding communications consultant.Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-03-201265-0
Page Count: 174
Publisher: Routledge
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Perhaps not magic but appealing nonetheless.
Want to get ahead in business? Consult a dictionary.
By Wharton School professor Berger’s account, much of the art of persuasion lies in the art of choosing the right word. Want to jump ahead of others waiting in line to use a photocopy machine, even if they’re grizzled New Yorkers? Throw a because into the equation (“Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?”), and you’re likely to get your way. Want someone to do your copying for you? Then change your verbs to nouns: not “Can you help me?” but “Can you be a helper?” As Berger notes, there’s a subtle psychological shift at play when a person becomes not a mere instrument in helping but instead acquires an identity as a helper. It’s the little things, one supposes, and the author offers some interesting strategies that eager readers will want to try out. Instead of alienating a listener with the omniscient should, as in “You should do this,” try could instead: “Well, you could…” induces all concerned “to recognize that there might be other possibilities.” Berger’s counsel that one should use abstractions contradicts his admonition to use concrete language, and it doesn’t help matters to say that each is appropriate to a particular situation, while grammarians will wince at his suggestion that a nerve-calming exercise to “try talking to yourself in the third person (‘You can do it!’)” in fact invokes the second person. Still, there are plenty of useful insights, particularly for students of advertising and public speaking. It’s intriguing to note that appeals to God are less effective in securing a loan than a simple affirmative such as “I pay all bills…on time”), and it’s helpful to keep in mind that “the right words used at the right time can have immense power.”
Perhaps not magic but appealing nonetheless.Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780063204935
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Harper Business
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
Career and business advice for the hashtag generation. For all its self-absorption, this book doesn’t offer much reflection...
A Dumpster diver–turned-CEO details her rise to success and her business philosophy.
In this memoir/business book, Amoruso, CEO of the Internet clothing store Nasty Gal, offers advice to young women entrepreneurs who seek an alternative path to fame and fortune. Beginning with a lengthy discussion of her suburban childhood and rebellious teen years, the author describes her experiences living hand to mouth, hitchhiking, shoplifting and dropping out of school. Her life turned around when, bored at work one night, she decided to sell a few pieces of vintage clothing on eBay. Fast-forward seven years, and Amoruso was running a $100 million company with 350 employees. While her success is admirable, most of her advice is based on her own limited experiences and includes such hackneyed lines as, “When you accept yourself, it’s surprising how much other people will accept you, too.” At more than 200 pages, the book is overlong, and much of what the author discusses could be summarized in a few tweets. In fact, much of it probably has been: One of the most interesting sections in the book is her description of how she uses social media. Amoruso has a spiritual side, as well, and she describes her belief in “chaos magic” and “sigils,” a kind of wishful-thinking exercise involving abstract words. The book also includes sidebars featuring guest “girlbosses” (bloggers, Internet entrepreneurs) who share equally clichéd suggestions for business success. Some of the guidance Amoruso offers for interviews (don’t dress like you’re going to a nightclub), getting fired (don’t call anyone names) and finding your fashion style (be careful which trends you follow) will be helpful to her readers, including the sage advice, “You’re not special.”
Career and business advice for the hashtag generation. For all its self-absorption, this book doesn’t offer much reflection or insight.Pub Date: May 6, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16927-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Portfolio
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
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