Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing

By Patricia Yevics
Director, Law Office Management
Maryland State Bar Association, Inc.

In preparation for a presentation on marketing I am giving in August, another person on the program, a practicing solo practitioner, suggested the book Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing, by Henry Beckwith published in 1997.  She said that she almost never reads most marketing books but it was recommended to her and she had been assured that it was fun and fast reading.  She loved it and now recommends it to all attorneys. 

Thinking, I would read the book and never need it again, I checked it out of the public library.  After just a few chapters, I decided this was one of those books, you could refer to again and so I purchased it (on-line of course) from www.amazon.com.  It can also be purchased from Barnes and Noble stores and on-line at www.bn.com.

This is not a "how to book" but rather "how to think" book.  Although there are some limited concrete suggestions, the purpose of book is to get service businesses to think about what their clients and potential clients want and how to give them what they want.  He stresses again and again that what people are looking for is not features or even superior work product but rather relationships and law is a relationship business.

The book is a series of very short chapters  (from 1-2 pages) which are then summarized in boldface italics that often illicit a slapping of the forehead and the statement : "Of course."

There is nothing specifically groundbreaking in the information that is written but rather easy to read ideas and examples that should be used to change the way you think about your services, your client relationships and your firm. 

It is a book worth owning and reading again and again.  The book is also available on audio which is great for those long waits in traffic.