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Drilling Down Book Testimonials

Long or short, doesn't matter to me, we'll put 'em up for all to see.  If you enjoyed the book or have had success with the Drilling Down method, please let me know.

If you thought the book was useless, we'll put your comments up too.  Don't expect me to go down without a fight though. 


From Susanne Melms:

Truly  - not many books, in school (it was a few years ago :-)) or after school have received my 200% attention from the first page to the very last like "Drilling Down" did!

Jim says:

Susanne hails from Sweden and was an absolute joy to correspond with - she was the first to find a typo in the new August 2002 edition of the book (this has been corrected - isn't Print On Demand just great?).  Now, I sold a bunch of them (mostly in the U.S.) before she spoke up, so I guess that means people in the U.S. either don't care about things like that or it's easier to miss them when English is your only language.  In fact, the first person to point out a typo in the initial book hails from Brazil.  Interesting pattern forming here, don't you think?

From Lori Witzel:

In a downsized economy, with downsized resources, Marketing may not always have access to IT and Database support.   Jim Novo's book 'Drilling Down' gives marketers the ability to do meaningful, effective customer value-scoring themselves, quickly and easily.   I know -- I used it on a time-sensitive project, and it works.   Thanks, Jim!

Jim says: Lori is the Marketing Manager over at Sheshunoff Information Services, "a leader in financial data and analysis, professional publications, work solutions, and regulatory reporting tools".  You figure she must know a thing or three about analytics, right?  Hey, data mining it's not, but it works.  For many companies, it may be all you ever need, because it could take you a decade to uncover all the hidden gems in your customer data using just the information in this book.

From Luke Ashworth:

Just to say I am absolutely thrilled with your book. I am about to make a
leap to a much bigger job as Marketing Mgr of a large online and catalogue
computer reseller, and your words are my holy grail at the moment - I can't
actually work out yet how, armed with this knowledge, anyone can fail in
direct marketing, whether it be online or through an offline catalogue!

Jim says: It is starting to happen.  Out with the old, in with the new.  The next generation of web marketers is about to hit the streets, and they are getting promoted and getting great jobs because they understand the web is a direct marketing medium, where customer behavior rules.

From Leonardo Grinstein:

I'm a Latin America Internet entrepreneur with over two years of experience in the Web Portal segment.  My greatest expertise is in community building.

Jim Novo brings customer database marketing and CRM analysis to life. He shows you the roadmap to success in a simple, straightforward way. He takes everything you wanted to know about managing customer relationships and places it in one resource. There is more “real world” information about customer analysis and database marketing packed into 120 pages than you could get in a year’s worth of seminars and consultant meetings. Jim gives the tools of the professionals to “everyone”.

This book teaches you exactly how to use CRM for customer valuation and to influence retention. With a simple Excel spreadsheet you can create action oriented customer profiles and segment LTV’s for different groups. This way you can develop different messages aimed at each group, with products and offers appropriate to the group being addressed. You end up increasing your ROI by acquiring more customers like gold customers (your best customers) and getting other customers to move up to gold. This book teaches you how to manage customer retention and increase their LTV. One of the techniques that I learned in this book that I liked the most was how to personalize a Web page based on customer behavior. I was amazed to discover that I could do this just using a spreadsheet!

There are people spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for do what you can do just by reading this book!

We can’t keep targeting our customers and blasting them with junk anymore. And we can’t keep buying loyalty with ever-deeper, loss-making discounts. Now we have to start listening to our individual customers’ needs, and find cost effective ways of meeting and influencing them. This book is a must read for those who wish to survive and prosper in this cutthroat web economy. Get this book!

Leonardo Grinstein
Brazil, South America

Jim says: Thanks Leonardo, I should have had you write the book jacket!  Good to see the publishing side is finding value in the book; you don't have to "sell something" to benefit from optimizing your site for best customers.  Got to know who they are and how they behave first....

From Martín Kessler:

Jim Novo's Drilling Down is excellent!

Concepts that may take companies and professionals years, huge budgets and expensive software to learn (if they ever do at all) are explained in a very simple and practical way.  The whole book, and its concepts and ideas, are so clear that even non- native English speakers as myself (I am Argentinian) fully understand it and can easily put it to work in practice.  Every chapter gives you powerful insight that can be applied in business.

Martín Kessler
Argentina

Jim says:  Yet another non-native English speaking customer who thinks the book is "simple and practical".  Of course, I keep saying that but people think, "How can customer modeling be easy?  Don't you need millions of dollars in software?"  Answer:  It is and no you don't.  Best of luck to you Martín and your fellow Argentinians on your current economic journey.  We're pullin' hard for ya!

From Kim Gladman:

I stumbled across your Web site some time ago and have been a regular visitor since.  I receive your regular emails and find your information very useful.  You will be pleased to know that I purchased your book (Drilling Down) just before Christmas and have just finished going through it.  It all sounds so easy!   Your explanations and examples were wonderful and easy to understand.

Kim Gladman
Australia

Jim says:  The first testimonial of 2002, and another to the simplicity of the Drilling Down method.  Folks, you can get 80% of the bottom line benefits of a complex CRM system using simple customer behavior profiles.

From Sameer:

Recently I had the opportunity to read your book "Drilling Down - Turning Customer Data into Profits with a Spreadsheet".  It has been some time since I have come across a book of its kind.  The concept you highlight is both interesting and elegant in its simplicity.  Please accept it as my compliment when I say that you have won over a recruit in me.  

Sameer
Outsourcing Manager
KG INFORMATION SYSTEMS LIMITED
Coimbatore - 641 035, India

Jim Says:  Another IT guy loves the book.  It's really interesting, I wrote it for marketing people but the IT folks are really nuts about it.  Why?  I don't think I can say it any better than Sameer did:  "The concept you highlight is both interesting and elegant in its simplicity."  I think IT folks are dying for a little simplicity in the CRM area these days, don't you?

From Ken Robbins:

I just want to tell you how much I am enjoying your book, Drilling Down.  I discovered your website after searching for "loyalty" and "analytics" information on the internet.  Thanks for writing such an easy-to-follow book and thanks for the mail-list.  I consider this my best resource for marketing... even far above others like iMarketing News and Clickz.

Ken Robbins
BKV Advertising

Jim says:  Man, that's some pretty good company he puts me in.  Ken hails from the world of direct marketing and knows a thing or three about marketing consumer products, having worked on the product sourcing side for Dirt Devil (Royal Appliance).  Thanks, Ken.

From Alexander Mantikas:

Your newsletter is the single most valuable tool of its kind for one simple reason:  Your detailed examples on various issues e.g. Recency, that we can instantly apply to our business.  For a small company with limited resources this is huge.  Throw in all the great articles and you have a winner!  Your articles have really helped me a lot, from a purely educational standpoint as well as sound business/marketing advice.

Alexander Mantikas
CENTENTIA Business Solutions
Athens, Hellas (Greece)

Jim Says:  The web at its best, don't you think?  Wide and far, large and small, the Drilling Down method helps 'em all.

From Steve Conn:

Hi Jim,

You have made a big impression on me with your Drilling Down book. The light bulb is on now.  I bought the book, read it and clearly see the power of data-driven marketing as a result of your beautiful presentation of the concepts and material.

I would like to get together with you to discuss the possibility of you assisting me on several consulting projects I am working on.

Can I take you to lunch? I am happy to pay you for your time, insight and expertise.  Please let me know as soon as possible, as I am thrilled at the possibilities of having a resource like you located so close by; I look forward to hearing from you. (Can you include your phone number in the reply?)

Best regards,

Steve Conn

Jim says:  Steve's in the Tampa Bay, FL area where I live, so don't think he's flying me to California or New York for lunch.  Not that I wouldn't fly to CA or NYC for lunch, mind you.  It would probably be a better idea if you're located there to call me first and then I'd come out for a couple of days and teach you how to make more money in customer retention.

From David Jonah:

Jim,

I saw your post in the Advertising Discussion Group and decided to follow it a few hours ago. I have been reading and assembling information from your site since then. I have downloaded the book sample and will read it.  I intend to come back and buy it.

You have wonderful information and a very helpful site. I have become interested in customer data mining because I am leading a business model development strategy session with a senior management team.

Sometime soon I hope to review your site for the e-zine that I also write for and get you some more exposure. You have a solid common sense approach missing from so many theoretical experts in building business approaches.  Reminds me of that old phrase among members of the clergy on theology ..."sometimes our discussions are so celestial, that they are of no earthly good."  Again thanks for a great site.

David Jonah
JONAH & ASSOCIATES

Jim says:  Seems as though we have a trend forming here.  Descriptions like common sense, practical, actionable (see next) - it's good to know people really "get it".  Strip the hype away, and you find database marketing & customer analysis isn't black magic, folks.  And you don't need a Ph.D. or $5 million in software to do it profitably either.  David is working on a very interesting, complex blended media project for a offline company. We'll use the Drilling Down method to make sense of all the customer data involved.

From Susan Butler:

Jim,

Just wanted you to know that you are my hero.  I have learned so much from your book and the articles you provide links for. Your approach is truly practical and "actionable" (a word often thrown around that sounds good but is rarely demonstrated).

Thanks!

Susan
Perks.com

Jim says:  Now I'm a hero?  Cool, always wanted to be a hero.  Thing is, when you have never worked with real database marketing techniques before it all can be very confusing.  CRM is a classic database marketing application, and people feel overwhelmed by the complexity of it.  Part of the problem is the data mining aspect, which can churn out more senseless data than you could ever use if you don't control the administration of it.  My advice?  Simplify, folks.  Don't start with the most difficult and complex ideas you can find; start macro and work towards micro.  Get yourself on a Pre-CRM testing program.  And relax.  CRM really does work, if you have a plan to follow.

From Johnson Au-Yeung:

Jim,
Ordered and read your book AFTER reading EVERY page in your website.  Your newsletter is outstanding and you seem to be one of the few with real life experience in database marketing with the skills to simply explain with pragmatic examples of how RFM and LTV should be used.

Johnson Au-Yeung
Chief Technologist
Sutherland Group

Jim says:  Thanks for the compliment.  Johnson comes from the "operational" side of CRM, and was wondering in the rest of the message if service businesses can benefit from the Drilling Down method.  No question about it, the answer is yes.  Remember, current customer behavior is the most accurate predictor of future customer behavior, and in a service biz, you get to track a lot of behavior.  What will the killer indicator be?  Hard to tell.   Maybe a rise in trouble calls indicates probable defection, or maybe a fall in trouble calls indicates they don't care anymore because they are switching providers.  The point is, you measure the activity and look at the customer behavior to find links.

From (name and company withheld)

Jim,
Thanks much for your reply.
Subsequent to my email, I read through much of the material on your site and have a better grasp on the different variables we need to attempt to measure in doing a ROI / BCA (benefit-cost analysis) calculation.  Again, I found your site incredibly useful and packed with real world applications of theoretical concepts.  I even forwarded on the link to our Audience Development (AD) folks here hoping they would find it as useful as I, though I'm sure they're much more familiar with the RFM and LTV concepts.  And of course, I plan to purchase the book!

Jim says:  Oh well, name withheld, I guess corporate pressures do prevent one from being on the record at times.  When you become a major ROI / cash flow hero, let me know and we'll put your name up in lights.  "Name withheld" is from the advertising side of the business.  Look for customer behavior profiling (rather than demographics) to drive the ad business in coming months.  Using behavioral profiling is a sure-fire way to boost response, and it's available from the majors.

From Ray Duong:

Thanks Jim, love your book and found it very helpful.

Ray Duong
Data Warehouse Architect
Bigstep.com(SM)

Jim says:  Thanks Ray, spoken like a busy guy.  Seems IT people are finding the book very helpful, since half the time the marketing folks don't really know what they want.  Just make the marketing pukes read the book, then say "We'll do that, OK?"  Boom.  Instant requirements documentation.  Seriously though, following the methods in the book allows you to do some basic customer analysis and see what you need BEFORE you lay out the big bucks for the CRM analytics.  Some folks are starting to think that's exactly the way it should be done; how else will you know if you are buying the tools you need?

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